THE MASTERMIND 303

professionals, we do our jobs well. It's not a coincidence that Ad- am's in here today, and you're in here. We've come to you for a particular reason, but I think there's some saving grace here with your situation. I don't know, Tom, what do you think?"

"I think there is because ... I don't think you pulled the trig- ger," Cindric said.

They told Stillwell they'd been examining his emails, his bank records, his travel receipts. They knew he was there when Lee was killed, Stouch said, "but we don't think you really liked it."

As the minutes passed, Stillwell repeatedly told the agents that he couldn't recall the events in Manila. "No, I get that!" Cindric said. "I get that. My problem is I don't really believe you. And I'll tell you why."

"Okay."

"Because there are significant events of people's lives, and one is watching another man pull out a gun and shoot somebody in the face, twice."

After an hour and a half of back and forth, Stillwell's resistance slowly began to fade, as Cindric patiently ground him down. "Did Adam Samia pull the trigger on that woman?" he finally asked.

"Yes."

"Were you present?"

"Yes."

"Did it happen in the van?"

"It was in a vehicle."

"Who was driving the vehicle?"

"I was driving."

"Were you shocked that he pulled the trigger?"

"Yeah," said Stillwell.

Samia, for his part, would admit only that he had known Hunter. "I've worked with him in the past, yes," he said, "doing security work." The jobs consisted of buying and securing gold in Africa, to be shipped to Hong Kong and Dubai. His 2012 trip to the Phil- ippines had just been for some "advance work," he said. He was "flabbergasted" by the charges. "I've met these people, yes, I've