The Tower

She was right. He should have proceeded more gently if he wanted to get the kid to talk, and he knew it. She unbuttoned the top of her shirt and pulled it in the back so it shifted on her shoulders. "Well, I'm handling this now. I'll deal with the girl. What do you need me to ask her?"

She unbuttoned her cuffs and rolled her sleeves up, then took her badge from her shirt pocket and slid it in her back pants pocket.

Jade paused for a minute, then answered very seriously. "I need to know how they responded. The kids. What they said. And ask her if.. . ask her if he explained what he was doing as he did it. If he gave them any insight into his rationale. He'd want to, I think. He'd want them to know, to understand."

The rage behind Travers's eyes subsided. She nodded and turned to go, but Jade caught her arm.

"You look good," he said.

"Well, thank you, Jade," she said sarcastically. "That's what I'm here for."

"Don't flatter yourself. I mean you look good. Maternal and caring. Perfect for the kid. Smart move."

"Oh. Thanks. I try to go for that Nancy Reagan look." She turned and walked away.

Chapter 28

O N C E he was safely past the roadblock, Allander removed the bathrobe and nightgown and peeled off the beauty mask. Underneath, he still wore the comfortable blue silk shirt and loose pants. After taking out the curlers and applying a generous amount of gel, he parted his hair to one side and slicked it back neatly over his ears. Big sunglasses covered his eyes, and he had pushed cotton balls into his cheeks and under his lips to change the shape of his face.

Having already taken care of an important stop that he had planned, he relaxed and hummed along with the classical music pouring from the car's topnotch speakers. Closing his eyes, he breathed deeply, allowing himself to enjoy the simple perfection of a Mozart symphony.

A green sign appeared over the highway just ahead of him, announcing the next exits. It was followed by a smaller blue sign with crude symbols for food and transportation. Having still not fully adjusted to driving again, he gripped the steering wheel tightly as he put on his blinker and cautiously pulled over, exiting the freeway. He passed a Greyhound station and found a deserted factory several blocks from the main road.

He slid open the rusty gate, leaving the car humming. The gate's lock had been smashed open already and it hung from the fence. Allander inched the Mercedes through the gate, pulling up in an alley between a warehouse and an old building. He climbed in the backseat and curled up on the fine leather, content to pass the night planning and dozing.

The house was crawling with agents by the time Jade got there. He wandered through it, thinking that only hours earlier Allander himself had walked through these very rooms, had seen the same table, the same flower arrangement, had probably gone to the bathroom here and eaten from the refrigerator.

So close in time, so far away. Allander's presence still hung about the house the way a man's shape fills a shirt after it's been worn. Jade could sense him, sense that he had been here, and he walked around the house as if in a trance, feeling the walls and floor.

When Travers arrived a half hour later, Jade ignored her. He didn't have time for distraction until he'd made his first complete pass through. The other officers weren't sure what to make of him, but Jade hardly noticed their presence. He was alone in the house with the scent of Allander.

The door to Leah's room was slightly ajar, and Jade rested his forearm on the frame as he gazed in. The letters of her name on the wall made him smile. Allander would have appreciated them.

The bed was still wet with urine, and Jade crossed the room heavily and looked at the stain, a dark mass spread across the soft pink comforter. He touched it absentmindedly, gazing around the room.

Jade closed his eyes and imagined Allander's approach to the house in the early light of morning. The ground was cold under his bare feet. He rang the doorbell and waited. He heard approaching footsteps. His stomach was nervous but excited. The footsteps stopped and he leaned forward, driving an instrument through the peephole. He pushed the door open and it stopped when it hit the man's body. The body slid as he opened the door the rest of the way. He stepped over the corpse and he was inside. What was he thinking? Was he imagining the feel of children's skin against his fingertips? Was he nervous at the likelihood that there was a woman in the house?

An agent with a clipboard bumped Jade as he passed and Jade spun around, startled. The agent saw Jade's wild eyes and backed around the corner, mumbling an apology. Jade turned back to study the letters on the wall.