Read Online Violets Are Blue by James Patterson - Free Book Online
Authors: James Patterson
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‘I didn’t have my A game today.’ I’m a little stumped, Kyle. This is all new and all bad.”
He nodded and said, “I don’t mean today. Overall. In general. On balance. How the hell are you doing? You seem tense to me. We’ve all been noticing it, Alex. You don’t volunteer much at Saint Anthony’s anymore. Little things like that.”
I looked at him, studied his intense brown eyes. He was a friend, but Kyle was also a calculating man. He wanted something. What was he after? What thoughts were going through his mind?
“On balance, I’m totally fucked. No, I’m okay. I’m happy with the way the kids are doing. Little Alex is the best antidote for anything. Damon and Jannie are doing fine. I still miss Christine: I miss her a lot. I’m troubled about how much time I spend investigating the sickest, most fucked-up crimes that anyone can conjure up. Other than that, I’m just fine.”
Kyle said, “You’re in demand because you’re good at this. That’s just the way it is. Your instincts, your emotional IQ,
something
sets you apart from the other cops.”
“Maybe I’d rather not be so good anymore. Maybe I’m not. The murder cases have affected every aspect of my life. I’m afraid they’re changing who I am. Tell me about Betsey Cavalierre. Anything on the case? There must be something.”
Kyle shook his head. His eyes showed concern. “There’s absolutely nothing on her murder, Alex. Nothing on the Mastermind either. That prick still calling you any time of day or night?”
“Yeah. He never mentions Betsey or her murder anymore.”
“We could set up another trace on your phones. I’ll do that for you.”
“It wouldn’t do any good.”
Kyle continued to look deep into my eyes. I sensed he was concerned, but it was hard to tell with him. “You think he might be watching you? Following you?”
I shook my head. “Sometimes I get that feeling, yeah. Let me ask you something, since I have you here. Why do you keep pulling me into these messed-up cases, Kyle? We worked Casanova down in Durham, the Dunne and Goldberg kidnapping, the bank robberies. Now this piece of shit.”
Kyle didn’t hesitate to spell it out. “You’re the best I know, Alex. Your instincts are almost always on target. You give these investigations the best shot they could get. Sometimes you solve them, sometimes not, but you’re always close. Why don’t you come join us at the Bureau? I’m serious, and yes, this
is
an offer.”
There it was: Kyle’s agenda for the meeting. He wanted me at Quantico with him.
I roared with laughter, and then he did too. “To tell you the truth, I don’t feel close on this one, Kyle. I feel lost,” I finally admitted.
“It’s still early in the game,” he said. “The offer stands, win or lose out here. I want you to come to Quantico. I want you working close to me. There’s nothing that would make me happier.”
Chapter 26
THIS WAS a good break. Better than they could have expected or hoped for. William and Michael followed the two hotshot police
dicks
from the station house in Brentwood. They stayed a reasonable distance back in their van. The brothers didn’t particularly care if they lost them. They knew what hotel they were staying at. They knew how to find them.
They even knew their names.
Kyle Craig, FBI. A DIC from Quantico. A “big case” man. One of the Bureau’s best.
Alex Cross, Washington PD. Forensic psychologist to the stars.
There was a saying William wanted to whisper in their ears:
If you hunt for the vampire, the vampire will hunt for you
.
That was the truth, but it also sounded too much like a rule. William fucking hated rules. Rules made you predictable, less of an individual. Rules made you less free, less authentic, less yourself. And in the end,
rules could get you caught
.
William touched down lightly, tentatively on the van’s brake pedal. Maybe they shouldn’t hunt the two cops down, then kill them like dogs, he was thinking.
He nodded and said, “I don’t mean today. Overall. In general. On balance. How the hell are you doing? You seem tense to me. We’ve all been noticing it, Alex. You don’t volunteer much at Saint Anthony’s anymore. Little things like that.”
I looked at him, studied his intense brown eyes. He was a friend, but Kyle was also a calculating man. He wanted something. What was he after? What thoughts were going through his mind?
“On balance, I’m totally fucked. No, I’m okay. I’m happy with the way the kids are doing. Little Alex is the best antidote for anything. Damon and Jannie are doing fine. I still miss Christine: I miss her a lot. I’m troubled about how much time I spend investigating the sickest, most fucked-up crimes that anyone can conjure up. Other than that, I’m just fine.”
Kyle said, “You’re in demand because you’re good at this. That’s just the way it is. Your instincts, your emotional IQ,
something
sets you apart from the other cops.”
“Maybe I’d rather not be so good anymore. Maybe I’m not. The murder cases have affected every aspect of my life. I’m afraid they’re changing who I am. Tell me about Betsey Cavalierre. Anything on the case? There must be something.”
Kyle shook his head. His eyes showed concern. “There’s absolutely nothing on her murder, Alex. Nothing on the Mastermind either. That prick still calling you any time of day or night?”
“Yeah. He never mentions Betsey or her murder anymore.”
“We could set up another trace on your phones. I’ll do that for you.”
“It wouldn’t do any good.”
Kyle continued to look deep into my eyes. I sensed he was concerned, but it was hard to tell with him. “You think he might be watching you? Following you?”
I shook my head. “Sometimes I get that feeling, yeah. Let me ask you something, since I have you here. Why do you keep pulling me into these messed-up cases, Kyle? We worked Casanova down in Durham, the Dunne and Goldberg kidnapping, the bank robberies. Now this piece of shit.”
Kyle didn’t hesitate to spell it out. “You’re the best I know, Alex. Your instincts are almost always on target. You give these investigations the best shot they could get. Sometimes you solve them, sometimes not, but you’re always close. Why don’t you come join us at the Bureau? I’m serious, and yes, this
is
an offer.”
There it was: Kyle’s agenda for the meeting. He wanted me at Quantico with him.
I roared with laughter, and then he did too. “To tell you the truth, I don’t feel close on this one, Kyle. I feel lost,” I finally admitted.
“It’s still early in the game,” he said. “The offer stands, win or lose out here. I want you to come to Quantico. I want you working close to me. There’s nothing that would make me happier.”
Chapter 26
THIS WAS a good break. Better than they could have expected or hoped for. William and Michael followed the two hotshot police
dicks
from the station house in Brentwood. They stayed a reasonable distance back in their van. The brothers didn’t particularly care if they lost them. They knew what hotel they were staying at. They knew how to find them.
They even knew their names.
Kyle Craig, FBI. A DIC from Quantico. A “big case” man. One of the Bureau’s best.
Alex Cross, Washington PD. Forensic psychologist to the stars.
There was a saying William wanted to whisper in their ears:
If you hunt for the vampire, the vampire will hunt for you
.
That was the truth, but it also sounded too much like a rule. William fucking hated rules. Rules made you predictable, less of an individual. Rules made you less free, less authentic, less yourself. And in the end,
rules could get you caught
.
William touched down lightly, tentatively on the van’s brake pedal. Maybe they shouldn’t hunt the two cops down, then kill them like dogs, he was thinking.
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