Alex Cross 16 (25 page)

Then Vance stopped before they actually reached the door. He turned to say something to the Secret Service agent. Cormorant pocketed his mic. This wasn't good, not good at all.

Next to me, Angela Riordan cupped a palm over her earpiece, trying to hear. "Dan, what are you doing?" He didn't respond.

"Cormorant, keep it moving. Dan! Get Montana out of there now," said Riordan. She motioned to Agent Ridge that he should go in, but then pulled him back when Vance turned on his own and started to come our way. He was looking right at us now.

Was he Zeus? According to Hannah Willis he was. And I
believed her
. Cormorant followed a step behind, with three other members of the spousal detail just ahead and on either side of the First Gentleman. An agent at the door pushed it open and stepped out first, then held it for Vance to come through.

The next happened in a blink. One of those instants that comes and goes but is photographed in the mind, then never, ever forgotten.

Cormorant was mostly obscured behind Vance, and I just saw the back of his jacket flip up. My Glock came out an instant later, but already it was too late.

The .357 rose in Cormorant's hand, and he fired into the back of Theodore Vance's head. Vance flew forward and landed hard on the cement outside.

Chaos followed. Incomprehension. Terror. Disbelief. Almost immediately, Cormorant took some number of simultaneous shots from the agents around him. Within seconds, he was down too and the place had erupted into page 96

sheer madness.

Hundreds of people were screaming and trying to run for the exits. Right away, the foyer drapes started to close, cutting off the scene of the shootings.

As they did, I spotted a tight cluster of Secret Service agents, running with what I assumed was the president toward whatever nearest hard room they had set up. I wondered if she knew her husband had been shot. Riordan was shouting into her radio, trying to be heard over the other noise. "Shots fired! Montana is down; I repeat, Montana is down! We need an advanced life support team to the River Terrace. North side.
Now!
" Teddy Vance's detail had formed two circles around him, one close on the ground and the other facing out, weapons drawn. Mahoney and I spread out as part of a wider perimeter.

Already, the press corps was pushing in at the edges, frantic to get their stories, to get
anything
. Cops were everywhere, sirens were blaring in the street, and there was deafening shouting coming from all sides, all at once.

It was too early for official theories, but I thought I knew what we'd just witnessed. Cormorant was a veteran agent, a patriot, at least in his own mind. He'd waited for Teddy Vance to clear the building, then fired one lethal bullet, knowing he'd take kill shots in return. It was a suicide as much as an assassination — the last act in a bloody cover-up and, in Agent Cormorant's own way, the last piece of damage control he could offer his president.

But she wasn't even there. Bree wasn't anywhere in the house.

I realized this as soon as I saw Aunt Tia's big knitting bag on the floor by the kitchen table. Tia had come to stay with the kids, and Saint Bree had gone to cover my overnight at the hospital. Of course she had. She wouldn't have wanted Nana to be alone any more than I did.

I almost got back in the car, but it made more sense to spell Bree first thing in the morning and let Tia go home then. We were stretched thin as it was.

So I went upstairs and lay on top of the covers, wide awake and buzzing with everything that had happened, not just tonight but in the past few weeks. The scope of it all was going to reverberate for months, even years, I was sure. We still didn't know how many others like Caroline there had been, and maybe never would. Nor did we know the extent of the cover-up for Zeus, or who had been doing the covering. Theodore Vance had been a successful and very rich businessman on his own. He'd had the resources to do whatever he wished or fantasized about. Apparently that's exactly what he had done.

Later in the day, I'd have to call my sister-in-law, Michelle. I'd also have to decide how much of her daughter's story I was going to tell her. Some of the details had no place in a mother's memory. Sometimes I wonder about the place they have in mine.

It hadn't been half an hour since I'd gotten home, if that, when the phone rang out in the hall. I jumped up to catch it before a third ring. Considering the events of the past twenty-four hours, it might have been any number of people looking for me.

"Alex Cross," I answered in a whisper.

And just like that, life changed again.

"Alex, it's Zadie Mitchell calling from the hospital. How soon can you get over here?"

I ran out to the car in the driveway.

I ran my siren all the way to St. Anthony's, and I ran up four flights of stairs to Nana's room. When I came in, Bree was there with tears streaming down her face. And next to her, in the bed, with eyes like slits — but
open
— was Nana Mama.

page 97

Regina Hope Cross, the toughest person I've ever known in my life, wasn't done with us yet. Her voice was just a crackle, static almost, but it nearly bowled me over. "What took you so long?" she said.

"I'm back."

"Yes, you are." I was beaming when I knelt down to kiss her as gently as I could. She still had two IVs and the A-V line to her heart, but the vent and feeding tubes were off, and it was like seeing someone I hadn't laid eyes on for weeks and weeks.

"What did I miss?" she asked.

"Nothing much. Hardly a thing. The world stopped spinning without you."

"Very funny," she said, although I was kind of serious. Everything else could wait. Zadie and one of the cardiologists, Dr. Steig, were in the room monitoring Nana's condition. "Regina's going to need what we call an LVAD," the doctor said. "A left ventricular assist device. It's the next best thing to a transplant, and it'll help get her home sooner rather than later." He put a hand on Nana's shoulder and spoke up a little. "Looking forward to anything in particular, Regina?"

She nodded groggily. "To not being dead yet," she said, and I laughed with everyone else. Her eyes fluttered closed again.

"She'll be in and out for at least a few days," Steig said. "Nothing to worry about." He took a few more minutes to go over the care plan with Bree and me, and then gave us some time alone in the room.

As we sat together by the bed, Bree told me she'd seen the overnight news. All the major channels were broadcasting live from the Kennedy Center, the White House, and the Vances' home in Philadelphia. Already, a kind of awkward mourning had begun and was spreading around the country.

"So, is that really it?" Bree asked. "Is it over?"

"Yeah," I said, thinking more about Nana than about Teddy Vance. "As much as anything ever is. Zeus is dead. That much we know for sure."

New Year's Day started quietly too. I listened to a few chapters of Ha Jin's
A Free Life
with Nana in her room, made brunch for the kids, and then asked Bree if she'd take a drive with me in the afternoon.

"A drive in the country would be perfect," she said. "Good idea. I'm in." It was just below freezing out, but perfectly climate controlled inside the car. I put on some John Legend, pointed north, and watched the world sail by for an hour or so.

Bree didn't even notice where we were headed until I got off 270 in Maryland.

"Oh, goody."

page 98

"Oh,
goody?
"

"You heard me. Oh, goody. Goody, goody gumdrops. I love this place!" Catoctin Mountain Park is something of a sentimental favorite for us. It was the first place Bree and I ever went away together, and we'd gone camping there a few times since, with the kids and just the two of us. It's beautiful year round — and closed on New Year's Day, as it turned out.

"No big deal, Alex," Bree said. "It's a beautiful drive here, anyway." I pulled over at the big stone gate outside the main entrance and turned off the car's engine.

"Let's go for our walk. What are they going to do, arrest us?

"Got any resolutions?" I asked her.

"Sure," she said. "Work too much, stop going to the gym, and eat until I'm fat. How about you?"

"I'm going to stop recycling."

"Good plan."

"Maybe spend a little less time with the kids."

"Definitely that. Great idea."

"And I want to see if I can't get the woman I love to marry me." Bree stopped short — I would have hoped for no less. I took advantage of the moment and pulled the ring out of my pocket.

"It was Nana's," I said. "She'd like you to have it too."

"Oh, my God." Bree was smiling and shaking her head; I couldn't quite read the expression. "Alex, so much has just gone down in your life. Are you sure this is the right time for you?" If this were some other woman, I might have thought it was code for letting me down easy. But this was Bree, and she doesn't do code.

"Bree, do you remember the night of my birthday?" I asked her.

"Sure," she said, a little confused. "When everything started. All the gunk. That's the night you first heard about Caroline."

"And up until that phone call from Davies, it was supposed to be the night I asked you to marry me. So if we can't have that back, I'd say right now is just about perfect. Will you marry me, Bree? I love you so much I can't stand it."

The wind kicked up, and she reached inside my coat to put her arms around me. Then we kissed for a long time. "I love you too," Bree whispered.

"Then yes, Alex," she finally said. "I do love you so much. Yes to you. Yes to your amazing family —"

"Our amazing family," I said, and kissed her again.

She nodded, close in against me, shutting out the cold. "Yes to all of it."

"No, no, no." I pulled a pillow over my head. "
This
is my New Year's resolution. No more phones. Maybe ever."

We were both due back at work the next morning — but that wasn't for another eight hours.

"Sweetie" — Bree climbed over me to take the phone out of the drawer — " I'm marrying a cop. Cops answer their calls. Get over it." She handed it to me with another kiss and rolled off again. page 99

"I wanted to be among the first to congratulate you, Alex. You and Bree. What a happy ending this is." I sat up. The voice wasn't just familiar. It was a stone-cold
live
nightmare. Most of the world knew Kyle Craig as the Mastermind. I knew him as an old friend who was now my worst enemy.

"Kyle, why are you really calling me?"

"I'm bored, Alex. Nobody plays with me the way you do. Nobody knows me like you do. Might be a good time for some more fun. Just the two of us."

"I don't think we define that word in the same way," I said.

He laughed softly. "I'm sure you're right. Besides, even I can see you need a little break after Zeus. Consider it my wedding present to you. Just don't get too comfortable, my friend. Nothing lasts forever. But then, you already knew that, didn't you? All my best wishes to Bree, to Nana, and of course the kids. And Alex —
here's
to fun
."

Cross Country

James Patterson

Alex Cross tracks the scariest killer of them all – to Africa and back.
When Detective Alex Cross is called to investigate a massacre-style murder scene, he is shocked to find that one of the victims is an old friend. Angry, grieving, and more determined than ever, Cross begins the hunt for the perpetrators of this vicious crime. He is drawn into a dangerous underworld right in the heart of Washington DC that leads him on a life-threatening journey to the Niger Delta, where heroin dealing, slave trading and corruption are rife.

At the centre of this terrifying world, Cross finds the Tiger – the psychopathic leader of a fearsome gang of killers who are not what they seem. As Cross tracks the elusive Tiger through Africa, he must battle against conspiracy and untold violence.

Alex Cross is in a heart-stopping chase that takes him across a vast and uncompromising landscape and finds him not only hunting for a horrific killer, but also fighting for his own survival.

'[
Cross Country
] opens with one of the most chilling murder scenes I've read in a long time . . . High-octane stuff'
Daily Express

'You're just completely engrossed in it from start to finish. Absolutely incredible . . . The story is unrelentingly exciting.' BBC Radio 5 Live

James Patterson

Alex Cross writes a story, passed down through his family, of one of the biggest trials in history . . .
Ben Corbett is a brilliant young lawyer in early-twentieth-century Washington DC. Yet he is a disappointment to his wife and father who believe he wastes his talents by doing poor-paying and thankless work helping the poor page 100

One day, out of the blue, he receives a private invitation to the White House. President Theodore Roosevelt has personally selected Ben to help him investigate rumours of lynchings and a re-emergence of the outlawed Ku Klux Klan in Ben's own hometown of Eudora, Mississippi. Ben accepts the mission handed to him and is given the name of a man in Eudora who will help him in this covert operation – the man's name is Abraham Cross, great-uncle of Alex.

As Ben delves into the murky depths of racial hatred that hide beneath the surface of this seemingly sleepy Southern town, people become suspicious of what he is trying to do, and make it very clear to Ben what he is risking if he continues. Ben must decide if he is willing to lose old friends, his family, maybe even his life for the cause he believes in.

In his quest to bring about justice for the tortured and tormented black community of Eudora, Ben will have to take on the biggest, most difficult, and most dangerous trial of his life. But can one man fight an entire town, an entire state that is stuck in the past and willing to go to any lengths to halt change and the coming of a future that they desperately fear?

THE
SUNDAY TIMES
NO. 1 BESTSELLER

Sail

James Patterson & Howard Roughan

A family under threat. A killer ready to strike.

As Peter Carlyle, a smooth-talking, super-successful lawyer, waved his family off on a sailing holiday, all they had in mind was lying back and relaxing. But when a violent storm broke out, an explosion caused the boat to vanish without a trace and the family were lost, presumed dead.

Until now. When a message in a bottle is found, it becomes apparent that there must have been at least one survivor.

The race is on to rescue the family, but does everyone looking for them really want to find them alive? Was the explosion the accident everyone assumed it to be? Survival may be the least of their concerns. In fact, being found may be the last thing they should be hoping for . . .

'This gripping novel by the world's bestselling thriller author will have you on the edge of your deckchair.'
Daily
Express

THE
SUNDAY TIMES
NO. 1 BESTSELLER

Swimsuit

James Patterson

page 101

& Maxine Paetro

Perfect models, beautifully executed

A breathtakingly beautiful supermodel disappears from a swimsuit photo shoot at the most glamorous hotel in Hawaii. Only hours after she goes missing, Kim McDaniels' parents receive a terrifying phone call. Fearing the worst, they board the first flight to Maui and begin the hunt for their daughter. Ex-cop Ben Hawkins, now a reporter for the
LA Times
, gets the McDaniels assignment. The ineptitude of the local police force defies belief – Ben has to start his own investigation for Kim McDaniels to have a prayer. And for Ben to have the story of his life.

All the while, the killer sets the stage for his next production. His audience expects the best – and they won't be disappointed.
Swimsuit
is a heart-pounding story of fear and desire, transporting you to a place where beauty and murder collide and unspeakable horrors are hidden within paradise.

'Patterson's annual summer thriller is another exceptional treat'
Mirror

'The thriller genre's leading goal scorer . . . Pulp fiction at its most moreish' Shortlist
If you enjoy following the Alex Cross series, you'll

love James Patterson's newest bestselling series

featuring Detective Michael Bennett.

Why not pre-order the paperback now on

www.rbooks.co.uk

page 102

Run for Your Life

James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge

Detective Michael Bennett is on the trail of a deadly killer who is terrorising New York.
A man who calls himself 'the Teacher' is devising a meticulous plan. Cold-hearted and cunning, it is time for everyone to learn his name as he teaches New York a lesson it will never forget. Intent on exacting revenge and causing mass hysteria, he embarks on the worst killing spree the city has ever seen. The whole New York Police Department is tested to its limits; none more so than Detective Michael Bennett, as the Teacher leads him on a terrifying chase that brings danger perilously close to home. With only one man standing in his way, how far will the Teacher go to complete what he set out to do? And at what price?

'. . . brilliant. It feels just like you're reading a Bruce Willis film'
News of the World

'Its breakneck pace leaves you gasping for breath. Packed with typical Patterson panache . . . it won't disappoint'

Daily Mail

THE FORTHCOMING NOVEL IN THE BESTSELLING DETECTIVE MICHAEL BENNETT SERIES,

James Patterson

& Michael Ledwidge

page 103

Detective Michael Bennett already has ten kids – and now he must protect the children of Manhattan's
wealthiest citizens from a cold-blooded killer.

Children of New York's elite are being abducted and held hostage. But the criminal doesn't crave money – he only wants to test these privileged kids to see if they know the price others pay for their luxurious lifestyles. A wrong answer has fatal consequences.

To Detective Michael Bennett, it is clear that these murders are only the beginning. Their killer has insanely grand ambitions – and the entire city is about to be brought to its knees. With all of New York in chaos, Bennett teams up with FBI agent Emily Parker and the two set out to capture the mastermind before he sets in motion his ultimate plan – a deadly lesson for the entire world.

Turn the page for a sneak preview of

WORST CASE