Looks like you’re in the big leagues now.”
My teeth clenched.
“Where is Ruby?” I said.
“Easy, tiger,” said the Fiend. “I still need my proof. I was disappointed the news didn’t showcase my copycat’s handiwork.”
Brenner came over to me, gesturing excitedly for me to keep him talking.
“I have your proof,” I said. “I took video of the body.”
“Good boy. Tell me something. Are you trying to trace this call?”
“Of course not,” I said, hoping the jump of my pulse hadn’t betrayed the lie. “I just want you to release Ruby.”
“Don’t bother trying to trace this. You can’t find me, John.”
“I’m not.”
“You’re a bad liar,” he said. “I thought we worked on that before.”
“Dobson,” I said, remembering my first criminal task.
“Poor fellow,” said the Fiend.
Obviously, he was referring to Dobson.
“What does that mean?” I said, overcome with a sinking feeling.
“Oh, you’ll see.”
“What have you done?”
“Later. What I’d like right now is to see your effort,” he said. “E-mail a copy of the video to GoodbyeJohnsRubyTuesday@hotmail.com. Don’t try to trace that, either. Just send the file.”
“Hang on,” I said.
I put the phone on mute.
“He wants me to e-mail him the video of Oliver,” I said to Higgins.
“Do it,” Higgins said.
Brenner said, “We can’t get a trace on this guy. His IP is bouncing all over the place. Are you experiencing any latency on the call?”
“No,” I said. “It’s coming through clear.”
“I don’t know how he’s doing it,” Brenner said, “but the call is definitely going through a proxy server that’s making it impossible to trace.”
“I don’t think you’re going to have better luck with the e-mail address,” I said.
Brenner’s haunted expression seemed to agree.
I e-mailed the video directly from my phone and heard someone talking. Maybe they thought the conversation was over. I turned off the mute button after Brenner had once again silenced the room.
“I sent the video,” I said.
“Good.” Then a pause. Then I heard, “Ohhhh . . . oh, John, lovely work. Was it hard?”
“Was what hard?”
“Taking a man’s life,” the Fiend said. “Did he struggle?”
“Of course,” I said.
“Were his legs kicking? Did he thrash about? He looks so old and frail. Could he put up much of a fight?”
“No,” I said. “He didn’t fight much at all.”
“So, you took out a weakling. Culled the herd, did you?”
“He lived a long time. It was the best of the worst. Now, you promised you’d set Ruby free.”
“Did he froth at the mouth? Did he spit on you as he died?”
I didn’t know how to respond. Did that happen to people who were choked to death? Could they even spit? Was he testing me? I decided he frothed but couldn’t spit. That’s what I told him, anyway.
“Jenna frothed at the mouth, too. Did it make you excited? Are you going to give Ruby a bit of that excitement when you’re reunited?”
“Please,” I said. “Please just let her go.”
“Okay . . . okay. Come and get her, John. She’s at one-fifty-seven Beacon Street in Boston, Apartment Seven-E.”
“You’re just going to let me come and get her?” I said, disbelieving.
“Yes. That was our deal. One murdered person in exchange for one sick wife.”
“I’m coming now.”
“Good. And bring friends if you’d like. I don’t care if an entire armada of police shows up. But I do have one rule. One very specific rule. Nobody, and I mean nobody, is to attempt entry without first getting my permission. If anybody so much as rings the buzzer, she dies. Is that understood?”
“Yes,” I said. “Understood.”
“And, John?”
“Yes?”
“You’re almost a real criminal.”
“What do you mean, almost? I’ve done everything you’ve asked.”
“Yes, you’ve done everything I’ve asked,” the Fiend said, “but I haven’t asked everything you’ll do.”
CHAPTER 62
The apartment, situated in an upscale neighborhood of Boston not far from Kenmore Square, was a nicely maintained five-story brownstone fronted by a convex awning with a green cover. Morning sunshine turned the day warm, triggering the scent of blossoms that sweetened the air. Police barricades sectioned off four surrounding city blocks. Helicopters buzzed the skies with the uneven trajectory of flying insects. Police ordered a mandatory evacuation of all residents living in the two adjacent apartment buildings and those directly across the street. Ambulances and fire trucks were called in to assist with the evacuation effort. Most everyone else, it seemed, went to the rooftops to get a bird’s eye view of all the commotion happening at street level.
Clegg drove us to the site and got me acclimated to the massive and awe-inspiring law enforcement response.
“We’ve got SWAT on the rooftops and snipers