“I want you to look after your partner—that’s all I’m asking. Her sister is worried about her, and you should know that. Don’t shoot the messenger, Tatum.”
“I’m looking after her. You have my word.”
“Fine.” Marvin grunted. “Listen, I wanted to ask, where are the cat snacks?”
“The what?”
“The cat snacks. Can you hear me? Hello? Cat snacks, Tatum, where are the cat snacks?”
“I heard you, I heard you. Why do you want cat snacks?”
“I think Chicago made you slow, Tatum. I want cat snacks for the cat. What did you think I want them for?”
“The cat? Freckle?”
“Of course Freckle. Do you think I got another cat while you were gone? Did I give you the impression that I crave the company of additional cats?”
“Then . . . why do you want to give it a snack? You hate Freckle.”
“Damn it, Tatum, I ask you a simple question, I expect a simple answer. Not this federal investigation. Is that what you’re doing over there? Harassing your suspects over cat snacks? No wonder it’s taking you so long to get your guy. The ladies from the book club are here. They think the cat’s cute. They want to give him snacks. Is that okay with you, Tatum? Can you please tell me where the cat snacks are? Or do I need to go buy some myself?”
“Settle down, Marvin. Don’t get your blood pressure up. The cat snacks are in the top left cupboard.”
“It’s not there. I looked. The only thing there are those weird salty crackers.”
Tatum frowned. “We don’t have any crackers.”
There was a moment of silence. “Top left cupboard?” Marvin said. “Yeah, okay.”
“Marvin, did you eat the cat snacks?”
“I . . . listen, I’m pretty sure these were crackers. They don’t taste so good, but I’ve had worse.”
“There’s a picture of a cat on the package. They’re supposed to taste like chicken. Didn’t you find that strange?”
“You know what, Tatum? When you were younger, you didn’t use that tone with me. You had a lot more respect.”
“That’s because I didn’t know you ate cat food.”
“You’re hilarious, Tatum. I’m going back to my guests. It’s a lot nicer than talking to my wiseass grandson.”
“Bye, Marvin.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Tatum put the phone on the night table, grinning. The image of Marvin sitting in the kitchen, drinking tea, and distractedly munching cat snacks was one he intended to treasure. Then, he thought of Zoe. Marvin, annoyingly, was right. Zoe wasn’t okay; Tatum knew that. It wasn’t just today, with her constant short temper and her fury over Albert Lamb. He’d seen glimpses of it the whole week. Moments when she seemed adrift. Losing her focus for long periods of time. Sudden moments when she clenched, her eyes wide in fear, which seemed to fade the moment he asked what was wrong.
He almost decided to go knock on her motel door again. He slid one leg into his pants, then stopped. The thought of walking into her room, the electric sharp atmosphere everywhere, drained his resolve. He would do no good to Zoe in his current state. He needed one evening of rest.
CHAPTER 26
The man in control came home early, unable to wear his facade for long. He kept feeling as if anyone who looked at him knew. They could somehow see through him, perceive the sickness and the guilt. He’d checked his face in the mirror every few minutes, examining it from every angle, making sure that he was the same. And he was, unless the mirror lied. Which was an uncomfortable thought in itself, not an actual fear, not yet, but the hint of a future anxiety. What if the mirror was lying to him?
He’d thought he would feel better, like last time. And he had, for a few hours. After they’d finished the night’s work, they’d gone home; his sleep had been deep and dreamless.
But when he’d woken up in the morning, he could already feel the nervousness clawing inside him. It had been amplified when he’d seen Daniel, felt the simmering rage under his friend’s chilly behavior. A volcano trapped within a glacier. He’d drunk one of the vials then—he’d collected eight this time. But it had given him almost no reprieve.
Now, back home after a torturous day, he paced his room like a trapped animal, an ugly feeling in the pit of his stomach. Daniel was angry with him. He didn’t even bother hiding it. He was angry