Unsolved (Invisible #2) - James Patterson Page 0,14

stilted (Books is not exactly a smooth talker), and I’m wondering if this makes sense for me, if this by-the-book, no-frills agent is my type of guy. The broad shoulders, the kind eyes; yes, that definitely works, but the whole just-the-facts-ma’am routine, which for him is not a routine, doesn’t feel like my speed.

And he’s being polite, keeping the conversation on me, asking me about my family, about my twin sister, Marta, when we see it unfold right before our eyes: a young kid comes seemingly out of nowhere, swipes the handbag from an older woman walking toward us, and then starts to rocket off, angling between pedestrians, his snatch-and-grab complete.

Books turns as if to shield me, and I’m still in shock, watching this happen, the whole thing spanning two or three seconds, the woman so stunned and scared that she hasn’t made a sound, and then Books tackles the young thief, using some kind of takedown he probably learned at Quantico, his movements so quick and decisive and his voice so commanding that the kid doesn’t make a move after Books subdues him. He puts his hand lightly on the kid’s chest as he lies flat on the sidewalk, looks him square in the eye, and starts talking to him. What’s your name? Why did you do this? Don’t you know you could have hurt somebody?

They stay like that for a good ten minutes, Books and the boy. The woman recovers her purse, and the other pedestrians give them a wide berth. A street cop finally shows up, but by the time he gets there, the boy is on his feet, still engaged in conversation with Books. It turns out he has a story that isn’t all that surprising under the circumstances—no father, a mother in rehab, two younger siblings.

The cop goes without making an arrest. The boy shakes the woman’s hand and apologizes. Then he surprises Books with a hug before walking away.

Books turns to me. Rough start to our first date, he says.

But all I can think is I could love this man…

On the plane, I feel my head loll forward, and I jerk awake. This is when I’m sleepiest, when I can’t work, when I don’t have access to my research, which is why I have insomnia at home. It’s hard to sleep when you know somebody’s out there planning his next murder, and your laptop is right next to you, waiting for you to find that tiny morsel, that one detail that will break it all open. But the moment my research is unavailable, the overwhelming sleep deprivation takes hold. I go to a movie for relaxation and I’m asleep in five minutes. I wait in a doctor’s office and find myself quickly floating away.

So I don’t fight it. I close my eyes and lean back against the headrest, my arms tight to my sides on this small seat with the lawyer’s papers spilling around me. I let sleep take me and tell myself that Books will understand when I explain what I’ve been doing.

15

“SO SHE’S off on another one of her investigations.” FBI director William Moriarty plays with his gold-framed reading glasses as he sits at the head of the walnut table. He utters the last word like it’s dirty.

Books, sitting to Moriarty’s left, feels the need to come to Emmy’s defense. He isn’t happy about what she’s doing either, but for a different reason—because these investigations are slowly driving Emmy mad. Moriarty’s making it sound like Emmy’s doing something innocuous but silly or perhaps harmful. He must have forgotten that Emmy more or less single-handedly stopped a serial killer who would probably still be committing his atrocious acts if Emmy hadn’t discovered his crimes and then found him.

But this is not the time to pick a fight.

“So what in sweet Christ are we supposed to do about that?” Moriarty asks.

“We don’t do anything,” Books says. “Is she violating protocol? We told her—the, uh, Bureau told her that she couldn’t do her own investigations in the name of the FBI. She can’t claim to be speaking on behalf of the Bureau. But as long as she isn’t doing that, she’s just doing personal stuff on her own time. Some people do yoga. Some climb mountains. Emmy hunts for serial killers.”

“I have to disagree with you, Books.” This from Assistant Director Dwight Ross, the agent running the operation that includes Emmy, the operation on which Emmy is suspected of leaking secrets. Books has been through