As she did so, she passed the Western Union envelope where it lay, still dangling on the ledge. She now lifted it and placed it beside her as she put the coffee together. It was a simple Mr. Coffee and the brew was bubbling in no time, sending out an aromatic wake-up call to Jim. Already, she'd missed her flight from Oahu, but she'd call later and book anew, maybe… It all depended on Jim.
She began peeling open the Western Union envelope along the dotted line, watching Jim turn over at the same moment, his fingertips groping, trying to find her.
She pretended indifference, looking into her correspondence instead. She turned out the tight folds of the paper and read the typed message, someone having no doubt paid extra for the red ink:
Warm thy blood Hawaii.
Make ready for T.
Make it good and tasty.
More better for me… Teach
Her mind and stomach crossed in a dizzying somersault as she gulped down a palpable fear. No, it's impossible; can't be, she argued with herself. If this is Alan Rychman's idea of a joke, she'd send him a response he wouldn't soon forget. But then she immediately knew better. Alan was not so callous as to sign off as the maniac who had cut her. Teach Matisak. But who? Matisak? Christ, how could he have gotten out a Western Union from the federal pen in-”What's 'at?” asked Parry, interrupting her thoughts.
— unless that idiot Dr. Arnold wired it for him, she silendy guessed.
“ What the devil is it, Jess… Jess?” Jim stood tall and lean in his underwear.
“ Sure, that's the only explanation,” she said aloud, almost convinced, almost relieved. “What're you going on about?” Parry remained confused.
“ Look at this crap. Do you believe they'd let a psycho like Matt Matisak send a Western Union to me here!”
“ Must be somebody's idea of a sick joke. Look at the origin. Where'd it originate from?” He was instantly alert, his face creased with anger. “Let me see it.”
He examined the origin of the message. “Says here Norman, Oklahoma. You know anybody in Oklahoma?”
“ No, no one.”
The phone rang and the coffee was perked at the same time. Get the coffee,” she said. “I'll see who that is.”
“ Right, sure.”
“ Coran,” she said into the phone.
“ Don't you pick up your messages anymore, Coran?”
“ What messages? Wait a minute, Paul. You send me a wire the other night?”
“ No, just phone calls, several.”
“ I've been away from the hotel, sorry, and some weird things've been going on here, and last night I got in so late I didn't stop by the desk, so-”
“ Jess, are you sitting down?”
“ No, why?”
“ Sit.”
He said it with such command she obeyed automatically. “What is it, Paul. You're scaring me.”
“ It's Matt Matisak.”
“ What about the bastard?”
“ He… he's no longer in custody, Jess.”
“ What? What? Are you… is this some sort of sick joke, Paul?”
“ Wish it were, Jess… wish it were…”
“ But if he's not in custody, what happened? Did I miss something? Don't give me any shit about his lawyer finding some overlooked loophole or I'll-”
“ He escaped Arnold's asylum.”
“ A maximum-security prison and he escapes?”
“ He escaped from a hospital ward in another part of the prison.”
“ Hospital ward?”
“ He hurt himself… all part of his plot, we figure.”
“ Christ, Paul, he… the bastard… he sent me a wire! He's coming after me.”
“ He's extremely dangerous, Jess. He proved that two days ago.”
“ Was anyone… hurt?”
Parry was hanging on her every word.
“ Arnold was killed, and a guard, and a nurse.”
“ How?”
“ Scalpel to the throat… except for Arnold whom he took his time with.”
“ He stopped to drink the blood, didn't he?”
“ He did.”
“ Anything else you want to tell me?”
“ He left a message on a wall, a message in Arnold's blood.”
“ For me.”
“ For you.”
“ What… what'd it say, damn you?”
“ The real thing is good, but Coran is king… I want her blood.”
“ That bastard's free and he's after my blood, Paul. What the hell am I supposed to do? You got any idea what I'm supposed to do?”
“ You can't stay there, that's for sure.”
“ I'm going to be looking over my shoulder no matter where I am.”
“ Get back home, Jess. We can work out a strategy from here. If he thinks you're in Hawaii, he'll go there.”
“ Get back home for how long, Paul?”
“ It'll buy us time… time to work out some strategy, Jess.”
“ For how long?”
“ I don't know, Jess. Until we apprehend the bastard again.”
“ Start in Norman, Oklahoma.”
“ Oklahoma?”
“ He sent the wire from there.”
“ Christ, he's halfway across the continent.”
“ He's shrewd and deadly. He'll be killing as he goes. Set up a command post in Oklahoma. I'll… I'll join you there.”
“ Are you sure?”
“ Yes, damnit, I'm sure.”
Jim interrupted. “He could be counting on that if he's as treacherous as you say.”
“ What?”
“ That you'll come to him.”
“ Right, well, then he'll be right.” Zanek asked, “Who are you talking to?”
“ Jim Parry.” She imagined Zanek was checking his watch about now and figuring Hawaii time.
“ Ahh, oh, yeah,” he sputtered. “Sounds like he agrees with me, Jess, that it'd be best for you to return to D.C.”
“ Where I can sit on my thumbs? Wait and wonder and fear my own shadow? No, thanks.”
“ Let us take care of Matisak, Jess.”
“ I let you guys take care of him already, remember?”
“ All right, Jess. I'll meet you in Oklahoma, but not anywhere near the bureau offices. He'll be watching the offices, if he imagines you'll come.”
“ Or he'll be on a flight for here,” she countered.
