The Night Killer

the third floor, and crossing over from there. As she was getting in the elevator, Liam slipped in with her.

“I’m looking for Andie,” he said.

Diane pushed the stop button on the elevator and it came to a jerky halt.

She turned to a startled Liam, grabbed the collar of his shirt, and pushed him against the wall of the elevator.

“Look in my eyes and tell me you are on the level, that there isn’t some secret waiting to come out, that you are who we think you are,” he said.

His stunned expression gave way to alarm.

“Something’s happened to Andie,” he said. He put his hands over hers, but didn’t pull them away. “What’s happened? Please tell me.”

Diane searched his eyes. They were dark blue and looked full of concern, verging on panic. It looked real. Everyone seemed to be able to read Diane’s face, but it was a struggle for her to read theirs. She let go of his shirt.

“Yes, something’s happened. Damn it. Something terrible has happened.” Diane struggled to keep tears out of her eyes. Please, no emotions right now. She had to deal with this. She took a breath. “I’m going to the crime lab. I’ll explain there.”

Her hand shook as she started the elevator back up and used her key to override any call from the second floor. They rode in silence. Liam stared at her, fear in his eyes, but he didn’t push.

On the third floor they got out and Diane rushed to the west wing, waving away anyone who tried to catch her attention. When she entered the crime lab they all were there-David, Izzy, Neva, and Jin. Her team. People she trusted. They all looked grim. They had seen the e-mail attachment.

“I’ve already started trying to identify the background sounds,” said David. He shook his head. “So far. . white noise. Someone’s effort to stop me from doing what I’m trying to do.”

“What’s going on?” said Liam.

“Show him the video,” said Diane.

They all crowded around the monitor in one of the glassed-in workstations. The video was already on the screen. David played it again. Diane grabbed his hand as it came on. David squeezed back.

On the screen was Andie, her arms and legs bound to a chair with duct tape, sitting in front of a blue-white background that looked to be a sheet. Her Vitruvian Man T-shirt and jeans were drenched in blood. . her head back. . her neck glistening in deep red.

Liam sucked in his breath. “Andie. God, no. Please, no.” He sank to the chair.

As if instructed by someone out of sight, Andie lifted her head and stared into the camera. It was a recreation of the other murders. Designed to terrify, it had succeeded.

The screen went blank for a moment and came back with Andie holding a piece of paper. She was shaking and dropped it. The screen went blank again. When it came back moments later she was holding the paper again. She read from the paper in a shaky voice, one that was hoarse. . on the verge of tears. She stumbled several times in the reading, her eyes darting to her captor, terror on her face. Diane’s heart ached.

“ ‘I want the diary, or this will be real,’ ” her shaky voice said. “ ‘I know you have it. Don’t go to the police. I will know. I will contact you when it suits me. Maybe today, maybe tomorrow. Right now, I want to have fun. Don’t fuck with me.’ ”

“Oh, God, this is my fault,” said Liam. “This wouldn’t have happened if I’d kept my date with her. Now she’s. .”

“Don’t go there,” said David. “We don’t have time.”

Diane turned to David. “Is he smart?” she asked.

“Yes, but not real smart,” he said.

“What does that mean?” said Liam, almost angrily.

“He wants to set Diane up psychologically so she won’t have any choice but to do what he says. That’s why the opening scene-Diane’s seen the real thing. And that’s why the waiting game and the threat. He-or she, I suppose-wants to put Diane in a position of such anxiety that she’ll do anything to get Andie back.”

“It’s working,” said Liam. “Where’s the part where he’s not real smart?”

“He’s giving us time,” said David.

“What are we going to do?” said Liam.

“I’ve already started. You heard the white noise in the background? It kind of sounds like wind?”

They nodded.

“It’s not really white. It’s in the pink range-meaning that it’s a higher frequency. It’s probably being generated by a device for helping you sleep, giving you a pleasant sound. White noise isn’t pleasant. What I’m doing now is working on blocking that frequency in the video to hear any other sounds in the background. I’m also analyzing Andie’s voice to see what kind of space she might be held in. The computer is doing that right now. Also, I’m trying to backtrack where the e-mail originated from.”

That was quick. Diane knew that as soon as David saw the video he would start to work. She loved him for that. He was the best.

“He’s going to want a diary,” said Diane. “The diaries don’t have the location of the gold mine-I’m assuming that’s what he’s after. We have to get Andie before we give him the diary or he’ll have no reason to let her go. But in the event he sees the diary, he needs to think it contains what he wants.”

“How are you going to do that?” asked Liam.

“I’m going to see that it says what we need it to,” said Diane.

“But how can you do that?” asked Liam.

“She runs a museum and a crime lab,” said Neva. “We can create documents. We can salt a mine if we need to.”

Diane and the others looked over at Neva. “Damn good thinking, girl,” said Jin. “We can do that. Yeah.”

“That can help us control the situation,” said David. “Off the top of my head, I can think of several scenarios where we’re in control.”

“That’s the challenge,” said Diane, “taking control and keeping it when he’s the one with the most valuable treasure-Andie.”

“I’ll call Mike,” said Neva.

Diane nodded. “We need to pick a cave.” She paused and looked at Neva and Izzy.

“You two are more officially with the police department than I am, and we’re not going by the book,” said Diane. “If you have any qualms. .”

“Forget it,” said Izzy. “I’m not going to be a tight-ass with little Andie’s life.” He shook his head. “I know her and her parents. Count me in.”

“Me too,” said Neva.

“I want to be part of whatever you do,” said Liam.

“I’m counting on your skills,” said Diane. “They should be considerable.”

“In certain areas,” he said. “I can’t analyze frequencies, but I am very good at kicking ass, and I have a stealth mode.”

Liam sounded better, almost optimistic. For all David’s paranoia and pessimism, he had a knack for building confidence in those around him-because he was so competent. Diane smiled at Liam. Good.

Neva called Mike and told him to hurry as fast as he could and tell no one where he was going. Diane could imagine what he thought. Neva let him in the secured door when he knocked. Mike came in with his hands in his pockets. He grinned.

“What the heck’s up?” he said. He looked around at the grim faces and frowned. “What’s going on?”

“Mike, you have to promise to keep this completely confidential,” said Diane.

“You know me, Doc,” said Mike.

“Andie’s been kidnapped. We believe it’s by the person who killed the people in Rendell County.”

“What? No. Andie? No.” His gaze darted to each of them, as if he were hoping Diane was telling some terrible joke.

“We are going to get her back,” said Diane. “We have part of a plan and need your help.”

“All right. Just tell me what to do,” said Mike.