Alex Cross 8 - Four Blind Mice

by Patterson, James

  I nodded. Listened. Sampson wasn't finished with his story.

  “She was the one who helped get me into the Army after high school. Then into the police academy when I got out of the service. She's your grandmother, but she's more a mother to me than my own flesh. And I never had a father, not really. Neither of us did. I always thought that held us together in the beginning.”

  It wasn't like Sampson to go on and open up like this. I still didn't speak. I had no idea where he was headed, but I let him go as much as he wanted to.

  “I always knew I didn't have it in me to be a father or a good husband. It was just something I felt inside. You?”

  “I had some fears before I met Maria,”I said. “Then they just went away. Most of them anyway. I knew Maria and I would be good together. First time I held Damon the rest of the fears pretty much disappeared for good.”

  Sampson began to smile, then he was laughing. “I met somebody, Alex. It's strange, but she makes me happy and I trust her with my secrets. Look at me, I'm grinnin' like a goddamn Halloween pumpkin.”

  Both of us were laughing now. Why not? It was the first time I'd seen Sampson in love, and we'd been friends for a long time.

  “I'll mess it up somehow,” he said. But he was still laughing. We joked and laughed most of the rest of the way home. Jesus, John Sampson had a girlfriend.

  Billie.

  Alex Cross 8 - Four Blind Mice

  Chapter Eighty-Six

  Nana Mama always used to say, “Laugh before breakfast, cry before dinner.” If you raise a family, you know there's some truth to that, crazy as it sounds.

  When I got back to Fifth Street that night there was a red-and-white EMS truck sitting in front of our house.

  I shut down the Porsche and bounded out of it.

  It was raining, and the bracing wind and water whipped at my face. Partially blinded by the rain, I hurtled up the front steps and entered the house. My heart was hammering and a voice inside whispered no, no, no.

  I heard voices coming from the living room and rushed in there expecting the worst.

  Nana Mama and the kids were sitting on the old sofa. They were all holding hands.

  Across from them sat a woman in a white lab coat. I recognized Dr. Kayla Coles from the night with Damon's sick friend, Ramon.

  “You missed all the excitement,” Nana said as she saw me enter the room.

  “Imagine that, Daddy,” said Jannie. “You missed the excitement.”

  I looked toward the doctor sitting in the easy chair. “Hello, Doctor.”

  She had a good smile. “Nice to see you again.”

  I turned to Nana. “Exactly what excitement did I miss? For starters, what's the EMS truck doing outside?”

  She shrugged. “I thought I had a heart attack, Alex. Turns out, it was just a fainting spell.”

  Dr. Coles spoke. “Nana doesn't remember passing out. I was down the street at the time. I work with a group that brings health care into the neighborhoods of Southeast. Makes it easier for some people to get good care. More personal, and definitely more affordable.”

  I interrupted. “Nana passed out. What happened to her?”

  “Damon saw the EMS truck and he came and got me. Nana was already up on her feet. She had an irregular heartbeat. Rapid, threading. The pulse in her wrist wasn't as fast as the actual heart rate, so there could be some diminished circulation. We took her over to St. Anthony's for a few tests.”

  Nana shrugged the whole thing off. “I fell down, went boom, in the kitchen. Always hoped it would be there. Damon and Jannie were just great, Alex. About time they started taking care of me for a change.”

  She laughed, and so did Dr. Coles. I was glad they both saw the humor in the situation.

  “You're still here. It's past nine,” I said to the doctor.

  She smiled. Good bedside manner, or whatever this was. “We were having so much fun I decided to stay for a while. I still have one more stop, but Mr. Bryant doesn't get off work until ten.”

  “And,” I said, 'you were waiting for me to get home.“ ”Yes, I thought that would be the best idea. Nana says you work late a lot of nights. Could we talk for a minute?"

  Alex Cross 8 - Four Blind Mice

  Chapter Eighty-Seven

  The two of us stepped out onto the front porch. Heavy rain was pelting down on the overhang and the air was damp and cool. The good doctor pulled a gray car sweater around herself.

  “I've already had this chat with your grandmother,” she said. “Nana asked that I talk to you, answer all your questions. I would never go behind her back, or condescend to her in any way.”

  “That's a good idea,”I said. “I think you'd find that she's awfully hard to condescend to.”

  Kayla suddenly laughed. “OK, I know. I Had your rvarva sorry, Mrs. Regina Hope Cross in eighth grade. She's still probably the most inspirational teacher I've had. That includes undergraduate at Brandeis and medical school at Tufts. Thought I would flash my resume by you.”

  “Okay, I'm impressed. So what's the matter with Nana?”

  Kayla sighed. “She's getting old, Alex. She admits to eighty-two. The tests we took at St. Anthony's won't come back until some time tomorrow or the next day. The lab boys will call me, then I'll call Nana myself. My concern? She's been having palpitations for several weeks. Dizziness, lightheadedness, shortness of breath. She tell you?”

  I shook my head. Suddenly I felt more than a little embarrassed. “I had no idea. She told me she was feeling fine. There was a rough morning a couple of weeks back, but no complaints from her since.”

  "She doesn't want you to worry about her. When she was at St. Anthony's we did an EKG, an echocardiogram, routine lab work. As I mentioned, her heartbeat is irregular.

  “On the positive side of things, there's no sign of edema. Her lungs are clear. No evidence that she's suffered a stroke, even a slight one. Nana has very good general muscle strength for somebody her age, or even younger.”

  “So what happened to her? You have any idea?”

  “We'll have the test results in a day. Dr. Redd in the lab was in Nana's class, too. If I was to hazard a guess, I would say atrial fibrillation. This involves the two small upper chambers of the heart, the atria. They seem to be quivering, rather than beating effectively. There's some risk of clotting.”

  “I take it she's okay to be here tonight,” I said. “I don't want her stubbornness to keep her out of the hospital if she needs to be there. Money isn't a consideration.”

  Kayla Coles nodded. “Alex, my opinion is that it's safe for her to be home right now. She said her sister will be coming from Maryland tomorrow. I think that's a wise precaution. Someone to help with the kids and the house.”

  “I'll help with the kids,” I said. “And the house.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “I believe we've already established that you work too hard.”

  I sighed and shut my eyes for a couple of seconds. The news was finally hitting me, sinking in. Now I had to force myself to deal with it. Nana was in her early eighties, and she was sick.

  Kayla reached out and lightly patted my arm. “She's getting up there, but she's strong, and she wants to be around for a long time. That's important. Alex, Nana believes that you and the children need her.”

  I finally managed a thin smile. “Well, she's right about that.”

  “Don't let her do too much right now.”

  “Hard to keep her down.”

  “Well, tie her if you have to,” Kayla Coles said, and then she laughed.

  I didn't, couldn't right then. I knew a fair amount about heart disease from my days at Johns Hopkins. I would definitely keep a closer watch on Nana. “What about you, Dr. Coles? What about your work schedule? Nearly ten o'clock and you still have more house calls.”

  She shrugged, and seemed a little embarrassed by the question. “I'm young, I'm strong, and I believe the people in these neighborhoods need decent, affordable health care. So that's what I'm providing tryi
ng to. Goodnight, Alex. Take good care of your grandmother.”

  “Oh, I will. I promise.”

  “The road to hell,” she said.

  “Paved with good intentions.”

  She nodded and walked off the porch. “Say goodnight to everybody for me.” Dr. Coles headed down Fifth Street to her final appointment of the day.

  Alex Cross 8 - Four Blind Mice

  Chapter Eighty-Eight

  I did some more background work on the Three Blind Mice the next day, taped notes to my wall in the attic, but I couldn't get into it, couldn't concentrate worth a damn. Nana's lab tests came back in the afternoon, and as Kayla Coles had promised, she did call the house. The two of us had a talk on the phone after she spoke to Nana.

  “I just wanted to thank you for your help,” I said as I got on the line. “I'm sorry if I was rude the other night.”

  “What makes you think you were rude? You were a little frightened is all. I don't think ”rude“ is part of your makeup. Anyway, let me tell you about your grandmother. She is suffering from atrial fibrillation, but given the options, that's not such bad news.”

  Tell me why I should be happy about it," I said.

  “Not happy. But the treatment is non-invasive and has a good success rate. I think we can treat her with a catheter ablation. We'll start there. She'll be able to go home the next day, and hopefully be her old self in a week.”

  “When should she go in for the procedure?”I asked.

  “That's up to her. I wouldn't wait more than a couple of weeks. She sounded a little stubborn when I brought up a hospital stay. Says she's too busy.”

  “I'll talk to her. See if it helps. What do we do until then?”

  “Just baby aspirin, believe it or not. One eighty-one milligram tablet a day. She also has to limit her caffeine -coffee and tea. And she should avoid stress-related situations. Good luck on that one.”

  “That's it?”I asked.

  “For now, yes. Please watch the stress on her. I'll stay involved if she wants me to.”

  “I know she does.”

  Kayla Coles laughed. “Good. She's a smart woman, isn't she? We're going to make sure she sees a hundred.”

  I laughed. “I hope I get to see her reach a hundred. So, no special precautions until we go in for the procedure?”

  “No, not really. Just try not to bring too much excitement into her life.”

  “I'll do my best,” I said.

  “You do your best and try not to get shot,” said Kayla Coles before she hung up.

  Alex Cross 8 - Four Blind Mice

  Chapter Eighty-Nine

  No way I was going to get shot staying at home or so I believed. A couple of mornings after my conversation with Dr. Kayla Coles, I came downstairs to make breakfast for the kids. Nana was sitting at her spot at the kitchen table, a large brown mug steaming in front of her.

  “Unh, uh. ”I wagged a finger at her.

  “Decaffeinated,” she said. “Don't start in on me, Alex.”

  “Nope. I won't even say that you're a little touchy this morning. Sleep okay?”

  “Nobody my age sleeps okay. I did set up an appointment for the catheter ablation. I go in a week from today. Happy?”she asked.

  “Very happy,” I said, then I went and gave her a hug, which Nana returned in kind. Dr. Kayla was right she was strong for her age.

  Later that morning I had a pretty good talk with FBI Director Burns. He told me he had someone trying to track the e-mail from the Foot Soldier, but so far no luck on it. He asked if I'd given serious consideration to his offer to work at Quantico. I'd been expecting the question.

  “I've thought about it some. My life is suddenly a little complicated. For one thing, I need to get some kind of closure on this case with the Army.”

  “They helping or getting in the way? The Army?” Burns asked.

  “A little of both. I've met some good people. Army's like everybody else, though. They want to solve their own problems. There's something incredibly nasty going on with this murder case. They know it, and so do I. I feel it in my bones. There will be more murders. That's my fear.”

  “If I can help, ”Burns said. “No strings attached, Alex. This is a big case. I think it's important, too.”

  “I appreciate that.”

  After I got off the phone, I went in search of Nana. She was futzing around in the kitchen as usual. Her kitchen. Her house.

  “I need a rest. So do you,” I said to her. “Where do you want to go after your procedure?”

  “Paris,” Nana said without blinking an eye. Then maybe Rome. Venice, of course. Florence would be real nice. Then come home through London. Stop in and see the Queen. What do you think? Sound too rich for your blood? Maybe you were thinking of a train ride to Baltimore?" she asked, and laughed at her own joke. She was a funny lady, always had been.

  “I have some money put away,”I told her.

  “Me too,” she said. “Mad money. What about Jamilla? What about your job?”

  “If Jamilla could take some time off, that would be great. She likes her job, though.”

  “That sounds familiar, doesn't it? How's your marble collection? Maybe you should buy a couple of jars for her.”

  I laughed. Then I went over and put my arms around Nana. Couldn't help myself lately.“I love you, old woman,” I said. “I don't tell you that enough, and when I do, it isn't with the passion I feel.”

  “That's nice to hear,” she said. “You can be so sweet sometimes. I love you too, and I always say it with the passion that I feel.”

  “You feeling all right?” I asked.

  Today's good. Tomorrow, who knows?“ She shrugged. ”I'm making some lunch. Don't ask if you can help. I'm fine. Still on the right side of the grass."

  After lunch, I went upstairs to my office in the attic to think about what my next steps should be. There was a fax waiting. I wagged my finger at it. “Unh, uh.”

  It was a copy of a news story in the Miami Herald. I read about the execution last night of a man named richter at the Florida State Prison in Starke. Abraham richter had been in Vietnam. Special Forces.

  Scrawled at the bottom of the fax was the following:

  Innocent of these murders in Florida. Wrongfully accused, convicted and executed. Abraham richter makes six. In case you aren't keeping count.

  Foot Soldier

  I was keeping count.

  Alex Cross 8 - Four Blind Mice

  Chapter Ninety

  Ever since Nana had been under the weather I'd been doing the grocery shopping and most of the household chores. Usually I took little Alex with me to the small Safeway on Fourth Street. That's what I did early in the afternoon.

  I carried him high on my shoulders, out the kitchen door and down the driveway to my car.

  Alex was giggling and yapping as he always does. The boy never shuts up or sits still. He's a bouncing ball of pure energy and I can't get enough of him.

  I was absently thinking about the last message from Foot Soldier, so I don't even know why I happened to notice the black Jeep traveling down Fifth.

  It was moving at around thirty, right about the speed limit.

  I don't know why I paid it much attention, but I did. My eyes never left it as it came toward little Alex and me.

  Suddenly, the barrel of a black Tec protruded through the side window of the Jeep. I pulled down the baby, then dropped to the ground, whipping my body sideways to avoid landing on Alex.

  The shooting started.

  Pop-pop-pop-pop-pop.

  I bellied across the lawn, shielding my baby under my left arm, and then dragging him behind a shade tree. I needed cover between us and the gunman.

  I didn't get a good look inside the Jeep, but I did see that the driver and the shooter were white. Two of them -not three.

  I couldn't tell if they were the men from Rocky Mount. Who else could it be, though? The shooters from West Point? Were they the same? What was happening now on Fifth Street? Who had o
rdered it?

  Pop-pop-pop-pop-pop.

  Pop-pop-pop-pop-pop.

  Bullets cracked into the walls of the house and a front window shattered. I had to stop the attack somehow. But how? I crawled to the porch, and made it just before another round of fire.

  Pop-pop-pop-pop-pop.

  Unbelievable, even for Southeast.

  I pushed Alex down behind the porch. He was screaming bloody murder now. Poor frightened little boy. I kept him down on the ground. Then lifted my head and got a quick peek at the Jeep stopped in front of my house.

  Pop-pop-pop-pop-pop-pop-pop.

  I returned fire. Three carefully aimed shots, so as not to hit someone in the neighborhood. Then two more shots. Yes! I knew that I got the shooter. Possibly in the chest, but maybe the throat. I saw him jerk back hard and then slump over the seat. No more shots came.

  Suddenly the Jeep took off, tires screeching, backside shimmy-shaking as it skidded around the nearest corner.

  I carried Alex inside and herded Nana and the baby into her room. I made them stay down on the floor. Then I called Sampson and he was at the house in minutes. I was just about past being shocked and afraid for my family, when I became as angry as I'd ever been. My body shook with rage and the need for retaliation.

  “Lot of broken windows, some bullet holes in the walls. Nobody hurt,” Sampson said after a quick walk around the house.

  “It was a warning. Otherwise I think they would have killed me. They came to the house to deliver a message. Just like when we went to Starkey's house in Rocky Mount.”

  Alex Cross 8 - Four Blind Mice

  Chapter Ninety-One