Part two of a gripping five-part murder mystery from bestselling thriller writer James Patterson.
Detective Elizabeth Needham and Dr Dylan Reinhart are being baited into a deadly guessing game by the killer known in the tabloids as The Dealer. The playing card he leaves at each murder scene hints towards his next victim.
The Dealer is looking for maximum exposure for his work – and he knows how to get it…
JAMES PATTERSON is one of the best-known and biggest-selling writers of all time. His books have sold in excess of 325 million copies worldwide. He is the author of some of the most popular series of the past two decades – the Alex Cross, Women’s Murder Club, Detective Michael Bennett and Private novels – and he has written many other number one bestsellers including romance novels and stand-alone thrillers.
James is passionate about encouraging children to read. Inspired by his own son who was a reluctant reader, he also writes a range of books for young readers including the Middle School, I Funny, Treasure Hunters, House of Robots, Confessions, and Maximum Ride series. James has donated millions in grants to independent bookshops and has been the most borrowed author in UK libraries for the past ten years in a row. He lives in Florida with his wife and son.
HOWARD ROUGHAN has cowritten several books with James Patterson and is the author of The Promise of a Lie and The Up and Comer. He lives in Florida with his wife and son.
STAND-ALONE THRILLERS
The Thomas Berryman Number
Sail (with Howard Roughan)
Swimsuit (with Maxine Paetro)
Don’t Blink (with Howard Roughan)
Postcard Killers (with Liza Marklund)
Toys (with Neil McMahon)
Now You See Her (with Michael Ledwidge)
Kill Me If You Can (with Marshall Karp)
Guilty Wives (with David Ellis)
Zoo (with Michael Ledwidge)
Second Honeymoon (with Howard Roughan)
Mistress (with David Ellis)
Invisible (with David Ellis)
Truth or Die (with Howard Roughan)
Murder House (with David Ellis)
Woman of God (with Maxine Paetro)
Hide and Seek
Humans, Bow Down (with Emily Raymond)
The Black Book (with David Ellis)
This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorized distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.
Epub ISBN: 9781473549678
Version 1.0
Published by Cornerstone Digital 2017
1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2
Copyright © James Patterson, 2017
Cover photograph © Shutterstock
Cover design © blacksheep-uk.com
James Patterson has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as the author of this work.
First published in Great Britain in 2017 by Cornerstone Digital
Cornerstone Digital
The Penguin Random House Group Limited
20 Vauxhall Bridge Road, London, SW1V 2SA
www.penguin.co.uk
Cornerstone Digital is part of the Penguin Random House group of companies whose addresses can be found at global.penguinrandomhouse.com
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
I COULD HEAR the early morning traffic creeping and honking its way down Fifth Avenue twenty floors below as Barbara Nash sat down behind her desk. Like a disapproving parent, she shot a glance at Tracy and me.
“You really should’ve made an appointment, gentlemen,” she said slowly.
Perhaps showing up unannounced first thing Monday morning and camping out in the waiting room was not the best strategy for currying favor with the head of the city’s largest international adoption agency.
“I apologize, Barbara. It was my idea,” said Tracy. “But I think we’re owed an apology as well.”
That was Tracy at his most sincere but also clever best. Before anything else, he wanted to learn what, if anything, Barbara had been told about our home interview debacle. Had she already spoken to Ms. Peckler? Were we dealing with a clean slate? Or would Barbara now be looking for “our side of the story”?
Something told me it was the latter.
“You think I’ve got a homophobe working for me, huh?” asked Barbara.
You had to admire her bluntness. That was sort of her thing, really. A job requirement. The world of foreign adoption was like no other, and she’d been quick to make that clear when we’d first met. Messy politics. Conflicting regulations. Bribes and handouts. And one law above all others: Murphy’s. Anything that can go wrong will go wrong. For instance, a seemingly innocuous home interview.
So yeah, despite being a Montana transplant, Barbara acted every bit the native New Yorker, direct and to the point. She had to.
“To be honest, I hate the word homophobe almost as much as I hate the word homo,” said Tracy.
“Then what are you accusing Ms. Peckler of being?” asked Barbara.
“The wrong person for the job,” he said.
“She’s been working at the agency for eleven years. That’s longer than I’ve been here,” said Barbara.
“Are you condoning her behavior?” asked Tracy.
“I wasn’t there,” she said.
Tracy began to explain our side of the story when Barbara cut him off. “I think I already know what happened,” she said.
“You mean, based only on what she told you,” said Tracy. The subtext being, Don’t we get a turn?
Barbara folded her arms. “I’m curious,” she said. “Your intention is to adopt a baby from South Africa. Were you aware that gay couples were forbidden to do so in that country for decades?”
“Yes, but they changed their policy,” said Tracy.
“In other words, they saw the light,” said Barbara. “Is that really what happened, though? Did key government officials suddenly wake up one morning and become more accepting of gay couples?”
“Someone there had to,” said Tracy.
“But not all of them, right? Or maybe it was none of them; maybe it was simply a matter of someone new coming along, one person,” she said. “Did you ever consider that?”
I’d been the dutiful listener up until that point, content to let Tracy do the talking. It was now clear, though, that he was preaching to the choir. Barbara had tipped her hand when referring to Ms. Peckler’s eleven years at the agency. That’s longer than I’ve been here, she’d made a point of saying.
“Barbara,” I said, cutting in, “is it possible that Mr. French didn’t run it by you first?”
“Mr. French?” she asked.
“The man who was supposed to conduct our home interview but couldn’t at the last minute,” I said.
Barbara smiled. “Wow, Family Affair … I used to love that show,” she said. “Edward sort of does look like Mr. French, doesn’t he?”
“If I had to bet, he went to Ms. Peckler on his own and asked if she could fill in for him,” I said. “Right?”
“Yes,” said Barbara. “I only found out after the fact.”
I turned to Tracy. He got it now. “In other words, Ms. Peckler wouldn’t have been your choice,” he said.
“No,” Barbara answered. “She wouldn’t have been.”
This was excellent news. The next step seemed obvious.
“Thank you,” said Tracy.
“For what?” asked Barbara.
“Allowing for another home interview, I’m assuming,” he said. “With the person you would’ve chosen.”
Barbara unfolded her arms, leaning back in her chair. Her expression almost made the words redundant. “If only it were that simple,” she said.
HE RARELY, IF ever, yells or screams. Instead, when Tracy’s mad, his temples throb. I mean, they really throb. It’s as if all his anger is pounding on the inside of his skull, looking for a way out.
For the first time, I thought his head might actually crack open.
“Where are you going?” I asked.