Damn it. If he had decided to linger for a while, which he’s done previously, we could have passed him and the girl on our way to Times Square. Just a few hundred feet away from us as we rushed past! I want to throw up. We were so close. This isn’t right. I hate that I’ve taken this long to see through his lies.

Knoll asks the NYPD to find out what camera footage we have of cars near the Empire State Building’s entrances and Times Square around the time she vanished in the hopes that we can put out a highway alert, but it’s been several hours since the descent. He could be out of state with her by now.

Would he be with her? I think about the idea that first struck me, that he’s getting her to leave the city voluntarily. I came up with an airplane because that would get her away the fastest. But flights are delayed all the time and airport lounges are filled with televisions. Many flights, especially international ones, have televisions onboard. The Warlock didn’t waste any time uploading the footage of her on the observation deck. He must know she won’t see it. Either because she was dead or because she was not around a television.

Would he drive her away from the scene of the crime and risk being caught on a camera with her?

No.

After his illusion is in play, he wants to be in a place where he can just watch. Maybe he would use an accomplice, but that still leaves another loose end. The really highly organized killers are solo acts. Or they use people in ways they don’t know. And he likes to be in control.

The warehouse by the cemetery. The hotel in Fort Lauderdale. He needs to be at the scene and take in the aftermath. He was probably there when Claire appeared in the middle of Times Square. Hell, he’s probably on someone’s camera phone.

How could he get the other girl out of the city without anybody noticing? The subways are filled with cameras. Bus stops won’t keep her isolated. A private car or a taxi leaving near the building means a driver with a radio and her in plain sight of the rearview mirror.

He likes things that are automatic. Self-working solutions. Simple.

He wants her in an anonymous place and isolated. But he needs to be able to get to her when he’s ready. Local public transportation is out. She could get off a city bus or a train at any time.

I should be able to figure this out. I’ve spent most of my life traveling on almost every form of transit imaginable; planes, cruise ships, tour buses . . .

A tour bus.

A private tour bus.

A bunch of strangers locked in a box and driven from one spot to another.

“Agent Knoll!” I run over to him. He’s on the observation deck talking to an NYPD captain.