41

I CALL AILES to update him on our situation. He and Gerald are trying to make a map of probable stops for the tour buses. Jennifer is going through the images we pulled from the Empire State Building security footage and trying to match them to the database of photos we got from Faceplaced.

Claire Nelson, the girl we think is the fallen angel, was the first one uploaded into the database. The other choices are close enough to fool the security camera. They’re the ones he picked to show up. How he got them to do so we don’t know yet. It probably wouldn’t be hard: a free trip, a contest—anything. Some of them appear to be with friends, so our angel’s double is one of the few who appears to arrive by herself.

Gerald conferences in to tell us about the Warlock’s latest deceit. Minutes before the double vanished, the Warlock sent out a status update on Claire Nelson’s Facebook and Instagram. It was a selfie in front of the Empire State Building.

“On my way to the top!”

The message was meant to be cute and ironic. It’s disturbing because we know who really wrote it.

I go with Knoll and the rest if his team back to the Times Square crime scene. Despite my interjections, I’m still just an adviser. I sit in the back and try to keep my mouth shut. There’s a hierarchy here, and I don’t want to pretend that just because I’ve had some clever insights I get to move to the front of the class. I’ve ruffled enough feathers already. Besides, none of them has been proven correct yet. And if I’m wrong on any of this, I could not only set the case back, people may die.

The NYPD has brought in three scissor lifts to allow us to look down on the scene from above. Knoll motions for me to join him on one. I climb under the railing and the operator takes us up thirty feet. A photographer on a separate lift is using a camera with an infrared lens to take pictures of Claire’s body. We have no idea what other clues or taunts the Warlock may have left behind.

“Good work with your little stunt. We could have been chasing all over the building,” says Knoll as we ascend.

“We’ll see. I could just be making things worse.” The lift comes to a stop and I have to grab the railing to keep from losing my balance.

“I ask myself that every five minutes,” replies Knoll. “But that’s why we work as a team. If one of us says something stupid, somebody else can point it out.”

“Well, don’t hesitate with me.”

“I won’t.” He says this with a half smile. It’s the first time I’ve seen his boxer face break into anything other than different degrees of serious around me.

I could tell how much he resented my presence when I was first pushed onto this case. I now realize it’s not a matter of ego for him. He just wants to get the job done right. He felt I was being maneuvered onto the team out of politics. Which was true. For the first time he’s acknowledging that I may have some value here yet. I hope I don’t blow it.