Directly in front of me, a cable news channel screen just flashes a tour poster of me in leather pants, a diamond bustier, and a twenty-year-old’s idea of a come-hither look.

Knoll watches the screen, then turns to me. “If you want to know what goes on in people’s heads, ask Chisholm. But I’ll tell you this. I’m glad this is out there. Maybe it’s a little embarrassing. But that’s not how people see it.”

I shake my head and pretend to be calmer than I am. “I don’t see how it helps. I’m just an adviser. It detracts from what we’re doing. You’re in charge of this case. Hundreds of people are working their asses off. Putting me up there is just a distraction.”

“Only if you let it be. You’ve got to look at the big picture. People want to believe this guy is real. Sick as he is. They want to think he can bring back the dead, travel through time. Now he wants them to think he can open the door to heaven and yank an angel down from the sky. We’re cops. We can find evidence and try to catch him. But when it comes to helping people see what he’s really doing, he’s winning. I think that’s why we need you out here in front.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re one of the good guys. Forget the witch part. All people see is a good-looking woman from a famous family who gave it up to be a cop. That makes you a hero. And right now we need to remind people of the difference between good and evil when they get caught up in all these bullshit miracles. We got our own magician to take down this asshole.”

He sounds a lot like Ailes. Part of me wonders if he has been talking to Ailes and Chisholm about leaking this to the press. It’s cynical, but I wouldn’t put it past them. The hero stuff sounds a lot like Chisholm’s psy-ops babble.

It’s frustrating. It’s the last thing I want. I’ve had enough of the spotlight. I gave it up for a reason. I just want to help people. People like Claire, Denise, Swanson, and even Elsie.

But then I look down at Claire and realize I’m being selfish. She’d give anything to be where I am. Alive. Maybe Chisholm is right.

Forget about my personal issues coming to the foreground. I need to do what I do best: figure things out.

It’s all about the trick.

The trick . . .

I see how the Warlock set this up.

I know what he did.

“Baking a cake in a spectator’s hat.” I say the words out loud.

“What?” Knoll gives me a confused look.

42

A GOOD MAGIC EFFECT plays upon the things you take for granted. It takes place in a situation in which you think I have little control. We’re sitting in your living room with a deck of cards. I ask you to pick one. I rip off a corner and hand the piece to you. I then take the remainder of your card and set it on fire in the fireplace. After you watch the ashes finish burning I point to the drink in your hand. You notice that one of the ice cubes in your glass has a folded card frozen inside it. It’s the card you picked, minus the corner you’re holding. You’ve been holding the drink all along.