“Like you’ve adapted? Gone from Frankwrithe spymaster to politician to something else?” Then, on an impulse: “What were you doing during the war with the Kalif? Working for F&L and Morrow? For Hoegbotton?”

Bliss smiled, though his eyes were cold. “I was doing my duty for my city.”

“Which city?”

“Like I said, you adapt or you die.”

“What did you promise to Stark to save your life?”

“Nothing. Stark’s a smooth-talking thug. Anything he got I gave him because I wanted him to have it. Because nothing I have would’ve stopped him from killing me if he got it into his head to kill me.”

“Then what did you want him to have?”

Bliss just shook his head.

“How do you travel between doors?”

“Maybe there are some things I’m never going to tell you.”

The sunlight, the fact it shouldn’t be sunlight, kept getting into Finch’s head. Disrupting his thoughts.

“Let’s talk about the towers again, then.”

Bliss’s expression had gone neutral. No one, looking at the spy’s face, could’ve known what he was thinking. “The towers are close to completion. And the gray caps are putting all of their resources into those towers. Ignoring everything else. Even their Partials. But, still, they have an intense interest in this case. Curious, isn’t it?”

“Any theories?”

“You already know more than you should. Enough to get you killed.”

A weariness came over Finch. His skin still felt wrong. What would happen if he faded away with Bliss still there? Where would he wake up? The nausea was getting worse.

“Here’s a theory. It just came to me. I might as well try it out on you. I think my murder victim saw you, Bliss. I think he saw you because you were somehow involved with his murder. Maybe you took him through a door like the one you took me through. Maybe the door closed on the gray cap. But you led the victim to his death. The only thing is: I don’t know why you would do it.”

But Bliss was done. He lowered the handkerchief from his cheek. “Are you going to try to take me to the station now? Or just start hitting me again?” Defiant. Almost smug.

For one terrible moment Finch had the sense he hadn’t been hurting Bliss at all. That it was all an act. A light shone in Bliss’s eyes that seemed shielded from the moment.

Finch let out a deep breath. Lowered the gun. Shoved Bliss away from him. “Go. Get the fuck out of here.”

Bliss looked surprised. “Just like that?”

Finch gave a tired smile. “Just like that. I’ve run out of questions. And you’d just jump through a door before I got you back across the bay.” He was going to be sick in a second. Didn’t know how much control he’d have then.