Simon drew a breath and let it out slowly, looking from one grave face to the next. “So . . . why am I alive? From what I’ve heard, Cole Ainsworth wasn’t given any chance at all.”

None of them commented on how fast word of the tentative identification had spread.

Miranda said, “There’s always a reason, even if it doesn’t make sense to us until we understand motivation.”

“Scaring the shit out of me?” Simon offered with forced lightness.

“I doubt it was personal,” Finn said. “Unless it was, of course. Is there anyone with a grudge against you, Simon?”

“What? No. I mean—no. I don’t make enemies, Finn. Hell, I don’t even deal with customers at the bank.”

Miranda smiled at him. “What about your personal life?”

“Don’t have much of one. Friends, sure. An occasional party or date.”

“Any bad breakups recently?”

“No. Wait, you’re not saying a woman could have done this to me?”

“It’s unlikely,” Bishop told him. “Not impossible. What was done to the other victim required a great deal of strength. And women very seldom dismember victims; when they do, it’s virtually always to make it easier to dispose of the body. That didn’t happen in this case; the remains were left out in the open. Almost on display. Extremely unlikely that a woman did that.”

Simon lost a little of the color he had so recently regained, and no telepathy or empathy was required to know he was thinking of the near escape he’d had. And picturing that dismembered victim. “Okay. Well . . . no, no bad breakups. I haven’t had time for anything but casual dates since I left college. Honestly, I can’t think of a soul who’d want to—to do that to me.” He drew a breath and let it out slowly. “Or who would want to bury me alive.”

EIGHTEEN

Hollis said calmly, “So probably it wasn’t personal at all. Maybe the unsub wanted to find out if you could reach out telepathically. If anyone could hear you. Did you try right after you woke up in the box?”

Simon immediately shook his head. “Honestly, it didn’t occur to me for a long time. I don’t know how long.” His voice was very steady. “I was . . . panicked. Didn’t know for sure I was—was underground, but it’s what I thought. What was so terrifying. When the panic sort of died down, I started wondering if anyone would ever find me, ever even know where to look—and I suddenly realized I should have been trying to reach somebody, anybody.”

He looked at Nellie. “I didn’t try to reach you specifically, but within just a few minutes, I thought I had. I wasn’t sure, though. I don’t use my Talent a lot, but when I do there’s a pretty strong connection. This time the contact felt . . . tenuous. Almost muffled.”

She nodded. “To me as well. I was certain it was you, but not at all sure I could hang on to that thread long enough to find you.”