“If this were a complicated plan, maybe,” Amber said. “But it’s pretty simple. Simple plans have fewer things to go wrong.”

“You hope.”

Amber shrugged, the movement sending fresh waves of pain coursing through her. She clenched her teeth to stop from crying out.

“I got one more question,” said Virgil, not noticing her discomfort, “just because nobody else seems to be asking it. What then?”

Milo glanced at Amber, then looked back at Virgil. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, what then? Supposing all this works out. The Narrow Man doesn’t snatch another kid, you get the code for the bunker, you grab Jesper, the Hounds come in, you kill Jesper, the town tears the Hounds apart … then what? You’re all going to ride off into the sunset? What’s going to happen to Desolation Hill? What’s going to happen to the people? Is the Narrow Man going to keep bringing those kids to that Demon they’ve got locked away?”

“We’ll deal with the Narrow Man,” said Ronnie.

“How?” Virgil asked. “I just got treated to a fifteen-minute, blow-by-blow account of how disastrously that went for you all this morning.”

“He wobbled, though,” Amber said tightly. “As the Narrow Man, yes, I don’t think we hurt him one little bit. But, when he changed back to plain old Oscar Moreno, he limped. And he bled. I think when he’s disguising himself as, well, as you, Javier, he can be hurt. Maybe even killed.”

“So then we go after him when he’s Moreno,” said Virgil.

“I’m afraid it’s not as simple as that,” Milo said. “He changes form in a matter of seconds. We’d have to take him by complete surprise and I don’t see that happening.”

“Well, take me along with you,” said Virgil. “I’ll distract him, you hit him from behind. Whatever he is, he’s a kid-killer, and kid-killers need to be got rid of.”

“I’d agree with you there, sir, but things are moving pretty fast right now.”

Virgil scowled. “I can still hustle when I need to.”

“We’re not hustling, sir, we’re sprinting. I’m sorry, it’s just too dangerous.”

“Don’t treat me like a goddamn child.”

“I wouldn’t dare, Mr Abernathy, but the reality of the situation is that you are old, and going after the Narrow Man is no job for you.”

“You need me,” Virgil said angrily. “If it wasn’t for me, you’d have no idea who this Narrow Man was. I figured it out. This started with me.”

“And it’ll end with us,” Milo said. “I mean no disrespect, but you’ll have to view this from the sidelines. You can keep an eye on Moreno because you’ll be out of harm’s way, but that’s as close to the action as you’re going to get.”

“Goddamn you, boy.”

“Yes, sir.”