“Yes, yes, of course,” he said good-naturedly as if he appreciated the joke that wasn’t actually a joke.

For his drink, Calvin chose Earl Grey tea, which didn’t surprise me, and after we’d both ordered a sandwich, we found our way through the stacks to the table where I’d been sitting and where my coffee mug awaited me. He shed his overcoat and folded it neatly and precisely over the back of the chair beside him.

“Before we speak of anything related to the case,” he said with a mischievous twinkle in his eye, “I must ask you, how is married life treating you?”

“Very well, as a matter of fact.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t make it to your wedding.”

“It’s no problem. Really.”

“So you’re happy?”

“Yes. Truthfully, I can’t imagine ever being single again.”

“Brilliant.” He rapped the table definitively. “And now. The case—and before you say a word, you know how this works. Discuss only what you feel comfortable addressing, and I will only offer you my take on things if you wish.”

“I spoke with the assistant director. He gave me the go-ahead to ask you to consult on this if it sparks your interest.”

“It already has.”

“You know what case I’m talking about?”

“The senator’s son.”

I eyed him. “How did you know that?”

“Timing of the crime and of your call. I’m hypothesizing that it’s not an isolated case.”

“It’s not.”

I told him we were looking for an individual who was apparently watching others die while their suicides were fed live over the Internet. “Some of the videos had thousands of views while it was happening,” I added.

“It is our world. I hasten not to judge it for I am a part of it.”

I had the sense that I should have known where that dictum came from, but maybe it was just something I’d heard him say before. “We also have Blake Neeson back on our radar screen,” I said, “and, well . . . in your investigations and consultations with law enforcement, have you ever heard of someone known as the Matchmaker?”

“Have you been able to link the suicide victims?” he asked, which didn’t seem in any way to be an answer to my question.

“No. Not apart from the fact that their deaths were broadcast online as they happened and that someone was present watching the deaths occur.”

“The same person in each instance?”

“I can’t be certain, but it appears so. Why? Do you think that’s the Matchmaker? Have you run into him before?”

“Hmm . . .” He looked around curiously. “I wonder if they have Vidocq.”

“Vidocq?”