Kelly sat a long time in the dark after talking to Matt. His call had awakened her from a dream about Mai Mai. Only this time she was the treacherous wife, and she turned into a fish. When the phone rang, she had awakened shivering. And she was still cold, still scared.

There was reality and there was speculation. Obviously the Acid Man must have a partner, and yet, Matt had cut to the core of why the Acid Man could not have an accomplice. Gene Banks was simply too strange. Who else, on the whole fucking planet, was capable of burning a hole in a woman’s chest?

An interesting question. There were two dark answers.

His father. His brother.

Or was there a third answer?

She had asked about the strength of Matt’s assailant because she suspected that Dr. Fred Banks had from the beginning brewed the acid, and had vicariously enjoyed the thrill of his son’s exploits. A few facts supported the theory. Fred Banks had moved close to his son around the same time his son had begun to kill. He was a chemist and had the knowledge and skill to make the acid. He had suffered the same trauma as his son. He had in fact suffered it more directly than his son.

Plus he was a strange man. He had millions and yet he chose to end his days in a broken-down house. His emphysema was so bad he couldn’t draw in enough oxygen to talk, and still he smoked like a fiend. What kind of doctor would do that? Had the whole illness routine been an act? Perhaps the guy was fit as a fiddle. Why had he run the moment Matt had him face-to-face? He could be fit, but still old enough and wise enough to know that Matt would kick his ass.

Kelly dialed Dr. Fred Banks’s number. No answer.

More sitting in the dark. More speculation.

The brother was a question mark. Kelly had tried to find him and had come up with a dubious PO Box in New York City, nothing more.

“Where is Scott these days?”

“Forgive me. When he learned what happened, he asked that he not be brought into the matter. He has a good job and a well-adjusted lifestyle. For his sake, I would prefer to leave it at that.”

“Does he have anything to do with his brother?”

“No. They have not spoken in years.”

More lies? She suspected Scott Banks had changed his identity years ago. She had checked. He didn’t pay taxes under his given name. He didn’t have credit cards. He was a nobody born of a ruined family. The younger brother of a clever devil. Dr. Banks had said Scott did not trust Gene but maybe the reverse was true. He might have looked up to him.