“You sound so certain. Haven’t there been cases where people are paralyzed and then regain the use of their arms and legs?”

“Not in a case like this. The bullet you put in his neck tore through his spine at the seventh cervical vertebrae. I remember exactly where it was lodged.”

“So what you’re saying is that his spine was not merely bruised, but severed?”

“Exactly.” Dr. White yawned. “Anything else?”

“Yes. Did you attend to Gene Banks after his operation?”

“I kept tabs on him.”

“Did you know that when he completed his rehabilitation he had some use of his right hand?”

“Yes.”

“Is that unusual?”

“Yes. Not physically impossible, though. But to suggest that he’s now up and walking around is impossible. The man you’re looking for cannot be the same man I operated on.”

“Thank you for your time, doctor.”

The moment Kelly set down the phone, she called Dr. Fred Banks again. Still no answer—no machine either. Her last talk with the Acid Man continued to haunt her. Tomorrow was July fourth. She’d had no intention of seeing him again so soon, yet he had been certain she would come.

“I told you. July fourth. A hero’s day. Will I be seeing you?”

“I’m not sure I’ll be finished with my business by then.”

“You’ll be finished. Neither you nor Matt will disappoint me.”

The only explanation for his confidence in his prediction was that he had known ahead of time that he would do something to force her hand. The attack on Amy? How could he have predicted she would kill her husband? Then again, perhaps he’d had Amy under surveillance for some time. Her murdering David could have been insignificant in the greater scheme of things. The idea was disturbing. Who stalked whom? Kelly recalled the scratches on her own lock. Perhaps the Acid Man or his associate had watched Amy at the apartments—watched them all.

“I’m losing it,” she muttered.

Gene Banks had known her private cell phone number, information the Bureau alone possessed. Did he have an ally inside? He had plenty of money. Almost anybody could be bought. If that was the case, every time she used FBI resources to further her investigation he would know. He might even know that she had just accessed his file.

“No!” she cried as she paced her apartment. She hadn’t returned to the Malibu complex since Matt had split. She had not felt safe there. Amy could always have sent her lawyer sniffing. But now Kelly felt even more vulnerable in her original apartment. Opening her drawer, she pulled out her Glock to see if it was loaded.