Banks was lazy because he seldom worked. He seldom worked because he frequently traveled. He could travel a lot because he was rich. He was fifty years old but he exercised religiously. From the neck down he looked younger than he actually was. He had been able to get Grander on the phone and change the appointment so easily because he had not spoken to Grander and there was no appointment. He had brought her to this apartment because he wanted to be alone with her. And he wanted that because—

“Kelly?” he said at her back.

“Juliet accidentally betrayed her husband by stabbing herself in the heart.”

The Acid Man had cursed the righteous Juliet. For no reason.

Except Professor Gene Banks’s wife’s name was Julie.

In a single fluid move Kelly reached inside her leather coat and pulled out her 9mm semiautomatic Glock. The weapon was small and efficient and she was not a bad shot. But in whirling she had the gun held low. She was not given a chance to bring it up. Not to heart level, not to where she could get off a fatal shot. Facing Banks, she found herself staring into the barrel of a Colt Python .357 magnum. He had already cocked the trigger; she had not heard.

“Put the gun down slowly,” he said.

Kelly considered. He was an established killer. Basic FBI training stated that an agent never surrendered his or her weapon to a known killer. It said so right there in the fucking manual. Because such a murderer would almost invariably kill the said agent.

Banks would probably kill her if she did what he said. He had the drop on her, true; nevertheless, it might be better to risk exchanging shots with him. She probably had more experience with handguns.

He was the goddamn Acid Man! She didn’t want to surrender to him!

“You’re thinking of trying to get off a shot,” he said calmly. “Let me assure you that won’t happen. I’m a crack shot, and I’m less than three seconds away from putting a bullet in your brain.” He shook his revolver. “Do as I say or die. One … TWO …”

She had to play the unknown odds. She put down her gun.

“Please step away from the window. I’m going to draw the blinds.”