“No.” The rationale was too linear to explain the complexity of his crimes. So was his entire story. She was not sure she believed him. Yet she believed his pain.

“I didn’t think that you could.” He was weary. “What are we going to do?”

“Put down the gun and surrender. The FBI knows I’m here. Your boss knows I’m here. If I disappear, the Bureau will come after you like a storm.”

“True. They will come for me. But I cannot let you go.”

“There’s no point in killing me. You can’t escape. Let this nightmare end, Gene. Give me the gun.”

“No. I have prepared for this day. I have a false passport and plenty of cash. I can be in Europe in twelve hours.” He paused. “Besides, I cannot surrender to you and go to jail without saying goodbye to Julie.”

She caught his hidden meaning. “You always intended to kill her?”

“When I was finished, yes. The two of them together. First him, then her.”

“Go ahead, kill them. I’ll wait here until you get back.”

He smiled. “You have spunk, Kelly Fienman. I like that.”

She didn’t thank him for the compliment.

He gestured toward the back room. “We should begin.”

She could not feel her legs. “You don’t want to do this. I’ve done nothing to you. And I’ve never cheated on my husband.”

“But I need to bring Julie and Michael back here and show them your body. The acid works swiftly. Since he’ll go first, he needs to see how horrible his death is going to be.”

“What about your son?”

He did not answer. He shook his gun. In the room.

The bedroom was small and austere. It also had a view of the river. He quickly closed the blinds. He turned on a floor lamp with a red shade. The light spilled over the cramped space like a bitter sunset. He ordered her to lie on the bed. She stared at him and shook her head.

He showed another side to his personality, as if she needed to see more. He belted her across the face with his gun. The shock of the blow was disorienting. For a moment she staggered and almost lost consciousness. Blood spurted from her mouth and nose and he forced her down onto the sheets.

It was only then she realized the obvious. She needed to scream—he was going to kill her anyway. But before she could utter a sound duct tape appeared. He closed off her mouth with the same precision he had demonstrated on the DVD—three wraps around the head. Her brain still swimming, she fought to sit up and he struck her with his gun on her jaw. The flesh along her chin tore and blood sprayed everywhere.