“Not happy. But the treatment is non-invasive and has a good success rate. I think we can treat her with a catheter ablation. We'll start there. She'll be able to go home the next day, and hopefully be her old self in a week.”

“When should she go in for the procedure?”I asked.

“That's up to her. I wouldn't wait more than a couple of weeks. She sounded a little stubborn when I brought up a hospital stay. Says she's too busy.”

“I'll talk to her. See if it helps. What do we do until then?”

“Just baby aspirin, believe it or not. One eighty-one milligram tablet a day. She also has to limit her caffeine -coffee and tea. And she should avoid stress-related situations. Good luck on that one.”

“That's it?”I asked.

“For now, yes. Please watch the stress on her. I'll stay involved if she wants me to.”

“I know she does.”

Kayla Coles laughed. “Good. She's a smart woman, isn't she? We're going to make sure she sees a hundred.”

I laughed. “I hope I get to see her reach a hundred. So, no special precautions until we go in for the procedure?”

“No, not really. Just try not to bring too much excitement into her life.”

“I'll do my best,” I said.

“You do your best and try not to get shot,” said Kayla Coles before she hung up.

Alex Cross 8 - Four Blind Mice

Chapter Eighty-Nine

No way I was going to get shot staying at home or so I believed. A couple of mornings after my conversation with Dr. Kayla Coles, I came downstairs to make breakfast for the kids. Nana was sitting at her spot at the kitchen table, a large brown mug steaming in front of her.

“Unh, uh. ”I wagged a finger at her.

“Decaffeinated,” she said. “Don't start in on me, Alex.”

“Nope. I won't even say that you're a little touchy this morning. Sleep okay?”

“Nobody my age sleeps okay. I did set up an appointment for the catheter ablation. I go in a week from today. Happy?”she asked.

“Very happy,” I said, then I went and gave her a hug, which Nana returned in kind. Dr. Kayla was right she was strong for her age.

Later that morning I had a pretty good talk with FBI Director Burns. He told me he had someone trying to track the e-mail from the Foot Soldier, but so far no luck on it. He asked if I'd given serious consideration to his offer to work at Quantico. I'd been expecting the question.

“I've thought about it some. My life is suddenly a little complicated. For one thing, I need to get some kind of closure on this case with the Army.”

“They helping or getting in the way? The Army?” Burns asked.

“A little of both. I've met some good people. Army's like everybody else, though. They want to solve their own problems. There's something incredibly nasty going on with this murder case. They know it, and so do I. I feel it in my bones. There will be more murders. That's my fear.”