“And where have I been?”

“You’re working a murder case for Metro. Something to do with a detainee in Alexandria, and for fuck’s sake, lay off the car already!”

Something had just flipped about this case. It hit me hard, in a way I couldn’t deny. The people I’d been pursuing were starting to pursue me now.

“You know, you should be more careful,” the second PI told me.

I took a step in his direction. “Why is that?”

“We’re not the ones you need to worry about. Whoever this is, and whatever they don’t want you doing—they’ve got some suction. That’s all I’m saying. You can take it for what it’s worth.”

“Thanks for the warning.” I pointed up the street. “You’re done here. If I catch either of you in this neighborhood again, I’m going to arrest you and have this car towed, you got it?”

“Arrest us?” Now that he was over the hump, the first guy decided to show a little chin. “What are you going to arrest us for?”

“I’m a cop, remember? I’ll think of something.”

“What about my car, man? That’s like five hundred bucks’ damage!”

“Charge it to your clients,” I told him. “Believe me; they can afford it.”

Chapter 89

I GOT CALLED into Ramon Davies’s office again the next morning. He even had a desk jockey waiting outside the door to my office when I got there.

“What does he want?” I asked the officer. There were no good possibilities running in my mind, only very bad ones. Like more bodies.

“I don’t know, sir. Just to meet with you. That’s all I was told.”

I’ve heard that Woody Allen leaves his actors alone when they’re doing well and only directs them if there’s a problem. Davies is kind of the same way. I hated these walks to his office.

When I got in there, he had someone waiting with him. I recognized the face from the White House but didn’t know the name until Davies introduced us.

“Alex Cross, this is Special Agent Dan Cormorant. He’s from Secret Service. He’d like to talk to you.”

Cormorant was the one who had accompanied President Vance into the chief of staff’s office the other day when I visited. I assumed he was here at his boss’s behest.

“We’ve met, sort of,” I said, and shook his hand. “I don’t suppose you have anything to do with the two PIs outside my house last night?”

“Don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.

“Imagine that.”

“Alex.” Ramon cut me off with a raised voice and hand signal. “Be quiet and let’s get to this.”

Cormorant and I sat down across the desk from him.

“I’m not going to dwell on how we got here right now,” Davies said, and the implication was clear. We’d talk about it later, in private. “But I will tell you what’s going to happen next. Alex, you’re going to make yourself available to Agent Cormorant and provide him with any case-related materials he needs. When that’s finished, you’re going to report back to me that you’re ready for a new assignment. I’ve got a quad homicide in Cleveland Park with your name written all over it. Big case, serious crime.”