“Him and all the others,” Kaiser mumbled.

“So you’ll tell me?” Grant asked.

“What’s in it for you?”

“I write a book and make money. And my curiosity is satisfied.”

“I can . . . understand that. You think . . . it’ll help? With a jury?”

Grant made himself shrug nonchalantly. “Can’t hurt. If you die, you’re a hero. If you live, the jury might see the truth. Who was the first person you killed?”

Kaiser’s smile was eerily beatific. “The first was an old pedo. Name was Leigh Gladwin.”

“When was that?”

“Four years ago.”

“And the next?”

“Henry Lindquist. A guy who’d beaten his wife to death in front of his kid.”

Grant reached into the pocket of the black suit coat for the small Bible he’d taken from the hotel’s nightstand drawer. He’d had to give Wesley’s cassock to the cops, but he’d managed to find a black suit and a detachable collar in a Brooks Brothers store at the mall. He looked like every priest he’d ever known.

The Bible had been a last-minute addition, intended to be part of the costume, but now he was happy he’d brought it. He found a blank page, pulled out a pen from the hotel, and wrote down the first two names.

Then he looked up at Kaiser, who wore a wistful expression, like he was enjoying this walk down memory lane. “And then, Mr. Kaiser? Who was next?”

Cincinnati, Ohio
Wednesday, March 20, 2:05 a.m.

There was a different dynamic entering the hospital as a visitor, Diesel thought. Even in a hospital wheelchair.

Marcus skillfully navigated the hallways, getting them to the ICU. Diesel didn’t even mind the curious looks they got in the elevator, or the smug smirks on Marcus’s and Scarlett’s faces.

Because Dani had finally said it. She loves me, too. His chest felt tight, like his happiness was too big to fit.

Until they rolled out of the elevator into the ICU and the reason for his being there crashed through his mind. Cade Kaiser.

Who was still alive.

They stopped at the desk and asked to see Kaiser. The nurse directed them to the waiting room, telling them that “Mr. Kaiser” had another visitor at the moment, but that they should be done soon.

They sat in silence, Dani holding Diesel’s hand tightly, but after a few minutes, her cell phone buzzed with an incoming call.

“It’s a Cleveland area code,” she murmured, then hit ACCEPT. “Hello?” She blinked in surprise. “Mrs. Masterson, hello. How can I help you?” She listened for a moment, then turned to Scarlett. “Do you know where Grant is? His wife is here in Cincinnati and he’s not at his hotel.”