“If he’s checking those bugs, he heard me say that Max and I are meeting at the cabin at midnight tonight. The most reasonable thing for him to do would be to show up a couple of hours ahead of us, decide on the most advantageous location, get his vehicle and himself out of sight, and wait. I think he’ll find the prospect attractive. He has a lot of experience shooting people at night in remote rural settings. In fact, he’s very good at it. He’d see the whole opportunity as low risk, high reward. And he’ll find the familiar elements of darkness and isolation encouraging—almost like a comfort zone.”

“Only if his mind works the way you think it does.”

“He’s an extremely rational man.”

“Rational?”

“Extremely—to the exclusion of any empathetic feelings at all. Which is what makes him a monster, a complete sociopath. But it also makes him easy to understand. His mind is a pure risk-reward calculator, and calculators are predictable.”

Madeleine stared at him as though he were speaking not just another language but a language from another planet.

Kyle’s uncertain voice came from the far end of the room, where he was still standing by the woodstove. “So your idea is basically to show up first? So you’ll be there waiting for him, instead of him being there waiting for you?”

“Something like that. It’s really pretty simple.”

“How sure are you about … all this?”

“Sure enough to go ahead with it.”

In a way it was true. But a more honest answer might have included the fact that it was all relative—his breathing space was almost gone, standing still was not an option, and he couldn’t think of any other way forward.

Madeleine got up from the table and took her cold oatmeal and unfinished toast to the sink. She stared at the faucet for a while without touching it, her eyes full of dread. Then, glancing up with a strained little smile, she said, “It looks lovely out. I’m going for a walk.”

“Aren’t you working at the clinic today?” asked Gurney.

“I don’t have to be there till ten-thirty. Plenty of time. Too nice a morning to stay in the house.”

She went to the bedroom, and two minutes later she emerged in a wild assortment of colors: lavender fleece pants, a pink nylon jacket, and a red beret.

“I’ll be down near the pond,” she said. “I’ll see you before you go.”

Chapter 47

An Angel Departing

Kyle came over and sat at the table with Gurney. “Do you think she’s all right?”

“Sure. I mean … obviously she’s … I’m sure she’s okay. Being outside always seems to help her. Walking does something for her. Something good.”

Kyle nodded. “What should I do?”