“Here’s a name,” Regan says, lifting his fingers from the keyboard. “It’s a Lusahatcha County number, nothing but a name with it. Toby Rambin. That sounds familiar to me.”

I cut my eyes at Caitlin, who’s lost a shade of color. “You can read my personal computer files?” she asks Royal.

“We’re inside your intranet,” Regan brags.

“Is Rambin the witness?” Royal asks evenly.

Caitlin shakes her head. “No. He’s lived in Mississippi his whole life.”

Brody watches her in silence for an uncomfortable period, then gives an enigmatic smile. How this man loves his games. I can’t see much point in maintaining a pretense of a negotiation. “You’re not going to let us out of here no matter what we tell you,” I say. “Your men already killed a cop right in front of me.”

Royal looks genuinely surprised. “That man’s not dead. They Tased him when he wasn’t looking, then injected him with a sedative. I’m a businessman, Cage. Killing Natchez cops wouldn’t be good for business. In five hours, he’ll wake up behind the Duck’s Nest bar with no idea how he got there.”

Could this be true? “I felt his neck with my foot. No pulse.”

“Why don’t you leave the medicine to your father?” Rising from the sofa, Brody looks deeper into Caitlin’s eyes. “Before things deteriorate any further, let me say this: For thirty seconds, my offer remains open. I’ll stand by the deal I made at the hospital. But you must give me the witness’s real name. Otherwise, I’m going to have you both taken into the next room.” He nods toward the door to the firing range. “Take my word for it … you don’t want to go in there.”

Randall Regan’s dark eyes move from Caitlin’s face to mine, then back again. “They don’t know the name,” he says, utter certainty in his voice. “Cage doesn’t, anyway. Maybe the girl does. But I don’t think so.”

Clearly Regan has more gifts than I’ve given him credit for.

“Is Randall correct?” Brody asks us both.

“I know the name,” I lie, trying to pull him away from Caitlin. “But we’re not giving it to you until you take care of the APB. Have Forrest Knox put a press release out to the wire services. I can check it on Regan’s computer.”

Royal is already shaking his head. “We’re past that point, I’m afraid. You’re going to have to prove your good faith, Mayor.”

“Why are we wasting time with this?” Regan asks irritably. “Let’s take them into the range. Introduce her to the Flammenwerfer. If she knows the witness’s name, we’ll have it in thirty seconds.”