They can take the stairs to the basement from here. The corridor is like a refrigerator and the inside of the Cool Room is worse. Emma hunches to keep warm.

Bell opens out his copy of this morning’s Washington Post. “There it is.”

Emma still barely believes it. But Bell has the relevant item circled in ballpoint, so there’s no denying it. It’s a personal ad from Simon Gutmunsson, the key component of Raymond’s plan to trap the Butcher.

She reads the ad aloud:

“Dearest Siegfried,

“Are you safe? Forces swirl around me and, I suspect, my correspondence. I fear for your liberty. If you are yet unconfined, I will rejoice. Reply here to reassure me.…”

“Jesus.” Bell makes a face. “Does Gutmunsson really talk like that?”

“No.” Emma backpedals. “Kind of. It doesn’t matter, it’s the persona he uses when writing to this guy. He’s being pretty smart about it—he wants the Butcher to know he didn’t cooperate willingly with the Annandale stakeout. Wait, let me read the rest—

“Or if your offer still stands, we might have a professional exchange this evening. A visit from you would calm my heart and assuage my concerns. But time is fleeting—I’ve been informed my tenure here is at an end. Whatever may divide us, I will always look back on our connection fondly. Please remember I am your most sincere,

Artist.”

She looks up at Bell. “Simon’s inviting the Butcher to St. Elizabeths and offering to make a donation. That’s the ‘something he can’t refuse’ that Martino mentioned to you on the phone. What the hell, Bell?”

“I hear you.” Bell, still frowning at the ad, wipes newsprint off his fingers onto his T-shirt without seeming to realize.

She checks the ad again. “Another thing—the wording makes it sound like Simon’s being transferred out of St. Elizabeths. Is this true?”

“Maybe. Can Raymond authorize that?”

“I guess so.” Emma tucks her fingers in her armpits. “But how did Raymond get Simon to agree to this? To offer himself as bait?”

“Cooper said Raymond prefers to use a stick than a carrot. He must’ve explicitly threatened Kristin.”

“I can’t believe Simon would do this. Let himself be used like this.”

“I don’t get it either. But he cares about his sister. She might be the only person he’s ever cared about.”

“And having the FBI inside St. Elizabeths is a change in the asylum’s routine.” Emma stares, unseeing, at the newsprint stain on Bell’s T-shirt. “Simon’s motivated by boredom, remember? So maybe…”

“What?”

“I don’t know.” She slides a hand free to rub her forehead. “All I know is that, because of his nature and his previous escape attempts, there are really specific procedures around how Simon is handled at St. Elizabeths. If the FBI comes in and takes over, those procedures might be altered. Weakened.”

Bell is suddenly very serious. “You think Gutmunsson’s planning another escape attempt?”

“Simon never does anything without thinking about his own self-interest. If he’s agreed to cooperate with Raymond, to act as bait, it’s because he thinks he can work it to his own advantage.”