“It’s been a lovely evening, but it’s time for the fin de partie.” When he smiles, blood drips off his teeth.

He lifts his hand, strokes a finger down her cheek. Emma feels it like a crackle of lightning.

“You, I did not anticipate.” His eyes travel over her face. “How interesting. Come and visit me again sometime, Emma. We’ll have croissants.”

Then Simon stands and follows Hoyt, who has crawled into the cage. The two of them are washed by the radiance of the moon shining through the barred windows.

“Before your interruption,” Simon remarks, “we were discussing fairy tales. Do you remember the story of Rumpelstiltskin? When the queen found out his name, he thrust his foot into the ground and, in a passion, tore himself in two.”

He gets no reply. Hoyt is beyond replying now.

“Well,” Simon says, musing. “Let’s see what we can manage.…”

He steps in and turns Hoyt over, and Emma turns her head away.

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

It doesn’t take long to do the mop-up.

SWAT must have fixed the circuit breakers, because all the lights come on at once and there’s the rattle of steel in the hall. Moments later, people flood into the room. Emma has almost managed to limp as far as the door by then, and one of the SWAT guys nearly bowls her over, but then everyone is way too busy rushing over to the ruckus in Simon’s cell.

Emma sits herself on Pradeep’s desk. She feels numb.

“Emma!”

Someone is hollering her name, but all she can do is sit there and look around at the chaos. Simon is being restrained by four SWAT team members, overseen by two more SWAT team members. Dr. Scott stands nearby, her hand over her mouth. Hoyt lies almost forgotten in the cell, the dark pool under his head and abdomen seeming to float the body, although Emma assumes that’s a trick of the light.

After a moment, one of the SWAT guys asks if she needs to see the paramedic. Emma just laughs and laughs, and soon she realizes her laughs sound like sobs, so she exerts all her control, every last bit remaining to her, and makes herself stop. Then she slides down off the desk and heads for the door.

“Emma Lewis! Miss Lewis!”

She turns around, and it’s Martino.

“Yes?”

“Miss Lewis, I…” He pauses then to take her in, eyes skating over her, his expression appalled and astonished at the same time. When she’s about to ask if he called her for a particular reason, he finally speaks again. “Miss Lewis, I’m going to need to take a deposition from you about what happened here. You don’t… you don’t have to do it right away.”

“That’s…” She actually doesn’t care anymore. “Okay. Whatever you need.”

“Thank you.” He tilts his head. “There’s a SWAT team member giving emergency first aid to Mr. Bell and Miss Gutmunsson in the foyer. Do you want me to walk you up?”