As her eyes scanned the deserted grounds, however, she suspected the worst.

Shit! she exclaimed, striking the steering wheel. Hes gone.

It should not have come as a surprise. Felix must have been very careful to hide the murders from Roth, and so he must have known there was a good chance he would fall under suspicion when Roth was confronted with the bodies of the dead girlsgirls whose faces, not to mention bodies, Roth knew well.

They could put out an APB on Felix, but Harley had a feeling he would be much more careful than Candy had been. Their chances of catching him at a bus depot in Albuquerque were slim, to say the least.

Callaway rubbed the stubble on his cheeks, making a rasping sound that would have driven Harley crazy under normal circumstances. He had the look of a man assembling a piece of furniture and suspecting he didnt have all the right parts.

They left the vehicle and trotted past the pool.

I could be wrong here, Callaway said, drawing his gun as they approached the glass doors, but Felix doesnt strike me as the type who would go on the run. He seems more like the type who would go down with the ship.

Harley opened the door for Callaway, then followed him in.

Clear, Callaway said. They moved from room to room, finding nothing until they reached the ballroom. Overturned chairs, spilled wine bottles, and the pool of vomit told a tale of chaos.

Maybe he panicked, Harley said.

And leave his master holding the bag? I dont buy it. Hes too loyal for that.

Harley pondered this as they cleared the second floor. Twenty minutes later, after police had swarmed the grounds and found no trace of Felix anywhere, Harley holstered her firearm and stared into the rippling waves of the pool with her hands on her hips, trying to put herself in Felixs shoes.

Behind her, she heard Callaway and the sergeant discussing the most likely places Felix would flee: airports, train stations, maybe a house he had in the area. Callaway thanked the sergeant for his time, then told him he could take his boys back to the station.

Well, Callaway said with a deep sigh as he turned to Harley, looks like its a waiting game now.

You were right. He didnt leave, Harley answered stubbornly. He has to be here.

Callaway shook his head in exasperation. Look, Cole, I want to catch this guy as much as you, but weve searched everywhere. Hes not here.

He wouldnt just leave like that. Hes loyal to Rothhow did Roth put it?

Loyal to a fault, Callaway admitted grudgingly. But everyone has their breaking point. Maybe the thought of prison was just too much.

Harley shook her head, more convinced with every passing moment that her partner had been right. This is what I do, Callaway: I profile killers. And Im telling you, Felix didnt run.