Madeleine eyed him over the top of the book she had propped up in front of her. “What is it?”

“I feel a bit lost.”

She lowered the book a couple of inches. “The Spalter case?”

“Mainly that … I guess.”

“What about it?”

“It’s not coming together. It just gets uglier and more chaotic.” He told her about Hardwick’s two calls from Cooperstown, leaving out the missing head, which he didn’t have the stomach to mention. He concluded, “I’m not sure what the hell is going on. And I don’t feel I have the resources to deal with it.”

She closed the book. “Deal with it?”

“Figure it out—what’s really happening, who’s behind it, why.”

She stared at him. “Haven’t you already succeeded in what you were asked to do?”

“Succeeded?”

“I’d gotten the impression that you’d pretty much shredded the case against Kay Spalter.”

“True.”

“So her conviction will be reversed on appeal. That was the point, wasn’t it?”

“It was, yes.”

“Was?”

“It seems that all hell is breaking loose. These new arson-murders—”

She interrupted. “Which is why we have police departments.”

“They didn’t do such a great job the first time. And I don’t think they have a clue what they’re up against.”

“And you do?”

“Not really.”

“So nobody knows what’s going on. Whose job is it to find out?”

“Officially, it’s BCI’s job.”

She cocked her head challengingly. “Officially, legally, logically, and every other way.”

“You’re right.”

“But?”

After an uncomfortable pause, he said, “But there’s a crazy person loose out there.”

“There are a lot of crazy people out there.”

“This one’s been killing people since he was about eight years old. He likes killing people. The more the better. Someone turned him loose on Carl Spalter, and now he doesn’t seem to want to go back in his box.”

Madeleine held his gaze. “So the danger is increasing. You said the other day there might be a one percent chance of his coming after you. Obviously, this horrible thing in Cooperstown changes all that.”

“To some degree, but I still think—”

“David,” she interrupted, “I have to say this—I know what your answer will be, but I have to say it anyway. You do have the option of backing away.”

“If I back away from the investigation, he’ll still be out there. There’ll just be less chance of getting him.”

“But if you’re not going after him, maybe he won’t go after you.”

“His mind may not work that logically.”

She looked anxious, confused. “From what you’ve told me about him, he sounds like a very logical, precise planner.”