“Don’t remind me.” He glanced at the digital alarm clock by the bed. It was actually 3:39 A.M. “Why would you expect to hear from me?”

“The morning shows over here have been reporting a fifth murder.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t call to gloat about your theory being right.”

“In the middle of your night? Don’t be daft.” He could tell Everett was doing his best not to chuckle aloud. “Though I probably would’ve done so later if you hadn’t.”

Grant proceeded to bring his brother up-to-date with Leeds’s murder and what they had found on the walls of the abandoned hospital in Far Rockaway.

“Perhaps it’s time you and your New York policeman stop hanging on to the Commandments and let the public know what they’re dealing with.”

“All that will do is cause a full-fledged panic.”

“Sounds like you’ve already got one on your hands,” Everett said. “It might actually help matters. If you haven’t killed someone or committed adultery, it would put you at ease, don’t you think?”

“I guess you could look at it that way. But say you had? Killed someone or had an affair. Then what?”

“You’d worry a bit more. At the same time, it would make it a little harder for your fellow to get at these people if they were more aware as to what was going on.”

Grant chewed on the thought. He could see pluses and minuses. “I’m not sure, Everett. The carving marks are the one thing that would separate the pretenders from the genuine article when it comes to a confession.”

“So, hold back on them. Going public with the Commandments doesn’t mean you have to reveal the other.”

Grant told his brother he’d given him something to think about.

Everett then asked about his breakfast with Rachel.

“At least she didn’t walk out the moment I arrived,” Grant told him. “Though I could tell she was considering it.”

Everett asked if Rachel had given him an inkling as to what was causing the rift between them. Over the past year, Grant had brought it up to his brother, hoping he could help get to the bottom of it with his niece. But Everett hadn’t been able to make any headway and remained as perplexed by it all as Grant.

“I made a point of staying clear of the subject,” Grant said.

“Next time perhaps.”

“If there is one. She does seem open to it though. Which reminds me—I’m supposed to get her number from you.”

Everett was happy to provide it as they continued chatting to well past four. Everett finally told Grant to stay in touch and hoped that he got some sleep.

But he was still wide awake. He crawled into bed anyway and started flipping around various stations, trying to avoid any newscast, knowing it would just aggravate him further.