‘I take it and you wait here.’

‘I can back you up.’

‘No, if he sees we’re both inside and he’s someplace else, he’ll rabbit.’ She was speaking near his ear. He wore a pleasant aftershave. ‘If you fire, remember the tile.’

‘Got it. Amplifies the sound. One shot, we’re both deaf for five minutes. I’ve been there. That happens, we have to scan visually. We can’t hear him coming … That is, if I don’t hit him. I am not, by any stretch, Amelia, a bad shot.’

She liked him. ‘You’ve done this before.’

‘Way, way too many times.’

‘Draw,’ she said.

The Nano was in his hand, dwarfed and nearly invisible in the dark flesh. He had two rings: wedding and a police academy signet. ‘Gotcha covered. Go.’

She breached the women’s room.

No drama. There were only two stalls and the doors were open.

Then she was outside. Scanning. He nodded his all-clear.

The one-stall men’s room was even faster.

Outside once more, Sachs gazed at the dozen storerooms opening onto the corridor. Then noted that Leron’s head was cocked. He touched his ear and pointed to a doorway, about twenty feet away. He’d heard something. The door was marked with the word Specimens.

Leron whispered, ‘A scrape. In there. I’m sure.’

‘Any windows?’

‘No. We’re way underground here.’

‘Locked?’

‘Yeah, but that doesn’t mean anything. Anybody can get through these doors, you got a bobby pin. Women still use bobby pins?’

‘Sure, to pick locks,’ she replied.

She and Leron moved close. There was a rippled glass window in the door, and the guard ducked under to the other side as they flanked it.

You’ve done this before …

Amelia Sachs debated.

On the other side was most likely a perp they had to assume was armed – and at the very least in possession of deadly toxins.

Wait for full backup from Emergency Service? With bio-chem gear?

Debating …

Yes, no?

She decided. She was going in. Every minute the unsub could fortify himself behind barricades and rig traps.

But mostly, she was going in because she wanted to go in.

Had to go in. Thinking: Can’t explain it, Rhyme. Just the way it is.

When you move …

‘You back me up,’ she mouthed. ‘From the hall.’

‘No, I …’ But Leron fell silent, looking at her eyes. He nodded.

She gripped the knob, which turned. Unlocked.

Then pushing forward … The door ploughed open, revealing nothing on the other side except blackness. Sachs jogged left and dropped into a crouch, so she wouldn’t be silhouetted by the open doorway.

Then, a huge crash from the back left corner of the room.

Leron surged forward as Sachs gave a whisper-shout, ‘No!’

But the guard pressed through the door anyway, gallantly coming to a rescue she didn’t need, a rescue that was purely a diversion.

For what was coming next.