“Margot, we have to go!” her dad said to the child, and to Katie, “Please! We don’t mean to be unhelpful, but...please! She’s just a child!” he begged.

“Yes, get Margot to school and...um, lock your doors. Be careful!” she warned. “Day and night now,” she added.

Katie turned back to the Dean house, pulling out her phone.

In the middle of the crowd, she found that Axel was coming after her.

“Katie! Oh, my God, what—”

“I know who another of their number is, Axel. The Axeman was a picked up by a sleigh, or a fancy sports car. I was just in such a car, Axel. It belongs to Carly Britton, the casting agent on the movie George was just working. Axel, you’ve got to bring her in! She put on an act you wouldn’t believe, but she’s with him. She just aided and abetted the attacker, the big man, the head of this murder ring!”

Axel frowned and said, “Katie, how... Why—”

“Mabel. Mabel overheard the child talking and came to me.”

“And you ran off, when you’re supposed to be under protection?”

“Axel! We need to get Carly Britton!”

“Yes, right. Come on. Andre is getting the car. I’ll let Ryder know. We’ll grab Dan on the way. He just called after he reached the hospital.” He looked at her exasperated and then smiled. “Well, Dan would take an axe to me if something happened to you. But good work!”

She smiled weakly. “Let’s get her,” she said.

She turned her head away; she didn’t want him to see her shiver.

She had just driven in that car with Carly Britton...to keep Carly safe!

Andre pulled Axel’s Bureau car carefully through the crowd, and they slipped in while Axel put a call through to Ryder to let him know where they were going and to have him put out an APB on the woman.

A few minutes later, they picked Dan up on the street and then headed for Carly Britton’s office. Ryder was going to get backup and head to her home.

As Dan climbed into the car, he looked at Katie as if quickly assuring himself she was alive and well. Then he turned to Axel. “Was there anything on the computer?”

“The computer?” Katie asked.

“Andy Dean had his computer open. He was about to log in to a remote meeting, and his camera was on. We have people analyzing the data,” Axel said.

“I bet all we’ll see is a big man in black,” Dan said wearily. “We have nothing on the face yet, we just know that it’s a big man in black. Ashley Dean was able to talk. She saw him, but that’s what she says, too. A big man in black. Slouch hat, floor-length trench coat... But who found out about Carly Britton? Are we sure?”