Page 31 of Absent Remorse

Simon typed quickly on his computer, obviously trying to call something up. “There was a guy a year or two ago, a guy who was stalking women, even attacked a couple. All with names beginning with A.”

“But if he attacked women, wouldn’t he be in prison?” Amber pointed out.

“I have the file here now,” Simon said. “Ilya St Claire. A former computer programmer with a PhD in theoretical mathematics. He was arrested a couple of years ago and sent to a secure psychiatric facility after being diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. He thought that people with names beginning with A were a part of some broader conspiracy.”

“And where is he now?” Amber asked.

“He was released three months ago,” Simon said. “The doctors said that with the correct medication, his condition could be controlled so that he wouldn’t be a threat.”

“And he’s in DC?” Amber said.

“There’s an address for him on the file and a place of work.”

Meaning that suddenly, the whole business of names beginning with A didn’t seem so simple or irrelevant. This could be the key to all of it, and Ilya St Claire also seemed clever enough to have maybe come up with the puzzle cube.

“We need to talk to him,” Simon said. “We need to find Ilya St Claire right away.”

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Simon had been of two minds about taking Amber with him to go see Ilya St Claire. It seemed obvious that she wanted to keep working on the puzzle, and maybe it was better to keep someone who was technically still a civilian out of danger after what had happened when they’d gone to the gym.

Yet at the same time, Simon found it useful to have her input on the case. She might be able to spot something if she was out there in the field with him that she simply wouldn’t have a chance to if she were stuck back in the office. Equally, it seemed obvious that Agent Palliser didn’t like having Amber on the case, and leaving her there in the office alone might make for a difficult environment for Amber to work in.

No, he had to take her with him for this. Which was why she was with him as the two of them pulled up outside the public library where Ilya worked. Simon took out his phone, calling up the file so that he could show a photograph of Ilya to Amber.

Ilya St Claire was a thin faced guy in his late twenties with a straggly, dark beard and prematurely thinning hair. He had sunken, blue eyes and a haunted expression. Simon suspected that he would be hard to miss if they saw him.

“This is the guy we’re looking for,” he said, wanting to make sure that she was clear on it. “If you spot him, don’t approach him until you tell me. We need to approach this carefully, because there are potentially plenty of civilians we don’t want to put in danger.”

“I understand,” Amber assured him. Simon hoped that she did, because he didn’t want her putting herself in the line of fire if this turned violent.

They headed inside, into a library that looked like it had been there for a hundred years or more. Attempts had obviously been made to update it with large, modern windows and banks of computers, but there were still aged, oak shelves around the walls, complete with wheeled ladders to reach the higher shelves. Row after row of books stood in the middle, each shelf higher than Simon’s head, carving the interior up into a kind of maze. The shelves were punctuated here and there by comfortable looking chairs, some with readers in them perusing whatever they’d plucked down to look at.

There was a big reception desk at the front, currently staffed by a woman in her forties, wearing a severe dark dress with a cream cardigan thrown over it, her mid-brown hair pulled back into a bun.

“Hello,” she said with a smile as Simon and Amber approached. “Can I help you today?”

Simon put his badge down on the reception desk, trying not to make the movement too obvious.

“FBI,” he said. “We’re trying to locate Ilya St Claire. Is he here today?”

“Is he in some kind of trouble?” the woman on the reception desk asked.

“We need to ask him some questions,” Simon said. “We’d rather not cause a disturbance. Can you tell us where he is, please?”

“He’s just reshelving some books in our classic works section. I could call him to the front desk if you’d like.”

Simon shook his head hurriedly. The last thing he wanted was anyone shouting for Ilya, warning him that they were coming. That would only give him a chance to slip away unseen if he was the killer they were hunting, and even if he wasn’t, it might panic him into trying to run.

“We’ll go to him,” he said. “Which way is it to the classic works section?”

The receptionist pointed. “Near the back wall, over that way.”

“Thank you, we’ll find him.” Simon looked over to Amber, who nodded to show that she was ready.

The two of them moved off together into the library, heading for the section the receptionist had indicated. It meant weaving their way through the shelves, and they really were like a maze, so much so that Simon found himself having to look up, using decorations on the walls of the library as landmarks to navigate by. Amber seemed to be pulling ahead slightly; obviously, she was used to dealing with mazes. Simon hurried to make sure that he was in front of her just in case things turned violent the way they had at the gym.

It wasn’t long before Simon saw Ilya ahead, stooped over a cart full of books, picking them out one by one to reshelve them. He was taller than Simon had expected, easily six-five or six-six. He straightened up as Simon and Amber approached, looking at them initially with suspicion, then offering what seemed like a practiced smile, as if remembering that he was meant to be helping readers in the library.

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