Page 10 of Alex Cross Must Die

“You can’t prove anything!” shouted the mayor’s assistant.

“You just threatened the mayor, NYPD officers,anda roomful of civilians with a stolen gun, Kristin. Then you ran. That’s both criminal possession of a firearm and consciousness of guilt. We’ll start there.”

Marple eased herself off Kristin’s back and sat on the walkway, panting hard as Grey cuffed Kristin and led her away. The other officer squatted down at Marple’s side.

“You okay?” he asked. “That was a mean tackle.”

“I’m fine,” said Marple, brushing dirt off her slacks. “Murder brings out the bitch in me.”

CHAPTER 11

HOLMES HITCHED Aride in a squad car back to Bushwick—alone. Marple and Poe had left without him. Not a surprise. He had fully expected that his partners would be furious with him for keeping them in the dark about the real killer. And deep down, he knew they had every right to be. On their first major case, he had blindsided them.

Maybe it was all those years working on his own that made him so independent. Maybe, like the original Holmes, he considered himself the last and highest court of appeal in detection. Maybe he was self-destructive. Or maybe he just craved the drama.

When he walked into the office, Poe and Marple were sitting at a table in the common area, waiting for him. Poe spoke first.

“What the hell, Brendan!”

“That was completely irresponsible,” said Marple. “Your big reveal could have gotten us all shot.”

“Well, nobody told you to run off in hot pursuit,” said Holmes. “Thatwas dangerous.”

“I had no choice,” said Marple. “When I see a fox, I turn into a hound.”

“Look,” said Holmes, taking a seat at the table. “It was my case. My lead.”

“True,” said Poe, “but that didn’t give you the right to hold out on us on our first major case. We’repartners.Remember?”

“Misdirection,” said Holmes. “It’s one of my gifts.”

Poe’s expression darkened. “Well, you don’t get to misdirectus!”

“The truth is,” said Holmes, “I was misdirected myself until yesterday. Everything pointed directly to the mayor. The evidence supported it. The car. The tire prints. The emails.”

“The location of the body,” added Poe.

Holmes nodded. “Everybody knows about the mayor’s fondness for young women. It was logical to deduce that he and Sloane had an affair. That she might have become a liability, or an embarrassment, or threatened blackmail. So he killed her and disposed of her body. Classic story. But, as we all know, there is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact.”

Marple leaned forward. “You’re saying Rollins and Sloane weren’t having an affair—”

“Correct,” said Holmes. “Kristinand Sloane were. And it ended badly.”

“According to whom?” asked Poe.

“According to Samantha.”

“The commissioner’s assistant?” said Marple.

Holmes nodded. “I could see that Samantha was rattled by our visit. So last night I went to see her in Queens. She and Kristin used to both work in the commissioner’s office, before Kristin got promoted. Samantha knew all about Kristin’s romance with Sloane. They were keeping it a secret because Kristin didn’t think a same-sex relationship would go over well in the mayor’s office.”

“Rollins clearly prefers mayor-on-girl,” said Poe.

“There was an ugly breakup,” said Holmes. “This was a few days before she disappeared. Apparently, Sloane wanted to see otherpeople. Men, specifically. That’s all Samantha knew. Until we walked in.”

Poe leaned back. “So when Kristin realized she couldn’t have Sloane to herself …”

“They fought,” said Marple, picking up the thread, “and she killed her—with her bare hands.”

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