Page 32 of Alex Cross Must Die

Marple’s phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out and saw the caller’s name on the screen. She pressed Accept.

“Addilyn?” she said. “What’s going—?”

“I just got the call!” Addilyn wailed.

“Whatcall?” asked Marple, heading out onto the sidewalk.

“The kidnappers! How soon can you come?”

“Hang on, Addilyn. I’m already here.”

CHAPTER 31

MARPLE RACED ACROSSthe street, waving cars aside. She shot past the building doorman into the lobby and jumped into an open elevator just as the door was closing. Thirty seconds later, she was standing in Addilyn’s living room.

Addilyn was frantic. Her hair and makeup were already done to perfection, but under the eye shadow, her eyes were red.

“Who called?” Marple asked, perspiring slightly from her dash. “Male? Female?”

“Female,” said Addilyn, dabbing at her nose with a tissue.

“Any accent?”

“Hard to tell,” said Addilyn. “But I think … American.”

“Okay,” said Marple. “Now tell me exactly what she said. Her precise words, if you can.”

Addilyn wiped her nose delicately and sniffed. “Can I just play it for you?”

Marple stepped forward. “Play it …? You mean yourecordedit?”

“Yes. It’s right over here.” Addilyn walked to an elegant desk in an alcove just off the living room. Sitting at the edge was a cordlessphone in its base. A small Olympus voice recorder was attached to the handset with a short black cable.

“My husband used it to record business calls,” said Addilyn. “I haven’t played it back. I didn’t want to erase it by mistake. I’m not even sure I pressed the right button.”

“Fingers crossed,” said Marple. She pulled the jack out of the recorder and checked the tiny screen. It indicated a full battery and a single recording. Marple pressed the silver button in the center of the device. There was a crackle of static from the tiny speaker, and then:

“Hello?”

“Who’s this?”

“This is Addilyn Charles. Who isthis?”

There was a brief pause and then—

“I’m the one you need to talk to. We have your husband and your daughter and your dog.”

Marple leaned in. The voice did sound female, but it had been passed through a voice-changer app. Impossible to know for sure.

Next on the playback was a loud gasp from Addilyn. After a couple of seconds, her voice returned, shaky but clear.

“Are they alive? Is my daughter alive? Is my husband alive?”

“For the moment, yes.”

“Can I talk to them? I need to talk to them!”

“No.”

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