He drew a deep breath. “I told Gabriella to take Sean to school with a police escort. She’s going to pick him up later, after she’s packed for both of them. Then she’ll drive him to his grandmother’s house. I’m going to call Mom, tell her Gabriella and Sean will be there this afternoon.”

Sherlock was as pale as her white shirt. He pulled her against him. He said against her temple, “Sean’s okay. Blessed won’t get anywhere near him. Blessed has no clue where Sean’s school is, and he doesn’t have the skills to find out. I asked Gabriella to have the principal keep an eye on him. Everything’s handled. It’s all done.” He held her, slowly rubbed her back.

She said against his neck, “I’m going to kill him myself, Dillon, and do a happy dance on his grave. And then I’m going to smack you. Why didn’t you tell me about Gabriella’s first call?”

He told her the truth. “I didn’t want both of us scared at the same time.” He kissed her temple. “I hope it won’t come down to your murdering Blessed. Oh, yes, I got a call from Ethan. He, pregnant Joanna, and Autumn are spring skiing in Colorado. If Blessed does head to Titusville with thoughts of nabbing Autumn, he’s out of luck. He’s out of luck here, too, Sherlock.”

She said again, “But if he gets to Sean—”

“He won’t. You know he won’t.”

She leaned back, aware every agent in the unit was staring at them. She gave Dillon a pat on the shoulder and a smile, and stepped back. “You know what I think? We’re going about this the wrong way. I think it’s time we hunted him down, don’t you?”

Natalie Black’s house

Friday morning

Natalie said, “Never would I have imagined Carlos Acosta breaking into Perry’s condo last night.”

Davis said, “He was so scared I was afraid he was going to throw up on Perry’s very nice Persian carpet. In any case, now he’s out at the Jefferson Dormitory at Quantico. Savich wants to keep him close and safe, see if there’s something his subconscious picked up about the phone calls Carlos didn’t recall right away. They’ll be talking with Isabel this morning, too.”

“That note he was going to deliver, it scares me, Davis. Perry’s a part of this, now more than ever. And I don’t understand why. Run away, Black—You’re not safe. Why are these people after Perry? Does she know anything about this she hasn’t told me? Are they pressuring me to resign by threatening her?”

Davis said, “We’ll find out why, Natalie. Perry’s got a shadow on her, so no one’s going to get close. She’ll keep sharp.” Even though she hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before; he knew fear had a way of goosing the brain. “I called her right before I knocked on your door. She’s fine, at the Post, and she’s working. She says she has a story to write.”

Natalie gave him a dutiful grin, sighed. “I feel sorry for Carlos, and for Isabel.”

“He’s lucky to be alive,” Davis said. “Whoever put him up to this was shrewd—it was undoubtedly an untraceable phone. We’re left with very little to go on. He knew her alarm code, which means the person who gave it to him had access to it. And that makes me think this is all closer to home than it seems. Tell me, Natalie, is your half-brother, Milton, still in Washington?”

“Yes, he’s still at The Willard. He claims it’s the only civilized hotel in Washington.”

“I think it’s time to go see him.”

Davis rose. “I’ve already spoken to Mr. Sallivar, told him they’d be picking up Isabel to question her. I had to tell him why. Mr. Sallivar is going to see to it she spends the next few days with a relative, out of town, instead of protective custody. He was grateful. Then he asked me point blank where Carlos had been hiding, and so I told him. Isabel is in for a major scolding.” He added without thinking, “I didn’t tell him about the condom.”

“Condom? What condom?”

“Yeah, well, no worries, Perry took it.”

That got him a smack on the shoulder. Davis was explaining when his cell belted out Social Distortion’s “Ball and Chain.”

Davis watched her pace up and down the breakfast room, her strides as long as her daughter’s. He listened, asked the occasional question. And soon he was smiling. Finally, she thought, something good must have happened.

Davis punched off his cell.

“Well? What was that all about?” She planted herself in front of him, hands on her hips.