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“I’m sorry,” the doctor said. “Noone of that name has called at the hospital. Although I believe that there is adetective of the local police department waiting in the hall to see you.”
Amber got out of bed, heading outinto the corridor of the hospital. Sure enough, Detective Arquet was therewaiting for her. He looked happier than Amber had seen him in all the timeshe’d been in Keystone.
“Agent Young!” he said, rushingforward to shake her hand. “I can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done here.Without you, Keystone might never have been safe again.”
“I’m sure someone else would havefound the pattern,” Amber said.
“But how many more people wouldhave died before then?” Detective Arquet asked. “Loretta Kane, for one. You’vemade a real difference here, Agent Young.”
Amber allowed herself to feel thepride that came in that moment. Pride at having helped people, and at havingbrought a killer to justice. She just wished that Simon were there to share themoment with her.
“Have you seen Agent Phelps?” Amberasked Arquet. It was starting to seem strange now that he wasn’t there.
“I haven’t seen him since he setout to head over to Peter Russel’s place after he got your message,” Arquetsaid with a slight look of confusion. “I assumed that he left to liaise withthe rest of the FBI on this.”
Okay, now Amber was starting toworry. Because that wasn’t the kind of thing Simon did, or at least, it wasn’tsomething he would do without telling her. So where was he?
Amber got out her phone, callingSimon’s cell, hoping that it would all be some kind of simple explanation. Thathe’d headed back to the local PD to oversee the interrogation of Peter Russel,or he was checking up on something else to do with the case.
Instead of answering, his phonerang out, going to voicemail. That only increased Amber’s worry, but sheguessed it might happen if he were in the middle of an interrogation.
“Simon, it’s me. Where are you?Call me when you get this.”
“No answer?” Arquet said.
Amber shook her head. She wasgetting more worried by the second. Amber went out to her car, deciding thatshe would drive back to the Keystone PD and check whether Simon was there.After that… well, she probably couldn’t use FBI resources to trace his phone,but she could at least call around to check if anyone had seen him.
As soon as Amber got into her car,she froze in place, staring at the passenger seat. There, on it, was a puzzle.A maze with a ball bearing to run through it. It wasn’t unheard of for Amber tohave something like that in a car; puzzles crept in everywhere in her life.This wasn’t one that she’d put there, though.
Worse, there was a note sittingatop it. Amber lifted that note with trembling fingers, dreading what it wouldsay even as she read it.
Dear Amber,
I feel I can use your name now,since by this point, you know mine. I’m guessing that you are also starting torealize who is the most precious to you right around now.
If you want him back, the puzzlewill show you the way.
I’ve been disappointed in yourefforts so far, but that might not be your fault. The FBI are getting in yourway, slowing you down. I understand. So let’s take away all the tricks. Onemore game. You and me. I’ll know if you contact the FBI. Try to get help fromthem, and he dies. No cheating on this one, Amber.
Come to me. Face me. Let’s see ifyou have what it takes to win him back. What are you willing to give up to win?
You have until midnight to gethere.
Colm.
Amber read those words over andover, feeling the terror building inside her. Colm O'Rafferty had Simon. He'dkidnapped him, and now, it seemed that he was using Simon as the prize in somedeadly game between them.
Amber knew what she ought to dothen as an agent. She ought to call Palliser, ought to call Mallory, and tellthem what had happened. They might be able to track Simon’s phone, or trace himsome other way. At the very least, they would be able to provide backup, sothat, when Amber found Simon, they could go in with full tactical support totake O’Rafferty down.
Palliser had told Amber that shewas on her last chance. That she had to do things by the book from now on orher career was done. Amber didn’t care, though, because Colm was right aboutone thing:
Simon was the most precious personin the world to her. She hadn’t said it to him because it had seemed far toosoon, but the fact was that Amber loved him. He was brave, clever, good, kind,and none of those things was the reason for it, because this was the kind ofthing that went beyond reasons. It was about the connection that had built upbetween the two of them, blossoming into something far more.
She couldn't risk his life bycalling in backup. She couldn't take the chance that Colm would be able to telland that he might hurt or kill Simon if Amber didn't do what he wanted. Shecouldn't take the chance that Mallory would blunder in and make the situationworse again.
No, Amber had to do this alone, andthat meant solving Colm’s puzzle.
Amber picked it up, checking itover carefully. Given the way he’d built lethal traps into puzzles before, shewas determined not to take anything for granted here. Amber quickly picked upon the spot where some of the wood had been carved away underneath the maze,and she prized it open with a pocket knife, revealing a small ampule of whatwas presumably a noxious substance. It sat directly beneath the hole in themaze that marked the finish line for the ball bearing, along with what appearedto be some kind of electrical mechanism. Amber guessed that if she finished themaze, then the ball bearing would complete the circuit and trigger the trap.
