Of course, no one had reported hearing or seeing a helicopter that night, but that didn’t mean she hadn’t used one. It had been dark and rainy that night, perhaps people had written off the sound of the helicopter as thunder. We also had to consider the possibility of Mom having bribed the pilot so that he wouldn’t reveal having assisted her. Everyone could be bought; it was just a matter of the price. Mom had surely squirreled away tons of money during her years as Ariel’s wife. I refused to believe that she had actually donated all that cash she claimed to have given to dozens and dozens of charitable causes. No, surely she had instead put all of it away in a secret account somewhere in the world so she would have an insurance for unanticipated future events such as if she’d ever become a fugitive.

  Mom was all about unanticipated expenses and meticulous planning. I told Agent McHenry about this and he agreed this may be what was going on. Mom was funding her own expenses.

  There was an official manhunt on the way, and the story was all over the news. You could barely switch on any of the main channels without at least one of them speculating over why Mom had abducted her daughter. Some talking heads, among them many mental health professionals, were convinced that she wanted to raise her daughter on her own, turn her into a serial killer like herself. Others mused that she was just lonely and wanted family with her. The most progressive of the mental health people claimed that even extreme psychopaths like Jennifer Hanson were able to have certain feelings, experience a bond to their offspring. Maybe she felt guilty for what she had done to me, her son, and wanted to make amends with her daughter, her second child.

  I made a mental note to list every psychologist who made such outrageous claims and warn others not to use them. They clearly had no idea what they were talking about. The only thing we could all be crystal clear about was that Mom didn’t have the capacity for remorse. It didn’t matter that I kept dreaming she did, that she was just a sick person who could be healed. Wanting something to be a certain way didn’t make it so.

  Then again, I supposed that I couldn’t blame them for going out on a limb in their predictions. It wasn’t like they had access to the real reason like the FBI and I did. They didn’t know that I had set this whole mess in motion by making her think her movie would be made after all. They didn’t know that I was so arrogant that I’d been convinced I could beat her at her own game.

  I was watching one of the networks at noon on the fourth day of Neera’s disappearance when the leak I had feared had happened. The large flat-screen TV on the wall in the sitting room flashed with the words Breaking News, then the female anchor went on to report:

  “We just found out that Jennifer Hanson is using her daughter as collateral to ensure that her movie script Born Evil will be rewritten and made according to her liking. The movie will go into production early next year. In fact, we’re hearing from our anonymous, highly credible source that Jennifer is going to write the changes to the screenplay herself. How she’s planning on getting them over to the producers without being tracked down by the authorities is a mystery. Our source thinks such transactions would be possible if she used the Dark Web. All we can report for certain right now is that she claims she will kill her daughter unless the movie gets made her way. Stay tuned for more developments on this frightening story.”

  Rachel had joined me as the anchor reported the breaking news.

  “So now it’s all out in the open,” she commented dryly. “You were right someone was going to leak it to the press.”

  I nodded bitterly. “Yes, I know. We’ll have no choice but to make the damn movie now, or Mom will for sure kill Neera.” I shook my head as I considered how Mom might have been one step ahead of me all along. If only I hadn’t been so arrogant, thinking I could outsmart her, Neera would be here right now. I wouldn’t have to pay to make Mom’s ridiculous movie. Well, you’re getting just what you deserve, you cocky prick, a voice in my head chanted. You’ll be suffering for the rest of your life for not only letting Ariel die, but also for not keeping an eye on Neera 24/7. You should have at least suspected that Jennifer might come for her. She’s well aware how you feel about your sister, how much you want to protect her, make her life good.

  “The producer will be happy with all this media attention Born Evil will get now,” Rachel commented sarcastically. “The whole world will want to see what a monster like Jennifer Hanson comes up with, even if it sucks.”

  I exhaled a breath. “Yeah, they will. And you’re right that Larry Levy will be ecstatic about the leak. It wouldn’t surprise me if he himself leaked it. He’ll make me pay for most of the production, too, and it’s not like I can say no since I was the person who set the wheels in motion.”

  Rachel turned to look at me coolly and said, “As you should.” She spun around and left me in front of the TV.

  Yes, as I should, I thought darkly. And if it’s the big moneymaker as Larry predicts, I’ll have to donate every cent of the profit. Especially if we don’t catch Mom and Neera dies. I couldn’t ever see myself profiting on the back of a little kid’s life. To be honest, I didn’t think I would want to continue living myself if that happened. Not after what I did to Ariel, how I let him die. That was bad enough. If I was lucky enough to get Neera back alive, my life would be devoted to her well-being. It was the least I could do for what I had done to Ariel.

  It’s what he would have wanted.

  I was feeling increasingly suffocated inside the penthouse. My phone received constant news alerts, so I didn’t have to stay parked in front of the TV to be in the loop. I should take a walk, get some fresh air. Clear my head. Maybe that would shake out some obscure memory hidden deep in the crevices of my brain, a memory that would reveal who Mom was working with. Even though I thought it was possible Mom had funded everything herself, I thought it just as likely that she was collaborating with someone.

  It was rainy and windy outside, and I was glad I had put on a thick coat, as well as a ball cap. I hated umbrellas and in this rough weather, they were even more annoying. Unless you had a giant, sturdy one, it insisted on turning itself inside out, leaving you wet and miserable anyway.

  Better to protect your face and head with a hat.

  I had only covered about a dozen blocks when I saw her. At first, I thought I was mistaken, that my eyes were playing a trick on me. That was easy, given the bad weather, but as I took a second look, I could tell it was her and not a mistake.

  Mom was walking on the street right in front of me, a mere thirty yards ahead, looking right at me.

  24

  My phone rang in my pocket as I was about to set after Mom. I ignored it and hurried toward the crosswalk so I could catch the light before it turned red. That would happen any moment now. As I headed for the curb, I ran a quick hand over the waistline at the back of my pants. I felt the gun at the small of my back, where I had made it a habit to keep it. I relaxed and picked up my pace. Unfortunately, the light did turn red as I reached the curb. I thought that maybe I could make it anyway, but no, a giant truck driving along the road crossed my path at great velocity as I tried to run over to the other side, nearly killing me. I retreated to the curb, feeling how the road shuddered with the weight of the massive vehicle in the process. Its long body blocked my view for a good five, six seconds. When it was gone, lots more vehicles were driving before me, making it impossible to cross the four-lane, one-way road without getting mowed down.

  But that wasn’t the worst part. The situation turned really sour when I returned my attention to the spot where I had seen Mom walking and discovered that she was gone.

  I turned my head left and right, hoping to spot her somewhere nearby—I mean, how far could she have moved in those crummy few seconds? But it didn’t help, she was nowhere to be found. And it had cleared up outside a minute earlier, no rain that fell in sheets that could impede my view.

  Fuck, I hissed between clenched teeth, shooting furious glances in the direction of the large truck that was barely visible any longer. If it hadn’t been for that damned monster ride, I’d be all over Mom right now… I checked the traffic lights to gauge how much more it would be until I could get over to the other side. It looked like it would turn green shortly. As my gaze returned to the area where I had seen her, I heard my phone keep ringing and ringing in my pocket. Whoever was trying to reach me was not about to give up anytime soon. I still ignored it, in no mood to talk to anyone right then. I was too wound up.

  Finally, the light turned green and I could sprint over to the other side of the wide road. I kept scanning the area in search of Mom, but she was nowhere that I could see on the new block. Had she seen me when I spotted her and decided to instantly take off? She hadn’t appeared to have seen me, but I couldn’t know that for sure. I looked around the area immediately next to me. I was standing in the spot where she had stood only a minute or so ago. The street was medium-sized and there were some people on it, but not so many that it was hard to see between them. She couldn’t have hidden among them. There was a wide newsstand to my left and a Gray’s Papaya location took up the corner of the building on the opposite side. I could easily see inside the popular sausage place through all its glass windows and Mom wasn’t in there. As I took a closer look, I noticed that the joint had no restroom she could have entered, either.

  Next to Gray’s Papaya was an Irish pub, but it wasn’t open I discovered as I tried the door. In fact, it looked like it had gone out of business. A small pizzeria with floor-to-ceiling windows came after the pub, and Mom wasn’t in there either. I walked back to the newsstand at the street corner. She had been closest to the big, busy booth. Had she hidden behind it, kept track of me through all the knickknacks and candy that hung from the short, jutting roof as I’d crossed the street? She could have and then moved all the way behind the newsstand to further avoid me as I got closer. If she’d been really lucky, she could have gotten a cab and taken off from the area altogether. She might not consider it risky enough for a bored New York cab driver to identify her; instead, he’d write her off as just another tall, attractive blonde.

  Was that what had happened? Or had she only been a hallucination?

  Unfortunately, as much as I didn’t want to, I still had to consider that option. After what I had been through since I was let out on parole, I couldn’t trust my senses one hundred percent. There was no way of knowing for sure if I’d ever have another hallucination, Dr. Navarro had told me. Probably I wouldn’t if I took care of myself, but there were no guarantees. The only way to know for sure the object I saw was real was if other people saw what I saw. There had been no one around that I could have asked to verify without seeming nuts, no time to ask. I would have to first assure them that I wasn’t some dangerous wacko before they would help me, gain their trust, and that could take forever.

  I sighed heavily. Well, I supposed if it was just a hallucination, I didn’t need to beat myself up over having lost her. The ringing in my pocket reached me then. Had it been ringing like that all along? Somehow, I might have managed to zone it out, forget all about it. I had no idea if that was the case, only that now I would take the call. Walking under the newsstand roof, I fished out the phone.

  It was Agent McHenry calling.

  “Hello,” I said.

  “There you are,” he exclaimed, sounding out of breath. “What took you so long? You’re supposed to keep your phone on you at all times, so I can reach you quickly. I was worried something bad had happened to you.”

  I decided not to mention that I had spotted Mom. The more I thought about it now, the more I thought she had just been a hallucination. I didn’t want to give the FBI any opportunity to discredit me, claim I was mentally unstable. I had already screwed up enough.

  “I accidentally put the phone on silent,” I said instead. “What’s going on?”

  “We’ve found a diamond bracelet as well as what looks like a doll shoe on top of the building where you live. I need you to come down to the office and ID them. We want to know if the bracelet belongs to your mother and if you’ve seen the shoe before. It will help us determine whether Jennifer and Neera were on the roof.”

  “Okay, I’ll be right down there,” I said.

  I spun around and headed toward the nearest subway stop that could take me downtown to the FBI field office. With all the traffic a typical weekday in Manhattan, traveling underground was the fastest, most efficient manner to get across the long island.

  I was back up on the streets twenty minutes later, heading toward the FBI building. I remembered that I kept my gun in the waistband at the small of my back. They wouldn’t let me enter the building with the gun on me. What should I do with it? It was too far to go back home. That would take forever. I scanned the area for potential place where I could hide it instead. There was a big trash bin on the street, overflowing with junk. I supposed I could put it there for a while, I mused. Heading over to the bin, I kept my eyes open for any homeless people nearby. It would suck if a crazy homeless dude found it and shot someone with it. I couldn’t see anyone who looked like they were eager to go through trash, though, so I used a free local paper that I got from a plastic box and discreetly wrapped the gun in it. Then I casually tossed the package into the garbage. I would have to hurry up with Shephard. The longer the gun sat there, the bigger the chance that someone would notice it.

  I hurried inside the FBI building, flashing my ID to the grumpy security guard and rode the elevator up to the sixth floor where Shepard’s office was located. He was seated behind his desk, talking to someone on the phone. He motioned for me to have a seat on one of the two chairs in front and I did.

  He switched on an iPad while he was still on the phone and pulled up something on the screen. He flipped the device around and shoved it over the desk toward me. I took it and glanced at the first pic at the same time as he hung up on whoever had been on the other line.

  “Have you seen that bracelet before?” he asked me, indicated the large color photo displayed on the screen, featuring a silver bracelet with lots of charms and several small diamonds.

  I said yes, as I had indeed seen it many times before. It was an unusual bracelet with a variety of charms hanging off it in between the diamonds. It belonged to Mom, who had received it as a gift from Ariel when Neera was born. She had still worn it while in the Women’s Center, in wait to be tried for attempted murder. I remember finding it odd that they had let her, such a hardened criminal, wear jewelry of any kind. Then again, what could you do with a thin bracelet like that? You could hardly use it to hang yourself or to attack someone else. Even so, it had seemed wrong that she would be allowed to wear an expensive gift from the person she had tried to kill, which was the very reason she was in jail in the first place.

  I glanced at the agent, who was contemplating me. “You found that bracelet on the roof of our building?”

  “Our team found it there this morning, yes,” Agent McHenry replied. “So you’re sure it belongs to your mother?”

  “Yes. Unless someone else wears a replica of it, but I really don’t think so. Mom always used to brag about how unique it was, which proved just how much Ariel loved her. You know, having gone to such extents to make it different.”

  “Right. What about this shoe? Does it look familiar?”

  He swiped the screen and another picture replaced the previous one. It showed a red patent leather Mary Jane, the kind that Neera’s favorite doll wore. It had to belong to Neera’s doll, which was missing.

  I told Agent McHenry as much.

  “Did you guys have any success locating Mom?” I asked.

  “I was just told there has been a sighting of her in midtown. I’m about to head over to the neighborhood.”

  25

  Someone had called the FBI tip line and let them know that a woman who looked very much like Jennifer Hanson had been spotted in midtown, only a few blocks away from the area where I had seen her less than an hour ago.

  So it had been her then? I had seen her for real? But where the hell did she go then? Had she actually managed to jump into a cab? It seemed to be the only explanation. Either that, or the ground had swallowed her whole.

  I contemplated telling Agent McHenry that I, too, had seen her in the area, but I changed my mind at the last second. It wouldn’t make any difference. If she was still there, they would no doubt find her anyway. Apparently, lots of agents and cops were heading over there, some already scouring the neighborhood.

  I wasn’t allowed to come with Agent McHenry, who told me to go back home and wait until he contacted me again. I was fine with that since I had to go pick up my gun in the trash bin anyway. Fortunately, no one had touched it. On my way back home, I called Larry to see if he had heard from Mom again. While the FBI had his laptop still, he was able to access his email through another computer. Agent McHenry and I had both told him he had to contact us immediately if she made attempts to reach him, but given the recent developments, the media having found out about what was going on, calling me was probably not the first thing on his mind. Instead, I could imagine him celebrating with his assistant about all the free press they were getting for the movie. Yeah, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if it turned out he was the leaker.

  Unfortunately, his voicemail took my call. I left a brief message, reminding him to call me if he heard from Mom.