"No, I've been there a few times before." "Really?" "Well, how come I haven't seen you?" "I noticed you the first night I walked in." "You always stand out." "Well, thank you." "Well, how come it took you till tonight to talk to me?" "You're not shy, are you?" "Maybe a little." "You, uh, you okay with this?" "Just taking off with someone you hardly know." "I trust myself." " What do you mean?" " Well, I believe in human nature." "You know, that people are basically good." "You're right." "Most people are." "Tracie, you spell that with a "Y" or "I-E"?" ""I-E"." "Guy sare always assuming I'm a T-R-A-C-Y." " Oh, I hate guys who assume." " Me too." "You look like a James." "Nope, just Jim." " How about Jimmy?" " No, just Jim." "Oh, come on, you are shy." "Look, um, there's something I've been meaning to tell you." "I think you have beautiful hair." " Oh, you think so?" " Yeah." "Brown Bag, this is Brown Bird." "We have audio-visual." "Do you think it's sexy?" "Brown Bag, close into one click." "Yeah." "There's nothing sexier than short hair on a beautiful woman." "What is it about big hair that turns men on?" "What is it about big hair that turns guys on anyway?" "Bad taste." "Look at me." "I want to see your eyes." "Innocent." "Just the way I like 'em." "That's him." "That's our man." "Car is registered to a Jim Gelway." "Brown Bird, this is Brown Bag, move in." "Mmm." "Mmm." "He's testing, Tracie." "Tell him... he's got the Midas touch." "You got the Midas touch." "That's 'cause I'm God's gift to women." "You know what I think you are?" "I think you're a natural-born cocksucker." "And I think it's time you did what you were born to do." "No." "What is this?" " What the fuck is this?" " Oh, shit." " You fucking bitch!" " Bust him." "Brown Bird, Brown Bag, move in!" "Take him!" " Take him now." "Now!" "Pull your vehicle to the side," " your hands where I can see them." " Fuck!" "Police!" "Pull over... now!" " I got him, Alex." " Call for help now!" " Tracie!" "Hold on!" "Don't move, stay where you are!" "Stay still!" "Alex." "Hold on, we're going to get you." " Come on, guys, help out." " There's nothing to hook onto." "Hold on!" "Alex?" " Tracie!" " Hey, Hannah." " Hi, Megan." "I hope we don't have that big math test." " Jezzie." " Hey, Megan." "Jezzie, guess who called me again last night?" "Oh, let's see, um..." "Ah, good morning, Dimitri." "Hey, Megan, I downloaded some really cool GIFs." " You want to see them?" " Yeah, sure, what are they?" "Agent Flannigan." " Check in Starodubov and Rose." " Check." "Jezz, what do we call Russkies these days?" "Russians?" "Former Soviets?" " I forget." " New world order, Devine." "Get used to it." "Charles Lindbergh, Lucky Lindy or the Lone Eagle as he was called, is our subject today because he was... the first man to... what?" " Megan?" " Fly over the Atlantic?" "Very good." "First man to fly solo, nonstop from New York City to Paris, and that was 1927." "An astonishing accomplishment, which brings us to today's assignment." "Let's see which of you can navigate, or fly if you will, from our home base to our hero's website here... in the fewest number of links, all right?" "And you're off." "Well, that's very clever, Dimitri." "Megan, might I have a word with you?" " Save me a seat, okay?" " Okay." "Come to my office." "Take a seat." "Now, Megan, you know I understand... the particular pressures of your life." "Your father being who he is, and the enormous expectations... all adds up to rather a lot, doesn't it?" " Yes, sir." " Hmm." "But, none of that excuses..." " your breaking the honor code." " What?" "I know all about you and Dimitri, Megan." "We don't tolerate cheating, now do we?" "Cheating?" "Mr. Soneji, there's been a mistake." "We only pass notes, you know, jokes and stuff." "Megan, before you go any further, you best have a look at that." " Mr. Soneji?" " Yes?" "This essay, it isn't mine." "Beg your pardon?" "What do you mean?" "Oh, my." "Oh, dear girl, I'm..." "Oh, dear, dear." "Gary, why is the door locked?" " Oh, my God, what happened?" " She's collapsed." "She's collapsed." "I tell you what, you stay with her." " I'll get some help." " Okay." "Megan?" "Hey, sweet heart, can you hear me?" "Megan?" " Hey,Jezzie." " Hi, Kila." "Hey, Hannah, where's Megan?" "She's with Mr. Soneji." "Control, I'm en route to Soneji's classroom." "I'm sure it's just a meeting that went long." "Well, it's against procedure." "Mr. Soneji should know better." "His office." "Mr. Soneji, Secret Service, open up." "Mr. Soneji?" "Do you have a key?" "I'm sorry, there seems to be something stuck in here." "Stand back." "Control, shut down, stop all vehicles." "Lock on Soneji and Rose." "So, how many of these boats you have to make before you become ship shape?" "I have never seen a man work so hard at looking busy." " Alex, it's been eight months." " Hmm?" "It's time you forgave yourself." "Vickie, you know that forgiving yourself is the one thing a person cannot do." "...choose to make contact." "We are currently trying toput the pieces together as to how and why... this man would murder a teacher and kidnap a young student." "Here's a photograph of the missing student." "Megan Ann Rose is 12 years old, blond hair with hazel eyes." "She's3'5"tall and weighs about 52 pounds." "She was last seen inside the school with the suspect around noon today." "We have just received information... that senior FBI and Secret Service officials... have arrived at the family home of Senator Rose." "We will go there live as soon as we have our satellite feed." "Technicians are setting up extra telephone lines in the Rose home, all in preparation should the kidnapper..." "Mom... please, I just wanna go home." "The FBI and police are on the lookout for this man, Gary Soneji." " This is a recent photograph..." " We only know that he has... disappeared with the 12-year-old daughter of Senator Hank Rose." "How and why is on the minds..." "Police are trying to find out who this man really is, his motives for killing teacher Amy Masterson..." " We go back live to join... reporter Alison Peretsky, who has been at the scene... since law enforcement officials arrived." " Yeah?" " Mom... please, I wanna go home." "Hello?" "You tuned into me, Dr. Cross?" "Sounds like Alison Peretsky at WNKW Action News." " Gary Soneji?" " That'll do for now." "How'd you get this number?" "Unlisted numbers?" "Come on, Alex, there's no such thing." "It's all out there in the air." "You just have to know how to grab it." "Hey, how do you feel about my kidnapping being bigger news... than your little tragedy with Jim Gelway?" "You ought to give an interview about what happened that night." "You know what they say about sharing your pain." "It's very cathartic." " Thanks, but I'm doing okay." " That's good to hear." "Very good." "I thought for a while there you wouldn't be able to get... your act back together, and that would be a great shame." "I've been planning for a long, long time to involve you... in the fate of our little Miss Muffet." "Megan." "Do you have trouble saying her name?" "First-name rapport?" "Hostage negotiations 101?" "Now come on, Alex, you can do better than that, can't you?" "You think you're gonna dissect me in three blinks ofan eye?" "I'm not that easy." "But with a little patience and a little help, you just might profile me to a "T"." "What makes you think I'm interested?" "They say that when I die, the case will die." "They say it'll be like a book I close." "But the book, it will never close." "Very poetic." "What the hell is it?" "I've left something for your visit with the Roses tonight." "You'll find it in your cold, corrugated mailbox." "Time to get back to work, Dr. Cross." "Megan." "Do you have trouble saying the name?" "Sorry, Detective, this is a federal case." "I've been invited." "We have a detective who may have evidence pertinent to the case." " What should we do about it?" "Alex?" "Special Agent Craig." "Well, I'll be." "Dare I ask?" " In my mailbox." " Anything else?" "That'll get you inside." "Terry, get this to MacArthur." "Who's in charge?" "Ollie MacArthur." "Pedigree "Feebie"." "Made his bones busting wackos in the Seattle office." "Soneji, clean?" "Clean?" "Squeaky." "Fibers look generic, fingerprints, nada." "The whole school's a goddamn forensic vacuum." "All he left us was one very neatly strangled teacher." "Heads are gonna roll with the Secret Service." "Oh,Jezzie Flannigan, Alex Cross." "Agent Flannigan was in charge of the Secret Service detail at Cathedral." " Dr. Cross." " Agent Flannigan." "I've read your books on profiling." "Obviously, not close enough, but..." "Obviously, not close enough, but..." "Kyle, this shoe was I.D.'d by the Roses." "It's Megan's." "Dr. Alex Cross, special agent in charge..." " Oliver MacArthur." " How do you do, sir." "Alex, I'll catch you later." " Forensics." " Yes, sir." "Senator and Mrs. Rose are through here." "Before we talk to them, you any idea why Soneji is involving you?" " Not at all." " This way." "Uh, excuse me, shouldn't Agent Flannigan be in the room with us?" "Not a good idea." "Miss Flannigan is not welcome." "But she's a material witness." "She failed the Roses, and she failed the Service." "I think Agent MacArthur has a point." "No, he's missing the point." "You saw Soneji every day, five days a week, for how long?" "Two years." "You have no idea how much you know about this case." "Agent Flannigan." "They say that when I die, the case will die." "They say it'll be like a book I close." "But the book, it will never close." "Very poetic." "What the hell is it?" "I've left you something for your visit... with the Roses tonight." "You'll find it in your cold, corrugated mailbox." "Well, for what it's worth, that's Soneji." "His speech pattern's the same." "Is he, um..." "Are we dealing with a sex maniac?" "Someone who might, you know..." "No, sir." "This man has no such interest in your daughter." "She's merely a means to an end." "What do you mean?" "I see no standard procedure in anything he's done." "I disagree." "This is a professional kidnapping." "It's going to be about money, which is good." "But you're saying it isn't about money." "I think he wants to draw this out." "From what he said, whatever his motives... it's very unusual." "What did he mean about the book?" "That it will never close?" "I honestly don't know." "Well, I think I do." "Let me tell you what this Gary Soneji is up to." "The last thing he wants is good crisis management." "What he wants is to confuse." "Rancor, mixed signals, disorientation, those are his tools." "So, he calls a local cop." "A damaged cop, shouldering some heavy baggage." "He's using Dr. Cross as his messenger..." "Excuse me." "The man that kidnapped our daughter didn't call you." "So your agenda is what?" " To insult the man he did call?" " Mrs. Rose, I never intended..." "No, you wait a second." "A madman has ourdaughter, and for some reason he contacted this man." "Do you know why?" "No, ma'am." "Not yet." "Hello." "You okay?" "You, uh... got any tips for helpless situations?" "Well, you could smoke a carton a day." "Or you could bounce back." "Yeah, well, I don't see anywhere to bounce to." "Like to get out of here?" "Can I ask you something?" "Sure." "What did MacArthur mean when he referred to you as damaged?" "Last summer, I let a sting operation get out of control." "My partner was killed." "Hello, Megan." "How are you?" "Coming to see you." "Do you recognize my voice?" "It's me." "Mr. Soneji." "Hmm?" "I brought you that." "A lovely cup oftea with honey." "I know your throat is sore." "It'll make you feel better." "There you go." "It's all right." "You have nothing to be scared of, Megan." "I'm not scared." "Good." "But you're wondering what's going on." "I know what's going on." "You're a kidnapper, and you're a sick weirdo." "Megan, you're the most opinionated girl in my class." " Think you got that from your mom?" " I wanna go home." "You will." "Just promise me you're going to behave yourself." "Okay?" "So, now listen, if you need to use the bathroom or anything, just press that, okay?" "I wanna go home!" "Now!" " I brought you some fresh clothes." " Please!" "Mr. Soneji, please!" "This is a fine gun." "It's Turkish." "Handmade, 1924." "That is nice." "My daddy won it in a game of poker." "Aces and eights." "Dead man's hand." "That's about as much as I know about my father." "Have a seat." "Do you know ofany relationship between Amy Masterson and Soneji?" "Amy?" "No way." "Why do you ask?" "He strangled her." "It's an act of passion." "It's a demonstration of will." "A message." "Take me seriously." "What do you see?" " Dr. Cross..." " Alex." "Alex." "Woman's intuition, third eye, sixth sense... whatever it is, I don't have it." "Sure you do, you just don't look at it right." "Every face has two aspects." "Now try looking at it down the middle, one side at a time." "Would you say this man was confident?" " Yeah." " Narcissistic?" " I-I wouldn't know." " Ever see any flashes of hatred?" " No." "No." "No!" " Anger?" "Hostility?" "Look, everything about him was right." "He was always patient, he was pleasant." "He had a sense of humor." "I mean, he was the perfect teacher." "What do you see?" "I see..." "No, I mean about me." "What do you see about me?" "That's why you're here, isn't it?" "Size me up." "Evaluate your primary material witness?" "I see that you're about to start an argument." "I need to help get her back." "What makes you think I want a partner?" " You don't." "I can understand that." " That's right." " No, you can't." " Can I tell you why I don't care?" "Shoot." "Look, when I was assigned to Cathedral, it was a job I didn't want." "It's a far cry from working rope lines or flying Air Force One, but I have been there for three years." "I have been responsible for Megan for three years." "And that little girl means more to me than even a partner." "Can you understand that?" "I suppose so." "Even if I say no, you'll probably follow me around wherever I go." "So, if it's a choice between having you as a partner... or as a stalker, I guess I'll take my chances with a partner." "Thank you." "The student drop-off is there." "That's my morning post." "Students sign in." "Cameras are there, there, there and there." "Motions sensors all around the periphery." "Fool proof way to keep the kooks out." "Exactly." "We were always looking in the wrong direction." " Which door did he go out?" " Uh, that one there." "It's a straight shot to his parking space." "Let's go in." " His classroom." " Mm-hmm." "He was teaching how everything on the Internet is connected." "Alex, you got a sec?" "Sure." "Listen, I think turf wars are a total waste of time." "If I was out of line last night, I apologize." "Don't." "I've been there." " Anything you need, let me know." " Sure, Mac." "Dr. Cross, you might want to see this." " This was Megan's desk?" " Yeah." " What are you doing?" " Scoping GIFs." "Graphic Interchange Formats." "They're all Stego-encrypted." "Somewhere among the billions of zeros and ones making this image... is a string of text." " I know about this." "It's the cutting-edge method of passing notes in class." "It's driving the teachers nuts." "How long before you can access it?" "Try never." "You don't crack Stego without a password." "Would you take me to his office?" "Oh, when you find Soneji, ask him for the password." "He planted a monitoring virus on the girl's hard drive." "Every keystroke Megan hit, Soneji was recording it." "Good move, Jezz." "Angling for a position with the D.C.P.D. I like that." "Dr. Cross, Agent Ben Devine." "Agent Devine is security systems supervisor." "Well, for now." "We're going to be thrown to the wolves, as soon as they find Megan Rose dead in a ditch." "Now what makes you so sure that's what's going to happen?" "Me getting fired or the girl in a ditch?" "Sorry." "I'm having a pessimistic day." "Tell me," "Soneji, did he... did he ever show any interest in what you do?" "How you do it?" "The man never talked to me." "I never talked to him." "Well, thanks for your time." " Hello." "What?" "What do you think that is?" " An empty frame." " Mm-hmm." "Otherwise known as..." "A missing picture." "You onto something?" "Our missing picture." "Mm-hmm." "Our Mr. Soneji has a sense of humor." "He didn't just kidnap a little girl, he turned it into a game." "Okay." "Let's see what you know, Mr. Lindbergh." " My, my." " What do you got?" "Dr. Cross isn't in cyberspace anymore." "You're at a live site, looking through a video camera." "Those arrows down there move it." "Where are we?" "I would guess we're in Soneji's home." "Now we're supposed to find out where that is." "Oliver MacArthur's office." "Yeah, it's me." "Hold on." "Howabout the files?" " There... on the wall." " There's a..." "Can you zoom in there?" " 'Jonathan..." "M"..." " "E"..." " "M-E"..." " "L"?" "You can't move that around, can you?" "It's stationary." "No, there's something somewhere else, I guarantee that." " Right there." " There." " You can..." " Focus." " Bingo." " M-E-R..." ""Merc"..." ""Mercusio." "M-E-R-C-U-S-I-O"." " "Fourteen... thirty-two..." - "Thirty-five..."" " Granville." " Gary Soneji is also known as..." "Mercusio, Jonathan, 1435 Granville Street." "Well done, Alex." "In, in, in!" "Eyes open!" " There." "Not until we get the go-ahead." "His surveillance was better than ours." "He's been at this for years." "Imagine the patience, the dedication." "You sound like an admirer." "Well, he's..." "he's like a spider." "And I happen to like spiders." "He had an elaborate setup here, boss." "Want to see how he stayed clean at school?" "It laminates a plastic veneer overyour hands." "Look at this." "It's foam rubber." "Looks like he was wearing prosthetic appliances." "I understand the Secret Service are being cautious tonight." "There is speculation that a full investigation is under way into..." "Yes, Kevin, one of the Secret Service agents..." "Evening." "What's the problem?" "Help!" "Help me!" "You've got a rule 21 problem..." "no running lights." "Again." "I just replaced the fuses yesterday." "Help!" "Help!" "Sir, no running lights." "You're gonna have to follow us in." "Help!" "Please, help me!" "Well, let me see what I can do with the fuse box." "Hold on." "Hold on." "I'm in here!" "Help me!" "I'm in here, help!" "Help!" "Help!" "How's that?" "Thanks a lot, fellas." "Help!" "Help me, please!" "Help me, please!" "Help me!" ""And before the hood was pulled over his head," ""he bragged to his executioner," ""'They think that when I die, the case will die." ""'They think it will be like a book I close." "But the book, it will never close"." "Soneji was quoting the final words of Richard Bruno Hauptman." "I'm sorry." "I don't follow." "1932." "The infant son of Charles Lindbergh," "America's greatest hero, was kidnapped." "When Bruno Hauptman was arrested, what followed became known as..." ""the crime of the century"." "I believe that Soneji wants to do the same thing." "You think we're dealing with a copycat." "Something like that." "Dr. Cross... what does he want from you?" "He's brought me in and left this trail... because he wants me to make sure that he's properly appreciated." "But in order for him to achieve this... he has to kill Megan." "No, no, not necessarily." "The death of the Lindbergh baby was accidental." "Nevertheless, it's critical that we pull his strings." "The more we make him a living legend, the more likely he is to keep Megan alive." "Dr. Cross, you've been brought into this case, what can you tell us about GarySoneji?" "I can tell you that Soneji is very determined, obviously highly capable and we consider him a serious adversary." "What about Megan Rose?" "Megan Rose is Gary Soneji's ace." "As long as he hasher, he's in control." "Sir, would you assign as many agents to this case... if she wasn't a senator's daughter?" "The size ofour task force is a reflection... of who Gary Soneji is, not Megan Rose." " Mr. Soneji." "You can parse the words if you'd Iike..." "Hello?" "I need to go to the bathroom." "All right." "Be right there." " Come on." " Come on." "Hey!" "Help!" "Please, help!" "Help!" "Please!" " Help!" "Help!" "Please!" "Help me!" "Please!" " Help!" "Help me!" "Help, please!" "Please, help me!" "I'm comin'!" "Hold on!" " Help!" " Hold on!" " Please!" " No!" "No, please!" "Please!" "Please!" "Help!" "Please!" "Please!" "Shh." "This will keep you warm." "Here you go." "Megan, you promised me you were going to behave yourself." "Because of you, what you've done, that man is dead." "Now... promise me." "Promise me you're going to be a good little girl, okay?" " All right?" "Say, "Yes, Mr. Soneji"." "Say, "Yes, Mr. Soneji"." "Yes, Mr. Soneji." "Okay." "Let's go have that cup of tea." "I'd say eight hours." "About 9:00 a.m." "Slugs are large caliber." "Shots hit him here, here." "Kill shot tapped him crown of the head." "This here is Thomas Mathias." "He found all this." "This way." "She's not in the water, Jezzie." "Soneji still has her." "There's no way of knowing that." "Think about it." "Megan is precious cargo." "Soneji's not gonna let some twist of fate bring her harm." "Right?" "But why Megan?" "Why her?" "Come on." "Where are you going?" "Back to the city." "We'll talk in the car." "You asked, "Why Megan?"" "That's the question we should have been asking right from the start:" "Why Megan?" "Who is Senator Hank Rose?" " He's..." " Nobody." "Most people don't even know who he is." "Never heard of him." "Couldn't pick him out of a line up." "This is front-page news now." "Where will it be in two months?" "Ayear?" "Oblivion." "Know why?" "Because Senator Hank Rose is no Charles Lindbergh." "Well, okay, then, who is?" "Ah, there's the trouble some question." "Come on,Jezzie." "Two years, five days a week." "You know Soneji." "Who's a bigger fish than Megan Rose?" " Da." " Mm-hmm." "Dr. Cross, Agent Flannigan, we appreciate your concern, but, uh, Dimitri's fine." "Our security services are more than capable... of protecting the son of the Russian president." "Can we at least talk to him?" "Nothing would please us more than to be of help, but speaking to Dimitri right now would be inappropriate." "Thanks for your time." "What?" "Well, MacArthur's dragnetting the bay, right?" "And, I mean, he's not really missing us, so I was thinking maybe we could just stick around and, you know, scope out the place a bit." "Agent Flannigan, are you... are you suggesting a stakeout here?" "Yeah, you know, stale coffee, some doughnuts." "No, no." "That's a first-class stakeout, Agent Flannigan." "What you're talking about here would be no frills." "You'd only get to think about stale coffee and doughnuts." "Well, I can handle it if you can." "I get the feeling you've done this a lot." "Oh, yeah." "Every chance I get." "Especially when it's cold and wet." " No parking here." " We're on the clock, Officer." " Everything okay?" " Everything is all right." " What's the problem?" "Go ahead, Jezzie." "What?" "Have one." "Thank you." "Alex, that's Dimitri." "Jezzie, it's him." " It's him!" "Soneji, hold it right there!" "Jezzie, shoot the tires!" " Jezzie!" "Jezzie!" "Police!" "Don't shoot!" "Don't shoot!" " Jezzie!" "Jezzie, you're gonna get Megan back, right?" "Yes, we are." "I promise." "Use this to get Mr. Soneji." "I will." "Thank you." "You talk to Hal." "I want you to bring him up to speed." "Well done, guys." "Avert an international crisis and paint Soneji into a corner." "Not bad for a night's work." "Soneji ditched a patrol car near Reno Park." "Hijacked a tan Sierra." "One bullet in the driver's head." "Last seen heading toward Route 50." "Annapolis." "I knew it." "Seventy-five thousand boats." "Other marinas?" "We're here." "Dead fisherman here." "These, all the marinas." "All locked down." "Patrol boats in each ofthem." "All right, listen up." "We gotta move fast." "Roadblock Route 50 and triple the surveillance in the harbors." "I want two choppers on the pad in five minutes." "Let's go!" "What's wrong?" "I blew it, that's what's wrong." "I had a shot right before he hit the hydrant." "But instead of pulling the trigger, I was thinking." "I was thinking." "Yeah, you were thinking, about your shot going astray... and blowing Soneji's head off, in which case..." "We would never find Megan." "I know that." "Well, then, don't beat yourself up for being prudent." "You don't get it." "I was trained to shoot first and think later." "Jezzie, for heaven's sake." "If you hadn't convinced me to stay there," "Soneji would have two victims instead ofone, plus we'd have an international incident on our hands." " You did good." "You did good." " Yes, but still..." " Anything?" " Oh, not yet." "We're sitting on the area." "Chief, Soneji's on the phone." " Soneji?" " Detective Cross," "I want to explain how the agenda's changed." "You're gonna bring me ten million in diamonds, point five carat, color "D", clarity SI-2, in a thermos in nine hours." "If the stonesare rigged, laser tagged, irradiated, the girl dies." " Does that penetrate?" " It does." "I'll call back, 4:00 p.m. sharp." " He beat the trace." "Clock's ticking, people." "Let's move this downtown." "Let's go!" " Dr. Cross." " I'm here." "The Watergate, 20 minutes." " There's a package for Mr. Antwerp." "Okay, people, let's move." " Don't lose him, kiddo." " You won't even see me." " I'm on police business." " Eddie, this way." "Hi, how are you?" "Do you have a package for Mr. Antwerp?" "Yes." "Yes, sir." "Over there, that one." " Cross." " Leave the phone, leave the car." "Pennsylvania and Sixth, the fountain, 14 minutes, run." "Thanks." " Mac, you there?" " Alex." "He made me ditch the car." "Looks like it's a running game." "I'm on my way to Sixth and Pennsylvania." "I'm left and behind you, alex." "Bearing onto Pennsylvania." " Cross." "Twelfth and Madison." "Twelve minutes will get you there." "Go." "Unit three, loop on 23rd Street." "Unit six, take "K" Street and double back." "You've got four units on top, Alex." " Cross." "Four minutes, Union Station, main entrance." "Jezzie, Union Station, main entrance." "It's rush hour." "He's drawing them into a crowd." "Hey!" "Hey!" "Don't answer that!" "I think it's for me." " Cross." " Cross." " Keep this phone, take the metro, platform "A", you got two minutes, go!" "Jezzie, metro, downstairs, platform "A"." " Cross." " Go to the center of the platform." "Track 15, go!" "Go to the first car." "You there yet?" " Yeah, I'm there." " Go to the leftside." " Open the window." " These windows don't open." "You're smart, Detective, improvise." "Quickly." " Police officer." "Everybody, down!" " What?" " Get down!" "Everybody, down!" " Come on, outta my way!" "You ready?" "All right, now, throw!" "We can neither confirm nor deny that Gary Soneji... was involved in the incident on the MTA train this morning." "We've heard that a ransom was paid." "Comment?" " I can't comment on any ofthat." " What about Megan Rose?" "I'm not going to go into any details at this time." "What about Soneji's state of mind?" "I'm not going to comment on his mental stability." "You can draw your own conclusions." "Now, Senator Rose has agreed to make a statement," " So?" " The file on Soneji," " is it still on your kitchen table?" " Yeah." "Why?" "I'm gonna have another look at it." "This business about the diamonds, money, I didn't see it coming." "I am grateful that the FBI is here, with the objective expertise to find out where my daughter is." "Secondly, I now..." "This is worse than killing time." "Yeah, but you'd be amazed at how often the small, neglected things... become the most important." "I just got the feeling we're missing something." "Maybe I'm in the wrong line of work." "Maybe I should take on something less challenging." "You do what you are, Jezzie." "You mean, you are what you do." "No, I mean, you do what you are." "You're born with a gift." "If not that, then you get good at something along the way." "And what you're good at, you don't take for granted." "You don't betray it." "What if you do betray your gift?" "Then, you betray yourself." "That's a sad thing." " Who is it?" " Police." "Gary Soneji." "Hi, Alex." "Now, right hand, thumb and forefinger.Just give me the gun." "Alex, you can't shoot me." "You'll never find Megan." "Sit down, Alex." "I'm a little concerned, Alex." "I'm a little..." "I'm a little worried that you... you don't really care to understand me anymore;" "that you won't paint an accurate portrait." "And I need you to convince me that I'm wrong." "In order to do that, we're going to have to talk about Megan Rose." "No, no bargaining, Alex." "No cheap interrogation techniques." "It's transparent, and it's clumsy." "This is between me and you." "I want you to see." "I want you to look inside here and tell me what the fuck you see!" "I'm a gift to you, Alex." "I'm a gift to you." "And you are beyond... pitiful if you cannot understand that." "I'm living proof that a mind... the mind is a terrible thing." "I see you've got your sense of humor back." "Yeah." "I wondered what happened to it during the ransom drop." "The ransom drop." "That was a well-earned 12 million." "Twelve million." "Senator Rose says he can pull strings." "He says he can fix it so you keep the 12 million and walk." "All you have to do is return the child." "Where is Megan?" "Where's Megan?" "Where is Megan?" "Where's Megan?" "Where is Megan?" "Where is Megan?" "She's trapped on my boat, Alex, isn't that right?" "Or maybe she's stuck in a warehouse somewhere or floating in a river." "Swinging from the end ofa rope, buried alive." "I envy her." "What would life had been like with parents like that?" "Come on, Gary, blaming your parents for what you are?" "I'm not blaming them, alex." "They've been punished already." "I burned down the house while they slept." "I was 15 years old." "Was it what you expected?" "Not really." "It was a new experience." "What, killing?" "No, being in the newspapers." "So, in your opinion, Doctor, were my actions triggered by nature... or nurture?" "If you want me to be brutally honest..." "I think you just have a morbid desire to burn in hell." "We're done for today." "I'm taking her with me." " You're not taking her anywhere." " I'll send her back to you." "You just tell me which piece you want first." "Aah!" "Ow!" "Oh, shit!" "Damn it." "Alex!" "Oh, my God." "What have you done?" "What have you d-done?" "Residents of this normally quiet suburb are still in shock... as news of the shooting of Gary Soneji, America's most-wanted man, filtered through their community." "Apparently, Soneji had attempted to confront, oreven harm... members ofthe kidnapping task force hunting him." "So, he came afterJezzie as payback for Dimitri." "Ostensibly, yeah." "That's how you want it on record?" "Yeah, for now." "Here they come." "Dr. Cross, tell me you have at least an idea where my little girl is." "I'm sorry, sir, I can't." "You kill the one man who has the answers, and you're telling me you haven't a clue, not one clue?" "The man walked in the fucking room, and you shot him." "Senator... standing in his shoes, I'd have done the same thing, sir." "That's your job, not his." "He's supposed to find my little girl, not shoot the man who knows where she is." "Senator." "It's not over." "The book is not closed." "Alex... thankyou for saving my life." "Good-bye, Jezzie." " Wanna hear something funny, Mac?" " Sure." "Cheer me up." "I congratulated Soneji on scoring $12 million." "You mean ten million." "Exactly." "He had no idea what I was talking about." "I know you." "You work at my school." "Eat your food, Megan." "Alex, where is this going?" "We've been through these tapes backward sand forwards." "I can't see how this is helping us find Megan." "You know what I see, Mac?" "Someone was onto Soneji long before we ever heard of him." "Look at this." "What do you see?" "Agent Devine hauling ass out to the front gate." "Mac, he could have shut this whole place down from right there." "Now, you wanna tell me why he didn't?" "Good God." "Devine was in on it with him." "Then, when Soneji hit the embassy, he pulled a double cross." "He ran his own ransom." "No, Soneji was a loner." "An accomplice would have been beneath him." "I'll tell you what happened." "Soneji was hoodwinked." "And so were we." "Details are still emerging, but this much is clear:" "The manhunt that began overa weekago in the nation's capitol... came to a violent end yesterday, with the death of kidnapper, Gary Soneji." "Don't move." "Turn around." "Hands on the wall." "Feet apart." "Hi, Jez." "Where'd you come from?" "You know something, Devine, you're pretty stupid." "Your car in the drive way." "TV so loud, you wouldn't be able to hear a SWAT team come in." " What are you doing..." " Shut up!" "Where's Megan?" "She's in the barn." "She was so doped up," "I don't think she knew I took her offthe boat." "She's still alive?" "You were supposed to dump her in the river..." " after you got the diamonds." " Yeah, well, maybe killing a kid is something I'm not prepared to do on my own." "Anyway, today, tomorrow, it's still gonna look like Soneji killed her." "She can't die after Soneji, you idiot." "It doesn't make any difference." "They're never gonna find the body." "Okay, I'll go do it now." "Will that make you happy?" "Yeah, it would." "Wait!" "Can I see them?" "Hey, do you realize we spent an entire year... following Soneji's every move?" "I think we deserve these." "That beats the hell out of a Secret Service pension, huh?" "profiling the profiler." "Kidnap from the kidnapper." "That's brilliant." "You are a genius,Jez." "Genius has nothing to do with it." "I'm just good at what I do." "Didn't hurt that everyone else involved was a complete half-wit." "You think Alex Cross is a half-wit?" "You really believe that he shot Soneji to save my life?" "Cross pulled the trigger because he knew Soneji didn't have Megan." "What are you saying?" "I'm saying that sooner or later, he's gonna figure it out." "He already knows Soneji didn't run the ransom." "He's onto us already, isn't he?" "No, he's not onto us." "But I think he's onto you." "It's Turkish." "My daddy won it in a game of poker." "That's about as much as I know about my father." "Megan?" "Megan, it's me, honey." "Jezzie?" "Jezzie?" "Jezzie, Jezzie, I'm in here!" "Jezzie!" "Open up, honey." "I'm gonna take you home." "It's all over." "Yeah, sure, just hold on a second." " Jezzie?" " Yeah, honey." "What happened to that other guy?" "He's dead, Megan." "You're safe now." "Open up." " Jezzie?" " Yeah, honey." "Why isn't there anyone else with you?" "Megan, it's me." "Don't be scared of me." "Open the door." "Megan, I'm gonna ask you one more time to open the door." " Right now, open the door!" "Megan, open the door forme." "Listen to me!" "Open the door!" " Megan, open the fucking door!" "Open it, bitch!" "Stop it!" "No!" "Stop it!" "That was very clever, Megan." " Shh, shh, shh." "Jezzie?" "It's over." "Drop the gun." "Alex... how-how did you, um..." "Aces and eights, Jezzie." "Plus, your timing was a little off." "I watched the tapes." "You and Devine could have stopped Soneji at the school." "Just like you could have stopped him at the Russian Embassy." "Butyou had a different agenda." "You know something, Alex?" "When you said, "You do what you are", you were right." "I'm living proof." "Put the gun down, Jezzie." "Would you kill another partner?" "You're not my partner." "Are you all right?" "You're a very brave girl, Megan." "Who are you?" "I'm a policeman." "My name is Alex Cross." "I'm a friend of your parents." "Can you take me to them?" "Nothing would give me greater pleasure." "Could you..." "Ah, thanks."