Roses Are Red

I told the EMT workers what had happened," She had violent spasms for about two minutes. Her limbs went stiff as boards. Her eyes rolled back." I told them about the shadow-boxing and the punch that had landed above her left eye.

"It does sound like a seizure," the lead person said. Her green eyes were sympathetic, reassuring. "It could have been the blow she took, even if it was a light hit the angle of attack. We should take her to St. Anthony's."

I nodded agreement, then watched in horror as they strapped my little girl on a stretcher and carried her out to the waiting ambulance. My legs were still unsteady. My whole body was numb and my vision tu

"You have to use the siren," Ja

And they did all the way to St. Anthony's Hospital. I know. 1 rode with Ja

Longest ride of my life.

Chapter Nineteen

At the hospital, Ja

Just as she was finishing the exam, Ja

When she had finished her examination of Ja

"Extra careful is good,” I said. I was still shaking a little. I could see it in my hands.

"She might be here longer than that," Dr. Bone then added," We need to do more tests on Ja

"All right. Of course, Doctor. I don't like that there was a second seizure either."

There was a bed available on the fourth floor and Nana and I went up there with Ja

"Okay," she said, then," Tell me the truth, Daddy. You have to tell me everything. The truth."

I took a deep breath. "Well, you probably had what's called a grand mal seizure. Two of them. Sometimes they just happen, sweetheart. Out of the blue, like tonight. Damon's punch might have had something to do with it."

She frowned. "He barely touched me." Ja

"Don't talk like that," I told her. "It isn't fu

"Okay. I won't scare you," she whispered.

Ja

Book Two Hate Mail

Chapter Twenty

No one could figure out what was happening, or why. He just loved that. The feeling of superiority it bred. They were all such dithering fools.

On a numerical scale of 9.9999 out of 10, things were going very well. The Mastermind was certain that he hadn't made a meaningful mistake. He took particular satisfaction in the Falls Church robbery and especially the four puzzling murders.

He relived every moment of the bloody crime as if he had been there instead of lucky Messrs Red, White, Blue, and Ms Green. He visualized the scene at the manager's house, and then the murders at the bank, with such intense pleasure and satisfaction. He recreated it in his mind again and again and never tired of the scenario, especially the killings. The artistry and symbolism of them infused him with confidence in the cleverness of his thinking the rightness of it.

He found himself smiling at the thought of the phone call to the police: The tip that a robbery was in progress. He'd made the call. He'd wanted the First Union employees killed. That was the whole goddamn point. Didn't anybody see that yet?

He had another team to recruit now, the most important one, and the hardest to find. The final crew had to be extremely capable and self-sufficient, and, because of that self-sufficiency, they would pose a danger to him. He understood very well that clever people often had large and uncontrollable egos. He certainly did.

He brought up the names of potential candidates on his computer screen. He read lengthy profiles, and even criminal records, which he thought of as their resumes. Then suddenly that dreary, rainy afternoon, he came across a crew that was as different from the others as he was from the rest of humanity.

The proof? They had no criminal record. They had never been caught, never even been suspected. It was why they'd been so hard for him to find. They seemed perfect for his perfect job for his masterpiece.

No one could figure out what was about to happen.

Chapter Twenty-One

At 9:00 a.m. I met with a neurologist named Thomas Petito who patiently explained the tests Ja

I drove 1-95 South to Quantico that afternoon after I had lunch with Ja

Kyle Craig had called me at the hospital and asked about Ja

Kyle also said that Senior Agent Cavalierre was ru