"Where's Darcy?" I asked, when I didn't see him outside the conference room.
"Who cares?" Granger replied, with his usual touching concern. "Can't you do anything without that kid?"
"I don't want to consult with him. I want to know where he is." This was odd. Just before the press conference, he'd been threatening to stick with me until we caught Esther. I knew he'd come into the press conference room. So where was he now?
"Last I saw him," Granger said, "you were about halfway through the conference." He was tight-lipped, downright sullen. Probably still sulking because O'Bannon chose me to do the press conference instead of him.
"And he left? While I was talking?"
Granger shrugged. "Looked like he thought of something he'd forgotten. Or maybe saw something, someone. I don't know. Anyway, he started flapping his hands and then he ran out the back door."
"That doesn't make any sense. Why would he-"
"Have either of you seen Darcy?"
Granger and I both slowly pivoted to the left. Chief O'Bannon was asking the question.
"No," I answered.
"You got him on some…math quest or something?"
"No, nothing. I expected him to be here. Why?"
"Got a call from one of my neighbors. She's known Darcy since the day he was born. Says she heard some kind of commotion next door."
I felt an icy grip at the base of my spine.
"It's nothing," I said, sounding just as unconvincing as I felt. "You know how unpredictable Darcy is. Probably saw a rare species of butterfly or something."
The crease in O'Bannon's forehead deepened. "Is there any chance…any at all…"
I didn't need super-empathy to know where he was going. "Darcy doesn't fit the profile. Esther only kills bad parents."
"Tucker did his damnedest to take you out. Darcy was with you when you interviewed Goldstein."
My throat went dry. I felt shaky, anxious, barely able to breathe. Darcy!
"But why now?" Granger asked. "That interview was-" He snapped his fingers. "The press conference. She must've seen him at the press conference!"
"And then she realized how we've managed to decode all her little mathematical puzzles," I added somberly.
O'Bannon didn't waste a second. "Amanda! I want an APB out on my son. Now! Granger, mobilize every man you have available and-"
There was more, but I didn't hear it. I was already halfway to my car. I wanted to dig into my purse, wanted to pull out the pill bottle that would make the acidic aching eating away at my stomach lining go away. But I didn't. That was how I missed Esther the first time. I couldn't let it happen again. Darcy needed me. All of me, everything I had to give.
I just prayed to God I wasn't too late.
"Hello, Darcy," Esther said. "Remember me?"
He was standing in the kitchen holding a book and a folded piece of paper. He picked up a package of Pizza Hut chicken wings from the counter, tossed them into the microwave oven, then started it.
"What are you doing?" she demanded.
He looked at her strangely. "I thought you might be hungry."
She laughed at him. "Idiot savant. Mostly idiot. Do you remember who I am?"
"Of course. I remember the way you smell. The sound of your shoes. You are the Math Lady."
"Yes, I am," she said, smiling slightly. "What else do you know about me?"
"You made all those nice people die."
"They weren't nice people, Darcy."
"I do not think anyone is so bad they should get killed." His hands flapped wildly in the air. "I do not think people should kill each other. Killing is bad." Darcy didn't make eye contact with her. Instead, he sat down on the hardwood floor and crouched in a fetal position, arms around his legs, and rocked back and forth.
"I brought you some more math puzzles. You like puzzles, don't you?"
"Stay away from me. Please stay away from me."
She moved closer. "You don't have to hold yourself, Darcy. Here, let me hold you."
"No!" He scooted away from her. "I do not like for people to hold me. I do not like for people to touch me!"
"Oh, nonsense. You'll change your mind when you see what I have for you."
"I will not. Stay away from me!"
"I can't, Darcy. A smart boy like you, so gifted with numbers. You deserve a reward."
"A reward? Do you mean a treat? I like treats."
"All right, then. We'll call it a treat." She reached inside her Wind-breaker and removed a large serrated knife. "I can't let you spoil my plans, Darcy, but I can let you become an important part of them." She smiled. "Come closer, dear. I have something very special for you."