Page 52 of Nobody's Hero

‘Something else has happened then,’ Koenig said. ‘People disappearing is one thing. But you seem very sure that A has led to B. Why?’

‘Do you play chess, Mr Koenig?’

‘I used to. Not so much these days.’

‘Miss Draper?’

‘Same as Koenig. I used to.’

‘Well, imagine the protocol is a game of chess. A complex, multidimensional game of chess. If you wanted to play this version, what would you need first?’

‘The rules,’ Koenig said.

‘Exactly,’ Carlyle said. ‘You would make sure you understood how to play the game. That’s what they were doing when they abducted my attendees. They were learning the rules. What would you need next?’

Koenig considered the question carefully. Chess was a beautiful game. A minute to learn, a lifetime to master. He’d been OK at it. Draper had been better. She’d been able to see the entire board. On the rare occasion they’d played each other, she’d always been five steps ahead of him. She had a better middle and endgame. She instinctively knew which pieces to protect and which pieces to . . .

And like that, he knew what had gotten Carlyle so spooked.

‘Someone is removing key pieces,’ he said.

Carlyle winced. Then she nodded.

Chapter 55

‘I can’t tell you what the protocol is—’ Carlyle said.

‘I think you—’ Draper started to say.

‘—but Icantell you that for it to achieve maximum impact, certain people had to die first. Their deaths would amplify what followed.’

‘And these people have disappeared too?’ Draper asked.

‘No, but they are dead. At least three that I know of. Undoubtedly more that I don’t.’

‘Murdered?’

Carlyle didn’t respond. Instead, she looked uncomfortable. Like she didn’t want to answer. Or she hadn’t quite squared the circle.

‘Bess?’ Koenig said. ‘Werethey murdered?’

‘Hank Reynolds hanged himself in his hotel room,’ she replied. ‘His suicide note said he was tired of living his life as a closeted homosexual. Louise Durose was beaten to death with a brick. Cops think she and a man she’d picked up had a run-in with the wrong pimp. Michael Gibbs drove his wife’s station wagon off Park Loop Road.’

‘Did they know each other?’

‘Almost certainly not.’

‘Didyouknow them?’

‘The first time I saw their names was when I read their obituaries.’

‘Then how—’

‘Because I was looking for their deaths, Mr Koenig. No, that’s not quite right. Ever since Stephen disappeared, I wasexpectingtheir deaths.’

‘You were buying fake passports,’ Draper said to Carlyle while Margaret was taking a bathroom break. ‘Was that to travel back to the States?’

‘Yes.’