Later that day, Jessica stopped by Rychman's incident room, where everything had been dismantled. Desks and secretaries were being rerouted, but Alan was still working out of the central office here, and he was concentrating deeply on what Dr. Simon Archer was telling him.
Jessica could only guess at what Archer was saying. Both men stood up when she entered.
“ Well, I'm on my way, gentlemen, and not likely to return soon.”
“ You'll be missed,” Rychman said, their eyes meeting.
Archer, who had seen them make up in the parking lot outside the restaurant and who had followed them to where she was staying, knew that Rychman had spent the night with her.
“ Got to catch up with Emmons' body,” she told them.
“ Can't give up on that two-man theory, can you?” asked Rychman. “Suit yourself, but I think you're wasting your time, Jess… ahh. Dr. Coran.”
“ If we could just find some corroborating evidence like a second set of hairs-other than yours, Dr. Archer!” she said. “Of course, everyone expects to find some of the coroner's hair on the body.” She watched him for a reaction but there was none.
“ Par for the course,” said Archer. “Well, look, I've got to get down to interrogation. Seems Leon's wanting to talk some more,” said Rychman.
“ Is he still claiming his innocence?” asked Archer.
“ He never claimed to be innocent,” countered Rychman. “But he does claim that he was used by the Claw.”
“ But Ames says-”
“ I know what Ames says, and I agree. It's Dr. Coran here who disputes Ames' findings, not me. But I listen to Leon because the more he talks, well, the more we get on him. He's described most of the murder scenes down to the dots on the i's.”
“ Lot of pent-up rage, anger toward his mother, I've heard,” said Archer.
“ You've heard right, and it got directed at women in general.”
“ I'll offer you a final word of advice, Captain,” Archer said.
“ Yes?”
“ With Helfer's type you want to threaten and intimidate every chance you get. Wear the bastard down; don't let up; intimate that you have his DNA, his hair, his fingerprints, his teeth marks on the body. In time, he'll crack like a dried eggshell.”
Rychman's smile was wide. “Say, Dr. Archer, you sure you won't come along, take a shot at Leon? Sounds like you'd make a great interrogator.”
“ I'll leave it to the professionals. Besides, I have to get back to my lab. A lot of people want a lot of information from me right now, so as much as I'd like to…”
“ Understood,” replied Rychman, walking him to the door and a little way down the hall.
“ I hope you're not still buying into Dr. Coran's notion that Leon Helfer did not act alone. Not one shred of forensics evidence we have supports her claim, you know.”
“ No, Dr. Archer, you needn't worry on that score, and with her going back to Quantico, so goes her theories. Can't prosecute on a theory.”
“ No, no, you can't, and we should do nothing to jeopardize the case against Helfer. The man deserves the full extent of the law. There's no way he can escape justice now.”
“ Depends.”
Archer looked closely at Rychman's eyes. “What do you mean, depends?”
“ You know how the game is played, Doc. Defense'll try for an NGI-”
“ But Ames says he's not insane in the legal sense.”
“ Defense shrinks will say he is and it'll be bargained down to a manslaughter with intent, diminished capacity, all that crap. Our boy'll spend the rest of his natural life in an asylum 'longside guys like Jeffrey Dahmer, John Wayne Gacy and Matisak. Long as we've got no death penalty in New York…”
“ No justice anymore, is there, Captain.”
“ You got that right, Doc.” Rychman took Archer's hand and shook it, saying, “You did a hell of a job amassing information against this creep, Archer. Don't worry, news like that travels through the ranks fast, and when the D.A. puts Leon away, one way or another, IAD'11 get word to back off.”
“ Being a division chief really puts the spotlight on you,” replied Archer. “Have to say, I'm tired of those guys snooping around my records and my lab.”
“ You'll learn that being in charge means priority one is to cover your ass and keep fault away from your sector. Divert attention to someone else, if you must.”
“ I may have to come to you for advice from time to time,” he said.
“ Sorry, but at the moment, if I stepped in, said anything on your behalf like you ask, it'd just backfire on both of us. Let the snoops snoop, so long as you've got nothing to hide. So far, what've they turned up? A few clerical errors? A broken chain or two. Come on, when Darius ran the department, errors were made, right?”
“ Guess you're right. I'll stop worrying.”
“ You really ought to at least come down and watch Helfer sweat. You can stay behind the mirror. He's really coming un-glued now, waiving off his attorney's advice to shut up, breaking out into cold sweats. Part of the fun of the chase, once it's over, is to toy with your prey.”
“ Maybe… I'll drop by, then, if I can. Later,” said Archer.
Jessica joined Alan in the hallway where he stood watching Archer disappear. “What was that all about?”
“ Seems he wants my advice about how to deal with IAD. Guess they're making him antsy.”
“ Where there's paranoia there's fire?”
“ IAD spooks everybody, Jess.”
“ I doubt that they could spook you.”
“ I'm keeping an eye on Archer, Jess. Right now, that's all I can do.”
She bit her lower lip and nodded. “Fair enough. Well, I've got to go… got a plane to catch.”
“ And you won't reconsider the foolishness about taking Emmons with you?”
She shook her head. “No, it's a must-do.”
“ You know that if Archer were guilty of any… entanglement with Helfer… if he were a schizoid killer, your taking that body out of here… well, it's got to be viewed as a direct threat to him. Everybody knows your reputation in the lab is-”
“ Why, Alan, I almost believe you have some suspicions regarding the unimpeachable Dr. Archer!”
“ I guess I may.”
“ To be so worried about a hypothetical danger?”
“ I worry for you, that's all.”
“ Don't. I'm a big girl, and I'll be safe in Quantico.”
She punched him in his meaty arm. “Now, walk me to the elevator and say goodbye for now.”
He did so and kissed her at the elevator as personnel in the building moved by them, some staring. “I will be seeing you sooner than you think. I am going to visit, and-”
The doors had opened and she had stepped through but she held it open for him to finish.
“ Yes?”
“ I think I love you, Jess.”
She smiled in reply, her eyes misting up. “I'll miss you.” She wasn't prepared to tell him that she loved him. She wasn't sure she could love anyone again. Certainly it would take more time, a change of setting, more privacy with Rychman, if it were ever to happen.
“ Bye, Rychman.”
As the doors closed between them he shouted, “Going to miss you around here, FBI lady.”
“ Me, too, Alan,” she said back, unsure if he had heard.
Dr. Simon Archer wondered if his having gone to Captain Alan Rychman ostensibly for advice, but actually to “read” the man's reactions to him after whatever revelations Coran had made the night before, had been wise. He was satisfied that Rychman, while interested in the woman sexually, was not about to make a fool of himself otherwise.
Archer had no intention of seeing Leon Helfer in the presence of others. He had visited Leon's cell when he was in lockup the first night to throw a scare into the little creep. Still, Rychman's suggestion that he come down to interrogation and see how it was going was a provocative one. While it could be a trap that Rychman and Coran had set for him, somehow manipulating Leon and him into the same room to see what the reaction would be, he didn't think so.