‘Are you okay?’ Simonsen asked.
I raised a hand again, unable to speak. My eyes filled with tears. At first I thought I could pass that off as a result of the explosion, but then I gave up. I wasn’t going to be able to hide what had happened to Karen and the baby anymore. Well, maybe a bit longer-Simonsen was a nice enough guy, but I didn’t feel like opening up to him, especially with another agent in the front seat.
‘Home away from home,’ Simonsen said, as we approached the hotel reception. I had only just realized that the Chrysler Building was down the street and was trying to get a look at it. The rain and mist cut off the upper part of glass and steel tower.
Simonsen came with me to the thirty-second floor. ‘I’ll be outside,’ he said, with a tentative smile.
‘You don’t have to do that.’
‘Acting Director’s orders. You’re a celebrity now.’
I tried to raise an eyebrow, but that hurt. ‘I presume the press conference isn’t going ahead tonight.’
‘Not the one the admiral set up. But stand by for one about today’s fun and games.’
‘Have I got a choice?’
He laughed. ‘Sure. You’re not one of us.’
‘You got that right.’ I opened the door and went inside, pulling the blanket from around my shoulders and dropping it on the floor. Then I looked up and saw them.
Karen and our son were framed by the window and behind it was the top half of the Chrysler Building, pointing to the sky like a rocket on the launch pad.
I fainted.
I came round for the second time that day. This time I was lying on a carpeted floor rather than a dead body. Two women were on their knees beside me. One of them was Special Agent Julie Simms, Peter Sebastian’s sidekick from the Illinois camp, and she looked guilty as sin. The other was Karen.
‘Have I died?’
‘And gone to heaven,’ Karen said.
‘The other place, more like. I’ve already been there.’ I got myself into a sitting position, aided by the FBI agent. Karen was holding the baby on her lap.
‘Magnus,’ I said, his name finally coming back to me.
‘Magnus Oliver Wells,’ she confirmed.
I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and opened them again. They were still there.
‘How did…’ My voice broke and my eyes filled with tears. This was getting to be a habit.
‘Shh,’ Karen said, kissing me on the forehead. ‘Would you like to hold him?’
Suddenly that was the thing I most wanted to do in the world. I let her place him in my hands and then lifted him up. He was awake, green eyes wide and fixed on mine. He had a lot of brown hair.
‘Magnus,’ I said softly, kissing his forehead in turn. ‘I’m…I’m your daddy.’
I heard Karen sob and I don’t think Julie Simms was far off joining her. I held my son close and breathed in his priceless scent. He made a noise and I moved him outward again. He blinked and then smiled broadly. He was the only one whose eyes stayed dry.
After Karen had put her arms around me and we had communed silently as a family for the first time, I kissed her on the lips and pushed her back gently.
‘You look fantastic,’ I said, and she did.
‘We’ve been well looked after.’ She glanced at Special Agent Simms, who was now standing against the wall.
‘I’ll leave you,’ Simms said, picking up her jacket.
‘Oh, no you don’t,’ I ordered, provoking a squeal from Magnus. ‘Shit, sorry.’ I handed him to Karen, who laughed lightly.
‘Don’t blame Julie. She was only following orders.’
‘I’ve heard that somewhere before.’
‘Let her go,’ Karen said, opening her blouse and putting the baby to her breast. ‘I’ll tell you what happened.’
The door closed behind the special agent before I could say anything.
And so Karen told me-how she had given birth normally, the panic having been faked by the medical team and had then been given something to make her sleep. When she came round, she was told by Julie Simms that Peter Sebastian had taken me to Washington for pre-trial meetings. The TV and laptop were removed and she didn’t receive any newspapers, so she had no idea what happened in Maine and Texas. Then, a couple of days ago, they had been flown to Washington and lodged in a Bureau house for the night, before being brought up to NYC that morning.
I held Karen and Magnus while she was talking, my mind filled with conflicting images-the pair of them in the camp morgue, their skin cold and blue; the voices I had heard calling me, the visions of them disappearing down the road of no return. This was not the time to share that with her-maybe that time would never come. I looked at my son’s face again. He hadn’t been the baby in the morgue. They must have used some other poor mother’s dead child. What had Peter Sebastian done? I’d known he was devious, but I’d never have thought he could go so far to convince me of Rothmann’s guilt. Then I followed that line of thought. They’d been brought to New York this morning, after his death. There was only one person who could have ordered that-the dead Director. He and Sebastian must have been working together. Did Sebastian know about the former admiral’s conditioning? If he did, he had paid the price. But Sebastian hadn’t deserved that-for all he’d done, I still had some respect for him. Seeing Karen and our son had made me more compassionate, it seemed.
‘Matt?’ Karen said softly.
‘Sorry,’ I said, coming out of my reverie.
‘It doesn’t matter, whatever you’ve done. We’re together now.’ She kissed me. ‘Forever.’
She was thinking of Rothmann, assuming I’d killed him. I didn’t want to tell her about what had happened to him now, or what I’d done to Sara.
I heard voices outside the door, and then heavy footsteps going down the corridor. There was a knock on the door. I went over and looked through the spyhole.
‘Arthur,’ I said, after I’d opened up. ‘Your hair still looks like it’s standing to attention.’
He smiled. ‘I know-I can’t get it to lie-’ He broke off and stared at Karen in astonishment. Any thoughts I’d had of his being part of Sebastian’s scam disappeared. I gave him a rundown.
‘I can’t believe it,’ he said, walking over and examining the baby. ‘Well, congratulations. May I?’ He pulled an armchair toward the door and sat down.
‘Of course.’ I went over to Karen. ‘You know, I couldn’t have put this in a novel.’
He laughed. ‘No, you couldn’t.’
‘Drink?’ I asked, trying to locate the minibar. I needed one myself.
‘No, thanks. I’m not staying.’ He paused. ‘Neither are you.’
I turned toward him, my heart making a break for my mouth. To my left, Karen made a smothered, high-pitched noise. Arthur Bimsdale was screwing a silencer into the barrel of his service pistol.
‘What the-’
‘Be quiet,’ he ordered, waving me closer to Karen and Magnus with the weapon. ‘This won’t take long. When I said I couldn’t believe it, I meant I couldn’t believe that my esteemed former chief managed to conceal this stratagem from me.’
‘Exactly who are you working for?’
‘Ah, that would be too easy. What I will tell you is that I had no idea about the ex-Director’s allegiances, either.’
‘He and Sebastian were working together,’ I said, trying to buy us time. I’d seen Bimsdale in action and I knew I couldn’t reach him without being shot. Maybe I’d have to do that to save the others, but I was still looking for another option.
‘Apparently so,’ he agreed. ‘But now, I’m afraid, your usefulness has run its course, Mr. Wells. It will look like you lost your mind and tragically killed your family. Rothmann’s fault, of course.’
‘Let them go,’ I said, looking at Karen. ‘She won’t say anything. Will you?’
‘We’re not going anywhere,’ she retorted. ‘We’re staying together forever, remember?’