Cat and Mouse

you
couldn’t
kill Alex Cross, could you? You
couldn’t
kill his family. You punked out at his house. You blew it. That’s what I
already know
.”
    Thomas Pierce was enjoying the confrontation, the satisfaction of it. He was curious about what made Simon Conklin tick. He wanted to “study” Conklin, to understand his humanity. To know Simon Conklin was to know something about himself.
    He stayed in Conklin’s face. “First, I want you to
tell
me that you’re the one who snuck into Alex Cross’s house.
You did it!
Now just tell me you did it. What you say here will
not
be held against you, and will
not
be used in a court of law. It’s just between us.”
    Simon Conklin looked at him as if he were a complete madman.
How perceptive
.
    “You’re crazy. You can’t do this. This won’t matter in court,” Conklin squealed.
    Pierce’s eyes widened in disbelief. He looked at Conklin as if
he
were the madman. “Didn’t I just say precisely that? Weren’t you listening? Am I talking to myself here? No, it won’t matter in
their
court. This is
my
court. So far, you’re losing your case, Simple Simon. You’re smart, though. I’m confident you can do a much better job over the next few hours.”
    Simon Conklin gasped. A shiny, stainless-steel scalpel was pointed at his chest.

Chapter 107

    “
L OOK AT ME!
Would you focus on what I’m saying, Simon. I’m not another gray suit from the FBI — I have important questions to ask. I want you to answer them truthfully. You
were
the one at Cross’s house! You attacked Cross. Let’s proceed from there.”
    With a swift move of his left arm, Pierce pulled Conklin roughly up off the cellar floor. His physical strength was a shock to Conklin.
    Pierce put his scalpel down and hog-tied Conklin to the cot with rope.
    Pierce leaned in close to Simon Conklin once he was tied down and helpless. “Here’s a news flash — I don’t like your superior attitude. Believe me,
you aren’t superior
. Somehow, and this amazes me, I don’t think I’ve made myself clear yet. You’re a
specimen,
Simon. Let me show you something creepy.”
    “Don’t!” Conklin screeched. He was helpless as Pierce made a sudden incision in the upper chest. He couldn’t believe what was happening. Simon Conklin screamed.
    “Can you concentrate better now, Simon? See what’s on the table here? It’s your tape recorder. I just want you to confess. Tell me what happened inside Dr. Cross’s house. I want to hear everything.”
    “Leave me alone,” Conklin whispered weakly.
    “No! That’s not going to happen. You will never be alone again. All right, forget the scalpel and the tape recorder. I want you to focus on
this
. Ordinary can of Coca-Cola.
Your Coke,
Simon.”
    He shook the bright red can, shook it up good, and popped it open. Then he pulled Conklin’s head back. Grabbed a handful of long, greasy hair. Pierce pushed the harmless-looking can under Conklin’s nostrils.
    The soda exploded upward, fizz, bubbles, sugary-brown water. It shot up Conklin’s nose and toward the brain. It was an army interrogator’s trick. Excruciatingly painful, and it always worked.
    Simon Conklin choked horribly. He couldn’t stop coughing, gagging.
    “I hope you appreciate the kind of resourcefulness I’m showing. I can work with any household object. Are you ready to confess? Or would you like some more Coke?”
    Simon Conklin’s eyes were wider than they had ever been before. “I’ll
say
whatever you want! Just please stop.”
    Thomas Pierce shook his head back and forth. “I just want the truth. I want the facts. I want to know I solved the case that Alex Cross couldn’t.”
    He turned on the tape recorder and held it under Conklin’s bearded chin. “Tell me what happened.”
    “I was the one who attacked Cross and his family. Yes, yes, it was me,” Simon Conklin said in a choked voice that made each word sound even more emotional. “Gary made me. He said if I didn’t, somebody would come for me. They’d torture and kill me. Somebody he knew from Lorton Prison. That’s the truth, I swear it is. Gary was the leader, not me!”
    Thomas Pierce was suddenly almost tender, his voice soft and soothing. “I knew that, Simon. I’m not stupid. I knew that Gary made you do it. Now, when you got to the Cross house, you couldn’t kill him, could you? You’d fantasized about it, but then you couldn’t do it.”
    Simon Conklin nodded. He was exhausted and frightened. He wondered if Gary