Ice Cold: A Rizzoli & Isles Novel

said Cathy. “If you find him, you
are
arresting him, aren’t you?”
    “At this point, it’s just for questioning.”
    “Forty-one dead followers isn’t enough to charge him?”
    “We haven’t proven that he’s responsible for those deaths.”
    “Who else would be?”
    “We need more than that. We need witnesses, someone who’ll step forward and talk to us.” He glanced at Cathy. “That’s what I need you to do. Talk to those women. Convince them to cooperate.”
    “That won’t be easy.”
    “Help them understand that they’re victims.”
    “Remember Charles Manson’s women? Even after years in prison, they were still Charlie’s girls, still under his spell. You can’t deprogram in a few days what’s been pounded into your head for years. And if they insist on going back to the compound, you can’t hold them indefinitely.”
    “Then do it another way,” said Jane. “DNA tests on the babies. Find out which men are the fathers. Find out if the mothers were underage when they gave birth.”
    “That’s like cutting the branches to kill a tree,” said Cathy. “There’s only one way to bring it crashing down. You have to destroy the root.”
    “Jeremiah,” said Pasternak.
    Cathy nodded. “Lock him up and throw away the key. Without the Prophet, the cult implodes. Because Jeremiah Goode
is
The Gathering.”

C LOAKED BY A VEIL OF FALLING SNOW, THE ARMY STOOD ASSEMBLED . Jane stamped her feet, trying to stay warm, but already her toes had gone numb and even the scalding cup of coffee she’d just gulped down could not ward off the bitter chill of that Idaho dawn. If she were a member of the strike team, the cold would not matter to her, because adrenaline made you immune to discomforts as minor as subzero temperatures. But on this morning, relegated to the status of mere observer and forced to stand idly by, she felt the chill gnaw deep into her bones. Cathy, standing beside her, seemed not to care at all about the weather. The woman was utterly still, her face heedlessly exposed to the wind. Jane heard the rising pitch in the voices around her, could feel the tension in the air, and she knew that action was imminent.
    Pasternak came striding back from the huddle of command officers. He was carrying a two-way radio. “We’re ready to move, as soon as they pull the gate down.” He handed Jane the radio. “Youstay with Cathy. We’ll need her advice once we get in there, and you’re her escort. So keep her safe.”
    As Jane clipped it to her belt, an alert came over the speaker.
    “We have activity inside the compound. Looks like two men approaching.”
    Through the falling snow, Jane saw the figures walking closer, identically dressed in long black coats. They moved without hesitation, striding directly toward the lawmen. To Jane’s surprise, one of the men produced a set of keys and unlocked the gate.
    The law enforcement team leader stepped forward. “I’m Lieutenant MacAfee, Idaho State Police. We have a warrant to search the compound.”
    “There’s no need for a warrant,” the man with the keys answered. “You are welcome to enter. All of you.” He swung the gate wide open.
    MacAfee glanced at the other officers, clearly taken aback by the welcome.
    The greeter beckoned the visitors forward. “We’ve gathered in the assembly hall, where there’s room for everyone. We ask only that you keep your weapons holstered, for the safety of our women and children.” He opened his arms wide, as though inviting in the whole world. “Please join us. You’ll see that we have nothing to hide.”
    “They knew,” Cathy muttered. “Goddamn it, they
knew
we were coming. They’re prepared for this.”
    “How did they get word of it?” Jane asked.
    “He can buy anything. Eyes, ears. A cop here, a politician there.” She looked at Jane. “You see what the problem is? You see why he’ll never have to face justice?”
    “No man’s untouchable, Cathy.”
    “He
is. He always has been.” Cathy’s gaze returned to the open gate. The law enforcement team had already walked into the compound, their figures fading beyond the falling snow. Over the radio, Jane listened in on the chatter. Heard calm voices, matter-of-fact responses.
    “First building checked and clear …”
    “All clear in number three.”
    Cathy shook her head. “He’ll outsmart them this time as well,” she said. “They don’t know what to look for. They can’t see what’s right in front of their goddamn