Ransom X

  *****

  Wagner felt sick in the pit of her stomach after putting down the phone for the hundredth time in the hour. She had called about half of the erectile dysfunction specialists in the country since her first cup of morning coffee. Her message sounded like the start of a crude joke. “I’m looking for an easy rider with a problem in his pipes.” The bureau had put out an alert to medical offices, but she didn’t want to wait for the data to trickle in. If only one of them could put a name to Blue, the investigation could be over in a matter of hours.

  Medical assistants were scouring records, promising to get back to her if anybody fit the profile. The problem with Blue was that he was not the kind of person that made an impression that registered. He was the quiet leader who announced himself through behind-the-scenes actions, not words. In the real world, there would be no temper, no nerves, nothing that would call attention – he was a calm lake with a mirrored surface – with a monster lurking just below. All the people who had broken that surface were dead. What kind of chance did they have of someone recognizing this guy?

  “I knew I shouldn’t have told you.” Legacy’s familiar voice came from over her shoulder.

  Legacy wasn’t in favor of her wasting her time calling around. “There will be no trail to follow, Agent Wagner. Blue wouldn’t leave any record behind.”

  She thought about Legacy’s statements, looking for ways to prove him wrong. It was easier to project criticism onto him; he was solid, sitting only feet away. He had a purposeful stare, the kind that she remembered seeing in photographs of billboards of men going to work in the 50’s. It wasn’t optimistic pessimistic or cynical, his dark eyes brooded in thought. What the hell did he know?

  A thought came to Wagner suddenly. She turned back to her computer and added two lines of text to the FBI alert. She hit send and waited for the replies. It wouldn’t save Laura from today, but it might the next day, or even the day after.

  Wagner peered back over at Legacy. He was staring right at her, like he knew something was different. She admired the way he collected all the energy of the room into his eyes, and said nothing. She broke the silence.

  “I might have something.”

  “But it won’t help us soon?” he asked, she nodded “That’s good, we have thousands of agents thinking about today. You’re catching on.”

  “Smug isn’t sexy.” A dismissive nod.

  “I’m glad you identified my biggest daily concern.”

  “Just because you work on geological time -”

  “It isn’t about how fast you’re moving, it’s if you’re moving in the direction of your goal.” He pushed some papers aside and leaned in with a confidential manner that made Wagner suddenly aware of her posture. “I’d rather be going slowly toward the answer than rapidly zigzagging away.”

  Wagner put a hand on her neck, searching for a necklace that she hadn’t worn since she was in high school. The gesture was personal, and left her exposed. Wagner could have won a Nobel Prize in physics for the way she turned insecurity into defiance. “Too smug with that lean, I’m not going to tell you. Coffee break.” She said in a clipped tone.