Along Came a Spider (Alex Cross 1)

“Do you remember being arrested at a McDonald’s in Wilkinsburg?”

There was a brief pause—then he said, “Oh, yes, of course I do.”

“I’m glad you remember, because I have a couple of questions about the circumstances at McDonald’s. I’m a little unclear about the sequence of events. Do you remember anything you might have eaten inside the restaurant?”

I could see his eyes rolling behind the closed lids. He was thinking about it before answering. Gary had on thongs and his left foot was tapping rapidly.

“No… no… can’t say that I do. Did I actually eat there? I don’t remember. I’m not sure if I ate or not.”

At least he didn’t deny he’d been inside the McDonald’s.

“Did you notice any people at the McDonald’s?” I asked. “Do you remember any customers? A counter girl you might have spoken to?”

“Mmmm… It was crowded. No one in particular comes to mind. I recall thinking that some people dress so badly it’s comical. You see it in any mall. All the time at places like HoJo’s and McDonald’s.”

In his mind, he was still inside the McDonald’s. He’d come that far with me. Stay with me, Gary.

“Did you use the rest room?” I already knew that he had gone to the bathroom. Most of his actions were covered in the reports of the arrest.

“Yes, I used the rest room,” he answered.

“How about a beverage? Something to drink? Bring me along with you. Put yourself right there as much as you can.”

He smiled. “Please. Don’t condescend.”

He had cocked his head a little oddly. Then, Gary started to laugh. A peculiar laugh, deeper than usual. Strange, though not completely alarming. His voice patterns were coming more rapid, and very clipped. His foot was tapping faster and fasten.

“You’re not smart enough to do this,” he said.

I was a little surprised by the change in his tone of voice. “To do what? Tell me what you’re saying, Gary. I don’t follow you.”

“To try and trick him. That’s what I’m saying. You’re bright, but not that bright.”

“Who am I trying to trick?”

“Soneji, of course. He’s right there in the McDonald’s. He’s pretending to get coffee, but he’s really pissed off. He’s about to go nuclear. He needs attention now.”

I sat forward in my chair. I hadn’t expected this.

“Why is he angry? Do you know why?” I asked.

“He’s pissed because they got lucky. That’s why.”

“Who got lucky?”

“The police. He’s pissed because stupid people could luck out and ruin everything, screw up the master plan.”

“I’d like to talk to him about it,” I said. I was trying to stay as matter-of-fact as he was. If Soneji were here now, maybe we could talk.

“No! No. You’re not on a level with him. You wouldn’t understand anything he has to say. You don’t have a clue about Soneji.”

“Is he still angry? Is he angry now? Being here in prison? What does Soneji think about being in this cell?”

“He says—fuck you. FUCK YOU!”

He lunged at me. He grabbed my shirt and tie, the front of my sport jacket.

He was physically strong, but so am I. I let him hold, and I held on to him. We were in a powerful bear hug. Our heads came together and cracked. I could have broken free, but I didn’t try. He wasn’t really hurting me. It was more as if he were issuing a threat, drawing a line between us.