The Steel Kiss (Lincoln Rhyme 12)

Of course, this was true of the mock-up in front of them. What of the escalator actually involved in the accident? He posed this question to Archer.

She pointed out that Amelia Sachs had taken some pictures of that one, unofficially.

"Good." He called them up.

Thom tried again, "Lincoln? Breakfast."

"Later."

"Now."

"Anything. I don't care." He and Archer stared at the pictures. But they didn't answer the question; the angles were wrong and there was too much blood inside the pit where the tragedy had occurred to see clearly.

"I wonder--a second switch," Rhyme said in a soft voice.

Archer said, "Which malfunctioned. And, if we're lucky, it's made by a company other than Midwest Conveyance. A company with a lot of assets."

He continued, "Where would it be? The other switch? Anything in the documentation?"

Nothing, she reported, after scrolling through what she'd downloaded. "How can we find out?"

"Here's a thought. The mall in Brooklyn, where the accident happened? All the escalators would be the same, right?"

"I'd assume so."

"How's this? Whitmore hires a private eye--he must have a dozen he uses. The PI jams something into one of the escalator steps. Shuts it down." Rhyme nodded. He liked this idea. "They'll get a repair crew in right away. Whitmore's man could stay close and take pictures inside when they get it open."

Thom, who'd overheard, was frowning. "Seriously, Lincoln? You don't think that crosses some line?"

Rhyme scowled. "What I'm thinking about is Sandy Frommer and her son."

Juliette Archer said, "Before you do that, can I try something?"

He quite liked the idea of sabotage. But he said, "What do you suggest?"

"Hello?"

"Is this Attorney Holbrook?"

"Yes, who's this?" the voice resonated from the speaker of Rhyme's landline.

"My name is Juliette Archer. I work with the men you were Skyping with yesterday. Evers Whitmore. And Lincoln Rhyme."

A moment of silence as the man recalled. "Oh, the case. The lawyer and the consultant. About the personal injury suit. Greg Frommer."

"That's right."

"Yes, I think somebody mentioned your name. You're a consultant too?"

Rhyme watched her face, narrow, her blue eyes focused on the floor. She was concentrating, and hard.

"I am."

The man muttered cynically, "Well, we're still bankrupt. Nothing's changed. Like I said, you want to file a motion to lift the stay, go ahead. The trustee'll fight it, I doubt you'll win, but feel free."

"No, I'm calling about something else." Archer had the same edgy tone in her voice that Rhyme recalled from when he'd sent her away from his town house, after arriving for the first day of internship.

He wondered where she was going.