Page 110 of The Search

“How do you know? I’ve never been this angry before.”

“You were angry when Madden took Monty away and you didn’t kill him.”

“Monty didn’t die. I was able to save him. Rudzak didn’t give me the chance to save those kids. He killed them and then he took me to that spot and let Monty find them. He told me how sorry he was, and all the time he’d put them in that car and sent them—”

“You’re taking this personally, but it was me he was really aiming at.”

“You’re damn right I’m taking this personally. I don’t care if he meant to get at you through me. He used me and he used those kids and Chavez and Smith. He smiled and told me about the dog he’d adopted from the pound, and I liked him. He played me like a—”

“Shh.” He was standing before her, his hands on her shoulders. “You’re scaring me to death, and I’m choosing the wrong words to try to reason with you.”

“How are you going to reason with me? Are you going to tell me I should just forget about that—”

“I’m trying to tell you that this is my battle, not yours. I’ll find a way to get Rudzak.”

“You haven’t found him yet.”

“And you’re going to?”

“I’ll find him.” Her hands clenched into fists. “That’s what I do. I find people. I’ll search him out.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of.” His hands tightened briefly on her shoulders and then dropped away. “I’m not going to be able to talk you out of it, am I?”

She shook her head.

“Then I suppose I’d better make the best of it.” He stepped back. “If there is a best. I trust you don’t intend to leave me out of this entirely?”

“How could I? I need you.”

“That’s comforting . . . barely.”

“I don’t intend to be comforting. You’re the one who knows everything about Rudzak. Now I want to know what you know.”

“Can we wait until after breakfast?”

“No.”

“Okay.” He led her toward the bench against the wall. “Sit down and fire away.”

“Why did Rudzak put that comb in my car?”

“Is that going to help you find him?”

“Maybe. It will help me to know him and what he might do.”

He was silent a moment. “He wanted to show me that he was the one who had killed those kids and that he could have killed you too. He gave the comb and several other ancient Egyptian artifacts to Chen Li, and now he’s using them as a kind of signature when he makes a kill.”

“What kind of signature?”

“A symbolic death gift. Egyptian rulers had their treasures entombed with them, and he wants to honor Chen Li’s passing with other deaths.” His lips twisted. “And make a stab at hurting me at the same time.”

“Then all this is about Chen Li? Were they lovers?”

“No, they were half brother and sister.”

She stared at him in shock. “And you had him put in prison?”

“Yes.”