MAGGIE HAD ALREADY GOTTEN TO WORK ON ACKERMAN’S LIST OF ALIASES WHEN SHE HEARD A KNOCK ON HER DOOR. She expected to find the Director and was surprised to see Claire standing on the other side. Maggie’s own workout clothes hung loosely from Claire’s small frame. Claire seemed like the kind of person who was thin not because she worked at it and ate right but had simply been blessed by genetics. Maggie didn’t want to hate her. Claire had done nothing wrong. And neither had Marcus for that matter, not really. Maybe it was an evolutionary response or insecurity or human nature or all three, but she couldn’t help but be suspicious and jealous of the woman.
“Did you need something?” Maggie said.
Claire looked at her shoes and said, “I just thought maybe we could talk for a minute.”
“So talk.”
“Can I come in?”
Maggie opened the door further and gestured toward the bed. She pulled over the desk chair. “What can I do for you?”
“I just wanted to ask how Marcus is doing. He doesn’t seem well.”
“He’s fine.”
“He seemed very ... depressed.”
“He recently found out that his real brother and his real father are both serial killers. That’s enough to mess with anyone’s head.”
“I didn’t mean to imply that he was unhappy with ...”
“With what?”
Claire just nodded. “I’m sorry I bothered you. I’m sure you have a lot of work to do.”
Maggie raised a hand to stop the woman and joined her on the bed. She felt silly for being so abrupt. Claire wasn’t the enemy. She was just a frightened person dealing with an unimaginable situation and trying to make the best of it. Maggie knew that she was supposed to be the trained agent and able to deal with situations like this and the roller coaster of emotions that came with them. “I’m sorry,” Maggie said. “I didn’t mean to be short with you. We’re all a little on edge right now.”
Claire gave a half-smile. “The two of you are together.”
“That’s right.”
“For how long?”
“Off and on for two years. What was he like when you knew him?”
“Marcus was a sensitive guy who covered that up with a lot of bravado and a smart-ass attitude. But he always had this adventurous energy about him. He loved being a cop, and he could never let anything go. One time we were down on the boardwalk at Coney Island. It was late, and we were some of the only people around. A guy came up to us and pulled a snub-nosed revolver, demanded Marcus’s wallet. Marcus gave it to him. Not because he wanted to, I could feel the anger pulsing out from him, but I grabbed his arm and held him back. Anyway, the point is that Marcus couldn’t let it go. He spent nearly every free moment for the next week tracking the guy down.”
“And he found him?”
“Yeah.”
“What did he do?”
Claire laughed. “I didn’t see this part, but I can still picture it. He said he walked up to the guy’s door, knocked, and when the guy answered he politely asked for his wallet back.”
Maggie smiled. “Let me guess. The guy ran and then fought back and Marcus beat the crap out of him.”
“No,” Claire said. “The guy had his wife and two kids in the ratty little apartment. He begged Marcus not to tell them or arrest him. He said that the gun wasn’t even loaded. He ended becoming an informant, and Marcus helped him turn his life around.”
“Wow. We don’t get many opportunities like that with what we do now.”
“That’s sad. Marcus has a good heart—or at least, he did. He cares about people. Wants to save them. I hate to see him in pain, and I’m sorry for the way things turned out between us.”
Maggie nodded and looked down at the floor. Claire added quickly, “Not because of our relationship. I meant because of Dylan. Marcus and I were not exactly compatible.”
“What do you mean?”
Claire said, “Let me tell you this, and I think you’ll get the idea. I like elegant parties. The ballet. Classical music. Musical theatre. I hate going to the movies. I’m half-Jewish. I’m pro gun-control, and I always dreamed of a career in politics.”
Maggie couldn’t help but laugh. “How did you and Marcus make it past the first date? Hell, how did you make it past the appetizer on your first date?”
“I don’t think either of us ever knew. We argued all the time, and I don’t mean in a fun flirtatious way. I think the only thing that kept us together was a chemical attraction. Pheromones or whatever it is that makes two people who couldn’t be more opposite attract. The point is that I knew that we couldn’t build a life together with what he had. Marriage is hard enough without starting off with every obstacle imaginable in your path. I think we both knew that. But Marcus could never give up.”
Maggie cradled Claire’s hands in her own and said, “And he won’t give up until he finds your son. Marcus will do whatever it takes.”
Tears filled Claire’s eyes, and she squeezed Maggie’s hands. “I hope you’re right.”