Page 54 of Go Now
‘And it’s abstract, so it wouldn’t offend the religion he’d been raised in.’
Kate held up a finger.‘Coltrane mentioned the patients having their own newspaper.So I did some quick digging while you were saying goodbye.’She found a document on her phone. ‘This is a report of that New York trip in 2017.’
Kate took a deep breath, and then handed him the phone.It was a light-hearted picture: a group of 12 to 15 people outside the stark, boxy entrance to MoMa. In many cases, it would be impossible to tell who was a patient, and who were the nurses and doctors. Brennan was there, in his Giants cap, gazing blankly at the lens.
And next to him, another figure, tall with longish gray hair, eyes you could almost feel, burning into you.Marcus flinched slightly at the sight, as if he’d suddenly been hit by a foul smell.Then he looked at Kate.
‘Elijah Cox?’
Kate nodded, expressionless.She’d certainly been frightened, when she first saw the photograph.But it had time to sink in.Now, she was more concerned about Marcus’s reaction.
‘You haven’t told Winters, have you?’
She shook her head.
‘It’s yet another link back to Cox,’ he said, almost angrily.‘Why?’
‘Marcus, my feet have barely touched the ground since last night.And now we’re inches away from making an arrest. I can’t have her take me off the case now.No way is that happening!’
‘Well if you don’t tell her, I will.’
‘Help me bring Brennan in, then I’ll do it.’
Marcus gave a grunt.They sat and looked at each other in silence for a while.They weren’t exactly glaring, but the waitress obviously thought otherwise, because she tiptoed close with the coffee pot, took one look at their faces, and backed away.
'I spoke briefly to the nursing team,' Kate said, eventually.'They confirm that Cox first appeared in mid-2017, presenting himself as a local pastor who just wanted to help out.He made himself invaluable on day-trips, organising events and so on.Maintained an interest, particularly in the halfway-house communities, right up until his arrest and incarceration a month ago.They were stunned by that.No one saw it coming.And charming old Doctor Coltrane threatened everyone with the sack if they mentioned Cox's involvement outside the workplace.'
‘Not so charming after all.’
‘That’s not everything.Cox made himself popular with the staff and the patients, but Dr Coltrane kind of took against him.He thought Cox had too much influence on some of the patients.One of the names won’t surprise you.’
‘Brennan?Do you think Cox was kind of mentoring him?’
‘It seems possible.A vulnerable individual, already predisposed to religious extremism.The ideal disciple.’
‘You think he would have encouraged Brennan’s sculpture?’
‘Encouraged it, or just exploited it.Think about it; it’s changed the guy’s life.It means everything to Brennan.Cox has only got to have some convenient vision or message from the Almighty that puts it in jeopardy.’
‘God’s going to take your favourite toy away?’
'Exactly.Unless you do X and Y, he would have waited for years.Played the long game, made sure that Brennan trusted him, believed in him.Everything we know about Cox suggests that's how he rolls.He's like one of those spiders that just sits under a rock, waiting.'
They fell quiet for a moment, silenced by the sheer malevolence of Cox’s plan.
‘Listen,’ Kate said, briskly.‘I’ve called for local back-up; when they get here, will you arrest Brennan?’
‘Sure, but what are you going to do?’
Kate peered out of the window, the clouds a shade darker than they’d been just a few moments ago.‘There’s not a lot of light left, and it’s looking like it’ll rain again soon.We need evidence from those sites in the forest.I’ve got the maps downloaded onto my phone.’
‘OK, we’ll stay in contact.If Brennan’s not at the house, I’ll come find you.’
Kate nodded, swigged down the last of her coffee, and stood up, her movements brisk and businesslike.She knew now that the end was in sight.But whose end would it be?
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
The dense canopy of the Catskill Mountains filtered the fading sunlight into fractured patches, casting fleeting shadows on the damp forest floor.Kate moved silently, her eyes scanning the underbrush and ancient trees, each step measured and cautious.Every now and then, she passed through a cobweb; these were inevitably holding drops of icy rain from the most recent shower, and each time she had to stop, check that no spiders were on her clothes or in her hair, and consider whether it was time to get the waterproof coat out. She was a city girl, make no mistake about it.
