“Keeping what? I swear, Bell, if I have to come over there…”
“Templeton escaped, Gunnar. Yesterday.”
“You… He… What the fuck?”
“Yeah, he was being transported to a hospital appointment. He slipped the cuffs at the hospital and disappeared when the doc stepped out to get something. There’s a huge manhunt going on for him but the higher-ups made the decision to keep it quiet in the hope we’d track him down fast.”
“You have to be fucking kidding me. The man has a higher IQ than your entire chain of command added together. How long did it take you to catch him the first time?”
“Years, and you’re not wrong. I’m fuming but the decision was taken out of my hands. I wanted to get the media involved but the director wants to save face, I guess.”
“Why was Templeton at the hospital in the first place and not all cozy in the isolation wing?”
“Scheduled check for a heart condition.”
“I’d better go give Warden a heads-up. I’ll call you back later because I wanted a catch-up on the Walmart case.”
“Okay, we’ve made some progress on that. I’ll message you if we bring Templeton in.”
Gunnar was glad his dubious expression wasn’t visible to Agent Bell. He ended the call, gave his chips a look of longing, then went to find Warden. He found him in his office, glaring at his computer screen and muttering about incompetent federal agents.
“You’ve heard, then?” Gunnar stood in front of Warden’s desk.
“How did you find out?”
“Agent Bell. I called him about the Walmart case and he told me.”
“Shut the door, Detective, then take a seat.”
Gunnar’s anxiety spiked. “What is it?
“The letter that was on the windshield this morning, I’ve seen the contents.”
“Why do I get the feeling I’m not going to like this?”
“Because you’re not. In the light of what we’ve just learned, it’s apparent that the letter has to be from Everard Templeton.”
“Fuck. What did it say?”
“The letter’s still in the lab. They won’t find anything, of course.” Warden pushed his cell across the desk. “Here’s a picture of it.”
“Hello again, Mr. Ashton,” Gunnar read, “or perhaps I can take the liberty of calling you Bryn since we had such an intimate experience. I found our meeting fascinating and anticipate the next with relish. I’ll be in touch. Yours in all sincerity, ET.” Gunnar handed the cell back. “Fuck.”
“Indeed.”
“Are we going to tell Bryn?”
“Do you think we should?”
“Yes. Absolutely. He needs to be even more aware of his surroundings and besides, he knows about the note and itwasaddressed to him. He’ll want to see it.”
“Agreed. The letter will need to go to the FBI along with the forensic report. You can take it over to Agent Bell later today and catch up on the Walmart case at the same time.”
“Will do.” There was a tap at the door.
“Come in,” Warden snapped.
It was Talbot. “Uh, there’s a pizza delivery for Detective Ericson out here.”
