Chapter 54

No one would expect this, and that was why it was so good, so excellent. The end ofAlex Cross.
It was time for it to happen. Maybe it was overdue¹. Cross had to die.  The Mastermind was inside the Cross house, and it was as exciting and extraordinary an experience as he had imagined it would be.  He’d never felt more powerful than he did standing² in the dark living room at a little past three in the morning. He had won the battle. The Mastermind had triumphed. Cross was the loser. Tomorrow, all of Washington would be mourning his death.
He could do anything - so what should he do first?  He wanted to sit and think about it. No need to rush. Where would he choose to sit? Why of course, on Cross’s piano bench on the sun porch. Cross’s favorite spot for relaxation³ and escape, the place he liked to play with his children, smarmy⁴, sentimental⁵ bastard⁶ that he was.
The Mastermind was tempted⁷ to play something, perhaps a little Gershwin, to show Cross that even his command of the piano was superior. He wanted to announce himself in a dramatic fashion. This was so good, so delicious. He never wanted tonight to end.  But was it the absolute best he could do? It had to be a night he would never forget, something to savor⁸ always. A souvenir that would have great meaning to him, only to him.
There were two triangles that explained his complex relationship
with Alex Cross, and he visualized⁹ them as he sat on the porch,
biding¹⁰ his time, enjoying himself immensely. Christ, he was smiling like a damn fool. He was in his element, and he was happy, so happy.
It was such a good psychological model, so concise¹¹ and clear and sound. It explained everything that was going to happen tonight.  Even Dr Cross would approve. It was the perfect dysfunctional family triangle.
Maybe he would explain it to Cross now. Just before he murdered him. He slid on plastic gloves and then plastic booties. He checked the load in his pistol. Everything was set. Then upstairs he went - the Caller, the Mastermind, Svengali, Moriarty.
He knew the Cross house very well. He didn’t even need a light.  He didn’t make any unnecessary noise. No mistakes. No evidence or clues for the local police or the FBI to follow.  What an incredible way this was for Cross and his family to die.  What a coup¹². What a chilling idea. The ‘killing order’ was starting to come to him as he climbed the stairs. Yes, he was sure of it.
Little Alex
Jannie
Damon
Nana
Then Cross.
He walked to the end of the upstairs hallway and stood there listening before he opened the bedroom door. Not a sound. He slowly pushed on the door.
What was this? A surprise? Christ!
He didn’t like surprises. He liked precision and order. He liked to be in total control.
The young daughter, Jannie, was sitting by Cross’s bed, fast asleep.
Watching over her father, protecting him from harm.  He watched Cross and the girl for a long moment, maybe ninety seconds. A small nightlight had been left on in the room.  There were thick bandages on Cross’s hand and shoulder. He was perspiring¹³ in his sleep. He was wounded, sick, not himself, not a worthy¹⁴ opponent. The killer¹⁵ sighed under his breath. He felt such disappointment, such sadness and despair.
No, no, no! This wouldn’t do. It was all wrong, all wrong!  He closed the bedroom door, and then quickly, silently retraced¹⁶ his steps out of the Cross house. No one would know he had been there.  Not even the detective himself.
As usual, no one knew anything about him. No one suspected a thing.
He was the Mastermind, after all.

1 overdue   

adj.过期的，到期未付的；早该有的，迟到的

参考例句：

• The plane is overdue and has been delayed by the bad weather.飞机晚点了，被坏天气耽搁了。
• The landlady is angry because the rent is overdue.女房东生气了，因为房租过期未付。

2 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

3 relaxation   

n.松弛，放松；休息；消遣；娱乐

参考例句：

• The minister has consistently opposed any relaxation in the law.部长一向反对法律上的任何放宽。
• She listens to classical music for relaxation.她听古典音乐放松。

4 smarmy   

adj.爱说奉承话的

参考例句：

• I hate his smarmy compliments.我痛恨他拍马屁的恭维。
• Rick is slightly smarmy and eager to impress.里克有些好奉承，急着要给人留下好印象。

5 sentimental   

adj.多愁善感的，感伤的

参考例句：

• She's a sentimental woman who believes marriage comes by destiny.她是多愁善感的人，她相信姻缘命中注定。
• We were deeply touched by the sentimental movie.我们深深被那感伤的电影所感动。

6 bastard   

n.坏蛋，混蛋；私生子

参考例句：

• He was never concerned about being born a bastard.他从不介意自己是私生子。
• There was supposed to be no way to get at the bastard.据说没有办法买通那个混蛋。

7 tempted   

v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词）

参考例句：

• I was sorely tempted to complain, but I didn't. 我极想发牢骚，但还是没开口。
• I was tempted by the dessert menu. 甜食菜单馋得我垂涎欲滴。

8 savor   

vt.品尝，欣赏；n.味道，风味；情趣，趣味

参考例句：

• The soup has a savor of onion.这汤有洋葱味。
• His humorous remarks added a savor to our conversation.他幽默的话语给谈话增添了风趣。

9 visualized   

直观的，直视的

参考例句：

• I had visualized scientists as bearded old men. 我曾经把科学家想像成长满胡子的老人。
• "I visualized mangled and inadequate branches for my fires. 我想像中出现了砍得乱七八糟的树枝子，供不上壁炉烧的。 来自名作英译部分

10 biding   

v.等待，停留( bide的现在分词 )；居住；（过去式用bided）等待；面临

参考例句：

• He was biding his time. 他正在等待时机。 来自辞典例句
• Applications:used in carbide alloy, diamond tools, biding admixture, high-temperature alloy, rechargeable cell. 用作硬质合金，磁性材料，金刚石工具，高温合金，可充电池等。 来自互联网

11 concise   

adj.简洁的，简明的

参考例句：

• The explanation in this dictionary is concise and to the point.这部词典里的释义简明扼要。
• I gave a concise answer about this.我对于此事给了一个简要的答复。

12 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

13 perspiring   

v.出汗，流汗( perspire的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He had been working hard and was perspiring profusely. 他一直在努力干活，身上大汗淋漓的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• So they "went it lively," panting and perspiring with the work. 于是他们就“痛痛快快地比一比”了，结果比得两个人气喘吁吁、汗流浃背。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险

14 worthy   

adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的

参考例句：

• I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
• There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。

15 killer   

n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者

参考例句：

• Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。
• The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。

16 retraced   

v.折回( retrace的过去式和过去分词 )；回忆；回顾；追溯

参考例句：

• We retraced our steps to where we started. 我们折回我们出发的地方。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• We retraced our route in an attempt to get back on the right path. 我们折返，想回到正确的路上。 来自《简明英汉词典》