Chapter 101

At seven-thirty in the morning I was on the receiving end of a phone call from FBI director Ronald Burns in Washington.  Burns was cautious and wary¹, but I knew he wouldn’t call me himself unless he had evidence that there were serious problems with Kyle. I was still confused, and hurt, but I recognized the emotions as appropriate and sane². Kyle Craig was the madman, not me.  ‘Tell me whatever you know. Director,’ I said. ‘I know a lot about Kyle, but you know things that I don’t. Tell me what they are. It’s important that I know everything.’
Burns didn’t answer right away. There was a long pause at his end of the line. I knew him well enough to know that he was a friend of Kyle’s. At least he thought he had been. We’d all been wrong for so long. We’d been fooled, and betrayed by someone we had trusted.  Finally, Burns began to speak.’We have been getting worried about Kyle recently. This could go back to the days of the “Kiss the Girls” case. Maybe even before it. We know his files suggest he had a troubled adolescence³, but when he joined the FBI, his psychological profile showed he had got through all that. You know that Kyle was an undergrad at Duke University. It’s now become apparent that he knew Will Rudolph - the Gentleman Caller - from his student days at Duke. During the case, Kyle may have been responsible for the death of a reporter named Beth Lieberman with the LA Times. She was closing in on Will Rudolph.’
I shut my eyes and shook my head. I had helped solve the ‘Kiss’
case. I knew that Kyle had attended Duke, but not about his relationship with the Gentleman Caller, a killer⁴ who had terrorized LA.
‘Why didn’t you talk to me?’ I asked Burns. I was trying to understand the FBI’s position. So far, I couldn’t.  ‘We didn’t begin to really suspect Kyle until the murder of Betsey Cavalierre. We had no proof, even then. We weren’t sure if he was a possible killer or the best agent in the Bureau.’ ‘Jesus, Ron, we could have talked. We should have talked. He’s on the run now. You should have told me. I hope you’re telling me everything now.’
‘Alex, you know what we know. Maybe more. I hope you’re telling us everything.’
After I finished with Burns, I called Sampson in Washington. I told him the latest and it blew John’s mind. He had moved Nana and the kids out of our house on Fifth Street. Only he and I knew where they were now.
‘Everything okay there?’ I asked. ‘Everybody settled in all right?’ ‘Are you rucking kidding, Alex? Nana is pissed off like I’ve never seen her before. If Kyle Craig came after her, I’d put my money on Nana. The kids are cool, though. They don’t know what’s happening, but they’ve guessed it isn’t good.’
I cautioned him again. ‘Don’t leave them for a minute, not a second, John. I’m coming back to Washington on the next flight. I don’t know how Kyle could trace you there, but don’t underestimate him. He’s loose. He’s very dangerous. For some reason, he wants to hurt me, and maybe my family. If I can figure out why that is, maybe I can stop him.’
And if not?’ Sampson asked.
I let the question hang.

1 wary   

adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的

参考例句：

• He is wary of telling secrets to others.他谨防向他人泄露秘密。
• Paula frowned,suddenly wary.宝拉皱了皱眉头，突然警惕起来。

2 sane   

adj.心智健全的，神志清醒的，明智的，稳健的

参考例句：

• He was sane at the time of the murder.在凶杀案发生时他的神志是清醒的。
• He is a very sane person.他是一个很有头脑的人。

3 adolescence   

n.青春期，青少年

参考例句：

• Adolescence is the process of going from childhood to maturity.青春期是从少年到成年的过渡期。
• The film is about the trials and tribulations of adolescence.这部电影讲述了青春期的麻烦和苦恼。

4 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。