Patterson, James: Alex Cross 1 - Along Came A Spider

Gary Soneji/Murphy flew back in the direction of the scrambled up and ran away. Frontier Jtistice I sprinted as fast as I could across Pennsylvania Ave revolver was still aimed at Gary Murphy. He turned the He'd finished it for both of us. stream of bright red blood flowed steadily from his head still clutched in his hand. cameras clicking away behind us. I touched his shoul Very carefully, I turned the body over. There was all-American boy again.' He'd come to this party as

As I looked down, Gary's eyes suddenly opened and slowly. voice. “Help me, Dr. Cross. Please help me.” asked him. Checkmate. HEN THE FATEFUL DAY finally arrived, I couldn't to see anyone to talk about what was going to happen Jannie while they slept. Then I left the house around

I arrived at Lorton Federal Prison at three. The marcha moonlit sky. Some were singing protest songs from the ministers. A majority of the protesters were women, I

The execution chamber at Lorton was a small, ordiserved for the press. One was for official observers from and family of the prisoner. windows. At three-thirty in the morning, a prison offirevealed, strapped down on a hospital gurney. The arm. she became alert and seemed to tense as two technicians on a stainless-steei hospital tray. The insertion of the the execution by lethal injection was done correctly. and Gary Murphy for several months. I was on leavc this book, I had plenty of time for visits. workup reports. He spent most days lost in his complex back to the real one. that saved him from the possibility of death row. I was to listen. I was sure he was making up another plan. able to talk. She wasn't surprised the state had gotten responsible for the death of the son of the secretary of had kidnapped Maggie Rose Dunne. They were respon pilot, Joseph Denyeau. very beginning. “But not enough to stop me. Something do the same thing today. I'd take that kind of chance It's the age of greed. But not for you.”

“Somehow, I do. You are the Black Knight.” She said the marchers and other protesters angered her. differently about this." Jezzie, but I felt bad. I didn't want to be there at Lorton,

There was no one else at the window for Jezzie. Not not long after her arrest. Six weeks earlier, the former in front of his family. That had sealed Jezzie's fate. left arm to several intravenous drips. The first drip, solution. be added to the intravenous. This was a barbiturate used a heavy dose of Pavulon would be added. This would

This drug relaxes the heart and stops its pumping. It

Jezzie found my face in her “friends” window. She to smile. She had bothered to comb her hair, which was and how we hadn't gotten to say good-bye before she to leave the prison so badly, but I stayed. I had promised

In reality, it was nothing very graphic. Jezzie finally had been administered, but I had no way of knowing

She took a deep breath, and then I saw her tongue modern execution of a human being. That was the end

I left the prison and hurried to my car. I was a psycholcould take anything. I was tougher than anybody. Al-

My hands were jammed deeply into the pockets of my overcoat. In my right hand, so tightly clutched that

When I got to my car, an ordinary white envelope coat pocket, and didn't bother to open it until I was on

Up close and personal. In my face.

Alex, before they pricked her? Did you shed a tear? bered.

Always, always would be. I'd told that to anyone willing to Gary Soneji/Murphy was responsible for his acts. I felt in Southeast. The families of his black victims ought to be on death row, it was Soneji/Murphy. of the guards. He'd gotten to somebody inside Lorton. More of his fantasies and mind games. more skilled manipulator. Gary or Jezzie? I knew both more of them than any other place on the planet. They genders. That's the scariest thing of all.

After I got home

“-Ut's Give Them Something to Talk About.” Janelle player. Next to Ray Charles, that is. They sat on the listen to the music, and let our bodies touch for several

Later, I headed down to St. A's for lunch and such.

The End