Inmate 1577

69

Burden clasped his hair in both hands. “I didn’t see it! Why couldn’t I see it?”

“Who’s the killer, Burden?”

“Goddamn son of a bitch!” Burden spun back toward her. “It’s Clay.”

Vail stood there staring at him. Then she looked down at the pad, at Walton MacNally’s name.

“It’s an anagram,” Burden shouted. “Walton MacNally-”

“I tried that,” Vail said, studying the pad. “Not enough letters. Clay Allman-”

“That’s because his full name is Clayton W. Allman. Remember? You saw it on his byline in that article we read.”

Word play wasn’t Vail’s game, but one particular four-letter noun flooded her thoughts.

She grabbed her phone back from Dixon and dialed Yeung, hoping the call would go through. “We need all available agents, cops, inspectors, everyone-looking for Clay Allman. I’m betting he’s somewhere on the island. Use extreme caution-he’s the Bay Killer.”

After a beat of silence, Yeung said, “Come again?”

“You heard right. Clay’s our UNSUB.” Vail pressed END, then started up the hill toward the cellhouse. “There was more to his message.” She tried to steady her hand long enough to read the text: “‘I can see clearly now’ is another dig at us-can’t we see what we’ve been missing? But he’s ‘on top of the world’…” Vail craned her neck up at the structure that stood on the highest point of the island. “The cellhouse roof. Yes?”

“Yes,” Burden and Dixon said simultaneously.

They took off running, toward the building’s entrance.