Play dead

FORTY-FOUR

They'd struck out. Between South Streetand the bus station they had talked to more than a hundred teenagers, passed out over a hundred cards. On their way out of the station Byrne saw four cards in the trash. He saw three more on the sidewalk.

Street work paid off more than it didn't, but it was exhausting. And sometimes, on days like this, fruitless. Byrne hadn't expected much, and that's what they got.

On the way back to the Roundhouse, Byrne's cell phone rang.

"Byrne."

"Detective Byrne, my name is David Sinclair."

Byrne rummaged his memory. Then it clicked. "The author."

"Yes sir."

"I appreciate you getting back to us."

"Well, it's not every day I'm asked to call the police. How can I help you?"

"We'd like to meet with you if we could. We have a few questions about your books that we think may impact on a case we're working on."

Silence. "My books?"

"I'll explain more when we meet."

"Okay. Sure. When would you like to get together?"

"Today, ifpossible."

"Wow. Okay, I can meet you at Chester County Books if you like. Do you know it?"

"We'll find it."

"I can be there in an hour," Sinclair said.

"That will be fine." Byrne glanced at his watch. "Before I let you go, can I ask if you know a woman named Laura Somerville?"

"Somerville?"

"That's right."

A few silent seconds. "No, I'm afraid it doesn't ring a bell."

"Okay. We'll see you in an hour."

Byrne called the boss, got the go-ahead. He and Jessica decided to split up for the afternoon. Jessica was going to continue her canvass on a few of the college campuses. They decided to meet in Manayunk in a few hours. Byrne dropped Jessica off at the Roundhouse, then headed toward Chester County.

Chester County, along with Philadelphia and Bucks, was one of the three original counties created by William Penn in 1682. Although originally named for Cheshire, England, it had long been known around these parts as Chesco.

The bookstore, on Paoli Pike, was one of the largest independent bookstores in the country, covering more than 38,000 square feet and stocking over a quarter million titles. It also featured the Magnolia Grill, a New Orleans fare restaurant.

Sinclair was waiting at one of the tables in the Magnolia Grill when Byrne arrived. When he saw Byrne enter, he stood up, waved him over. Byrne guessed he really did look like a cop, even in his trust-us-we're- the-good-guys attire.

Byrne didn't know what to expect, physically, of David Sinclair. He hadn't met too many authors. Perhaps he expected someone about sixty or so, someone who looked like Albert Finney or Michael Caine, somebody in corduroy or tweed, a man who wore vest sweaters and Oxford button-down shirts and horizontally striped knit ties. Someone who smoked a meerschaum.

Instead, Sinclair was about thirty-five, and wore Levi's, a leather blazer, and a Ramones Gabba Gabba Hey T-shirt. Along with a New York Yankees cap.

"David Sinclair," the man said, extending a hand.

"Kevin Byrne." They shook hands. "I appreciate you coming."

Sinclair smiled. "Well, I have to admit, I'm intrigued."

They sat down. Byrne glanced at the menu. He resisted, even though the aromas coming from the kitchen were maddeningly enticing-crawfish etouffee, shrimp Creole, jambalaya. He ordered coffee.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you too much at this time," Byrne said.

"I understand."

"What I'd like to do is get an overview of what you do, and who your readers are."

Sinclair looked at Byrne, his eyes firing up. Here was a police officer asking an author to talk about his books. His face all but inquired: How much time do you have?

"Wow. Okay," Sinclair said. "I'm not sure where to start. What I mean is, the world of games and puzzles is huge. Not to mention ancient. Where would you like me to begin?"

"Why do people pick certain games and not others?"

"That's hard to say. I believe people like to be good at what they do, especially in the pursuit of leisure. I think we're drawn to the challenges we have at least a chance of winning. For example, I've been playing golf my whole life and, quite honestly, I've never gotten any better at it. But each time out I hit one or two great shots, and it keeps me coming back. I think we all enjoy a contest that grows and evolves, something that is not fully understood too easily."

"Why do people play games to begin with?"

"People have a gaming instinct, I believe. Even if you rule out professional sports, and I often do-there is a fine line between what is a sporting contest and what is a game-there are thousands upon thousands of ways to challenge a person's mind and hands. Crosswords, Rubik's cubes, video games, backgammon, poker, jigsaw puzzles, chess, darts, cribbage, croquet, billiards. It's virtually endless. Look at the Su- doku madness. Look at Vegas. I read recently that Hollywood is making feature-length films based on Monopoly, Candy Land, and Battleship. We are a game-obsessed culture."

"How far back do organized games go?"

"As far back as language itself. Maybe farther. The best-selling book of the entire medieval period was the Book of Games, commissioned by King Alfonso X. In fact, the first IQ test was a puzzle. The Riddle of the Sphinx. If you wanted to enter Thebes, you had to answer the riddle correctly. If not, the Sphinx killed you on the spot."

"What was the riddle?"

"You want to play?"

"Sure."

"The Riddle of the Sphinx: What is it that has four feet in the morning, two at noon, and three at night?"

Sinclair looked at Byrne, his eyes sparkling with the game.

"Is there a time limit?" Byrne asked.

Sinclair smiled. "The riddle is probably five thousand years old. I can give you a few minutes."

Byrne took thirty seconds. "The answer is 'man.' He crawls on all fours as a baby, walks on two legs as an adult and-"

"Walks with the aid of a cane in old age. Very good."

Byrne shrugged. "I had a foot patrol in Thebes back in the day."

Sinclair laughed. Byrne sipped his coffee. It had gotten cold.

"Who designs games and puzzles?" Byrne asked. "I mean, who makes these things up?"

"They come from all walks, really. Some games are based on design, some on logic, some on bringing order out of chaos. Most can be boiled down to the language arts or math sciences. Look at billiards. Pure geometry. There is a game called Wei Qi, or Go as its known here, and it is the most mathematically elegant game ever invented. Far more complex than chess. Millions of people play it every day."

"What about tangram?"

"Once again, pure geometry." Sinclair smiled. "Are you a fan?"

"I've really just done one puzzle," Byrne said.

"Do you remember the problem?"

"The problem?

"In tangram, the diagram is called the problem."

"Ah, okay. I believe it was something called a wedding drinking cup."

Sinclair nodded enthusiastically. "I know it well. Fairly complex. Did you solve it?"

"Yes."

"Most impressive," Sinclair said. "Oddly enough, Philadelphia has a role in the history of tangram."

"How so?"

"The tangram puzzle first came to the US in 1816, courtesy of Captain Edward Donnaldson and his ship Trader. The first American tangram book was published here the next year."

"How many people are into it?"

"Oh, gosh. It's known all over the world. It was a craze for a while. Kind of like Trivial Pursuit was. Tangram enthusiasts included Edgar Allan Poe, Napoleon, John Quincy Adams, Lewis Carroll-"

"Lewis Carroll?" Byrne asked. "The author?"

"Oh, yeah. Carroll was a big fan."

Byrne thought, 2917 Dodgson Street. He made a few notes.

For the next half hour, David Sinclair gave Byrne an overview of the history of tangram, from the earliest incarnations to the modern, computerized versions. Not for the first time, Byrne was astounded that there were so many areas of life, so many subcultures about which he was not, and never would be, knowledgeable.

Byrne closed his notebook, glanced at his watch. "I have one more question, if that's okay."

"Sure."

"Is there a dark side to all this?"

"A dark side?"

"What I mean is, is there a history of people who have taken games or puzzles and twisted their meanings? Their purpose?"

Sinclair thought about this for a few moments. "I imagine so. People will twist anything, won't they? Of course, board games like Risk and Stratego are based on warfare strategies. And God knows how many video games are predicated on violence."

Byrne grabbed the check, stood. "Once again, I really appreciate your time."

"It was my pleasure. I could talk about this stuff all day. I have, in fact."

"I might have a few more questions," Byrne said. "Would it be all right if I called you?"

"Absolutely," Sinclair said. Byrne handed him his notebook, his pen. David Sinclair wrote his number. "This is my cell phone. You can always reach me on it."

"Thanks." Byrne put his notebook away. "By the way, are your books available here?"

Sinclair smiled. "They are."

Ten minutes later, as Byrne stood at the register, buying three of David Sinclair's books, he glanced back at the table. Sinclair was working on the New York Times crossword puzzle. He didn't look up.

Jessica waited for Byrne at a Manayunk pub called Kildare's. The place was lively, a little too loud for them to have a discussion about the day's findings. They decided to have one beer and move on.

Byrne slipped onto a stool. He briefly told Jessica what he had learned from David Sinclair.

"I cruised a couple of the college campuses," Jessica said. "Man, did I feel old."

"Any hits?"

"Not a one."

They both watched the baseball game on the flat-screen TV, neither really seeing it. Phillies up on the Dodgers, six to one.

"All these gaming and puzzle references can't be coincidence," Byrne said.

"You think our guy has a fetish?" Jessica asked. "You think that's what this is all about?"

"I don't know. I mean, if he drowned Caitlin O'Riordan and dismembered Monica Renzi as part of a plan, I'm not seeing the connection. The profile on these guys says their MO is always similar. Until we know either where he's meeting these girls, or what twisted plan he's basing this on, I don't think we have a chance at predicting what's next."

Jessica made a finger gun, fired it. "Until he fucks up."

"Until he fucks up." Byrne unknotted his tie, pulled it off, unbuttoned his collar. "Order me a Guinness. I'll be right back."

"You got it."

Jessica flagged a waitress, ordered, spun her napkin around. She folded it in half, making a rectangle, unfolded it, refolded it. She pressed it into the damp bar surface, making a rectangular shape in the condensation. She then turned the napkin ninety degrees. It reminded her of the cross shape in the game Ludo, which reminded her of the old game Parcheesi.

Jessica looked at the flat-screen TV against the far wall. It was a news break-in, a helicopter shot over the city, cutting into the baseball game. The graphic at the bottom of the screen said "Ninth Street."

The shot showed a rooftop, a building in North Philly. Near the edge of the roof, just a few feet in, was a white plastic tent, the kind PPD used to shield a scene from the elements. Jessica saw the CSU windbreakers on the people milling around.

She turned. Byrne stood behind her, watching the screen, along with everyone else in the pub. She glanced back at the TV. There was now a legend at the bottom of the screen.

THE COLLECTOR COLLECTS AGAIN?

There was no doubt in Jessica's mind.

Within seconds, her phone rang.