Alex Cross, Run Read online

  Claire had everyone’s attention, and when the introductions were concluded she began a condensed lecture on the purpose of an autopsy: to discover the cause and manner of death.

  “You’ll see that the victim will be wearing what she had on when she was recovered from the scene. She’ll have bags on her hands to preserve any DNA she may have scraped from a possible attacker. She will have a complete external exam, including total body X-rays, before we ever do an internal exam. And then, I’m going to do that.

  “If Ms. Farmer’s death is determined to be a homicide—not saying it was a homicide, but if she was killed and the evidence leads to an indictment, the defense may try to prove that our evidence was contaminated. That we’re a bunch of fumble-fingered idiots. Remember O.J. Protecting the integrity of this postmortem is critical to catching and holding a bad guy. Because of lousy forensics, there are innocent people in jail for crimes they never committed and murderers walking the streets free.

  “To the dead, we owe respect. To the living, we owe the truth. Nothing less, nothing more, no matter where the evidence leads us.

  “House rules. Keep your prophylactic outerwear in place. Masks must be worn in the surgery and kept on. Understand? If you forgot to turn off your cell phone, do it now. Save your questions until I ask for them. When I’m done, I’ll memorialize my findings for the record. Everything you see or hear from now on is highly confidential and leaks will not be tolerated.

  “Are there any questions now?

  “All right then. If we’re all clear on the house rules . . .” Claire turned to her assistant, the fetching Bunny Ellis, her hair done up like mouse ears, reverent eyes turned toward her boss.

  “Bunny, will you please wheel Ms. Farmer into the autopsy suite? Everyone else, follow me.”

  Claire hip-butted the swinging door and entered the autopsy suite. The cops and the junior-grade assistants behind her were excited, speaking in whispers that seemed to cut loose, rise in volume, loop around her, and then die down to a hush again.

  Conklin had the summer intern under his wing. Mackie Morales seemed bright and eager and maybe a little bit too much into Richie. The way she looked at him, the way he was a little puffed up, explaining things to her. Cindy would not be happy if she saw this.

  And not too much escaped Cindy.

  Claire laughed quietly, but she didn’t say anything to Conklin, just went to the far corner of the room and pushed the button that turned on the video camera. The light on the camera didn’t go on. She punched it a couple of times, and still the little red eye was dark.

  That was weird. The camera had been fine yesterday.

  She pressed the intercom button, said, “Ryan, check the video setup, please.”

  “Yes, ma’am. It was unplugged. It’s on, now.”

  “Why was it unplugged?”

  “I don’t know. I just found it this way.”

  Bunny entered the room from the door leading to the morgue. She signaled to Claire, like, I need to talk to you.

  “What’s the holdup, Bunny?”

  “I need to see you for a second, doctor.”

  Claire sighed again, crossed the room, and followed Bunny to the morgue, a refrigerated room lined with stacks of stainless-steel drawers, each designed to hold a body. Some of Claire’s patients had recently checked in. Some had been waiting for months for someone to ID them before they were buried as J. Does.

  “What is it, Bunny?”

  The girl’s blue eyes were shifting and her lips were trembling. Claire didn’t get it. What the hell?

  “I can’t find her,” Bunny said.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Faye Farmer,” Bunny said. “She’s gone.”

  “What’s her drawer number?” Claire asked, exasperated. She went to the whiteboard, ran her finger down the list.

  “Twelve,” said Bunny Ellis.

  Claire turned away from the whiteboard, crossed to the wall of drawers, and pulled the handle of number twelve. The drawer slid out smoothly, bringing the corpse into view, tag tied to the big toe. Claire saw instantly that there had been a screwup. Faye Farmer was not and had never been a seventy-year-old black man.

  She said, “Who mixed up the bodies? What drawer is this man supposed to be in?”

  “Seventeen,” said Bunny. “Dr. Washburn, I already checked.”

  Claire reached down, opened the drawer marked seventeen. It was empty. She started pulling out drawers, slamming them closed, each body in its assigned box except for the black John Doe in Faye Farmer’s drawer.

  Bunny was crying now. She was a competent young woman and liked to do a good job.

  “Stop that,” Claire snapped. “Think. Did you see Ms. Farmer’s body after she was checked in yesterday?”

  “Not after I logged her in. She’s supposed to be in twelve.”

  “Who moved John Doe one thirty-two out of box seventeen?”

  Bunny shrugged miserably. “Not me.”

  The body couldn’t have left the premises.

  That was impossible.

  About the Author

  JAMES PATTERSON has created more enduring fictional characters than any other novelist writing today. He is the author of the Alex Cross novels, the most popular detective series of the past twenty-five years, including Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider. Mr. Patterson also writes the bestselling Women’s Murder Club novels, set in San Francisco, and the top-selling New York detective series of all time, featuring Detective Michael Bennett. James Patterson has had more New York Times bestsellers than any other writer, ever, according to Guinness World Records. Since his first novel won the Edgar Award in 1977, James Patterson’s books have sold more than 275 million copies.

  He has also written numerous #1 bestsellers for young readers, including the Maximum Ride, Witch & Wizard, and Middle School series. In total, these books have spent more than 220 weeks on national bestseller lists. In 2010, James Patterson was named Author of the Year at the Children’s Choice Book Awards.

  His lifelong passion for books and reading led James Patterson to create the innovative website ReadKiddoRead.com, giving adults an invaluable tool to find the books that get kids reading for life. He writes full-time and lives in Florida with his family.

  jamespatterson.com

  Follow James Patterson on Facebook.

  Download the FREE James Patterson app.

  Books by James Patterson

  Featuring Alex Cross

  Merry Christmas, Alex Cross

  Kill Alex Cross

  Cross Fire

  I, Alex Cross

  Alex Cross’s Trial (with Richard DiLallo)

  Cross Country

  Double Cross

  Cross (also published as Alex Cross)

  Mary, Mary

  London Bridges

  The Big Bad Wolf

  Four Blind Mice

  Violets Are Blue

  Roses Are Red

  Pop Goes the Weasel

  Cat & Mouse

  Jack & Jill

  Kiss the Girls

  Along Came a Spider

  The Women’s Murder Club

  12th of Never (with Maxine Paetro)

  11th Hour (with Maxine Paetro)

  10th Anniversary (with Maxine Paetro)

  The 9th Judgment (with Maxine Paetro)

  The 8th Confession (with Maxine Paetro)

  7th Heaven (with Maxine Paetro)

  The 6th Target (with Maxine Paetro)

  The 5th Horseman (with Maxine Paetro)

  4th of July (with Maxine Paetro)

  3rd Degree (with Andrew Gross)

  2nd Chance (with Andrew Gross)

  1st to Die

  Featuring Michael Bennett

  I, Michael Bennett (with Michael Ledwidge)

  Tick Tock (with Michael Ledwidge)

  Worst Case (with Michael Ledwidge)

  Run for Your Life (with Michael Ledwidge)

  Step on a Crack (with Michael Ledwidge)
r />   The Private Novels

  Private Berlin (with Mark Sullivan)

  Private London (with Mark Pearson)

  Private Games (with Mark Sullivan)

  Private: #1 Suspect (with Maxine Paetro)

  Private (with Maxine Paetro)

  Stand-alone Books

  NYPD Red (with Marshall Karp)

  Zoo (with Michael Ledwidge)

  Guilty Wives (with David Ellis)

  The Christmas Wedding (with Richard DiLallo)

  Kill Me If You Can (with Marshall Karp)

  Now You See Her (with Michael Ledwidge)

  Toys (with Neil McMahon)

  Don’t Blink (with Howard Roughan)

  The Postcard Killers (with Liza Marklund)

  The Murder of King Tut (with Martin Dugard)

  Swimsuit (with Maxine Paetro)

  Against Medical Advice (with Hal Friedman)

  Sail (with Howard Roughan)

  Sundays at Tiffany’s (with Gabrielle Charbonnet)

  You’ve Been Warned (with Howard Roughan)

  The Quickie (with Michael Ledwidge)

  Judge & Jury (with Andrew Gross)

  Beach Road (with Peter de Jonge)

  Lifeguard (with Andrew Gross)

  Honeymoon (with Howard Roughan)

  Sam’s Letters to Jennifer

  The Lake House

  The Jester (with Andrew Gross)

  The Beach House (with Peter de Jonge)

  Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas

  Cradle and All

  When the Wind Blows

  Miracle on the 17th Green (with Peter de Jonge)

  Hide & Seek

  The Midnight Club

  Black Friday (originally published as Black Market)

  See How They Run

  Season of the Machete

  The Thomas Berryman Number

  For Readers of All Ages

  Maximum Ride

  Nevermore: The Final Maximum Ride Adventure

  ANGEL: A Maximum Ride Novel

  FANG: A Maximum Ride Novel

  MAX: A Maximum Ride Novel

  The Final Warning: A Maximum Ride Novel

  Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports: A Maximum Ride Novel

  School’s Out—Forever: A Maximum Ride Novel

  The Angel Experiment: A Maximum Ride Novel

  Daniel X

  Daniel X: Armageddon (with Chris Grabenstein)

  Daniel X: Game Over (with Ned Rust)

  Daniel X: Demons and Druids (with Adam Sadler)

  Daniel X: Watch the Skies (with Ned Rust)

  The Dangerous Days of Daniel X (with Michael Ledwidge)

  Witch and Wizard

  Witch & Wizard: The Kiss (with Jill Dembowski)

  Witch & Wizard: The Fire (with Jill Dembowski)

  Witch & Wizard: The Gift (with Ned Rust)

  Witch & Wizard (with Gabrielle Charbonnet)

  Middle School

  Middle School: Get Me Out of Here (with Chris Tebbetts, illustrated by Laura Park)

  Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life (with Chris Tebbetts, illustrated by Laura Park)

  Other Books for Readers of All Ages

  I Funny: A Middle School Story (with Chris Grabenstein, illustrated by Laura Park)

  Confessions of a Murder Suspect (with Maxine Paetro)

  santaKid (illustrated by Michael Garland)

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  Contents

  Welcome

  Prologue: Die Young and Leave a Beautiful Corpse

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Part One: Win, Lose, or Draw

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Part Two: Tipping Point

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  Chapter 50

  Chapter 51

  Chapter 52

  Chapter 53

  Chapter 54

  Chapter 55

  Chapter 56

  Chapter 57

  Chapter 58

  Chapter 59

  Chapter 60

  Chapter 61

  Chapter 62

  Chapter 63

  Chapter 64

  Chapter 65

  Chapter 66

  Part Three: Drop Dead, Gorgeous

  Chapter 67

  Chapter 68

  Chapter 69

  Chapter 70

  Chapter 71

  Chapter 72

  Chapter 73

  Chapter 74

  Chapter 75

  Chapter 76

  Chapter 77

  Chapter 78

  Chapter 79

  Chapter 80

  Chapter 81

  Chapter 82

  Chapter 83

  Chapter 84

  Chapter 85

  Chapter 86

  Chapter 87

  Chapter 88

  Chapter 89

  Part Four: All Fall Down

  Chapter 90

  Chapter 91

  Chapter 92

  Chapter 93

  Chapter 94

  Chapter 95

  Chapter 96

  Chapter 97

  Chapter 98

  Chapter 99

  Chapter 100

  Chapter 101

  Chapter 102

  Chapter 103

  Chapter 104

  Chapter 105

  Chapter 106

  Chapter 107

  Chapter 108

  Epilogue: Circle of Life

  Chapter 109

  Chapter 110

  A Preview of “12th of Never”

  About the Author

  Also by James Patterson

  Newsletters

  Copyright

  The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Copyright © 2013 by James Patterson

  Excerpt from 12th of Never copyright © 2013 by James Patterson

  Cover design by Kapo Ng

  Cover art © Peter Dazeley/Getty Images

  Author photograph by Deborah Feingold

  Copyright © 2013 Hachette Book Group, Inc.

  All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher constitute unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contact
ing the publisher at [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

  Little, Brown and Company

  Hachette Book Group

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  First e-book edition: February 2013

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  ISBN 978-0-316-09752-9