Double Cross Read online

  “Like father, like son,” Musgrove radioed back. “Kid got what he was asking for, and more. Zoe really clocked the little shithead.”

  There was some low laughter on the line. Ryan Townsend’s daddy was the House minority whip and a rabid opponent of virtually every move President Coyle ever made or even thought about. Sometimes the Branaff School could feel like Little Washington. Which it kind of was.

  Findlay checked his watch again. Two minutes exactly. End of recess for the Coyle kids. Now back to work for everybody.

  “All right, ladies and gentlemen, we’re on the move,” he said into his mike. Then he knocked twice on the lecture hall door and pushed it open.

  “Time’s up, guys. You ready to… goddamnit.”

  The room was empty.

  No. No. No. Not this. Goddamn those kids. Goddamn Zoe!

  Findlay’s pulse spiked to a new high, at least for today. His eyes leapt to the multipaned windows along the back wall.

  Even as he moved toward them, he was opening all channels on his transmitter to address the Joint Ops Center as well as his on-site team.

  “Command, this is Apex One. Twilight and T. Rex are unaccounted for.” His voice was urgent but flat. There would be no panicking. “I repeat, both protectees are unaccounted for.”

  When he reached the windows, they were all pulled down to the sill, but one of them had been left unlatched. A quick scan of the grounds outside showed nothing but plush green playing fields all the way to the south fence.

  “Findlay? What’s going on?”

  Musgrove was there now, standing in the doorway from the hall.

  “They must have snuck outside,” Findlay said. “I’m going to kill her. I really am. Long overdue.” This thing had Zoe written all over it. It was probably her idea of a big game, or a joke on her keepers.

  “Command, Apex One,” he radioed again. “Twilight and T. Rex are still unaccounted for. I need an immediate lockdown on all exits, inside and out—”

  All at once, a commotion broke out on the line. Findlay heard shouting, and the grating sound of metal on metal. Then two gunshots.

  “Command, this is Apex Five!” Another voice blared over the radio now. “We’ve got a gray panel van. Just evaded us at the east gate. It’s proceeding south on Wisconsin at high speed. Sixty, seventy miles an hour! Request immediate backup!”

  Read an extended excerpt and learn more about Kill Alex Cross.

  About the Author

  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 240 million copies. 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 also writes books for young readers, including the Maximum Ride, Daniel X, Witch & Wizard, and Middle School series. In total, these books have spent more than 220 weeks on national bestseller lists.

  His lifelong passion for books and reading led James Patterson to launch the website ReadKiddoRead.com to give adults an easy way to locate the very best books for kids. He writes full-time and lives in Florida with his family.

  For previews and information about the author, visit www.JamesPatterson.com.

  Follow James Patterson on Facebook.

  Download the FREE James Patterson app.

  Books by James Patterson

  Featuring Alex Cross

  Kill Alex Cross

  Cross Fire

  I, Alex Cross

  Alex Cross’s Trial (with Richard DiLallo)

  Cross Country

  Double Cross

  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

  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

  Tick Tock (with Michael Ledwidge)

  Worst Case (with Michael Ledwidge)

  Run for Your Life (with Michael Ledwidge)

  Step on a Crack (with Michael Ledwidge)

  Other Books

  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)

  Private (with Maxine Paetro)

  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 (originally published as The Jericho Commandment)

  Season of the Machete

  The Thomas Berryman Number

  For Readers of All Ages

  Witch & Wizard: The Manga, Vol. 1 (with Svetlana Chmakova)

  Daniel X: Game Over (with Ned Rust)

  Daniel X: The Manga, Vol. 2 (with SeungHui Kye)

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

  Maximum Ride: The Manga, Vol. 4 (with NaRae Lee)

  ANGEL: A Maximum Ride Novel

  Witch & Wizard: The Gift (with Ned Rust)

  Daniel X: The Manga, Vol. 1 (with SeungHui Kye)

  Maximum Ride: The Manga, Vol. 3 (with NaRae Lee)

  Daniel X: Demons and Druids (with Adam Sadler)

  Med Head [Against Medical Advice teen edition] (with Hal Friedman)

  FANG: A Maximum Ride Novel

  Witch & Wizard (with Gabrielle Charbonnet)

  Maximum Ride: The Manga, Vol. 2 (with NaRae Lee)

  Daniel X: Watch the Skies (with Ned Rust)

  MAX: A Maximum Ride Novel

  Maximum Ride: The Manga, Vol. 1 (with NaRae Lee)

  Daniel X: Alien Hunter (graphic novel; with Leopoldo Gout)

  The Dangerous Days of Daniel X (with Michael Ledwidge)

  Maximum Ride: The Final Warning

  Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports

  Maximum Ride: School’s Out—Forever

  Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment

  santaKid

  Contents

  Front Cover Image


  Welcome

  Dedication

  Prologue: In Your Honor

  One

  Two

  Part One: All the World’s a Stage

  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

  Part Two: Infamous!

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  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

  Chapter 67

  Chapter 68

  Chapter 69

  Chapter 70

  Part Three: The Audience Is Listening

  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

  Chapter 90

  Chapter 91

  Chapter 92

  Chapter 93

  Chapter 94

  Chapter 95

  Chapter 96

  Chapter 97

  Part Four: Collision Course

  Chapter 98

  Chapter 99

  Chapter 100

  Chapter 101

  Chapter 102

  Chapter 103

  Chapter 104

  Chapter 105

  Chapter 106

  Chapter 107

  Chapter 108

  Chapter 109

  Chapter 110

  Chapter 111

  Chapter 112

  Chapter 113

  Chapter 114

  Chapter 115

  Chapter 116

  Chapter 117

  Chapter 118

  Chapter 119

  Chapter 120

  Chapter 121

  Chapter 122

  Chapter 123

  Chapter 124

  Chapter 125

  Chapter 126

  Epilogue: Last Days

  A Preview of Cross Country

  A Preview of Kill Alex Cross

  About the Author

  Books by James Patterson

  Copyright

  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 © 2007 by James Patterson

  Excerpt from Cross Country copyright © 2008 by James Patterson

  Excerpt from Kill Alex Cross copyright © 2011 by James Patterson

  Author photograph by Deborah Feingold

  Cover copyright © by Hachette Book Group, Inc.

  All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

  Little, Brown and Company

  Hachette Book Group

  237 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017

  www.hachettebookgroup.com

  www.twitter.com/littlebrown

  First e-book edition: November 2007

  The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher.

  The Hachette Speakers Bureau provides a wide range of authors for speaking events. To find out more, go to www.hachettespeakersbureau.com or call (866) 376-6591.

  ISBN 978-0-316-02610-9