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who was still on the front steps smoking. Filthy habit. The idea of putting smoke in his lungs made him cringe. As soon as they were out of sight, he unclipped the dog’s leash, removed his collar, then took two biscuits from the box and placed them on the ground. The dog began eating.
    “The best of luck to you, my friend,” he said, patting the dog’s side.
    The dog didn’t look up as he walked away.

Chapter 5
    B eth borrowed Nelda’s desk and continued studying the Sandman files. What she was reading about the killer and the various techniques he employed to take out his victims concerned her. She was anxious for Jack to see it. The Sandman was unquestionably intelligent, as Nelda had said, and planned his jobs down to the last detail. That was obvious immediately. Police forces on three continents hadn’t come close to nabbing him. In each instance, he’d outwitted them. Not a small feat considering the talent arrayed against him. He seemed to be a phantom who could vanish at will, leaving no trace of himself. Even the most stringent precautions taken by the German police a few months earlier had come to nothing. Posing as a carpet layer working in the captain’s office, the Sandman had simply waltzed through their security and killed two men in their own police station. A video camera showed him on the way out, only this time he was dressed as a cop. Astounding.
    Across the room, Jack was looking over Ben Furman’s shoulder as he examined the evidence Beth had brought back from the missing FBI agent’s house. No one had heard from Gabe Alonso in more than fifty hours. That didn’t bode well. Shortly after they arrived, Dan Pappas and Todd Milner entered the lab. Everyone was praying Furman could work some magic with what Beth had found.
    It was obvious Milner was upset about Alonso. Very upset. Beth felt for him.
    As a rule, cops and the FBI didn’t get along. Now that Jack was back with the Bureau again, she’d be sleeping with one of them.Wonderful. Jack could just as well have gone to work with the APD as she’d been suggesting for the past few months.
    “A house divided,” she muttered to herself.
    Milner started to pace. Out of nervousness, she thought. Earlier, he told them he’d worked with Gabe Alonso for three years. To make matters worse, the man was married and his wife was four months pregnant.
    Jack said, “You mentioned something about a congressional aide being killed earlier. Is there anything concrete connecting the Sandman to that?”
    “Not definitively,” Milner said. “Homeland Security went over their facial recognition software at all three airports in the New York area. They even checked the Westchester airport. Three possible candidates emerged, but no solid matches. Not a surprise where the Sandman is concerned. The Germans and Israelis believe he uses plastic surgery to alter his appearance, even to the extent of adding and removing implants.”
    “I’ve got a couple of gray fibers here,” Furman announced, “some dirt, and . . . three red hairs.”
    “Human?” Jack asked.
    “Can’t say yet.”
    “Can you put them on the screen?”
    A moment later, a high-definition image appeared on the overhead computer monitor.
    Pappas asked, “Do we know what color the Sandman’s hair is?”
    “Depends on the day and his victim,” Milner said.
    “Any residue on them?” Jack said.
    “Nothing,” Furman answered. “Best guess . . . they’re animal. Not sure if I can pin down the type without more.”
    “Did Alonso own a pet?” Jack asked Milner.
    “I’d have to check with his wife and I’ve been holding off on doing that.”
    “Let’s not wait,” Jack said.
    Milner shook his head and moved off to a corner of the room to make the call.
    Jack turned to Pappas. “Where are the witnesses now?”
    “At Rachel Lawrence’s house. You want me to check on them?”
    Jack nodded and continued to stare at the computer screen.
    *
    The officer guarding Rachel and