The Rule of Threes (Special Agent Constant Marlowe)

by Jeffery Deaver

he looks at the development, populated by middle manager school administrator auto dealer star salespeople senior bookkeeper residents.

Joseph Ray Whelan makes coffee with boiling water and a drip cone. He sits at his kitchen table. One sip. Two. Three. He pours the rest out. Three is magic. Three consumes him.

Fiftyish, Frank Tremain

“Well, the famous Constant Marlowe.”

“Watseka Eventide. I go by Zosette. Or Zo.”

“What did he mean by ‘EB’?” “Eagle Brotherhood. A neo-Nazi crew. They hover around Morgantown. More Nazi than neo.”

Today’s was the second victim of the perp the press had labeled BRK, Bludgeon, Rape and Kill.

the unsub?”

Where got you who. Sometimes it got you why but that didn’t interest Constant Marlowe much, and in this case, there wasn’t much doubt as to motive. Where?

Flat. That was an appropriate word to describe Clark Valley, Illinois, and its surroundings.

It was one of several towns around the state named after the Revolutionary War general George Rogers Clark, who in the late 1700s defeated the British, in a series of rather unspectacular confrontations and, as a result, more than doubled the size of the thirteen original colonies.

Clark Val...

Driving now into downtown, Marlowe noted that CV had not seen any of the decay evident in Rust Belt circles to the east along this latitude—Ohio and Indiana. Probably because Clark Valley was and had always been agricultural, not a mill or iron town.

“Yes, ma’am, Andy of Mayberry,” Eventide said, as she badged her way through the door. TV or movie. Marlowe didn’t know. Didn’t ask.

Marlowe now asked, “The Bureau involved?”

The world had suddenly become tactical. Constant Marlowe was assessing. The ground, the surrounding buildings. The alley behind her was a cul-de-sac, the only way out blocked, a dumpster to her left, the two thugs in the opening to the right.

CV

They’d be pros, hired by somebody—though I wouldn’t hire them to chase a squirrel out of my backyard.” Tremain said, “Nup.”

phenotype?”

“Height, weight, hair.”

“No.” “Maybe we should do one, Sheriff.” Eventide was nodding.

“Your shooter. Weapon?” “Didn’t see it. But it was some large caliber hunting rifle.”

“How d’you know that if you didn’t see it?

But there was another reason for her deduction. “Four shot cluster. Then a pause, then three.”

Tremain grunted, like he resented that she was right.

Danagraph.” Cop shorthand for a DNA chart.

Glen was not, however, inclined to judge anyone in his family, himself included, for making choices. It had happened. Let’s go from there. Which he was doing now.

Don’t let opportunities pass you by. You find something in life that appeals, go for it. Don’t let it get away. You know what I’m saying?”

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

thank you cubed again,

She had a necklace her mother gave her. It was engraved with three words in Latin: Citius, Altius, Fortius. It means ‘Faster, Higher, Stronger.’ It’s the Olympic motto. She called it the Rule of Threes.

And credit where credit was due, it was mostly the creation of his daughter and himself, who, together, made up the fictional persona of BRK, the serial killer terrorizing Bowman County.

And the Family Hope would be home free.

She scoffed. “And body language. The one category of subject that can trick you is sociopaths. To them there’s no such thing as deception. Their kinesics are the same when they’re telling the truth or lying.”

“Glen Hope sold the service of keeping Bowman County as white as possible.”

The Broken Doll collection featuring Constant Marlowe.

His books are sold in 150 countries; have been translated into twenty-five languages; and have received or been short-listed for dozens of awards, including the Edgar, Anthony, and Shamus.