Nervously, Summersby pulled a large, white lace scarf from his jacket and wiped the drops of sweat from his forehead.
"What do you want?" His voice was high and squeaky.
But Laila was not about to be fooled once more by his harmless form.
Once he had taken her by surprise.
And that he was by no means harmless, witnessed by the bodies of girls and boys behind him.
"I have your book."
Summersby looked around frantically.
"Where?"
"We negotiate."
Summersby sneered.
"Do you think you could tell me that you would just go like that and not tell anyone what you found here? "
He bared his teeth.
"You, you ... why are you after me, is your daughter or son with you?"
His hand waggled over the chaos of extremities at an angle behind him.
Laila got into the conversation, maybe he let himself be lured out of the reserve.
"All these children are my children."
"Nonsense"
"If you think ..."
"Where is the book?"
"Safekeeping."
"Give it to me!"
Laila laughed coldly.
"We negotiate."
Summersby took a step toward Laila.
Laila jerked against Danielle's body.
Immediately there was panic in Summersby's cunning pig's eye.
"Gently, gently ..." soothingly he raised his palms.
"We negotiate."
"You answer a few questions."
Summersby gazed greedily at Danielle.
"And then, will you give it to me and the book?"
Laila nodded slowly.
"Then you let me go No one's going to learn about your hobby Build a new collection."
Laila shrugged. "I do not care."
Summersby wiped his white cloth over his forehead again.
He closed his eyes.
His face was tight and concentrated.
Eyes narrowed, he stared at Laila.
"Why do you want to ask me questions?"
"Because I need to know why you do what you do."
"Oh God, a hobby psychologist, save me that."
Laila growled at him.
"I'm not a hobby psychologist, I'm your worst nightmare."
"Eight of your victims have families who do not surrender to their fate, they want revenge, they want to know what, why, and most of all—who - their children 'happened' are you hacking me now? "
Summersby's eyes widened in surprise.
"That's why you threw yourself to me."
He hit his forehead and laughed hard.
"I knew something was wrong with you, women like you usually treat men like me like air."
He turned his back on Laila and stepped through the arch.
Laila looked at him calmly, he would not give up his life's work so easily, she was sure.
She waited until he tapped through the arch into the room again.
He stopped in front of his ruined work.
Resigned, he spread his arms.
"Ask me."