Violets are Blue (novel)

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Violets are Blue is the seventh book featuring the Washington DC homicide detective and forensic psychiatrist Alex Cross written by James Patterson.

[edit] Plot summary

The book begins where Roses are Red ended, with Dr. ALEX CROSS at the home of murdered FBI Agent BETSEY CAVALIERRE. She had been knifed by a man named THE MASTERMIND, who it was revealed in the end of the last book was Alex Cross' close friend and FBI Director in Charge, KYLE CRAIG. Alex is in her room when his cellphone rings. Alex answers it and the Mastermind was on the other line. The Mastermind tells Alex that Alex is a puppet on a string. He tells Alex that he killed Cavalierre to toy with Alex and will also kill his grandmother and his children, and that JOHN SAMPSON, Cross' best friend and partner, who was watching over NANA MAMA, DAMON and JANELLE, can not stop him. Alex hangs up and calls home, Sampson answers. Cross tells him what happened. Sampson tells Alex that the Mastermind can try. Alex is running home when the Mastermind calls him back and tells Cross that his family is safe for the moment. He warns Alex that he's next.

Elsewhere, in San Francisco, California, a man and a woman jog thru a Golden Gate Park. It is early morning and there is fog on the ground. They’re dating and are both in the military. As they jog the woman, a Lieutenant MARTHA WIATT, hears some kind of growling. As she runs she has gained some distance between her and her boyfriend, Sergeant DAVIS O'HARA. She can hear her boyfriend scream behind her. She sees a van driving by and flags them down, and two people get down. One of them punches her hard. They tell her that she and her boyfriend were chosen. They knew her and her boyfriend’s name. The last thing she sees before dying are the fangs of vampires.

The Mastermind has been calling Alex every morning for a week. This time he’s in a van with Sampson and 3 FBI techies are inside. They are trying to trace the call, eventually tracking it to the J. Edgar Hoover Building but no success. At the end of the call the Mastermind warns Alex again that he’s next.

That night, Alex had agreed to go on a date with a young lawyer. They are in a nice restaurant when Kyle Craig calls him. He tells Alex that there’s a similarity between 2 murders in San Francisco and a murder in Washington DC that they’d been a part of a few months before. The case involved a runaway girl that was found hung from a light fixture in a hotel room. Kyle tells him the murders in San Francisco were very bad.

The next morning Alex takes Damon and Janelle to school. He thinks they’re growing up too fast. He's about to leave to go to San Francisco for the week, but tells them he'll be back for Damon's choir concert. The FBI requested that he go to San Francisco to meet Inspector JAMILLA HUGHES. Kyle Craig calls him to make sure he received the faxes he’d sent. On the flight he re reads the faxes: 1. Man and woman on Golden Gate Park. 2. Hung by feet from tree. 3. Bodies drained from blood. 4. Bodies were naked. 5. Man was bitten multiple times which actually caused death. 5. Although the woman was bit several times, cause of death was due to puncture from a knife. Cross wonders why someone needed all that blood for. The little runaway girl in DC had died exactly the same way.

Jamilla picks Cross up at the airport. She takes him to the morgue to see the bodies. A friend of hers, Dr. Allan Pang, who is a dental expert is examining the bites. After reviewing the bites, he deduces that the man was bitten and mauled by a tiger and the girl was bitten by humans.

The tiger was a large male white tiger which belonged to two brothers, WILLIAM ALEXANDER (20 years old) and MICHAEL (17 years old). The boys had been raised by hippie parents and had served time for drug possession and aggravated assault. They’d been killing together for 5 years. They believed themselves invincible and immortal. The 2 brothers were both athletic tall and blond long hair.

That night the 2 brothers went hunting at Mill Valley, California. They were given a mission from a person called THE SIRE.

The Sire instructed them not to bring the cat and to kill the couple living inside the house. William and Michael always obeyed the Sire. Inside, the couple who are both lawyers, was making dinner when Michael and William walk thru the unlocked front door. The lawyers ask them to leave; instead the young men attack the lawyers. They bite down on the lawyers, sucking on their blood. Before killing the woman Michael whispers to her that they’re vampires.

Jamilla and Alex are working out of her office when the Mastermind calls Alex. The Mastermind tells Alex that he knows about San Francisco and Jamilla. Later that evening Cross is on the phone with Kyle Craig, who’s going to be involved in this case and working with Cross. Jamilla interrupts and tells Alex that they have to go to San Luis Obispo where they’re going to exhume the body of a girl who was murdered and they believe was related to the San Francisco murders. They need to know if it was the same killers. The girl had also been hung, her blood drained but although she was naked he clothes were not taken.

The next day Alex arrives at the SFPD precinct where Jamilla works. Cross admired her work ethic. We also discover Christine was living in the west coast, in Seattle actually. Jamilla was reading an e mail sent by the FBI and there had been 8 murders similar in California and Nevada. Because of the murder in Washington DC, the FBI is looking for similar murders in the east cost. That afternoon Jamilla tells Alex that her friend TIM BRADLEY, from the San Francisco Examiner, has a few leads for her. Later they find out the killers had struck again.

At the crime scene, Alex discovers that all the valuables in the house had been left there. The bodies had been drained of blood also and were hanging from the ceiling.

William and Michael watched the story unfold on TV. They were impressed with themselves. They were on a mission and the publicity was part of the plan. They were in a diner eating ultra rare cheeseburgers. After eating, they’re hungry for blood and William tells Michael that he has a plan for that night.

The 2 brothers are after a beautiful young woman, but opt instead to break into a funeral home and feast on a dead woman who had not been embalmed.

Cross is still impressed by Jamilla’s work ethic and learns her nickname is Jam. Alex is working on trying to find a lead on the tiger. He’s checking with zoos veterinarians and animal trainers. That evening Jam asks Alex to go for a beer but Alex declines.

Jam calls Alex early the next morning. They’re driving to Los Angeles to meet with a woman that who had gotten away from an attack by 2 men, and was also bitten several times. The attacks had happened over a year ago. The reporter friend of Jam’s named Tim had given them that lead for them. They’re taking a shuttle flight. They arrive in LA and rent a car to visit the woman. The lead LAPD detective from that case would meet with them.

Detective PETER KIM met them at the precinct in Brentwood, Los Angeles, California. The woman’s name was GLORIA DOS SANTOS. She claims the attackers were in their 40’s, but wasn’t too sure about that. They’d bitten her multiple times and were going to hang her from a tree. Gloria believed the men were vampires. She had managed to get away when she luckily fell down the side of a hill and rolled all the way down. Cross didn’t like her high and mighty attitude. She was also stoned. Gloria claims that earlier that night she had been at a ‘’fang’ club with others of the vampire culture. Gloria tells them she was into the Goth scene at that time. A patrolman interrupts the session. There was a murder in Sunset Blvd. The person was bitten and hanged. Gloria freaks out and yells at them. “They followed you here! You just got me killed!”

When the 3 of them arrive at the murder scene, Kyle Craig was waiting for them. Cross was delighted he was there. The body was discovered at Chateau Marmont. The man was a record company executive. While looking thru the crime scene the Mastermind called Alex. The Mastermind knew that Alex was in LA. Kyle asks Alex to hand him the phone. Kyle asks Alex how the Mastermind knew so much. Alex didn’t have any answers. After a week it looked like Alex would not be returning in time for Damon’s choir concert and calls home.

Jam is returning to San Francisco, but is leaving Alex and Kyle her notes. She believes that although the murders are similar the patterns are different and may have been committed by different people. Alex concurs. Jam tells Alex about the break-in to the Funeral Home.

Kyle asks Alex if everything is ok. Alex asks Kyle why does he involve him in all the bad cases, Kyle responds by telling him he's the best. Kyle offers Alex a job with the FBI.

As Alex and Kyle leave the precint, they're followed by Michael and William. William tells Michael that he senses one of them is extremely dangerous.

Alex is going to Santa Barbara to meet with DAVID WESTIN at the Davidson Library of UCSB. Westin is a vampire expert, and considers himself one.

The next day Alex drives to Fresno to see JOHN BERREIRO, who did tattoos and custom teeth for so called vampires.

Michael and William are driving to Las Vegas. On the way they are restless and decide to go sky diving. In the air, before leaping the kill the pilot and jump out.

The 2 young vampires attend a magic show performed by 2 magicians named DANIEL ERICKSON and CHARLES DeFOE in the Vegas strip. They seduce an actor and actress that were attending the show with them and kill them in their own rooms at the Bellagio.

Alex and Cross are in the rooms examining the bodies. They were drained of blood but not hung, instead dumped in the bathtub. Cross sees that there was nowhere for the bodies to be hung. Just like the murders of the lawyers, nothing was taken from the rooms. The money and jewelry was all there.

Jam calls Alex. She confirms that there were at least 4 killers based on dental cases that they made.

The murders seemed to stop and the trail went cold, so after being in the west coast for 14 days Alex returns home.

Alex spends the whole day with his children and Nana Mama at the Smithsonian without any phone calls from anyone. The Mastermind had actually been following Cross all day.

After a few days of being with his friends and family Alex gets word the killers struck in Charleston, South Carolina.

Kyle is waiting for Alex down in Charleston. It’s hot and humid. He informs Alex that there are dozens of unsolved murders related to the Vampire killing dating back 11 years.

That night, Kyle and Alex have dinner and are joined by KATE McTIERNAN who was there for a medical conference. She was getting married in a month and invited them both to the wedding. The 3 have an excellent evening together.

Michael and William are in Savannah, Georgia and kill again. The next day Cross and Kyle are heading there as well.

As Kyle and Alex examine the body of the young college student laid inside a gothic church, they’re told of a murder in Charlotte, North Carolina. A young boy had killed his parents by bludgeoning them to death. A claw hammer was found in the scene. He also bit them. The boy had fled to an abandoned house nearby that was frequented by other runaways. They observe the abandoned house for several hours before going in. There was a squad of agents and were to proceed carefully due to all the minors in the house. There were about 20 kids. Kyle found the boy and the agents rush him.

The boy, IRWIN SNYDER, was pale, unhealthy looking, dirty and smelly. He growled and hissed at the agents. Surprisingly, he knew Cross’ name. He tells Cross he killed his parents to free himself and he follows the tiger. Irwin rushes Cross with a knife. As Cross wrestles him, Irwin bites Cross’ hand and shoulder. The FBI pulls him away as Irwin yells “Now you’re one of us” to Cross.

Cross questioned Snyder for 4 hours. Cross felt pain in his hand and shoulder but did not go to the hospital. Snyder puts his head down on the table. Cross pulls him up by the hair. Snyder curses at Cross and demands his lawyer. Cross tells him to quit putting his head down to which Snyder does it again. Cross again pulls Snyder up by the hair. Snyder yells lawyer several times. Cross asked Snyder how he heard about him. Snyder tells him to ask the tiger when they meet again.

The next day, instead of going to a hospital, Cross returns to Washington. When he gets in the house the phone rang. The Mastermind welcomes him back. Cross tells him yes and to come and get him. The next day Cross hand is even more swollen and can’t make a fist. He finally gets his wounds checked. When he arrives at the hospital, he has a high fever. Alex had cellulitis in his hand, caused by the bacteria in the mouth. The doctor asks Alex who bit him to which Alex responds “a vampire”. The doctor is upset and thinks Cross is being funny.

The doctor gives Alex a prescription for the infection and sent him home. At home he goes to sleep and wakes up because he felt someone was in the room with him. It was Janelle. Talks with her dad for a little bit but when he falls asleep she stays with him.

The Mastermind was at Cross’ house and was ready to kill him and his family, but on seeing him bandaged up decides it’s not a worthy opponent at that time and leaves.

Alex works from home for the next few days and tries to find a connection between the cities that the murders took place. After doing some research he discovers that all the murders occurred at the same time that the 2 magicians Daniel and Charles where in town. He called Kyle Craig and told him New Orleans, Louisiana was next.

In New Orleans the FBI has put the magicians under surveillance and sees that they have two white tigers. At the end of the performance, Daniel and Charles go home in silver limousine, which the FBI follows to their home. When the driver opens the door the 2 white tigers jump out, but Daniel and Charles had disappeared.

The 2 magicians were at a small private club in Abita Springs, LA.The men are taken to the basement where a teenage boy has been chained for them. Daniel was the Sire.

After receiving clearance to return to work from the doctor, Alex left to New Orleans. He gets a message from Jam that she’s going down there also.

In New Orleans, Alex and Jam attend two of the performances of the magicians and are convinced they’re the killers but are upset they don’t have the evidence to support it.

Jam and Alex are out on stakeout for a few days trying to catch the 2 magicians. Daniel owns a large house in New Orleans that he’d inherited from his father. Charles worked in the garden during the day but Daniel never went out during the day. Thru the surveillance, they discover that there is going to be a Goth party on the grounds/ Jam and Alex go to a local restaurant to talk, not knowing that they’re being watched by the Mastermind. He watches them leave the restaurant, sees Jam get in a taxi and leave and follows Cross thru a walk at the park. He decides he’s going to kill Alex now but at the last moment decides not to. He wants to see Alex’s eyes when he dies.

That morning Kyle Craig is handing out the day’s assignments. Jamilla asked about her and Kyle tells her to see Cross. She tells Kyle she’s worked as hard as everyone else and would like an assignment. Kyle tells her what she thinks doesn’t matter and if she doesn’t stay or go. Alex was surprised at Kyle’s behavior. In private Jam tells Alex that Kyle is a control freak and he does not like women and may in fact hate them.

William and Michael have arrived to New Orleans.

For several days, Charles and Daniel are under surveillance and they hardly ever leave the house. When they do they go to restaurant or shopping. Cross and Jam now think they are not the killers.

William watches the police watch Charles and Daniel. William wonders how long Charles and Daniel can go without killing. A few blocks down he sees a young teenage girl, which he kills.

The next morning Cross and Jam find out about the girl. The tell Kyle that they should crash the party. Kyle approves.

Alex and Jam wear costumes and go thru the party. When they get to the main floor they notice most of the people there all have fangs. A deep voice announces that the Sire has arrived.

Daniel and Charles come down the stairs, led by a white tiger. Daniel addresses the crowd and tells everyone he’s the Sire. They are there to anoint 2 new vampire princes. Suddenly the lights go out for a few minutes. When the lights come back, Charles and Daniel are dead. Their throats had been slashed and there were fang marks.

The next day Jam is headed back to San Francisco. Alex takes her to the airport. The 2 promise to keep in touch.

Cross returns to Daniel’s house. He thinks the police missed something. In the closet in the master bedroom, 2 dolls of the magicians likeness were on the floor with scratch marks on their chest, necks, and face. Someone had been there after the police had sealed off the area. Alex goes thru the tunnels in the basement when he is attacked by a man and a woman. The woman had bit him. He manages to fight them off and he arrests them.

At the station, Cross questions the 2 vampires. They are both teenagers and both runaways. The questioning proved fruitless and is interrupted when an officer informs them that a Detective was found dead and hung in her apartment. Cross goes to the crime scene. The bites were different, superficial. Alex believed someone else had killed them. There was also no blood pooling so she was not drained from her blood. Alex’s cell phone rings. It was the Mastermind and he asked Alex if he found the body yet, and what he thought? Alex hangs up and notices Kyle was watching him.

Jam calls Alex to tell him that her reporter friend Tim found some leads in Santa Cruz, California. There had been numerous disappearances there and was going to check them out. Cross told her to be careful and to take someone with her.

In Santa Cruz, Jam speaks with the local police. She decides to check the foothills outside of town first. She believed several people were living there as part of a commune. When she arrives, she parks her car when 2 blond men approach her. It was Michael and William and they attack her but don’t injure her. They throw her in the back of a pickup truck and gag her. They are taking her to see the Sire and then tell her they’re going to kill her afterwards.

Cross returns home and spends the whole day with the kids. When he returns home, Jam’s friend from the examiner, Tim Bradley had left a message for Alex. Alex calls him back and it turns out Jam is missing. Alex calls the SCPD and they tell him she went to the foothills. Alex calls Kyle Craig and Cross decides to return to California.

In San Francisco, Alex is met by 3 FBI agents, who take him to the foothills. Once there, one of the agents tells Alex that the Area used to be a preserve for wild animals, and owners would train lions and tigers there. When they arrive at the ranch, Kyle is waiting with several agents. Kyle tells him that there were dozens of vampires inside led by the new sire. No site of Jam. The 2 that killed the original sire where there.

At midnight, Alex watches Michael and William take the tiger out and play with him before putting him away. Alex noticed Kyle was acting like a detached observer, calm and cool, calculated intelligence. Cross makes some theories. Cross believes the magicians, Daniel and Charles, had been careful. They had killed for dozens of years without getting caught. The brothers, Michael and William, were never careful. They had set up Daniel and Charles. Cross believes the brothers were ordered to finally kill the magicians back in New Orleans. After a few hours the FBI is ready to go in.

As the FBI was ready to go in they are surprised when the front doors of the ranch open and several people come out dressed in dark clothes. They get on vehicles and park them closer. Thru the doors come more people in hooded robes all with guns pointed at each other. They moved toward the waiting vehicles. Alex is trying to spot Jam, but can’t tell due to the hoods. One of them drops to the ground. Alex knows it was Jam. The FBI now moves in full force. Alex goes to Jam and now the 2 are going in the ranch.

Inside there are 2 dead bodies, bitten and drained of blood. There is awhole in the ground and Alex goes down the whole.

The tiger was there and it attacks Alex, who is forced to shoot and kill the tiger. Jam and Kyle join Alex and the 3 proceed down the dark tunnel. Once out of the tunnel a vehicle approaches them at high speed. Alex can see the brothers inside. Alex shoots several times and the truck ends up flipping on its side.

Michael gets out. He is bloody. He rushes insanely at Cross. William was dead. Cross is ready to tackle Michael when Kyle shoots Michael dead. A voice was coming from the truck. Cross was surprised when he saw the bloody sire. Peter Westin.

Peter Westin had met the magicians when they were performing in Los Angeles. Westin had his followers already, but feigned allegiance until he felt he was strong enough to be the sire. Then he dispatched the brothers to attack in the cities the brothers were performing on.

On the airport Alex gets a gut feeling about the Mastermind and Jam. He cancels his flight, rents a car and parks a few blocks away from her house. He watches. He did not want 3 dead partners. PATSY HAMPTON had been murdered by GEOFFREY SHAFFER and Betsey Cavalierre by the Mastermind. Cross thinks about Cavalierre’s murder and how she had been knifed, even between the legs. He did not like women. Cross thought of Casanova.

The Mastermind calls Alex and threatens his family. Cross calls Sampson, tells him whats going on and has him move the family to a safe place.

Jam arrives later in the afternoon. After getting inside the apartment Alex calls her and explains to her the situation and that he’s in a stake out and she may be in danger.

Night arrives and Cross sees the Mastermind. Everything made sense to him now. His friend, Kyle Craig was the Mastermind.

...to be continued.