Kill Alex Cross

Kill Alex Cross

It began with President Coyle’s children, Ethan and Zoe, both high-profile personalities since they had arrived in Washington, and probably even before that.

Twelve-year-old Ethan Coyle thought he had gotten used to living under the microscope and in the public eye. So Ethan hardly noticed anymore the news cameramen perpetually camped outside the Branaff School gates, and he didn’t worry the way he used to if some kid he didn’t know tried to snap his picture in the hall, or the gymnasium, or even the boys’ bathroom.

Sometimes, Ethan even pretended he was invisible. It was kind of babyish, kind of b.s., but who cared. It helped. One of the more personable Secret Service guys had actually suggested it. He told Ethan that Chelsea Clinton used to do the same thing. Who knew if that was true?

But when Ethan saw Ryan Townsend headed his way that morning, he only wished he could disappear. Ryan Townsend always had it in for him, and that wasn’t just Ethan’s paranoia talking. He had the purplish and yellowing bruises to prove it — the kind that a good hard punch or muscle squeeze can leave behind.

“Wuzzup, Coyle the Boil? ” Townsend said, charging up on him in the hall with that look on his face. “The Boil havin’ a bad day already?”

Ethan knew better than to answer his tormenter and torturer. He cut a hard left toward the lockers instead — but that was his first mistake. Now there was nowhere to go, and he felt a sharp, nauseating jab to the side of his leg. He’d been kicked! Townsend barely even slowed down as he passed. He called these little incidents “drive-bys.”

The thing Ethan didn’t do was yell out, or stumble in pain. That was the deal he’d made with himself: don’t let anyone see what you’re feeling inside.

Instead, he dropped his books and knelt down to pick them back up again. It was a total wuss move, but at least he could take the weight off his leg for a second without letting the whole world know he was Ryan Townsend’s punching and kicking dummy.

Except this time, someone else did see — and it wasn’t the Secret Service.

Ethan was stuffing graph paper back into his math folder when he heard a familiar voice.

“Hey, Ryan? Wuzzup with you? ”

He looked up just in time to see his fourteen-year-old sister, Zoe, stepping right into Townsend’s path.

“I saw that,” she said. “You thought I wouldn’t?”

Townsend cocked his head of blond curls to the side. “I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about. Why don’t you just mind your own —”

Out of nowhere, a heavy yellow textbook came up fast in both of Zoe’s hands.

She swung hard, and clocked Townsend with it, right across the middle of his face. The bully’s nose spurted red and he stumbled backward. It was great!

Excerpted from the book KILL ALEX CROSS by James Patterson. Copyright ©2011 by James Patterson. Reprinted with permission of Little, Brown and Company, New York, NY. All rights reserved.

JAMES PATTERSON INTERVIEWS ALEX CROSS:

Alex, nice to see you again. How are you doing today?

I'm well, thanks. My case load's pretty light at the moment so I'm getting to spend some quality time with Bree, Nana Mama and the kids. Downtime is pretty rare in my life, so I think we're all enjoying it. It's good to sit down and chat with you, though, James.

So, I'd like to ask you some questions that are a bit personal; things that you don't always talk about in your books.

Ok, I'm up for it.

For starters–how come you still live in Southeast D.C. after all these years? I'm sure you could move elsewhere after all the success you've enjoyed.

I live in Southeast D.C. because that's where I came from. I like to give back to my community, to be a positive role model in the neighborhood, and to raise my children in an environment where they meet people from all walks of life. Plus, Nana Mama isn't going anywhere and I'm not going anywhere without her.

Speaking of Nana Mama, she's had some health scares in the past. I know this is kind of a difficult question, but do you think about what will happen someday when she's not around? How you'll manage the kids and your work?

Of course I do. I hope that Nana Mama will be around for a very long time still–cooking delicious meals, pushing us all out the door to church, and generally being the family's moral compass–but I know there will come a day when we'll have to figure out our lives without her. Bree and I talk about that, and how we'll manage, and the fact is, it's hard to know until the moment comes. Hopefully the kids will be old enough to spend a bit more time on their own because Bree and I both love our careers. But if they aren't, if we need to be home, then we'll be home. We'll figure it out when we have to.

I'm so happy to know that you've found Bree. You've had a tough history with women and relationships and she seems like a real catch. How did you know that she was the one?

When your day–job pits you up against some of the darkest, most deranged people in the world, sometimes it is hard to keep a healthy relationship going. I get so consumed by work that it's tough to see the good in people, to remember that most people are just regular folk, trying to make a living and get by day to day. I know Bree is right for me because she helps me to remember that. She keeps my feet on the ground, throws herself into our family life, and supports me even in my worst workaholic moments. I know she has my back because she knows what it's like to be a police officer and how intense the job is. But she also knows how to be a loving wife and step–mother to my kids. They adore her, so that sealed the deal. She's also gorgeous, which certainly helped make the decision that much easier.

What would you say your greatest professional achievement is, to–date?

Look, every case I work on is important. I hunt murderers and psychopaths, and putting them behind bars is my sole motivation when I'm on a case. I would have to say, though, that finally getting Kyle Craig–knowing that The Mastermind can never hurt anyone again–has been my greatest professional achievement. He was one of the smartest men I ever came up against which is why it was so hard to take him down. I rest better at night knowing the world is rid of him and that my family is safe from his threats.

As one of the most high–profile detectives in the country, your life story has hit the big screen quite a few times. What do you think of Tyler Perry playing you instead of Morgan Freeman?

It's a real honor that people are interested enough in my life to see multiple movies about it. And having an actor like Morgan Freeman play you is pretty amazing. He's a class–act and one of the finest actors of his generation. I'm really excited to see Tyler Perry take me on, though. Morgan is older than I was during the events that took place in CROSS, the book the movie is based on, so it'll be good to have an actor that reflects that time in my life accurately. Tyler's a force of nature; physically fit, tall, cuts a mean figure in a suit–I think he's going to nail it. Now I just have to keep Bree from running away with him.

How would you feel if one of your children decided to follow in your footsteps and become a police officer?

Honestly–torn. There is no nobler job and I feel privileged to serve my community (and sometimes my country) every day. But it's dangerous and it can really mess with your head when you have been at it as long as I have. I would be incredibly proud if any one of my children decided to become a police officer, but I would also be worried–about their safety, about their ability to process the things you see and hear on the job, and about them having a normal life.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

I really don't think things will be too different. God–willing, we'll all still be together, living under one roof, with Nana Mama steering the ship. I'll still be working–I think retirement is a ways off yet–especially when you have young kids to put through college. Hopefully there are some more big cases in my future. I still get an adrenaline rush every time I think I'm close to solving a crime.

Well, thanks for chatting with me, Alex. It's good to see you again. And to all of Alex's fans, don't forget to pick up a copy of KILL ALEX CROSS, in–stores on November 14^th.

Thanks, James. Talk to you soon.