Chapter 38-39 Summary

Krantz and Cole arrive at Paulette's home and see a body lying on the living room floor that Cole recognizes as Joe Pike. Cole goes in, immediately followed by several other detectives, and in a tense shoot-out tries to get Sobek to admit that he killed Eugene Dersh. Sobek shoots Cole in the arm and prepares to shoot Paulette, but Pike regains consciousness long enough to shoot Sobek in the head and save Paulette's life. Cole knows that without Sobek's confession, Pike will still be convicted for the murder of Dersh. Pike, too, realizes his fate, and decides that even with two gunshot wounds, he must escape from Krantz. Krantz tries to stop Pike from staggering from the house, but Cole takes his gun away.

Immediately, Cole is rushed to the hospital for surgery on his arm, as Krantz arrests him...