[Blake turns away from the screen, and is now pacing in a tight, rapid circuit. His hands are fists by his sides.]

If that damn lady hadn't been there, if he'd so much as fuckin' twitched...

[He stops suddenly. He stares straight at the phone, whites rimming his eyes.]

He'd be dead. He is dead.

[The cold sickness that he's been trying to drive away solidifies in his gut.]

It's one of those stories where there's a hero and a monster. Sometimes the monster wins.