Chapter 26

Knight slowed down to a regular speed after a couple of miles, but she didn't say anything until she reached the motel by the highway. She pulled into the same space she had used before and left the engine running. She turned to Reacher and said, "Is this where you need to be? Or do you want me to leave you somewhere else?"

Reacher said, "This is fine."

Knight was silent for a moment. Then she nodded toward the diner. "Want to at least get a coffee before you go?"

"Sure. Coffee is always good."

Knight switched off the engine. They both got out and Reacher led the way past the line of motel room doors, to the diner's entrance.

Hannah May was working that evening. She smiled when she saw Reacher and Knight walk in and offered them a table by the window. Reacher declined. He preferred the one he'd used before, tucked away at the back.

Knight talked about her childhood, growing up in Arizona. Reacher told her about the different military bases he had lived on as a kid. The different countries. What was the same. What was different. Knight shared her favorite memories of college. Reacher told her about West Point. The place he'd remained in for the longest time, and for more than three decades his principal experience of the United States.

Hannah May arrived with a second coffee refill. She said, "Want anything to eat with that? We have a special pie today. Rhubarb."

Knight said, "I'll try some of that."

Reacher said, "I'll stick with peach. I'll take a burger, too. With fries."

Knight said, "I'll have a BLT. Heavy on the bacon. Light on the rest."

They shared war stories from the early years of their careers while they waited for their food. They talked about their best cases. Their worst. The ones that got away. The ones they couldn't forget.

They settled into a comfortable silence as they ate, and when Hannah May tried to top up their coffee mugs for a fourth time Reacher stopped her. He dropped some cash on the table. Knight matched it. Then they stood up and stepped outside.

The sun had gone down by the time they came out. The lamps mounted on tall polls in the parking lot cast long shadows. There was a chill in the air. Reacher noticed Knight shiver.

Reacher scanned the parking lot. No vehicles were moving.

Knight saw what he was doing. She said, "Could be hard finding a ride at this time."

Reacher said, "Could be."

"I'm going to get myself a room. Walk with me to the office?"

—

Kane was riding up front in the lead car. The driver made the turn into the track between the spoil heaps a little fast, jinked to the left, and slammed on his brakes. He had come within an inch of hitting another vehicle. A Ford F-150. Its nose was buried in the dirt, there were bullet holes in its windshield, and its rear tire was blown.

Kane jumped out of the car and hurried around to take a closer look at his truck. It was in the last place he had expected to find it. And he couldn't understand how it had come to get shot up. The only thing he could figure was that Reacher had taken it from the Russians' house. Driven it here looking for Paris. And that Paris must have gotten away on foot, climbed the heap, and shot at Reacher as he tried to chase her. There was no body in the cab, though. Which was a shame.

Kane looked up. It was too dark to make anything out at the top of the heap. He called out, "Paris? You up there? You OK?"

There was no reply so he climbed back into the car. The driver pulled away and headed for the cave's metal door. Kane saw the van that was full of their loot, still parked where he had left it. And next to it, another van. One he had never seen before.

The driver pulled up next to the new van and switched off his engine. The second car pulled in next to him. Kane got out. He checked the new van's cab and saw its keys were in the ignition. Then he heard a voice. A man's. Kane didn't recognize it. It was coming from the back of the vehicle. It was calling for help.

Kane took the keys and unlocked the rear doors. He saw the soles of five pairs of shoes. He recognized three of the bodies they belonged to. He pulled Paris out. And then Vidic.

Kane said, "What the hell is going on here?"

Vidic looked at Paris, then said, "To make a long story short, those two guys captured Bowery. They forced him to tell them about this place, then showed up here to rob it."

Kane crossed his arms and said, "Then who stopped them? Not you, since you were locked up, too. How did you get here?"

"Reacher jumped us in the middle of the job. He realized Paris was missing. Forced me to show him where she was."

"He took my truck."

Vidic nodded. "He was with a woman. She had a silver Toyota. He figured that if Paris saw a strange vehicle approach, she would be suspicious."

"So why not take your Jeep?"

"It was Reacher's call. He wanted your truck for some reason."

"How did it get wrecked and shot up?"

"Reacher got into it with these new guys. They ran. Took the truck. Reacher stopped them."

Kane turned to the driver of the car he'd been riding in. "Got a knife?"

The driver handed him a switchblade. Kane popped it open and cut the ties from Vidic's wrists and ankles. He said, "Start walking." Then he turned to Paris.

Vidic said, "Walk? Why? There's plenty of space in your cars."

"Better get going. The FBI will be here soon."

"You're leaving us here?"

Kane turned his back.

Vidic said, "Wait. What if I tell you I can make you a very rich man?"

Kane said, "I'm giving the stuff in the van to my boys here."

"I'm not talking about the van."

"Oh. You're thinking about the two million in the safe."

Vidic didn't reply.

"You look surprised. Yes, I know about it. And yes, I know how to get it. Everything I need is in my truck."

Vidic said, "No. Not the cash in the safe. That's pocket change compared to what I'm talking about."

"I'm not keeping you around so you can waste my time on some dumb pipe dream."

"This is no dream. It's reality. It's something Paris and I have been working on for a while. It's already up and running. And it's set to bear fruit very soon. We'll cut you in if you help us now. And I'm not exaggerating. It will make you rich beyond your wildest dreams."

"Are you sure? My dreams are pretty wild."

"I'm sure."

"Then tell me more. Make me believe you."

—

Reacher and Knight set off together, strolling, taking their time. When they were halfway across the gap between the buildings a shadow broke away from the side of the motel. It split into four separate shapes. Arms and legs and heads came into focus. The guy who had tried to run Reacher off the day before was at the left-hand end of the line. He was wearing a black bike jacket, with sleeves this time, and jeans. The three other guys were dressed the same way.

The familiar guy looked at Knight. He said, "You can leave. Go back to your car. Drive away."

Knight said, "While you boys have all the fun? Not a chance."

The guy turned to Reacher. He said, "I told you if you came back you'd regret it."

Reacher said, "Shows what you know."

"What?"

"I'm having a great time." He glanced at Knight. "And the evening isn't over yet."

"It is over." The guy gave a signal with his right hand. The other three took a step forward. "For you."

"Really?" Reacher looked at each of the other guys in turn. He said, "You don't have to do this. You can walk away. Right now we're in a no-harm, no-foul situation. But when the first one of you tries something, all bets are off."

None of the three new guys said anything.

Knight said, "This is ridiculous. Where do you guys get off? Attacking a guy with a broken arm. You're pathetic."

The guy from the previous night pointed at Reacher. "That's on him. He should have thought before he came back."

A line of deep creases appeared along Reacher's forehead. He leaned toward the guy. "You have something in your hair. Is it lettuce? Didn't you shower after I threw you in the pig swill?" He stretched out his right arm as if he was going to brush something away with his finger. "Did you make it all the way to the farm before they let you out of that dumpster? Did you feel at home with the hogs?" The guy went to push Reacher's hand away but before he made contact Reacher jerked it back. He twisted his shoulders and transferred the momentum to his left arm. It shot out and around and his fist caught the guy on the hinge of his jaw. He fell sideways into his buddy and wound up sprawled on the ground at the guy's feet.

Reacher said, "Last chance. You can leave now, if you take your garbage with you."

The guys closed ranks and stepped closer to Reacher and Knight.

The one on the right said, "Or we could stay and take your chick."

The guy stuck out his tongue and leaned forward, like he was going to lick Knight's cheek. She kicked him in the balls. He jackknifed at the waist and made a sound somewhere between a cough and a scream. Knight punched him in the face. He staggered back like he was trying to find his footing on an icy sidewalk, stayed upright for another moment. Then crashed down onto the ground in a position that was almost the mirror image of the guy Reacher had hit.

The guy who was closer to Reacher held up both his hands. He started to slink away backward. He said, "This wasn't our idea. We don't want any trouble."

Reacher said, "You want to leave in one piece, you clean up. Take your trash with you."

The guy leaned down. He grabbed the original guy's arms. Hauled him up. Flipped him over his shoulder. And started toward the parking lot. His buddy did the same with the guy who had wound up on the ground nearer him.

Reacher said, "You're going the wrong way."

"What?"

He pointed to the gap between the diner and the motel. "Take them through there. Throw them in the pig swill."

"You don't mean it."

"Don't I?"

—

The Ford wasn't going anywhere under its own steam. That was clear. So when Kane had finished using his tools he took them toone of his guys' cars and started loading them into the trunk. Paris grabbed Vidic by the sleeve and pulled him aside, out of earshot.

She said, "Why the hell did you bring Kane on board? He's an oaf. A disgusting piece of crap. You know I can't stand him."

Vidic said, "All that is true. But he's a useful oaf. We would be heading to jail without him."

"Fair point. But telling him about the report? Cutting him in? I'd rather set the money on fire than give any of it to him."

"Don't worry, he won't see a cent. We're going to use him one more time. Then we'll dispose of him."

"How?"

"I have a plan. Similar to what we were going to do with Reacher."

"OK. And what are we going to use him for?"

"We have a problem. Those maniacs who snatched me from the Russians' house? They grabbed a woman at the same time because they thought she was you. They already had Bowery. He was really messed up. He also thought this woman was you. He started blabbing about the report. How it's worth a fortune so he promised it to the guys in return for his life."

"So this woman knows about it?"

"She does."

"Who is she?"

"I don't know for sure, but she's working with Reacher. Which means very soon, the FBI will find out about the report, too."

Paris turned and started toward the van.

Vidic said, "Stop. There's no point. Bowery didn't make it. He slipped away half an hour ago."

"On his own? Or did you help him?"

Vidic didn't answer.

Paris said, "You knew he was dead and you didn't say anything?"

"We were locked in the back of a van. If you'd known there was a corpse in there with us, what would you have done?"

Paris was silent for a moment. "I can't believe this is happening. We're so close. We can't fail now."

"We won't. I have a plan. A framework, anyway. I need to think. The time. The route. The location. They all have to dovetail perfectly. There's no room for error. And I need the answers quickly. This has to be done tomorrow."

—

Reacher and Knight waited for the guys to reappear. They watched them scuttle to the parking lot and jump into a beat-up old Chevy Camaro. Its motor was reluctant to start. It eventually caught, rough and raw, but it kept going long enough to get them out of sight.

Knight nodded toward the office. She said, "I'm going to get that room. It's kind of late. Do you want to stay? Try for a ride in the morning?"

Reacher said, "Sure."

"Good. I'll take care of it. But we're getting two rooms, OK?"

Reacher nodded. He watched her disappear through the door, then something else caught his eye. A triangle of light suddenly appeared in room2's window. A corner of the drape had been pulled back. It fell back into place and the window went dark again. Reacher figured a motel guest must have been disturbed by the noise. Not a problem in itself. But there was always the risk a nervous person might call the police.

Reacher stepped across to the door and knocked.

There was no response.

He knocked again and said, "Hey. I know you're in there. I just want to talk. No need to open the door all the way. Use the chain. Open it just a crack."

There was still no response.

Reacher knocked again. "Come on. I can do this all night. Can you?"

The door opened wide. A young woman was standing at the threshold. She had on a pink nightdress. She had long red hair and heavy makeup.

Reacher said, "You OK, miss?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"I noticed you peeking out from a corner of the drapes. I thought maybe you saw what happened with those guys. I wanted to reassure you. There's nothing to worry about. We're old friends. We've known each other since second grade. It was some harmless fun that got a little out of hand. You know how guys are. We'll shake hands and it'll all be forgotten in the morning."

"A, that's bullshit. B, you're way off base. And C, you want to make sure I didn't just dial 911."

"Did you?"

"That would be about the stupidest thing I could possibly have done. So no. I am a little pissed, though."

"How so?"

"You had a great chance. They were asking for it. You're obviously capable. But you didn't touch two of them. You let them walk away."

Reacher thought for a moment. "Are you working?"

"Not right now."

"But you do work from this room."

"Is that why you're here? To save my soul?"

Knight emerged from the office. She saw Reacher and came over to his side. She said, "What's going on?"

Reacher said to the woman in the nightdress, "I need to know if you saw someone, yesterday." He turned to Knight. "You got that photo of Gibson?"

Knight pulled out her phone. She fiddled with it for a moment. Found the picture. And said, "I have to warn you. This is an image of the victim of an accident. It shows a person who is no longer alive. Are you OK to look at it?"

The woman said, "You think I'm a blushing flower? Show me."

Knight held up the phone.

The woman said, "It's possible I saw him, I guess. My memory's a little foggy."

Reacher pulled out his bundle of banknotes and peeled off two twenties. He held them out. But he didn't let the woman take them.

She said, "I more than saw him. And not just yesterday."

Reacher said, "He was a regular customer?"

"Not one of my best. Not one of my worst."

"When you say you saw him yesterday, do you mean walking by? Going to another room?"

"He wouldn't dare. And the other girls wouldn't take him. No. I saw him in here. For the full ninety minutes."

Reacher let the woman take the two twenties. He peeled another two off his roll. "I have a couple more questions. They may sound strange but I need you to answer. There's no right or wrong. Nothing that can hurt you in any way. Just tell me what you remember, OK?"

"Go for it."

"When you were done, before he left, did you come to the door with him?"

"Sure. I gave him a kiss on the cheek and sent him on his way, like I always do."

"What were you wearing?"

"I wear whatever I get paid to wear. That particular guy likes—liked—me to be smart. Kind of like I was his boss at an office, or something. Like he was having an affair with a co-worker. Not—this. Weird, I know. But hey, I'm not judging."

"You took time out of the ninety to change?"

"It's all part of the fantasy. What he wanted. We finished up. Chilled for a few minutes. Then took a shower together. Got dressed. And pretended we were taking separate cars back to wherever we worked."

"What did you do after he left? Get ready for the next guy?"

"Not yesterday. I didn't have another appointment until the evening. So I went home for a while, did some laundry."

"What kind of car do you have?"

"A Crown Vic. Former cop car. Ironic, huh?"

—

Vidic walked over to one of the cars and opened the passenger door. Paris hurried after him. She grabbed his arm and said, "Wait. I'm still not sure about this. I think maybe I should do the flight. You do the drive."

Vidic smiled at her. He said, "Admit it. You just don't want to be in a car with Kane."

"Would you? But that's not the point. You were unconscious. Your IDs were in your wallet. Do you think Reacher saw them? Do you think he told anyone?"

"There's no way to be certain."

"Mine were in my purse. I think they're a safer bet. We should use one of mine."

"This is the sketchiest part of the plan. I get that. But I know how these guys work. It's better if I do it."

"You think?"

"There are no guarantees in this life, Paris. You know that. But this is our best shot. Trust me. Suck it up. A car ride with the asshole. Then a flight. That's all. Then we'll be free and clear."

—

Reacher thanked the woman and gave her the other two twenties. He turned and walked away. Knight kept pace and slipped her arm through his. She said, "I have a confession."

"What did you do?"

"I only booked one room."