Chapter 38

Reacher looked up. He saw two versions of Knight standing at the side of the house, next to the railing. He blinked one copy away and saw that her eyes were wide. She was breathing hard. She said, "Don't kill him. He needs to stand trial. Everyone should know what he's done. He should pay the price, the legal way. That's what my father would have wanted. I know that now."

Reacher lowered his foot, then crouched down and checked Kane's pockets. The first was empty. There was a bunch of coins in the second. And a memory stick. Reacher pulled it out. He set it down on the deck. Took the gun from Kane's waistband and used the butt like a hammer. He smashed the memory stick and swept the broken fragments into the water. Then he steadied himself, straightened up, and looked at Knight. He said, "Go ahead. He's all yours."

—

Agent Devine was waiting in the little customs and immigration area at the Fort Lauderdale executive airport when Reacher and Knight got there. She had sent two agents outside to arrest McLeod, and two more to accompany Kane to the hospital and secure him there. Knight stepped up to the desk when she was called by the officer. She showed her passport, answered a couple of questions, and was allowed to formally reenter the country. Devine waited for theglass doors to slide closed behind her, then turned to Reacher. She said, "So, the Bahamas. Do you think Kane wanted to retire to the beach and count his gold? Or is there some other attraction tothe place? I've never been."

Reacher kept a neutral expression on his face. It could have been a genuine question. It could have been an attempt to kick-start some small talk. But he figured it was more likely that Devine was trying to find out if he had read the Cone Dynamics report. The information it contained could conceivably lead to a nuclear attack against the United States. If that happened, someplace upwind of the radioactive fallout would be the best location to hunker down. And if the world economy was decimated in the aftermath, there would be no better currency than gold.

Reacher said, "I have no idea. I doubt Kane did, either. Vidic picked the location. He found the house. The landing strip. It was all Vidic's plan."

"Vidic. Albatross. Whoever picked that cover name must have been able to see the future. I'm glad Vidic is out of the picture, but I'm not going to lie. Things would be a lot neater if you'd finished Kane, as well, when you had the chance."

Reacher said, "Knight wanted her father's killer to stand trial. I guess I'm just a romantic at heart."

"This isn't romance. This is a mess. If Kane goes to trial, there's no doubt he'll play for a deal. He'll threaten to spill what he knows to the press. And once we start down that road, it's only a matter of time until something leaks."

"You said, if he goes to trial."

Devine didn't reply.

Reacher said, "Jails are depressing places. People get suicidal thoughts. Sometimes they act on them. Maybe I'll be reading a paper one day soon. Maybe there'll be a story about how Kane hanged himself in his cell. In fact, I'm pretty sure I've read that story before. More than once. Just with different names."

Devine said, "I couldn't comment on that." Then she lowered her voice. "I think it's more likely that Kane will need surgery due to his head injury. He won't make it off the table. A tragedy, yes, but so commonplace it won't even make the papers." Then she turned to the officer and flashed her badge. "This man's passport was destroyed during an official Bureau operation. Any follow-up, send it to me."

—

Reacher and Devine walked side by side toward the glass exit doors. They were frosted but Knight's silhouette was still easily recognizable. Devine stopped. She said, "You go ahead. There's something else here I need to deal with. Goodbye, Reacher. And good luck, wherever the future takes you."

Devine turned and made her way back to the immigration desk. Reacher stepped forward. The doors slid open and he walked outside. Knight moved over to stand in front of him. She pulled something out of her purse. A felt-tip pen. Then she took Reacher's right hand and lifted his arm until his wrist was horizontal. His fracture had been reset at a clinic in Andros Town before they left the island. It was encased in regular plaster of Paris, this time. Old school, plain white, and itchy as hell in the heat. Knight started to write on the rough surface. She set out a string of digits. Thirteen, altogether, followed by an x and an o.

She said, "That's an ISBN number. You can use it to identify a specific book. I would have ordered a copy for you online, but I didn't know where to send it. Maybe you'll pass a bookstore on your travels. If you do, buy a copy. You'll need it."

Reacher said, "What for?"

Knight dropped the pen back in her purse and took out a piece of folded paper. She handed it to Reacher. He straightened it out. It was covered with more numbers, all grouped together in sets of three.

Reacher said, "It's a book code?"

"I put it together last night, at the hotel, when it turned out it was too late for the plane to take off. I wanted to say a few things but I was having a hard time getting my words straight. It's about my father. About Kane. About you helping to catch him. And not killing him when I asked you not to. How I feel about all of that. The code seemed like a good way to do it. That way you can't read it right away. It's still a little raw for me, and it's not like I can email you later."

"There's a great bookstore in New Orleans. I'll hit them up the minute I get to town."

"Do that. And, Reacher? There's one other thing in there. My phone number. If you're ever near Phoenix, use it. When we met I tried to bring you a fake breakfast, as a trick. One day I'd like to buy you one, for real."