Ли Чайлд - The Sentinel

‘Nothing interesting.’

‘Anyone having an affair?’

‘No.’

‘Anyone being pressured to vote a particular way?’

‘Nothing about voting.’

‘Anyone taking bribes?’

‘No.’

‘Any money missing?’

‘Nothing like that.’ Rutherford blipped the gas and swung around a garbage truck.

‘Maybe you picked up some information without realizing. The email from the dead journalist, for example. Could there have been any kind of message hidden in it?’

‘No.’ Rutherford slowed as a minivan pulled out of a driveway. ‘There were no attachments. And her messages were just simple questions about property records. From the 1940s or 50s, I think. Nothing I have any knowledge about, anyway.’

‘What about the regular mail? Did you receive anything unusual? At home, or at the office?’

‘No. I get hardly any mail. Beside bills. And junk.’

‘Have you bought anything recently? An old book? A painting? A piece of furniture? A car? Some vintage clothes? Anything a document or a computer disc could be concealed in?’

‘I got some new Blu-rays. But the ones I haven’t watched yet are still sealed up in their wrappers.’

‘Have there been any other coincidences? Like the journalist contacting you, then winding up dead?’

‘I can’t think of any. My life really isn’t very exciting. All I did was work for the town.’

‘I believe you, Rusty. But if I find out you were moonlighting for NASA or the CIA, I’m going to be pissed.’

‘I wish. But can you really see a bunch of rocket scientists or spies knocking on my door? Asking for my help? I told you about my only side project. The one I was working on with my friend. And it’s worthless. It didn’t work. Nobody wants it. Not even me.’

Reacher left Rutherford in the car like he was a kid. Or a dog.

It wasn’t a decision Reacher was entirely happy with. He knew there were risks. He’d heard there were laws against leaving kids in cars. He wasn’t sure about dogs. But the risks Reacher was worried about were different ones, anyway. He wasn’t concerned about overheating or dehydration or the vehicle getting stolen with Rutherford strapped inside it. He was thinking about the odds of a guy like Marty passing by. Spotting Rutherford. Pulling out a burner phone. Summoning the cavalry. Or of Detective Goodyear recognizing his friend’s car and starting in with questions that Reacher wasn’t ready to answer. Not yet. Which was the whole point of his being there. Risk versus reward. The opportunity to test a theory. To join some vital dots. Or to find out he was wrong.

Either way, just as valuable.

Either way, better to hurry.

Officer Rule was still behind the counter when Reacher got to the basement. She looked up from a form she was working on and Reacher swore he saw her eyes brighten when she spotted him. Or perhaps he just hoped they did.

‘Mr Reacher,’ she said. ‘Any luck finding Rusty Rutherford?’

‘False alarm,’ Reacher said. ‘Turns out he’s fine. I could use your help with something else, though.’

Officer Rule folded her arms. ‘Who’s missing this time?’

‘No one. It’s about a recent case. A murder. A journalist who was found cut into pieces. I read about it in the paper. I need to know one thing. When the parts of her body were dumped, were they stuffed into suitcases?’

All traces of good humour disappeared from Officer Rule’s face. ‘That’s an awful case. I can’t discuss it. You know that. Detective Goodyear’s handling it. You can ask him. But he won’t tell you either.’

‘Is he here?’

‘Not right now.’

‘I only have the one question. It’s a yes or no answer. Please?’

‘You know I can’t.’

‘Would you if you could?’

‘Maybe.’

‘Then how about a trade? I scratch your back. You scratch mine.’

Officer Rule paused. ‘What have you got?’

‘There’s a woman who works at the diner opposite Rutherford’s building. Holly. She has a boyfriend–’

‘Who’s an air thief she’s so embarrassed about she won’t even admit he exists to her co-workers?’ Officer Rule shook her head. ‘They know anyway, of course. Makeup can only cover so many bruises. But if you’re trying to tempt me with a domestic violence beef, you can forget it. I’ve been down that road with Holly before. It goes nowhere. She won’t cooperate.’

‘What if you could put an end to the domestic violence without needing Holly’s help? And put a major feather in your cap at the same time.’

‘How could I do that?’

‘How long has the boyfriend been on the scene?’

‘A couple of years, at least.’ Officer Rule frowned. ‘I don’t know exactly when he showed up. I’m just going by when I first saw bruises and started asking questions.’

‘Did you run the guy’s name through the computer?’

‘Of course. He came back clean.’

‘Are you sure it was his real name?’

Officer Rule shrugged.

‘Did you run his prints?’ Reacher said.

‘No. I couldn’t arrest him. Holly wouldn’t press charges and there was no other evidence it was him who hit her.’

‘Has he been arrested for anything else in the last couple of weeks? Since the computers have been locked down?’

‘I don’t know. Without the computers it’s not as easy to keep up with who’s doing what as it normally is. Why?’

‘I think you should check,’ Reacher said. ‘I think you’ll find he was arrested recently. And I think there’s another reason Holly keeps him secret.’

‘Like what?’

‘Could you do some digging and find out if he gave you his real name? And if he has any aliases?’

‘Maybe. If I had a good reason to.’

‘Do you have any friends you could call in other police departments? Ones with working computers who could run whatever names you find?’

‘Maybe. If you tell me why.’

‘The guy who gave me a ride into town yesterday is an insurance agent. He’s here to negotiate the ransom that needs to be paid so that you can get your computers back up. Holly saw me get out of his car. Then she eavesdropped on my conversation with Rutherford at the diner and got the wrong end of the stick. She thought I worked for the insurance company too, which is why she called in those goons to tell me to back off. The question is, why would she do that? Who could benefit from keeping the computers offline?’

Officer Rule frowned. Then blinked. Then her smile returned brighter than ever. ‘Someone who’s wanted in another jurisdiction.’

‘I’d go one further,’ Reacher said. ‘I’d guess someone wanted in another jurisdiction for something serious. Something where the statute of limitations is about to time out.’

‘Which is why he’s been lying low for so long, sponging off poor Holly. He slipped, but at just the right time – for him – because our routine computer checks were impossible. Why is it that assholes have all the luck?’

‘Maybe his luck’s about to change.’

‘I’d happily change it for him. If those phone calls pan out. And if I could find him.’

‘Maybe, acting on a hunch, you could take a look in Holly’s back yard. Any time in the next ninety minutes should do it.’

‘For real?’

Reacher nodded.

‘Maybe I will take a look in her yard. Maybe you’re right about the suitcases, too. But you didn’t hear that from me. It was kept away from the press for fear of copycats. And as a test for anyone claiming to be a witness.’

‘Thank you, Officer Rule. And good luck with your phone calls.’

‘Reacher, wait. I have a question for you. How did you know?’

‘About Holly’s boyfriend?’