Дэвид Балдаччи - The Escape

The light turned green but Puller didn’t move. A car behind them honked.

“Keep driving,” she said. “Like you said, we have ten minutes.”

Puller drove through the intersection. About a minute later Knox said, “I told you I wasn’t who I appeared to be.”

“And I told you that was no surprise to me.”

“But what if–” She stopped and looked out the window.

“What if what?” said Puller.

She turned to face him. “Pull over.”

“What?”

“Pull over to the curb. We can walk the rest of the way. If we’re a little late, I’m sure the general and Mr. Schindler won’t mind. In fact, walking might be faster than riding in a car in this traffic.”

Miraculously, Puller found a parking spot on the next block, pulling in as another car was pulling out.

They had walked for half a block when she looked up at him and touched the sleeve of his uniform. He had put his cover on as soon as they had exited the car.

“Nice hat. And I meant to tell you that you look really handsome in dress blues. Quite imposing.”

“You look really good too, but I’m waiting to hear what you have to say.”

“My being assigned to this case was no coincidence. I was assigned because you were assigned.”

“And what was your task?”

“To keep tabs on you and report back. Which I have done.”

“Is that all?”

She lightly punched him in the arm. “What, that’s not enough for you?”

“It’s past flirting time, Knox.”

She grew serious at once and looked ahead as they walked. “No, it’s not all. The transformers?”

“What about them?” Puller said warily.

“I made them go away. Along with the tech, Jordan.”

Puller stopped walking, something she didn’t realize for a few more steps. She strode slowly back to him, her brow creased with concern.

He said, “You made critical evidence in a criminal investigation go away? That’s obstruction.”

“It wasn’t on my authority, I can assure you. It was on orders.”

“From who?”

“My superiors.”

“I’d like names, ranks, and serial numbers. And I’d like them right now.”

“I’m afraid I can’t go there.”

“You just admitted to a crime, Knox, a felony.”

“I’ll never be tried for it, Puller. Just the way things work in my world.”

“But not in mine.”

“In case you hadn’t noticed, you’re in my world, not yours, because that’s where your brother lived.”

“Why did you make the evidence disappear?”

“Because it would have shown traces of an explosive device.”

“So it was sabotaged?”

“They couldn’t let that go to chance, Puller. Just like the generator. It was intentionally gummed up.”

“And the two techs?”

“Clueless about it. Easy enough to do. Macri and her cronies had no problem with that.”

“And you know this how?”

She started to walk again and Puller matched her pace.

“We have a problem, Puller, a big one. We have a traitor in our ranks. Maybe more than one. No, assuredly more than one. Maybe a lot of them. And they are highly placed. They got your brother sent to DB. They have wreaked damage on this nation’s security. They are no doubt planning something else, something big.”

“So why am I here, then, Knox, if you know all this? Why was I invited to the party?”

“That’s the critical question, Puller. Why were you invited to this party? I haven’t found anyone who can answer that to my satisfaction.”

“Generals Rinehart and Daughtrey and James Schindler told me that they thought because of my connection to my brother that I would have insights others wouldn’t. They thought it gave the best chance to find him.”

“Maybe, maybe not.”

“Well, since we’re going to dinner with two of them, why don’t we ask?”

“That’s exactly what you can’t do. When I said this goes high, I meant it might go to Mount Everest.”

“Schindler is on the NSC. He’s the president’s man. And Rinehart is in line for the Joint Chiefs. Are you telling me they’re traitors?”

“I’m not telling you they are and I’m not telling you they aren’t, because I don’t know. What I do know is we have to find out the truth before a very large shoe drops somewhere. It might already have for all I know.”

“Well, you seem to know a lot more than me.”

“In certain discrete parts that may be true. But I don’t know the why or who, just like you said before. And until we know those things we might as well know nothing.”

“But why take the transformers? Why cover that up?”

“We don’t want them to know that we know. If they go deeper underground we may never unearth them.”

“And Macri? The men who kidnapped me?”

“I can’t explain them, Puller. I don’t know if they’re part of the conspiracy or another faction that we‘re not aware of.”

“And the guys in the alley?”

“If I knew I’d tell you.”

“You sure about that.”

“Don’t throw that in my face.”

He stopped walking again. “You don’t think I’ve earned that right?”

She sighed. “The short answer is, you have earned that right.” She suddenly gripped his arm. “But I’m pleading with you not to go there, not now. You can kick me in the ass later, after this is all over.”

He glanced at her backside. “I can promise you that,” said Puller.

THEY WALKED UP the front steps of the Army-Navy Club and into the well-lighted foyer. The main dining room was to the right, but Puller was unsure of exactly where the dinner with Rinehart and Schindler was to take place. As he removed his cover his problem was solved by a man in a suit hurrying over to them.

“Chief Puller? Ms. Knox?”

“I’m Puller.”

“And I’m Knox.”

“Please follow me. You’ll be in a private dining area upstairs.”

They followed the man to the second floor and then down a long hall.

Three men were waiting when they entered the small dining room. The man who had escorted them left, closing the door behind him. The three men rose. One was Rinehart in his dress blues, his chest looking armored with all the medals. Another was James Schindler in a black suit, white shirt, and blood-red tie. Rinehart introduced the third man, who was also dressed in a suit and tie. He was about fifty, fit and trim, with grayish blond hair cut haphazardly. One side of his face had sustained some type of catastrophic damage and had since been repaired, but not well. The eye socket, cheek, and jawline on that side looked more than a bit cadaverous. And it looked like the eye was made of glass.

Rinehart said, “This is Donovan Carter. He’s head of DTRA.”

Puller did his best to keep his features inscrutable at this announcement, though he found it hard. The head of DTRA was also the director of the WMD Center. So this was Susan Reynolds’s ultimate boss?

Puller introduced Knox to the men and they all shook hands.

As soon as they sat down the salads were served and glasses of white wine poured. When the servants had left them to munch their lettuce and grape tomatoes and sip their chardonnay, Rinehart looked at Puller and said, “A lot has obviously happened. We’d appreciate a full report.”

Puller shot Carter a glance and then gazed back at Rinehart.

The general said, “He’s been fully read in, Puller.”

Puller wanted to ask why that was but couldn’t think of a way to do it that wouldn’t seem insubordinate.

Puller began to deliver his briefing, going point by point. When he was done he avoided glancing at Knox for fear that she might have been staring at him for what he had left out. His kidnapping and his guardian angel. The transformers being covered up by Knox. The hit man coming to the DB to kill his brother. His suspicions about Reynolds. And what they had discovered about Niles Robinson.