Дэвид Балдаччи - End Game

“And you heard this from who?” asked Reel.

“Lots of people.”

“A nurse at the rehab said that Walton used JC Parry’s name when he came to see you. Why would that be? What’s the connection?”

“JC was my friend. I called him from rehab and told him about what Clément had said. Next thing I know, this Walton guy shows up.”

“So presumably Parry talked to Walton and asked him to come and talk to you about it?” said Robie.

“Yeah, I guess so. I didn’t know who else to call.”

“What about your sister?” pointed out Robie. “She’s the law out here.”

“I... I didn’t think she’d believe me.”

Robie studied her and decided she was telling the truth. “Did you tell Walton what Clément had told you?”

“Yes, everything.”

“And what did he say to that?”

“That he would look into it.”

“We know he only visited you once while you were in rehab. Did you talk to him again by phone?”

“No. And then I got out of rehab and then, I guess, Mr. Walton had disappeared.”

Robie looked at Reel.

“Parry has disappeared too,” he told Holly.

“Oh shit. Do you, I mean, do you think I’m...?” She couldn’t seem to finish.

“In danger? If I had to hazard a guess, I’d say, yeah, you are.”

“Where do you plan to go with Luke Miller?” asked Reel.

“California. Start over. I know I’ve screwed up big-time, but I graduated from college early, and I’m still only twenty-five. I want to get my master’s and Ph.D. at Stanford, prove myself again. I want to teach.”

“Where’s Luke now?”

“The police released him this morning. We’re supposed to hook up tonight and then head out.”

“Hook up where?”

“There’s this place we used to go to. We’re the only ones who know about it.”

“Like last night, you mean?” said Robie.

Holly looked indecisive. “You’re really scaring me.”

“Then I’m really doing my job,” countered Robie.

Reel said, “And if you really want to start over, do you want to take Luke with you for the ride?”

“I told you, he’s not a bad guy. Hell, he has marketing and computer science degrees from Northwestern and has designed mobile phone apps. He just got kind of burned out like me, came out to the middle of nowhere, and basically wasted years of his life. He’s going to get on with a really successful company out in Silicon Valley when we get to California. He’s already interviewed and everything and they made him an offer. He didn’t tell them what he’s been doing out here, of course. He’s only been hanging out with those idiots for a few months anyway. He’s never even been arrested. He’s going to support us while I go to school and get back on my feet. We’re going to get married and we want to have kids.”

Robie said, “Well, that sounds like a plan. I never would have guessed he was like that just by looking at him. But, like a book cover, you shouldn’t judge.”

Holly said pleadingly, “I have to get to Luke. And I have to get the hell out of here. Can you help me do that? We just want to have a life together.”

Robie looked at Reel. “Hey, people in love, right? They deserve a shot.”

Reel said nothing to this. She just stared stonily at Robie.

He returned his gaze to Holly.

She said tearfully, “So you can help me?”

“Yeah, I think we can,” he answered.

The night was as dark as it was going to get. There was no ambient light here, which meant it should have been an amazing night for stargazing. However, a storm system had moved in over the Rockies and marched its way to eastern Colorado. The rain had not started yet, but it was not far off.

Robie, Reel, and Holly Malloy sat in their Yukon, its lights off, and watched the road. There was a shack up here, long abandoned, that Luke and Holly had used as a meeting place. It was remote, just like everything was remote here. One road in and one road out.

Robie, in the driver’s seat, looked back at Holly in the second row of seats. Just beyond that, in the rear cargo area was their hard-sided case with the weaponry they had picked up after landing in Colorado.

“I hope he’s not coming on the motorcycle, or else you two are going to be drowned before you get to Denver.”

“He rented a car. He sold his bike.”

Robie nodded, but something was nagging at him. They had gotten here a couple hours early just in case.

But still.

“Were you two planning to leave that night at the B and B?”

“Yes.”

“But you took time out to have sex? How stupid was that? You should have just hit the road. Then they never would have been able to find you.”

“I’m not sure about that. We would have for sure run into them on the way out of town.”

“It was still stupid,” said Robie.

“But we’d never been to that place before. And Luke said no one knew that he was leaving. We met up at the B and B because no one would expect us to go there. It’s been shut down for over a year now.”

“But still,” persisted Robie.

Holly looked sheepish. “Shit, Luke got horny, okay? He’s a guy, what can I say? And he was insistent that they had no idea where he was. So I thought it was okay. It wasn’t like it was going to take long,” she added, her gaze averted from Robie.

Robie looked at Reel. Her gaze moved back and forth across the landscape in front of them. It was mostly flat, only occasionally obscured by some higher, rocky ground. There were patches of trees scattered here and there, but the sight lines were still excellent. They could see anyone coming.

But still.

He moved a bit in his seat and his hand reached out and automatically touched the butt of his M11.

Reel must have noticed this because she glanced at him. Their gazes met, and in a wordless display of communication everything that needed to be said was said.

Robie looked into the rearview. Though there was little light he could still make out Holly’s strained features.

Now what had been bothering Robie finally percolated to the surface.

“Holly, how did you arrange to meet with Luke at the B and B in town?”

She glanced at him, one hand clinging tightly to the handle of her suitcase.

“I texted him. He texted me back. That’s how we usually do it. The cell reception out here isn’t the best, so you can’t always hear the person if you call. But the texts seem to work okay.”

Now Reel stirred in her seat. Next to her was her sniper rifle, the stock of it resting on the floorboard and the muzzle pointed to the ceiling.

She said, “Where did Luke get his phone?”

This was just the question Robie was about to ask.

“His phone?”

“Yeah. They’re not cheap. You have to get a call plan with it. Did he do all that himself?”

“I... I don’t know.”

Robie glanced out the windshield again. “Well, try to remember.”

Holly thought for a few more seconds. “Come to think, I do recall Luke telling me that the skinheads gave him the phone. If you can believe it they had some type of business plan set up for all—”

Reel cut in. “Did you and Luke text about meeting tonight?”

“Well, yeah. Why?”

“How did they know you were meeting with Luke at the B and B?” said Robie. “They had to know because they came roaring into town and went right there a few minutes after he got there.”

“I... are you saying—?”

“They give out the phones with malware on them,” said Robie.

“So they can listen in or read every communication,” added Reel. Her hand slipped down to her rifle even as they heard a car approaching. Two dabs of light could be seen coming along the road toward them.