Дэвид Балдаччи - End Game

Randall leapt forward and grabbed Reel by the neck. But a moment later he was lying on his face with Robie’s knee in his back and one hand on his neck, pinning him to the ground. When Randall reached for his gun, Robie blocked him and then leveled his own weapon against the man’s temple.

“You and your wife just assaulted a federal agent. We could arrest you both for that right now. But in the spirit of generosity from the government you loathe, we’ll let it pass. Don’t let there be a second time, because this is your only ‘get out of jail free’ card.”

Malloy squatted down next to Randall. “And that goes double from local law enforcement.”

Reel rose off a gasping Mrs. Randall while Robie removed his knee from her husband’s back. Randall scrambled to his feet while Lambert helped Mrs. Randall to hers. She staggered a bit and grabbed at her right leg.

“I’m gonna sue your ass off!” the woman screamed at Reel. “I think you tore something in my fucking knee.”

“Well, we can always hope,” said Reel.

“Please, everybody,” said Lambert. “Let’s just chill out here.”

“Good idea, Lambert,” said Robie. “Stick ’em both in the chill-out room. I think they could use it.”

He glanced at Hank, who was standing there looking helpless.

“Let’s hit the road,” said Robie.

They all walked toward the SUV. When Robie looked back the Randalls were screaming at Lambert and pointing at Robie and Reel.

As Robie and Reel passed by the chauffeur, the man said under his breath, “You just made my day.”

“Something going on you want to tell me about?”

Reel was looking at Robie in the lobby of their hotel. Hank had just dropped them off. Malloy had walked across the street to the police station to make some calls and check on things.

“About what?” Robie asked.

“You tell me.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” said Robie. “If I had something to tell you, I’d just tell you.”

“Okay,” said Reel, but she didn’t look convinced.

Robie’s phone buzzed and he groaned.

“What?” asked Reel.

“DCI’s office. She wants another update tonight.”

“Well, let’s spend the day trying to get an update for her.”

“Starting where exactly?” asked Robie.

“Everybody who knew about the prisoners in the van has disappeared: JC Parry, Clément Lamarre, and Blue Man.”

“Holly Malloy was connected to that and she didn’t disappear,” pointed out Robie.

“That’s true. But maybe they didn’t know she knew. The others might have done something to show their hand. And maybe they were planning to get to her, but Dolph beat them to it.”

“Okay, but where does that get us?”

In answer Reel pulled out her phone. “How about we get the Agency to dial up a satellite in this part of the sky to see if it saw the van that night and recorded something about it, the license plate, the direction it went, or even the destination?”

“Good idea,” said Robie. “Let’s do it.”

They went up to Reel’s room, where she made the call and laid out what she wanted.

She clicked off and said, “They’re going to see what they can do.”

“How long?”

“You heard me tell them to give it a top priority. I used the DCI update tonight as the stick.”

Three hours later she received a call back. Her expression told Robie all he needed to know. When she clicked off he said, “They found nothing?”’

“They didn’t have a bird pointed in that direction during the relevant time period. So there goes that.”

Robie said, “Wait a minute, didn’t Lambert say that they have a satellite-based network so they can monitor what’s going on outside the silo?”

“Yeah, he did.”

“You would think his bird would be pointed in the right direction. Meaning at the silo and the area around it. If memory serves me correctly, the silo’s in the same general vicinity as Clyde’s Stop-In.”

“We’ll need to get the details on the sat from Lambert in order to do that.”

“Which would mean explaining to him why we want it. The fewer people we loop in on this the better.”

Reel picked up her phone again. “Let’s see what they can do with the information we do have.”

She made the call and relayed what she wanted. Then Reel clicked off and looked at Robie. “They’re working on it.”

“Let’s hope they work fast. I don’t want to tell the DCI we have no progress to report.”

“I don’t care what she thinks,” shot back Reel. “I just want to find Blue Man alive.”

“So do I,” said Robie.

“Good, I’m glad we’re in agreement on that.”

They walked downstairs to the hotel restaurant to grab some lunch.

Midway through their meal Roark Lambert walked in, spotted them, and hurried over. He grabbed a chair and sat down at their table.

“How’re the Randalls?” asked Reel. “Still screaming?”

“Look, I’m sorry about that. I think I got them calmed down so they won’t sue.”

“I don’t give a crap if they do. They assaulted me. They can go to a federal prison for that. So they should be thanking me for not arresting them, not feeling generous for not suing me!”

“I pointed that out to them seven ways from Sunday, but in case you hadn’t noticed, they don’t listen too well,” Lambert retorted.

Reel said, “Piece of advice. If the world blows up and those two are in the silo, you might want to just put them in the chill-out room permanently, because I don’t see either of them playing well with others.”

Lambert nodded. “You’re probably right about that. Just about all the other owners are as nice as they can be. I’m sorry you had to run into the Randalls. They are not representative of the other folks. I know rich people get a bad rap, but the other owners are really good people. Considerate and respectful and reasonable.”

“I have no problem with rich people,” said Robie. “I’ve met rich and poor and people in the middle of the pay scale who are great, and I’ve come across people along that same spectrum who are jerks.”

Lambert said, “I think Randall’s daddy spoiled him. And his wife just enables that crappy attitude because I think she’s even worse than he is. I mean, she was screaming at him for not shooting you, Agent Reel. Slapping him in the face and everything. I finally had to hold her back. I mean, damn.”

“If he had tried to shoot me, he’d be dead,” said Reel. “I hope you know that.”

“I have no doubt,” said Lambert. “Anyway, they’re in their quarters now. Her knee will be fine. She’s got some ice on it.”

“Trust me when I say I wasn’t worried in the least about that,” said Reel.

Lambert cracked a smile. “I wish you two could be in the bunker when things go to hell.”

“ If they go to hell,” corrected Robie. “Remember, let’s think positive.”

With a hurried good-bye, Lambert rose and left them.

“I think he might be regretting this whole thing,” said Robie.

“He made his bunker, now he has to sleep in it. Literally.”

“So what do we do while we’re waiting on the agency to see if they can access Lambert’s satellite?”

Reel took a last sip of her iced tea. “Let’s check Blue Man’s cabin one more time.”

“Why? There was nothing there.”

“Blue Man is one of the most resourceful people either of us knows. There was no sign of a struggle at the cabin, so I don’t think he was taken completely by surprise. He might have known they were coming. If so, he would also know that people from the Agency would be dispatched to find him.”