Page 30 of So Insane

Tooley seemed to understand this as well and was desperate to minimize the trouble coming his way. He looked sick, although that could have something to do with the painkillers the EMTs had given him when they landed. The swelling had gone down enough that he could speak intelligibly, but with his broken nose, he sounded like he had the world’s worst cold. It would be comical if not for the subject of their conversation.

“I didn’t kill anyone, okay?”

“We didn’t say they were dead,” Michael pointed out.

“Oh, come on,” Tooley said, “if they weren’t dead, then why would you be talking to me?”

“Why do you think?” Kinzel asked drily.

“Why the hell would I kidnap a couple of randoms?” Tooley asked, lifting his hands as much as the shackles would allow, which wasn’t much. “What am I gonna gain from that? A few grand out of someone’s savings account?”

“That’s a few grand more than what you have now.”

“Still not worth the trouble,” Tooley said, “trying to drag a hostage across the mountains on foot. Come on, you can’t think I’m that stupid?”

“Intelligence doesn’t really strike me as your strong suit,” Michael replied.

“Bite me,” Tooley spat, temporarily forgetting the precariousness of his position.

Michael shrugged and made as though to leave. Kinzel followed suit and Tooley called, “Wait! Please don’t…” he struggled for something to say but only ended up more desperate. “Look, I didn’t do anything to them, okay? I ditched the bus and hitchhiked my way to Clearwater, then disappeared into the mountains. Yeah, I ripped off a few homes in Granger—just for food—but I didn’t kidnap anybody.”

“So what was the plan?” Kinzel asked. “Run north to Canada?”

“I hadn’t thought that far yet,” Tooley said. “My plan was to get to Seattle and figure it out from there.”

“Why Seattle?” Michael asked.

“Options,” Tooley replied. “I could go north to Vancouver and disappear in Canada, I could hitch my way south to Mexico, or I could book passage on a cargo ship and head East to try my luck somewhere else.”

Michael had to admit that was a plausible reason.

“How long have you been up in the mountains?”

“Two weeks,” he said. “Since ditching the prison bus.”

“And how many other people have you seen in that timeframe?”

“Other than you and the Heavyweight Champion of the World in the next room? No one. The point was not to see anyone else.”

Michael’s lips thinned slightly when he mentioned Faith. “Let’s say you did see someone else,” he said, “what would you do?”

“Become unseen as quickly as possible,” Tooley replied.

“So you wouldn’t attack them and try to roll them off of the mountain?” Michael asked.

His face paled, which was all the answer Michael needed. He leaned forward and said, “Tyler Stone and Clara Montpelier. Start talking.”

Tooley’s voice was practically a whine. “I don’t know. Agent Bold was the only other person I saw. I… look, I didn’t want to go back to Florence, okay? They have a yard underground. The only sunlight I get comes through a four-inch-wide window.”

“Too bad you decided to kidnap a senator’s daughter and try to murder a federal agent,” Michael said.

“I didn’t…” his voice trailed off, and he lowered his eyes.

“Sit tight,” Michael said. “We’ll be back with you in a few hours.”

“Can I lie down somewhere?” Tooley asked.

Michael and Kinzel ignored him and left the room. Outside, Kinzel sighed and rubbed his eyes. “I’m too old for this all-nighter crap.”

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