Page 35 of In Too Deep

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Soon after Fletchergot his operation up and running at the cave he arranged to have a porta potty installed, just out of sight of the entrance. Everyone in the crew used it—reluctantly, in the warm weather—except Kane. He preferred to go behind one of the heaps of rocks. And not all the way behind if Paris was nearby. She knew what he was thinking when he smirked at her, slid a crate into the back of the van, and continued out into the fresh air. She hurried away from the entrance, deeper into the cave. Then she saw Fletcher heading outside, too, with his phone in his hand.

Paris grabbed Vidic by the arm and pulled him close. She said, “Quick. We only have a minute. What do you mean we’re taking Fletcher’s two million? Are you crazy?”

Vidic glanced toward the entrance. “I have it all figured out. It’s perfect. The cash will buy us time. Take the pressure off selling the report if there’s any problem getting the gold lined up. The alternative is to take something from the Russians, and I don’t want to do that. I don’t want those mad vindictive bastards on our asses for the rest of our lives. It’s better if they think Fletcher and Kane were the only ones involved.”

“Right. But how? We can’t move the safe. And Kane’s not going to do it for us.”

“The stranger’s going to. He’s big enough. I hope.”

“How will you get him here? What’s in it for him?”

“He’s on some kind of crazy revenge kick. I promised that if he helps me with the safe, I’ll give up Fletcher and Kane in return.”

“All he wants is Fletcher and Kane? He doesn’t want any money?”

“Well, yes. He thinks he’s getting half. But that’s not going to happen.”

“How—”

“Go. Quick. Kane’s coming back.”

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Knight went easieron the gas after the scare at the switchback. The arrow on the phone screen slowed so that it only just kept pace with the two dots. Knight made no further attempt to draw attention to it. She glanced across at Reacher a couple of times, then said, “No more recollections?”

Reacher shook his head.

“You can’t rush these things, I guess. How about your long-term memory?”

“It’s fine.”

“Good. So, like, for example, you could tell me your address?”

“Actually, no.”

“Oh. That’s not so good.”

“It’s not a problem. I don’t have an address.”

“You must have an address. Everybody has one.”

“Not me.”

“How come? Are you in the middle of moving? Lease ran out, haven’t found a suitable alternative?”

“I don’t rent a place.”

“So you sold your old house and haven’t moved into the new one yet?”

“I didn’t have a house to sell.”

“Then what happened? Was it the market crash in ’08? Interest ratesgoing up? That crazy inflation we had after COVID? Sorry. I don’t mean to be intrusive. But I’m a detective. It comes with the territory.”

“No problem.”

“So…”

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