Page 64 of In Too Deep

The two guys looked at each other and shrugged.

The first one said, “This guy, Reacher. Maybe he took it?”

The other said, “Why not take the Caddy? Or the Jeep? That truck was a dog. You’re better off without it.”

“Do you need another vehicle? We can take you wherever you need to go.”

Kane said, “I don’t need the truck. But I do need the tools that are in it.”

—

Kane figured hehad two decisions to make. Whether to see if Fletcher and Vidic were still in the house. And whether it was still worth going to the cave, even without his tools. He decided not to go back inside. The FBI could arrive at any moment. And if they found Fletcher and Vidic that could work to his advantage. They would be occupied with arresting them. Processing them. They would have questions to ask. Procedures to follow. Those would all take time. If they found the place empty that would leave more agents free to search for him. He checked his pocket. He still had the key to the box van. Not as convenient as a heap of cash, but better than nothing.

Chapter26

Knight slowed down to aregular speed after a couple of miles, but she didn’t say anything until she reached the motel by the highway. She pulled into the same space she had used before and left the engine running. She turned to Reacher and said, “Is this where you need to be? Or do you want me to leave you somewhere else?”

Reacher said, “This is fine.”

Knight was silent for a moment. Then she nodded toward the diner. “Want to at least get a coffee before you go?”

“Sure. Coffee is always good.”

Knight switched off the engine. They both got out and Reacher led the way past the line of motel room doors, to the diner’s entrance.

Hannah May was working that evening. She smiled when she saw Reacher and Knight walk in and offered them a table by the window. Reacher declined. He preferred the one he’d used before, tucked away at the back.

Knight talked about her childhood, growing up in Arizona.Reacher told her about the different military bases he had lived on as a kid. The different countries. What was the same. What was different. Knight shared her favorite memories of college. Reacher told her about West Point. The place he’d remained in for the longest time, and for more than three decades his principal experience of the United States.

Hannah May arrived with a second coffee refill. She said, “Want anything to eat with that? We have a special pie today. Rhubarb.”

Knight said, “I’ll try some of that.”

Reacher said, “I’ll stick with peach. I’ll take a burger, too. With fries.”

Knight said, “I’ll have a BLT. Heavy on the bacon. Light on the rest.”

They shared war stories from the early years of their careers while they waited for their food. They talked about their best cases. Their worst. The ones that got away. The ones they couldn’t forget.

They settled into a comfortable silence as they ate, and when Hannah May tried to top up their coffee mugs for a fourth time Reacher stopped her. He dropped some cash on the table. Knight matched it. Then they stood up and stepped outside.

The sun had gone down by the time they came out. The lamps mounted on tall polls in the parking lot cast long shadows. There was a chill in the air. Reacher noticed Knight shiver.

Reacher scanned the parking lot. No vehicles were moving.

Knight saw what he was doing. She said, “Could be hard finding a ride at this time.”

Reacher said, “Could be.”

“I’m going to get myself a room. Walk with me to the office?”

—

Kane was ridingup front in the lead car. The driver made the turn into the track between the spoil heaps a little fast, jinked to the left,and slammed on his brakes. He had come within an inch of hitting another vehicle. A Ford F-150. Its nose was buried in the dirt, there were bullet holes in its windshield, and its rear tire was blown.

Kane jumped out of the car and hurried around to take a closer look at his truck. It was in the last place he had expected to find it. And he couldn’t understand how it had come to get shot up. The only thing he could figure was that Reacher had taken it from the Russians’ house. Driven it here looking for Paris. And that Paris must have gotten away on foot, climbed the heap, and shot at Reacher as he tried to chase her. There was no body in the cab, though. Which was a shame.

Kane looked up. It was too dark to make anything out at the top of the heap. He called out, “Paris? You up there? You OK?”

---