Page 10 of In Too Deep

Vidic kept going north, pushinghard, until they reached a string of tight switchbacks. Then he eased off the gas a little. The shoulder broadened as they approached a second turn and Reacher saw a set of skid marks snaking across the pale asphalt. The rubber looked dark and fresh, and beyond it he saw a half demolished tree at the side of the road and a gap that had been torn in the safety rail.

Reacher said, “This is where the accident happened?”

Vidic glanced across at him. “You recognize it?”

“No. I just put two and two together. Now pull over. I want to take a look.”

“That’s not a good idea. The police—”

“Pull over.”

The tone of Reacher’s voice left no room for debate. Vidic did as he was told.

Reacher climbed out of the Jeep and moved closer to the spot where the skid marks began. They were a curious shape. The tracks started out as one pair, straight and parallel. Then they divided. Aloop ballooned to the right, all the way onto the shoulder, then curved back and rejoined the straight part. But only briefly. For maybe a foot. Then the marks careened to the left, winding up on the wrong side of the center line. Finally, almost at the apex of the curve, the marks disappeared. All of them. The pattern reminded Reacher of a rock star from a few years back who had started using a weird symbol in place of his name.

“Come on.” Vidic appeared at Reacher’s side. “Let’s get out of the road. It’s not safe. You don’t know how people around here drive.” He took Reacher’s arm and tried to pull him toward the shoulder.

“The vehicle rolled?” Reacher gestured to the spot where the skid marks ended.

“Right.” Vidic pulled harder. “The back end stepped out heading into the bend. Gibson recovered it—almost—but he overcompensated. Fishtailed the opposite way. Might have just slid off the road if he wasn’t going so fast. Might have missed the tree.”

“You said he was driving a Lincoln?”

“Right. A Navigator. New-ish. I doubt there was anything wrong with it.”

“An SUV?”

“Yes. A tall one. Probably top heavy. That could have contributed to the rollover, I guess.”

“Was it four-wheel drive?”

Vidic shrugged. “Maybe. Or all-wheel drive. Or only rear. I don’t know. I’m a Jeep guy.”

“What color was it?”

“Black. Why? What difference does that make?”

“Just trying to get the full picture. Maybe jog my memory.” Reacher had hoped that a sight or a smell or just being at the accident sitewould shake something loose, but nothing was coming back to him. It was like opening a door and staring into a pitch-dark room. He could sense something was there, but he had no idea what it was.

Vidic didn’t reply.

Reacher said, “Where’s the Lincoln now? Did it get towed?”

“No.” Vidic pointed to the gap in the safety rail. “It should still be over there.”

Reacher walked across and looked down, but he couldn’t see much. The whole gully was in deep shadow.

Vidic caught up and tugged at Reacher’s arm again. “We shouldn’t be here. If the police find us—”

Reacher said, “You pulled me up from the bottom of that crevasse?”

Vidic shook his head. “The Lincoln landed here, on the shoulder. On its wheels. Fletcher told me to push it over the edge after we were done saving you and recovering Gibson’s body. I think he was hoping it would catch on fire.”

“You called him?”

“I had to.”

“When you found out about Gibson? At the motel by the highway?”

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