Page 81 of Trust No One

Forty-five minutes later, Mel spotted Kingsley coming out of his building. “Here he comes,” she said. She frowned as she saw the briefcase. The sides were now bulging, and it looked heavy. Kingsley shifted it from his right hand to his left as he crossed the street. Back to his right hand as he entered the parking garage.

“Down,” Mel said, and all of them slid onto the floor again.

Kingsley walked more slowly this time, the briefcase tilting heavily. Once he’d passed them and began to move up the ramp, Mel lifted her head. All she saw was his lower legs and his feet. And the briefcase, which wasn’t swinging back and forth.

“That briefcase is heavy,” Mel said. “What do you think is in it?”

“The two million dollars he said he’d give us?” Dev said, shrugging.

“He was never going to give us money,” Mel said.

Dev shrugged. “He’d have to show it to us, even if it’s just to distract us before he kills us.”

“Maybe,” Mel said. “Two million bucks would be pretty heavy.”

“Okay, he’ll be driving down the ramp in a few moments,” she said. “Stay down.”

She crouched in the footwell of the back seat and listened for the loud engine of the Olds. The car sputtered, smoothed out, then clattered out of the parking spot and rumbled down the ramp.

The big vehicle sailed past them and stopped at the entrance. She lifted her head just enough to watch the Olds turn left.

“He’s gone,” she said. “Let’s go.”

Dev backed the car out of the parking spot and headed for the exit. The Olds wasn’t hard to spot. By the time they turned onto the street, four cars separated them.

“Good,” Dev said. “Gives us a little cover.”

He merged into the right lane so he could access the street that led to the park, but Kingsley didn’t take it. He kept going until he got to the expressway. Mel saw a sign for Dulles Airport, and Kingsley took that turn.

“Oh, my God,” she said. “He’s going to Dulles. He’s leaving the country.”

Chapter 28

Mel sat on the edge of the back seat and leaned forward, ignoring the pressure of the seatbelt as she eyed the white Oldsmobile several cars in front of them. Kingsley held his speed steady. Below the limit. No tail-gaiting. Did nothing that would make him stand out from the rest of the commuters.

But if she were a betting woman? She’d put money on Kingsley’s hands clenched around the steering wheel. His gaze flicking to the rearview mirror every few seconds, watching for a pursuer.

Maybe, if they were lucky, he’d look behind him once too often and veer into the deep median and roll over.

No. They weren’t lucky enough to get the chance to pull Kingsley out of a car and tighten flex cuffs on his wrists and ankles.

But she was determined to prevent him from getting on a plane.

Traffic slowed ahead of them, and they braked, as well. Gideon leaned to the side, trying to keep eyes on Kingsley’s car. Mel glanced at the sign above Interstate 495. The exit for Dulles was six miles ahead.

“Six miles of bumper-to-bumper traffic,” she muttered.

Dev glanced over his shoulder. “Better than full speed ahead traffic. He’s trapped as much as we are.”

Mel blew out a breath. Thank God for Dev’s calm. His mindset that constantly looked for the best option. The best route. The easiest approach to a target.

Thank Godshe’dbeen a ‘behind the scenes’ person at the CIA. She never would’ve lasted in operations.

And thank God Kingsley had been arrogant enough to use Larrimore’s car. The white Olds stood out in traffic, both for its size and because of its bright, shiny paint job. Had getting his car detailed been one of the last things Larrimore had done?

Poor bastard. Larrimore had been a terrible person and a disgrace to the military. But he hadn’t deserved to be shot in Rock Creek Park and likely buried in a shallow grave there.

Eventually they reached the turn-off for Dulles, and traffic moved more quickly. Dev said, “Odds are Kingsley’s bolting for a country with no extradition treaty with the U.S. But he might have to catch a connecting flight, so it’s anyone’s guess which terminal he’s heading for. Regardless, Gideon, you have your security card that lets you carry a weapon through security?”

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