Page 99 of Free Fall (The Quantico Files 3)

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The morning had passed slowly for Logan. But at least he was finally able to eat regular food at lunch—broiled chicken and green beans. He was surprised by how good it was.

He was trying to back off the pain medication, but it was taking longer than he wanted. When the pain was too bad, he’d push the button. Although he didn’t like how it made him feel, the relief was almost immediate.

About one o’clock, he couldn’t stand it anymore. He’d just pressed the button when a nurse walked into his room.

“How’s the pain?” she asked.

“Not good. I don’t want to keep pushing this button, but I can’t help it.”

She leaned over the bed and looked closely at him. “I think you need to see the doctor,” she said. “I’ll see if she’s still in the hospital.”

A few minutes later, Dr. Schmeidler came in. “Tell me what’s going on.”

“Sorry to bother you, but the pain in my head is getting worse instead of better.”

She walked up to the bed and frowned. “I was leaving the hospital when I suddenly felt like I needed to check on you. I’m sending you down to radiology for a CT scan. I want to make sure you haven’t developed a blood clot. Hold on.”

She left, and a few minutes later two nurses came into the room. They disconnected him from a couple of the machines, but they kept his IV in. Then they scooted his bed and the metal stand holding his IV bag out of the room and down the hall, past some double doors, and into a room with a huge machine.

He prayed silently as they transferred him to the large round device and pushed him inside.

Alex spent the afternoon preparing for her date. This was it. Tonight it would be over. She washed her hair and bathed the best she could. Then she used the makeup provided in a small bag under the sink in the quasi-bathroom. It wasn’t exactly what she was used to, but it would have to do. She dressed carefully and brushed out her hair. She assumed this was how he’d last seen the girl he was looking for.

It was difficult to put on the dress, but she had no choice. And at least it fit her perfectly, as did the shoes. The dress had something to do with his obsession. The woman who’d fueled his rage must have worn something similar. But the question now was, how many people did she have to worry about? Was there one guy? Two guys? Or could there actually be three? She was determined to play whatever role she had to so they could get out of here. No matter what it took, Alex had made up her mind that this was the last day she would spend here.

Logan tried to watch TV, but he kept nodding off. At least if he were asleep, he might dream something pleasant instead of thinking about what nightmare Alex could be going through. He’d just decided to give in to sleep when Jeff walked in.

“Not planning to stay long,” he said. “On my way home. But I need to bring you up-to-date.”

“Thank you. It’s all I can think about.”

Jeff shared everything the ex-carnie had told Agent Williams. “And now we have a name,” he said. “The guy we’re looking for is Lum Jones.”

“Jones? Seriously?”

“Yeah, unfortunately. No wonder he had a nickname.”

“Which was?”

“The Ghost Rider. Or just Rider.”

Logan sat up a little straighter. “Like from the note?”

“Exactly. That’s how we know it’s him.”

“You know Lum is a nickname for Columbus, right?”

“Excuse me?” Jeff said, his eyes wide.

“Yeah. I only know that because of an old man who lived down the street from us when I was a kid. His name was Lum. He told me he was named after his father, whose name was Columbus. It stayed with me because I’d never known anyone named Lum before. Or Columbus, for that matter.”

Jeff took his phone from his pocket and quickly made a call. “Hey, we could be looking for a Columbus Jones.” He waited a few seconds before saying, “Yes, I know. But search under that name. It could be the grandfather’s name. Maybe that’s how we find Alex and the women. Thanks.”

“Why do you think it could be the grandfather’s name?” Logan asked. “You might be getting ahead of yourself.”

“Not when the kid’s father was called Junior. The ex-carnie thought it was because the dad liked Junior Mints, but I doubt that was the reason.” He shook his head. “If I hadn’t stopped by to see you...”

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