Page 25 of Bulletproof Jack: Hunting Lee Child's Jack Reacher

“And the other one, Alpha phone?”

“Los Angeles, originally. Also first used six days ago.”

Russell said, “What happened six days ago to set this thing in motion?”

“Good question. I’ve got no idea.” Kim shrugged and shook her head. “Where is the Los Angeles phone now? Still in L.A.?”

“Alpha phone has been quiet,” Gaspar replied. “Nothing incoming or outgoing in the last twenty-four hours that we’ve been able to find.”

Kim kneaded the creases in her forehead with her fingers. “Do we think the L.A. guy ditched his phone?”

“Only one way to find out at this point,” Gaspar replied.

“We’ll have to check the numbers,” Russell said.

Gaspar agreed. “I’ll give you a specific number and you make a call from Bravo phone. If Alpha phone is still in L.A. I can quickly determine whether your call pings the same cell tower as the other calls.”

“Okay,” Kim nodded, understanding the plan. “What if Alpha phone has left the area?”

Gaspar said nothing. The answer was obvious.

No way to trace the location of Alpha phone immediately if it wasn’t being used in the same general area.

“What if, instead of a call, I send a text to Alpha phone’s number? Can you locate the tower closest to where the text is eventually picked up?”

“Maybe,” Gaspar said. “But since we can’t interrogate your dead spook, calling the L.A. number is probably a faster way to find the handler.”

“Probably a more dangerous way to do it, too,” Russell said.

“Copy that,” Gaspar acknowledged. “Let’s do this one step at a time. Get past the first step. Then we’ll decide. Ready to try my test number for the first call?”

Kim memorized the digits, picked up Mr. X’s phone and dialed as Gaspar directed.

“Okay. Your call is hitting the correct tower. Try the real number for Alpha phone next,” Gaspar instructed.

Kim dialed the number she’d pulled from Mr. X’s call log and waited while the call connected to the cell tower. The electronic noise coming through the earpiece from the other end simulated a ringing phone.

The ringing noise continued ten times, but the call never clicked over to voicemail. Which could explain why there were no voicemail messages on Bravo phone.

“Go ahead and hang up. He would have answered by now,” Russell said.

“Let’s try a text message. Even with disappearing text software, the message should hang around at least a few hours. That would give us a longer opportunity to catch the fish,” Russell suggested.

Gaspar’s exasperated sigh traveled through the speaker as if he were sitting across the room. “Let me get set up.”

“I didn’t know you could actually trace disappearing texts like that,” Kim said, eyes wide. “Some sort of new tech?”

“No questions about means and methods, remember?” Gaspar replied, clicking his keys for a few seconds. Then he said, “Wait for my signal. Then send a text with three words.Where are you?Nothing else.”

Kim punched the words into the text box and paused with her thumb above the send button. When Gaspar gave the signal, she sent the text.

No immediate response.

“Now I guess we wait,” she said aloud. “Unless one of you has a better idea.”

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Chapter 12

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