Page 14 of Bulletproof Jack: Hunting Lee Child's Jack Reacher

“No thanks,” they replied.

“No servers on duty. Just yell if you want anything else,” he said on his way back to the kitchen.

Russell sipped his coffee and said nothing as if to convey this was her show and he was playing a supporting role only.

“You’re wondering why I didn’t call Cooper instead of Finlay,” Kim said. “You’re also wondering who the dead guy is and why he was shot in my doorway.”

Russell nodded. “For starters.”

“Right. Well, me, too,” Kim said before laying out the facts as she knew them. “I’ve never seen that guy before. He had no identification on him of any kind. And I didn’t know he’d been shot until the shooter was already gone.”

“Easy things first. I heard what you told Samuel. You really didn’t run his prints or facial recognition? Didn’t get the DNA working either?” Russell asked, as if she might have held something back. He saw the answers on her face and shook his head. “You did none of that. Because running things through the FBI could have alerted Cooper.”

“Exactly,” she replied.

Russell was a federal agent and he worked for Finlay. He was well aware of the capabilities and limitations she operated under.

“You’re worried that the guy was either sent by Cooper or killed on Cooper’s orders,” Russell said as he worked his way through the list of reasonable inferences. “Why do you think Cooper is involved here?”

“My building has tight security. Nobody can walk in off the street unless they have help,” Kim replied with a shrug. “Cooper knows where I live, and he knows how to get inside. He watches me every minute of every day. Sometimes I’m gone for weeks at a time, but Cooper would have known I was home. Occam’s razor. The simplest answer is probably true.”

Russell nodded. “I could play devil’s advocate here and argue with you. But let’s say you’re right. You think this situation has something to do with Reacher?”

Kim lifted her coffee for a sip to cover her surprise.

She hadn’t for a moment considered that Reacher might be involved here. She’d had a career, a whole life, before Cooper forced Reacher to become her constant focus.

Did everything in her world need to be about Reacher now?

Kim swallowed and cleared her throat. “Hard to say. Possibly.”

“If Cooper’s involved, he’ll have a flag on the biometrics. I could run them through our systems, but we’re all employed by Uncle Sam. Cooper has access to everything I’ve got, one way or another,” Russell said, talking it through. “Want me to try?”

“I have other options. I’ll try them first.” She shook her head. “But I need to get some sleep. Is there a hotel around here?”

“Yeah. But it’s not the Four Seasons, I’ll warn you.”

“I don’t need a full spa experience tonight,” she grinned.

“Let’s go.” Russell pulled a bill from his pocket and tossed it on the table.

He waved to the cook as they left the diner. Russell strode purposefully westward for another block and then turned north. Kim struggled to yank her bag along behind.

They stopped in front of a brick building housing the historic Harrison Hotel, complete with dormers and a turret. They climbed the stairs to the front porch. He opened the door and Kim walked back in time about a hundred years.

The lobby might have been redecorated about 1975. The carpet looked that old and the avocado and gold color scheme confirmed her guess.

“Wait here. And don’t worry,” Russell teased. “They have indoor plumbing.”

He approached the antique reception desk manned by a costumed clerk dressed appropriately for the era. He booked two rooms, collected the room keys, and led the way toward the elevator. He punched the button for the second floor.

“There’s no restaurant or room service. But we can go back to the diner in the morning,” Russell said when he escorted her to her room, unlocked the door, and handed her the key. “I’m across the hall. You have my number if you need anything.”

He turned to go.

“Russell,” Kim said. “Thanks for your help tonight. If you talk to Finlay, thank him for me, too.”

“Will do,” he replied as he unlocked his room and stepped inside.

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