Page 76 of Alex Cross Must Die

“Oh, that’s lovely,” said Marple.

Stans turned toward her. “You know the place?”

“I’m a devoted birder, Agent Stans. I know every tree in the park.”

CHAPTER 84

BY TWO THEnext morning, the FBI unit was huddled in a wooded corner of the sprawling reserve, twelve miles west and a world apart from the busy streets of Newark. Stans and the other agents were in forest-pattern camo. Helene Grey had chosen commando black.

Marple had followed suit. She wore black leggings and a tight-fitting black top, her hair tucked neatly under a watch cap. Addilyn wore slacks and a light sweater. She paced anxiously behind the shelter of a stand of evergreens.

Marple reached into her purse and pulled out a silver flask.

“Sherry?” she asked.

Addilyn shook her head.

“How about some warm tea? I have a thermos in my backpack.” She leaned in close. “Or maybe a Xanax?”

“No drugs,” Brita Stans bluntly said. “She needs to be alert.”

Stans straddled a nylon duffel bag containing the currency and jewelry. It was a bulging load. On the scale, the package had weighed in at a bit over sixty-five pounds. Which presented an obvious problem. Addilyn Charles, fully clothed, weighed only about a hundred pounds. No way she could carry it.

Marple watched as a young agent rolled up in the Bureau’s solution: a golf cart commandeered from the nearby Watchung Valley Golf Club.

“Ever driven one of these, ma’am?” asked the agent.

“Of course,” said Addilyn. “But not in the dark.”

“You’ll be fine,” said Marple. “It’s a gentle slope from here.”

Stans tapped her watch. “Okay, Addilyn. It’s time.”

An agent hoisted the bag onto the back of the cart. Addilyn climbed into the driver’s seat. Marple leaned in and gave her a tight hug. She could feel Addilyn trembling.

“I’ll be right here when you get back,” said Marple.

“Remember,” said Stans, “pay attention to height, weight, build, skin color, accent. Anything that can help us with an ID.”

“All right,” said Addilyn. “I’ll try.”

“There’s a tracker sewn into the lining of the bag,” said Stans. “Wherever they go, we’ll follow.” She leaned in close. “And we’ll find your family.”

Addilyn pressed the accelerator and drove slowly down the grassy slope toward the designated pickup point. Marple ducked back into the bushes with Stans and the other agents to watch. The agents nearby were invisible, hidden among the trees and equipped with sniper rifles.

The white canopy of the cart caught the moonlight as it moved toward a rustic trail at the bottom of the hill. As Marple and the agents raised their binoculars, the cart made a slow turn onto a dirt path and disappeared behind the foliage.

“There’s one thing I can’t figure out,” said Stans. “Why five million? Why not ten? Why not twenty? This family isloaded.”

Marple had wondered the same thing. “Maybe the kidnappers live light,” she said. “Or maybe they just prefer diamonds.”

CHAPTER 85

STILL SHAKING, ADDILYNdrove the cart slowly down the dark trail and stopped at the designated historical marker. She shut off the electric motor. The trail was bordered by tall trees. Their branches muted the moonlight. The soft rustle of leaves overhead was the only thing Addilyn could hear. Not counting the thump of her heartbeat in her ears.

She slid slowly off the seat and stood next to the cart, her hand wrapped tightly around one of the roof supports. She’d hoped the FBI would wire her for sound, maybe put a camera in a blouse button. Or even give her a gun. But the kidnappers had thought of all that. “No mics, no video, no weapons,” the caller had said. “We’ll know.”

Addilyn waited a minute. Then two.

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