by Diane Capri
When they rounded the curve, the road ahead was empty as far as the eye could see.
No taillights of any kind.
No oncoming headlights, either.
Nothing but acres of land and a few trees on either side of the road and a big old oak tree on the right side of the tree, its trunk split down the middle.
Kim checked the GPS. “According to this map, the road goes straight for another five miles before it turns back to the left. But I don’t see a crossing road at all.”
Perry slowed down, peering into the night through the windshield. He flipped on the high beams. “Keep your eyes open and your weapon ready. If Murphy pulled off somewhere intending to ambush us, we’ll know shortly.”
They drove miles beyond the big curve in the road. Murphy’s Jaguar had disappeared. Perry turned around and drove over the same stretch of pavement twice more.
No Murphy.
No evidence of where he’d gone, either.
Kim said, “He must have turned off onto a side road somewhere. We’re not going to find it out here in the dark. Let’s head back to Carter’s Crossing and follow through from there.”
Perry turned the SUV around once more. “Let’s just take one more pass. He’s turned off somewhere. That’s the only answer. We should be able to find it.”
Kim’s phone rang. It was Gaspar.
“Sorry. I didn’t hear your call. What’s up, Suzy Wong?”
“Can you ping this phone?”
“Yep. Got you on the screen already. You’re in a vehicle, headed south. Looks like a county road,” he said.
“Exactly. We’re chasing a guy and we lost him. He was driving a Jaguar. Can you see it on your systems?”
“Eh, I’m not some sort of super geek, Otto. I’ve got equipment and skills. But I’m not psychic,” he said.
“Right. There’s nothing much out here as far as the naked eye can see. Just look for the second signal. That model Jaguar should have a GPS. You should be able to ping it,” she said, listening to Gaspar’s keys clacking on his keyboard.
After a few moments, he came back. “Okay. Maybe. Looks like he could be on a dirt two-track or something like that. Extrapolating from his position now, I’d say the entrance is about a hundred yards in front of you, on your right.”
Perry slowed down even more and Kim rolled down the window to peer into the darkness. All she saw were tall weeds along the shoulder.
Until Perry was right up on the turnoff.
“Wait. Stop. It looks like the weeds are tamped down right there. Could have been done by Murphy’s vehicle, I guess,” she said.
“You want to try driving through there?” Perry asked, with dubious enthusiasm.
“Waste of time,” Gaspar said. “He’s moving slow, but he’s got a solid head start. I’ll watch. You go back toward Carter’s Crossing. I can lead you to him along better roads.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Kim replied, as Perry steered the SUV southward toward the casino and then west into town. “Leave the line open and talk to me, Chico. Tell me what you see.”
“Copy that,” he said, as was his habit. “Any Reacher sightings down there I need to be aware of?”
“No such luck.” Kim paused to consider the question.
Had she seen Reacher? Maybe. A few times, she’d thought so. Then again, she couldn’t say for sure.
She shook her head inside the darkened SUV.
Perhaps not.
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
Thursday, May 12
Carter’s Crossing, Mississippi
11:05 p.m.
Murphy and Nina bumped along the abandoned Moab Road for a while before he turned the headlights on again. Progress was slow.
Nina had stopped blubbering. She sat in total silence, belted into her seat for a while. Eventually, she said, “Where are we going?”
“First, to my safe house. Then, to Memphis. We’ll catch a private flight from there to Mexico, as we planned,” he replied.
“I don’t have my clothes. Or any of my things,” Nina whined. Everything that came out of her mouth made him itch to slap her again.
He clenched his teeth and kept his hands on the wheel, partly to control the urge. “We have plenty of money. You can buy new things.”
“What about my keepsakes? My heirlooms? I have artifacts from the tribe that I’ve loved all my life,” she said, continuing to grate on his last nerve.
The muscles in his jaw worked as he inhaled deeply. He could kill her now. Leave her out here in this field. No one would find her until he was long gone.
Two things stopped him. The extra time it would cost to kill her and dump the body was a minor issue.
The bigger problem was the baby. If she was pregnant, the fetus would share his DNA. Right now, he might still get away without detection. The child’s DNA would paint a bulls-eye on his back. Randy Cloud would never give up until Murphy was hunted down like a dog.
Which wasn’t the way he’d planned to spend his golden years. Not even close.
“Nina, please. For the love of all things holy, just be quiet,” he said with all the menace he felt toward her. “Otherwise, I’ll shut you up myself.”
Something about his tone or the situation finally soaked through to her. She moved as far away from him as she could get inside the cabin.
But she stopped sniveling.
And she didn’t say another word.
The GPS unit in the Jaguar had been blinking on and off for the last two miles. When it came back on again, the signal strength was strong enough to keep the screen awake. He saw the county road he was looking for two miles ahead.
This one ran east and west, skirting the south side of Kelham, north of Carter’s Crossing and east of the train tracks.
As he approached the intersection, he turned the Jaguar’s headlights off again. He slowed to walking speed and crept toward the road.
Tall weeds concealed the connection here, too. He craned his neck to look hard in both directions.
He saw no oncoming headlights or vehicles of any kind. Country folks and military folks had long ago tucked in for the night. This wasn’t a route to the casino. There was no reason to be out here on the road at all. And no one was.
He pushed the accelerator to increase speed and crossed the culvert onto the seldom traveled county road. He turned west and headed toward Carter’s Crossing.
This road was better than the other one and it was used by more traffic. On the north side of Carter’s Crossing, it ran parallel to US 72 almost all the way to Memphis.
They consumed the miles in silence until he reached the turnoff for the back way toward his safe house.
Murphy drove carefully, watching for anything out of the ordinary.
Running into Hammer at the casino had been bad luck. Hammer would discover that Redmond and Hern were not on base if he hadn’t already.
Then Greyson would connect the missing soldiers to the bodies in the barn.
Not much solid police work later, Greyson and Hammer would connect Murphy to the dead soldiers.
All of which was a shame. He’d hoped to disappear after completing the closure at Kelham, his final assignment for the army he’d served more than half his life.
He couldn’t do that now.
He needed to be out of the country before dawn. At dawn, he’d be missed at Kelham. He had to be gone before then.
Murphy never spent time thinking about what might have happened if things were different. If Jasper had died in the crash. If Nina hadn’t told Bonnie about Pak. If Perry hadn’t confronted him in that alley.
If this, then that.
Speculating was a total waste of time and resources.
Soldiers had died engaging in such foolishness.
Murphy always played the hand he’d been dealt. Smarter that way.
Right now, that meant reaching the hearse and then completing the drive to Memphis. After that, the flight to Mexico.
He turned onto the dirt road th
at ran parallel to the railroad tracks, across from the one-sided street. He could see the lights on inside at Brennan’s. He glanced at the clock on the dashboard. It was well after eleven. The train would be passing soon.
Murphy turned into his driveway.
A new structural crack had appeared on the approach in the short time he’d been gone. Not surprising. They were all over this area. They seemed to get worse every time the train went past. One of the reasons the safe house was so cheap.
This one was larger than usual.
He’d heard about sinkholes opening up and swallowing whole neighborhoods. Something like that could happen here. In twenty minutes, he wouldn’t even care. Solve some remaining issues he couldn’t get done now, if it happened. But he’d never been that lucky in his life.
He drove the Jaguar over the wide, uneven gravel and around behind the garage and parked.
Some of the tension drained from his body. They’d made it this far.
So far, so good.
He shut off the engine and sat for a moment in silence.
“Come on, Nina. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be so harsh. You know I love you. I was stressed. That’s all.” Then he inhaled deeply and said more gently as he touched her arm, “Let’s get inside. We’ve got twenty minutes, tops. Then, we’re on the road to Memphis.”
“I know. I love you, too.” Nina’s posture softened, and she wiped her eyes and unlatched her seatbelt. “I bought some things for the baby. They’re back at my place. I wanted to take them with us.”
Murphy leaned across to plant a quick kiss on her cheek. “I promise you can buy more stuff for the baby. As much stuff as you want. But we have to go. Now.”
“I didn’t think you cared about the baby,” Nina said, glassy tears welling in her eyes.
“Of course, I care,” he replied, holding his anger at bay.
“It’s just…I was pregnant once before. I never told you. It was fifteen years ago. The father was the CO at Kelham back then. And he…died. I lost the baby—” she was crying now, silently. “I-I never really got over it.”
“I’m so sorry,” he said, reaching out to hug her awkwardly across the console. “I didn’t know. Everything will work out better this time. I promise.”
He gave her one last squeeze and then opened her door. “Let’s go now, okay?”
She nodded, climbing out of the seat, and then stood near the Jaguar in the darkness while he came around from his side.
He draped his arms over her shoulders and led her into the house. “Watch your step here,” he said, gripping her arm to make sure she didn’t fall.
Once inside, he gave her a little pat on the butt and said, “You go grab a shower while I put a few things together. Ten minutes. No more.”
He hurried into the study to open the safe. He pulled the remaining contents, including the forged passports and three currencies, as well as the flask containing the poison. He planned to administer it to Nina when they reached Mexico. Like Pak, it wouldn’t kill her right away. But the Rohypnol would keep her docile long enough for him to ditch her and board the plane to Fiji.
Murphy dumped the last of the cash into a black leather duffle and zipped it closed.
He found the second duffle, a brown canvas one, in the closet where he’d left it last week.
He glanced at the clock on his desk and compared the time to the digital readout on the timer.
Scheduling the explosion to match the midnight train was pure genius. He grinned. The blast might damage the train. It would definitely bring everyone running. They’d all be busy.
Guaranteed cover for his escape in the lumbering old hearse.
Showered and dressed, Nina came into the den. She looked and smelled amazing. What a shame.
“I’m excited about Fiji. The baby’s going to love it there.” She sidled up in front of him and gave him a long, slow kiss. “Ready?”
“Yep,” he replied. “Meet me in the kitchen. I’ll be right there.”
She gave him a seductive glance from the doorway. He smiled as if overwhelmed with lust.
After she’d gone, he pushed the start button on the timer.
He picked up the black duffle and hurried to join her in the kitchen.
Murphy grabbed Nina’s hand and led her through the back door into the muggy night.
At the garage, he punched in the code. The big door rolled up, revealing the hearse parked inside.
Nina turned for one last look at the little house. Wistfully, she said, “We spent so many happy hours here.”
Murphy heard the midnight train in the distance, coming up the tracks. “Come on, Nina. We’ve got to go. Jump in.”
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
Thursday, May 12
Carter’s Crossing, Mississippi
11:35 p.m.
Perry retraced their route, which led them back to the casino and then on toward Carter’s Crossing.
While they relocated, Kim kept Gaspar on the line. “Still have Murphy’s GPS signal?”
“It comes and goes. The good news is there’s two cell phones in the Jaguar. They’re not all winking out simultaneously,” Gaspar replied.
“How long before you can triangulate a solid interception point?” Kim asked once she could see the outskirts of Carter’s Crossing ahead.
“He’s driving along the dirt road on the other side of the tracks from Brannan’s,” Gaspar said. “Possible he’s headed home. There’s a few small frame houses in that area.”
“Yeah. I saw the houses myself. I know where that is,” Kim replied.
Gaspar’s tone was preoccupied while he worked. “Satellite images show about six homes widely spaced. Hundred years ago, there may have been more. The area has been gentrified somewhat since then.”
Immediately before the railroad crossing, Perry turned right onto the dirt road that ran parallel to the train tracks and the one-sided street. Kim spotted Brannan’s in the distance. The lights were on inside and McKinney’s red pickup was parked out front.
The street and the neighborhood were quiet. There were no lights on in any of the houses that she could see from the road. Kim glanced at the digital clock on the dashboard. 11:46 p.m.
“Looks like you won’t have to go far to check out the midnight train,” she said to Perry. “It’ll be coming through here shortly. You don’t want to be anywhere near those tracks when it thunders past.”
Gaspar said, “Murphy’s GPS signal just stopped. I’ve got stronger signals on the two cell phones now. Looks like the Jaguar has parked behind a garage. Murphy and Nina have left the vehicle and moved into the house. You’re almost there.”
He rattled off the address, which wasn’t very helpful because Kim couldn’t read any of the addresses in the dark.
Illumination along the wrong side of the tracks was poor. Streetlights were widely spaced at each end of the road. There was no moonlight.
Kim said to Gaspar, “Call Greyson. Tell him where we are and why we’re here.”
“Copy that,” he replied with a grin in his voice. “Be right back.”
Nothing seemed to faze the guy. Why should it?
He was sitting in front of a computer screen with a cup of java instead of waiting to ambush a killer. At times like this, she was sharply reminded how much she needed a new partner at the scene in addition to the one on the phone.
Perry drove slowly along the street. He turned off the headlights and lowered all four windows as they approached the house where Gaspar believed Murphy and Nina were inside.
“Pull over. We’ll go the rest of the way on foot,” Kim said.
Perry parked on the shoulder and they left the SUV as quietly as possible.
Weapons ready, Kim crouched low and stayed in the shadows. She hurried toward the house. On the way, she saw lights on in several rooms.
The shades were drawn and she saw no silhouettes inside.
From this vantage point, it was impossible to locate Murphy and Nina precisely. The air
was warm and muggy, which made it difficult to breathe. Dewy perspiration formed above her lips and across her forehead.
Kim heard a door close around the back of the house. She paused to listen.
She heard voices, probably Murphy and Nina, but she couldn’t make out the words. Then, she heard the unmistakable sound of an electric door opener lifting a heavy garage door. At the top, the door clicked into place.
Silently, Perry came up next to her. “You heard that?”
“Yeah. We’ve got to catch them now or they’ll be gone again.” Kim whispered back.
She felt the ground shake. Just a mild, constant tremor at first. Like a distant earthquake.
She looked southward down the train tracks. She saw a tiny pinpoint of light in the distance. The midnight train’s single headlight was coming on fast.
The tremors deepened as the train approached.
Kim stood well away from the tracks, but she knew that the distance wasn’t enough. She’d feel the ground tremble, and the wind wash over her when the train sped past. The rumbling would continue for what felt like a long time after the train was already gone.
“Come on,” she said, leading the way.
Carefully and as fast as possible, they hurried around the house, eyes scanning the area, but focused on reaching the garage before Murphy and Nina escaped again.
Kim noticed the wide crevice in the driveway a brief instant before Perry tripped, stumbled, and fell forward. He landed hard on his left side and grunted.
Murphy was standing at the open garage door, preparing to toss two duffles into the hearse.
He heard the noise Perry made when he fell. Perhaps he felt the oncoming train, too.
He flipped around to spy Perry sprawled across the gaping ditch in the gravel.
Murphy shoved Nina farther into the open maw of the garage.
Nina lost her footing and slammed hard against the hearse. She screamed with shock and pain.
“Get in the car!” Murphy called out a moment before he raised his weapon and fired toward Perry.
Kim stopped to help Perry climb out of the trench. When he was upright, she returned fire while Perry scrambled along the ground for cover.