23 Past Tense
Page 36
They smiled and held hands.
Reacher said, “I’m glad you’re happy.”
Elizabeth Castle said, “Thank you.”
“And it shouldn’t make a material difference.”
“What shouldn’t?”
“In the interests of full disclosure, I have to tell you it turns out Stan Reacher was not who I was looking for.”
“He was your father.”
“Turns out he was just a borrowed birth certificate.”
“I see.”
“I hope that doesn’t put a jinx on your relationship.”
“Who borrowed the birth certificate?”
“An obscure cousin with no known antecedents. A blank space on the family tree.”
“How does that make you feel?”
“Absolutely great,” Reacher said. “The less I know, the happier I get.”
“And now you’re moving on.”
“It was nice to meet you. I wish you both the best of luck.”
Carrington said, “What was the cousin’s name?”
“William.”
“Would you mind if we looked into him? It could be interesting. It’s the kind of thing we enjoy.”
“Knock yourselves out,” Reacher said.
Then he said, “In exchange for a favor.”
“What kind?”
“Come say hello to a friend of mine. Just a five minute walk. I’m sure you guys know her. Detective Amos, from the Laconia PD.”
“Brenda?” Carrington said. “Why is she here?”
“Theoretically there might have been a threat against you. She won’t believe it’s over until she sees for herself. I want you to go tell her you’re alive and well, taking a break, and you’ll be back in town whenever.”
“What kind of threat?”
“You slightly resembled the target of an attempted gangland killing. Detective Amos’s extreme thoroughness and lateral thinking made it a concern.”
“Brenda was worried about me?”
“You’re the guy who goes to bat for them. They seem to like you. It’s a sign of weakness. You need to be tougher in future.”
They walked up Main Street together. Past the school. Past the church. Out to the sunny order of the orchard. Amos and Burke waited at the far fence. There were handshakes across the top rail. Assurances were given. Explanations were made. Vacation, no cell service, apologies. No problem, Amos said. Just following up.
Carrington and Castle walked back.
Reacher watched them go. He climbed the fence and stood with the others. He said, “I decided to skip the professor. Maybe you could give him a call.”
“Sure,” Burke said.
“Back to town now?” Amos asked.
Reacher shook his head.
“I’m going to San Diego.”
“From here?”
“Seems appropriate. My dad started out from here many times. This was one of the places he lived. A whole year, when he was six.”
“You seriously want us to leave you in the middle of nowhere?”
“I’ll get a ride. I’ve done it before. About forty minutes. That’s my guess right now. Based on conditions. Worst case fifty. You guys get going. It was a pleasure to meet you. I mean it. I appreciate your kindness.”
They all stood for a moment, doing nothing. Then they all shook hands, kind of sudden and awkward. Two MPs and a priest. All buttoned up.
Burke and Amos got in the car. Reacher watched them drive away. The low morning sun boiled around them. Then they were gone. He set out walking in the same direction. Through the same gentle curve. The sun was in his eyes all the way. He made it to the north-south back road. He picked a spot, and stood in the gutter, and stuck out his thumb.
In Memoriam
John Reginald Grant, 1924–2016
Norman Steven Shiren, 1925–2017
Audrey Grant, 1926–2017
By Lee Child
Killing Floor
Die Trying
Tripwire
Running Blind
Echo Burning
Without Fail
Persuader
The Enemy
One Shot
The Hard Way
Bad Luck and Trouble
Nothing to Lose
Gone Tomorrow
61 Hours
Worth Dying For
The Affair
A Wanted Man
Never Go Back
Personal
Make Me
Night School
No Middle Name
The Midnight Line
Past Tense
Stories
Second Son
Deep Down
High Heat
Not a Drill
Small Wars
The Christmas Scorpion
About the Author
LEE CHILD is the author of twenty-one New York Times bestselling Jack Reacher thrillers, twelve of which have reached the #1 position, and the complete Jack Reacher story collection, No Middle Name. All his novels have been optioned for major motion pictures—including Jack Reacher (based on One Shot ) and Jack Reacher: Never Go Back . Foreign rights to the Reacher series have sold in one hundred territories. A native of England and a former television director, Child lives in New York City.
leechild.com
Facebook.com/LeeChildOfficial
Twitter: @LeeChildReacher
To inquire about booking Lee Child for a speaking engagement, please contact the Penguin Random House Speakers Bureau at speakers@penguinrandomhouse.com .
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