Ashley didn’t know when it happened, but a gun had appeared in Eli’s hand. He watched the car approaching, his other hand on the door handle.
The car slowed and pulled up beside them. Ashley couldn’t see much, other than there was just one person inside, the driver.
Eli held the gun for another several seconds, watching the car as it parked, and then placed it back inside his jacket.
The other car’s door opened and the driver hurried around the rear of the car, headed directly for the Buick. The back door opened and the figure slid into the backseat.
“Everything went smoothly?” Eli asked, his eyes now on the rearview mirror.
“Yes. It took longer than I would have liked, but I managed to lose them.”
Ashley was turned slightly in her seat, trying to take in this new person. It was still too dark, despite the fact her eyes had adjusted to the dark hours ago. The only thing she could make out was that it was an older woman, almost her mother’s age.
Then, directly behind her, John groaned.
“Jesus Christ, Mom”-his voice an incredulous whisper-“you’re involved in this shit, too?”
thirty-four
They ordered coffee and waited in silence until the waitress brought the pot and filled first Zach’s mug, then Hogan’s, spilling a few drops onto the table.
“Oops,” she said, flashing crooked teeth, “sorry about that. Let me go get a towel.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Hogan said, reaching for the napkin dispenser.
“Long night, you know? I’ll be back to check on you soon.”
She blew a strand of hair out of her face and deposited a handful of creamers before trudging down the row of booths, the diner moderately busy for one o’clock in the morning.
Hogan said, “I wonder when the last time was she had an orgasm.”
Zach ignored the creamers and packets of sugar and took a sip of the coffee black. It was bitter but strong, just the way he liked it.
“Did you see the indentation on her ring finger? She must take it off every shift thinking if she flirts enough, she’ll get bigger tips. Then again, maybe her and her husband split up, or maybe he died recently. What kind of panties do you think she has on right now?”
Zach glanced over his shoulder and watched the waitress standing farther down the row, the pot set on a table, her pad and pen in hand as she took an order. She was in her late-forties, early-fifties, frizzy hair up in a bun, too much makeup.
“Honestly?” Zach said, turning back to his coffee. “The last thing I want to think about is what kind of panties she has on right now.”
Hogan stared back at him for a moment, his face complete stone. Then, slowly, it cracked and he began to laugh. He shook his head as he opened two creamers and dumped them in the coffee. He asked, “When was the last time you slept?”
Zach took another sip. “Been at least twenty-four hours.”
“How much longer do you think you can go before you crash?”
“I’m not going to crash.”
“Everyone crashes eventually. Besides, the trail has gone cold.”
“It hasn’t gone cold.”
“You lost Eli.”
“We have a pretty good idea where he’s headed next.”
“But nobody knows for sure. For all you know, he could disappear again.”
“He’s not going to disappear,” Zach said, forcing himself to keep his voice low and in control. The last thing he needed right now was to be second-guessed. It was bad enough when Tyson had done it. He wasn’t about to let Hogan do it, too.
Hogan hadn’t yet taken a sip of his coffee. He kept stirring it slowly, like there was a science to it, an art. He said, “This whole operation is starting to spiral out of control.”
“Says who?”
“Says me.”
“Well,” Zach said, “good thing I don’t answer to you. In fact, what are you doing here anyway? This isn’t a games operation.”
“You’re right, it’s not. But there’s an FBI agent who’s been asking too many questions. They want me on standby in case he needs to be taken care of, and when I heard about your troubles, I volunteered to assist you until I’m needed elsewhere.”
“How thoughtful of you.”
“Listen, Zach, word is going to reach the top very soon, if it hasn’t already. Your best bet is to shut this down as soon as possible.”
“What exactly do you think I’ve been trying to do all day? Our intel was completely off base. Eli was already one step ahead of us.”
“You still managed to pull off the bit with the daughter.”
“Yes, and that worked out perfectly.”
“So then what”-Hogan held up his hands-“everything just fell apart today?”
“Are you saying I’m responsible for what happened?”
“No. But unless there’s a resolution in the next twenty-four hours, they’re going to blame somebody, and who do you think they’re going to blame?”
Zach took another sip of his coffee. “The whole thing doesn’t even make sense. What’s the point of it anyway?”
“You know what the point is.”
“Matheson.”
“That’s right.”
“You know this for a fact?”
Hogan just looked at him.
Zach said, “I’ve had men die today because of this mess. Hell, over a dozen civilians died, too.”
“Since when do you care about civilians?”
“Every time a civilian dies, there’s a chance of exposure.”
“You know we don’t have to worry about exposure.”
“It could happen.”
“It won’t. This whole thing has gone on this long, hasn’t it?”
The waitress reappeared, her pad and pen at the ready, that strand of hair once again hanging in front of her face. “So what I can get for you gentlemen?”
“You know,” Hogan said, giving her his brightest smile, “we haven’t even had a chance to look at the menu yet. Mind giving us a few more minutes?”
“Absolutely. I’ll be back.”
When she departed, Zach said, “I’m not even hungry.”
Hogan opened his menu. “You should eat something.”
“The cop.”
“What about the cop?”
“It raises too many questions. There’s going to be an investigation. The press is going to eat it up.”
Hogan sighed, scanning the specials. “Fucking idiot never should have been there to begin with.”
“Are you saying this was my fault?”
“No, I mean he shouldn’t have been assigned as a cop. Too much of a cowboy mentality.”
“It may never have come out in any of the preliminary tests.”
“Still, he should have known better. Got way too ambitious, forgot his part in this whole production. Any news on Marta?”
Zach shook his head.
“What about the rest of the kids?”
“What about them?”
“Have you taken them out yet?”
“All but David Smith.”
“Why?”
“He’s the closest on this side of the country. If Eli goes for any of them next, it’ll be him.”
“You need to shut this down as soon as possible.”
“You already said that.”
“Yes, but there’s one key piece I’m leaving out.”
“What’s that?”
Hogan turned toward his briefcase beside him on the booth. He opened it and withdrew a manila folder and handed it to Zach.
“We found out who the girl is.”
Zach took the file, suppressing the urge to announce that Tyson had already told him but wouldn’t say who it was. This was his operation, after all. He didn’t like the idea of Tyson or Hogan or anyone knowing more than him.
Hogan took another sip of his coffee and went back to scanning the menu specials. “Take a look.”
Zach opened the file. There were two pages inside, including a glossy photo. The photo was black and white and, judging by the angle and slight graininess, was taken by a traffic cam. It gave a pretty good view of the woman’s face, enough so that they were able to match it via facial recognition. From there they found her name and all her information.