“My sisters. I’m sending them a text right now,” he said. His bloody towel sat on his lap and occasionally he would place a clean spot to his nose to check for any new blood. The kid seemed to calm down once he was put in the sheriff’s car. As if it gave Tommy some legitimacy.
Tommy had only been driving a few minutes when a pair of distant headlights popped into his rear view mirror. The roads were extremely quiet, yet the car behind him didn’t seem to gain on him.
“I want you to do me a favor, Eddie,” Tommy said. “I want you to promise me you’ll throw that gun away.”
“Okay,” Eddie agreed too easily.
“Eddie,” Tommy said firmly. “I’m serious. Don’t tell me what I wanna hear. Carrying a gun will get you killed. Especially an unloaded one. You understand?”
Tommy glanced over at the kid. Eddie was nodding, as if to himself.
“Yeah,” Eddie said. “I understand.”
“Good. You’re not a bad kid. You’re just watching too many action movies. Start watching comedies, then go around impressing the girls with your wit instead of your unloaded weapons.”
“Okay,” Eddie said, then glanced down at a text message.
Tommy pulled out his phone and pushed a contact button.
After a couple of rings a breathless voice said, “Yeah.”
Tommy looked at the clock on his dashboard. 10:45 P.M..
“Nicky?” Tommy grinned. “You working out?”
“Very funny,” Nick rasped. “What’s up?”
“Well, I found Eddie Lister,” Tommy said. “He’s with me now.”
“That’s great. Does he know something?”
“I think so.”
“Bring him right over.”
Tommy checked his rear view again and saw the headlights keeping its distance. “Yeah, well, let’s meet at your office instead.”
“Something wrong?”
“Probably not. Just being careful. Go back to your workout and I’ll meet you there.”
Tommy ended the call, then pushed a couple of buttons and handed the phone to Eddie.
“Here,” Tommy said. “See the red beam?
Eddie looked confused. He aimed the beam at his feet. “What is this?”
“It’s a radar detector. I want you to turn around and aim it at the car behind us.”
Eddie twisted in his seat. “I don’t see any car?”
“I know, he’s back there a ways. Keep your eye out for him.”
Tommy took his foot off the gas and the car slowed.
“Who is it?” Eddie asked.
“I have an idea.”
The road was tree-lined and had gentle twists. A few seconds later a pair of headlights popped out around a distant curve.
“Okay, Eddie, point and read me the display.”
Eddie was on his knees completely turned, arms outstretched.
“Sixty-five,” Eddie said.
Tommy let the Sheriff’s car slow to a gentle roll.
“Keep reading,” Tommy said.
“Fifty-nine,” Eddie said. “Fifty-three … forty-four.”
“Shit,” Tommy muttered.
“Thirty-one,” Eddie diligently read the display. “Twenty-three.”
“That’s enough,” Tommy said, stepping on the gas. “Turn around and put your seat belt on.”
The kid listened. His voice got excited. “Are you going to outrun him?”
“Don’t be such a thrill seeker.”
Tommy got the car up to cruising speed again and scanned the shoulder for a place to park. Someplace he could get some quick cover. The headlights temporarily disappeared behind him.
“Hey, you like Coldplay?” Eddie said, browsing through Tommy’s phone.
Tommy snatched the phone from the kid. “Will you pay attention here? I’m trying to keep us alive.”
Eddie’s face turned cold. “You think the terrorists are in that car?”
Tommy frowned at the thought. “I’m not sure. I have an idea, but it’s not fun to think about.”
The sheriff’s car needed some suspension work because the chassis kept bouncing over the winding road like a boat over choppy water. As they swerved from side to side, the headlights came into view again.
“Hang on,” Tommy said, as he tapped the brakes and turned into a narrow gravel driveway. The path was lined with trees and Tommy just cleared a pine as he dashed down the driveway twenty yards before turning off the lights and skidding the car to a stop. He pulled out his gun and turned to Eddie.
“Keep your head down and stay still,” Tommy ordered.
He jumped out of the car and ran back up the path to the side of the road. There was very little moon out so Tommy was practically invisible as he crept between the pines, gun by his side. He was only a few feet from the road and tucked behind a large trunk. Even in the cool night air, he felt a trickle of sweat wander down his temple. He forced himself to take deep breaths and waited. And waited.
No headlights.
As he stood there contemplating his moves, he realized he wasn’t going to track this guy down by himself. Not in foreign territory. Maybe back home he could make a couple of calls and get some lookouts, but not here. Tommy slumped against the tree and shook his head. The guy was a pro, no doubt.
He waited for almost three minutes when a terrible thought entered his mind. He was dealing with a professional. Norm Jennings had appeared harmless because he had that mid-western, fair-haired look. Pale skin. Blue eyes. A mid-western look, but also a European look.
Maybe even Russian.
Chapter 23
“Where’s Walt?” Matt asked while driving his SUV seventy down the crooked back road. Nick sat in the passenger seat and gripped the door handle tight. Jennifer and Stevie were in the back seat checking their phones while swaying back and forth.
“He’s at Palo Verde securing the site,” Nick said.
Nick glanced behind them and noticed the lead Humvee falling behind.
“You’re losing our soldiers,” Nick said.
“They know where the office is,” Matt said, staring intently on the road as far as the headlights would take him.
Stevie’s face was screwed up into a knot while squeezing his thumbs over his phone’s keypad.
“What are you doing back there, Stevie?” Nick asked.
“I’m trying to find out why I found traces of Chloride in Semir’s shoe,” Stevie said, not looking up.
“Isn’t that a common mineral around here?”
“Chloride itself is not a mineral per se, it’s a negatively charged ion and must be paired with a positive ion.”
“Okay,” Nick said. “I’ll take your word on that.”
Matt finally cruised the final mile before the sheriff’s office, then swiveled his head around as he pulled into the parking lot.
“Where is he?” Matt said.
“Good question,” Nick answered, remembering Tommy’s reluctance to meet at the house. He pulled out his cell phone, then stopped when he saw the sheriff’s car come charging into the parking lot to park beside them. There was only minimal security lighting, so both drivers left their headlights on.
“Where’ve you been?” Nick asked as they got out of the car.
Tommy looked disgusted as he slammed his door shut. “I picked up a tail on the way over here.”
Nick and Matt exchanged glances.
Tommy motioned them away from the cars. Nick and Matt followed. “Listen,” Tommy said, “I have a bad feeling about this guy I met at the bar. It seemed like a chance meeting, but the more I think about it, the less I like it.”
“What’d he look like?’ Matt asked.
Tommy met his cousin’s eyes. “He looked and sounded mid-western. But he tailed me like a pro. I don’t like it.”
“You get a name?” Nick asked.
“Norm Jennings from West Lafayette, Indiana,” Tommy said. “But I doubt that’ll mean anything.”
Nick rubbed a hand through his hair. “Great,” he said.
“Hey, I don’t like it any more than you do,” Tommy said.
“Did you tell him anything?” Nick said.
“What?” Tommy squinted. “Did you really ask me that?”
Nick covered his eyes and sighed. “Sorry. I’m a little frazzled right now.”