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“They just found the bodies in the SUV about ten blocks from the bar. Gunshot wounds, all of them.”
“Who was the third guy?”
“Malcolm Strait. Worked here for ten years. Impeccable record.”
“Not anymore. Describe him to me.”
Blue Man did so.
Robie said, “He was the guy who was supposed to come through the front door of the bar. Any sign of him?”
“Not so far. He no doubt had an escape plan in place.”
“What are we talking about?” asked Julie. “Who are these people?”
Robie looked at Blue Man and said, “I think she deserves to know.”
“Go ahead, then.”
Robie took a few minutes to fill Julie in.
She looked puzzled. “Why would they get this lady to tell an obvious lie? They had to know you would track her down, find out the truth. They would have had to kill her and her husband anyway to shut them up.”
Robie said, “You’re right. What did they gain by having Michele Cohen come forward with her story?”
Blue Man said, “Exactly. What did they gain by it?”
Julie said slowly, “Otherwise it was a big risk for them.”
“Michele Cohen had no idea who had approached her husband,” said Robie. “She said he’d gone to the bar to confirm that his gambling debts had been paid off. Instead he got a hole in the head.”
“And so did his wife,” added Blue Man.
“Who else did this Malcolm Strait work with here?”
“Lots of people.”
“You need to talk to all of them. At the very least we need to learn if he left behind anybody.”
“Agreed.”
“So this guy might have somebody else here?” said Julie. She looked straight at Blue Man. “Not so safe a place.”
Blue Man glanced at Robie and said, “We will find that out as quickly as possible. This sort of breach is highly unusual,” he added, looking back at Julie.
“Well for me, it’s one out of one,” Julie shot back.
Robie said, “We can’t stay here now. We have to move.”
“Where?” asked Blue Man.
Robie rose. “I’ll be in touch. Let’s go, Julie.”
Blue Man said, “Where are you going?”
“Someplace safer than this,” said Robie.
Robie piloted the Volvo through the gate and turned left. “This is the spot where we could pick up a tail,” he told Julie. “We’re in a funnel here. Only one way in or out. So keep your eyes peeled.”
“Okay,” said Julie. Her gaze swiveled from side to side and then she turned her head and checked the rear.
As they pulled onto the main road and sped up, she said, “I don’t see any car lights.”
“How about a satellite overhead, can you see that?”
“Are you kidding? They could be tailing us with a satellite?”
“The fact is I don’t know.”
“So what do we do?”
“Hope for the best and prepare for something a lot less than that.”
“Where are we going?”
“The only place I’ve got left. The little house in the woods.”
“Pretty isolated if someone wants to ambush us.”
“And far easier to see someone coming at us. Trade-off. Weigh the pros and cons. I say the pros win in this case.”
“What about satellites?”
“They can’t use a satellite to harm us. They have to have boots on the ground for that.”
“They might send a lot of guys.”
“They might. And then again they might not send anybody.”
“But why wouldn’t they?”
“Think about it, Julie. What’s their endgame? This Malcolm Strait guy was inside that facility with you. He could’ve killed you there. And they could’ve popped me a couple of times already, but conveniently missed.”
“So they want to keep us alive, like you said before. With the bus and everything. But we still don’t know why.”
“No, we don’t. But we will.”
CHAPTER
67
“WILL, THIS ISN’T the way to your place,” said Julie.
“Slight change in plan.”
“Why?”
“Getting a little needed help and making a big confession.”
Robie had made a decision, an unusual one for him. He had been a loner most of his life. He did not normally seek help from others, preferring to solve his own problems. Yet he had finally realized that he could not do this alone. He needed help.
Sometimes asking for help showed strength, not weakness.
Whether the decision would turn out to be the right one or a disaster, Robie couldn’t know. Yet right now it was his decision.
He pulled into the condominium complex and got out of the Volvo. Julie trailed him inside the building. They rode the elevator up, got off, and walked down the hall.
Robie knocked on the door of 701.
He heard footsteps. They stopped. Robie sensed an eyeball looking at him through the peephole.
The door opened.
Vance wore black jogging shorts, a pale green Marine Corps T-shirt, and white ankle socks. She stared first at Robie, and then her gaze fell to Julie.
Julie exclaimed, “You’re getting super agent Vance to cover your ass?”
Vance looked back at Robie. “Super agent Vance? What the hell is going on? Who’s the kid?”
“That’s why I’m here,” said Robie.
