Exit Strategy Part 9

"Yeah. Doesn't matter. Point is, he didn't get back in. Gone too long. Can't find work. New middlemen? Don't know who the f.u.c.k he is. Older guys? Don't give a s.h.i.t. You been gone that long, you start over. From the bottom. Prove yourself."

I remembered what Evelyn and Jack had said about "advertising." "And that's why Saul mentioned it to you. Because it's possible that this killer is Baron-his way of proving himself."

"Yeah. And there's more."

He turned from a secondary highway onto the interstate. I waited impatiently for him to continue, but he didn't until he'd merged into traffic and resumed his speed.

"Couple months ago, Baron went to see a guy. Middleman Saul and I know. Guy named Cooper. Wouldn't give Baron anything good. Just s.h.i.t work. Gotta prove yourself, he says. So Baron says fine. Takes him on the street. Says pick a target. Give me thirty minutes and I'll prove myself."

My gut went cold. "Kill a random person on the street. And he did?"

"Nah. Cooper said f.u.c.k off. Prove yourself another way."

I sat there for a minute, heart racing so fast I could barely breathe. "Where do we find Baron?"

"No idea. But I can find Cooper."

"Then let's do that. Where does he live?"

"Heading there now."

TWELVE.

Music from the nearby tavern boomed into the streets. Old-time country, the sort that reminds me of howling coyotes. Ask me where I'd expect to find a middleman/ drug dealer and I'd have picked some funky new-age bar, with go-go dancers and bathroom sinks sprinkled with powder that didn't come from a Javex can.

Talking to Cooper wasn't going to be as easy as I'd hoped. Yes, he knew Jack. Yes, he'd talk to Jack. But unlike Saul, Cooper couldn't be trusted to keep his mouth shut, which is why Jack used him for information only.

Cooper was a businessman to the core. He'd buy and sell anything, meaning he'd happily give Jack what he wanted, only to run out and resell the information that Jack was on the trail of the Helter Skelter killer.

Cooper had no stomach for violence-so Jack could could threaten him into keeping his mouth shut but, as he said, that kind of behavior didn't foster good contact relationships. threaten him into keeping his mouth shut but, as he said, that kind of behavior didn't foster good contact relationships.

When I came up with an idea for keeping Jack out of it, I expected him to balk but he'd only said, "Yeah. That'd work. Just keep in shadows. Don't wanna have to kill him after. Bad for business."

So now I was waiting outside this Kentucky bar as Jack scoped it out from the inside. After ten minutes, he exited.

"Cooper's there," Jack said. "Usual place. Now, we need-"

"A suitable place for friendly conversation. I've scouted out two potential meeting rooms already." I walked to the end of the alley and spokesmodel-waved my hand south. "In that direction, we have the ever popular abandoned warehouse. s.p.a.cious, yes, but you run the risk of unwanted roommates, particularly at this time of the evening." I gestured north. "In this direction you have my personal favorite, an empty shop. Cozy, but secure."

"Let's see the shop."

I led him down the alley to a steel door. "The shop fronts onto the street, but I've looked through the window and there are a few rooms back here. From the looks of the For Lease sign, it's been vacant for a while. The only security system is a barred front window."

Jack examined the lock on the steel door and shook his head. "Can't do it." He lifted the tool pouch he'd brought from the car. "Wrong tools."

"That's okay. I'm sure it opens fine from the inside. Here. Trade."

I handed him my purse, took his tool pouch and glanced inside.

"Perfect."

I wriggled out of the tight cowboy boots, flexed my toes and looked up. Ten feet over our heads was an unbarred, unbroken window. I walked to a Dumpster a yard away and climbed onto it. With the flashlight from the pouch, I took a closer look at the wall, locating a couple of toe-and fingerholds, where the brick had broken. Flashlight off and in the pouch, pouch strap looped over my arm, and I crawled onto the wall.

Once at the window, I grabbed the wide cement sill and hoisted myself onto it. With one hand, I unzipped the pouch. Out came the gla.s.s cutter. Out came the suction cup. Then, very carefully, out came the window.

I slid the pane through the sill and lowered it to the floor beneath. Then I climbed through and sprinted into the hall.

A minute later, I was at the rear door. A simple dead bolt lock. I allowed myself the faintest smile before I opened it.

Jack shook his head. "You make me feel old."

"It's the makeup. Spend too long looking that age and you'll start to feel it."

I was d.a.m.ned tired of talking. We'd been nursing our drinks for almost an hour, and I'd done nothing but talk.

What else was there to do in a bar? Dance? Jack would sooner shoot out the bar lights for target practice. We couldn't drink; we had to keep our reflexes and wits sharp. So that left conversation-which wouldn't have been so bad, if Jack had actually partic.i.p.ated.

After a while, I'm sure everyone around us pitied the poor guy stuck with the ditz who wouldn't shut up. When I tried to stop, though, he'd always prompt me with a question.

Under normal circ.u.mstances, this wouldn't have been a problem. Talking is good. It fills the silence, keeps the brain from sliding into places you'd rather it didn't go. But I didn't want to talk. I was on a trail and my prey was sitting only twenty feet away.

Cooper was a contact, not a job. Yes, he was a drug dealer, but from what I saw, his customers were willing enough. And he was a middleman, but he'd turned down that "offer" from Baron, so he wasn't a complete sc.u.mbag. Yet none of that mattered because what swirled about me, as heady and intoxicating as peyote smoke, was the scent of prey.

"So you've been taking these courses in Peterborough..." Jack prompted.

His voice was sharp and I surfaced abruptly, my brain snarling at being disturbed. I tried to retreat, to pull the mask back on, but it was too late. Yet his eyes never left mine, just fixed me with a level stare.

"Your courses, Dee. What have you taken?"

"Umm...sociology, English, a cla.s.sics course that I will never have any use for-" I stopped. "We have a likely customer."

Jack looked at the mirror beside our table. The mirror allowed Jack to stay hidden in the corner of the booth, and me to keep the back of my head to the bar crowd while I watched them, focusing on a forty-something dark-haired bearded man in a black suede cowboy hat and matching shirt. Cooper.

I'd been here long enough now to establish Cooper's sales pattern. Customer walks up. Customer engages in requisite two minutes of small talk. Customer leaves out the front door. Two minutes later, Cooper heads for the bathroom, located next to the rear exit. Five minutes later, Cooper would be back in his seat, his stash lighter and his wallet heavier.

We'd been waiting for the right kind of customer, and this one looked like it: a middle-aged man in pressed blue jeans and a cowboy hat that probably saw the outside of his closet only when he needed his fix.

While Cooper's customer went through the small-talk portion of the ritual, Jack headed out the front door. I could swear I heard a round of cheers as he escaped the living Chatty Cathy doll.

A minute later, the middle-aged customer left, and so did I, but I veered toward the bathrooms as he hurried to the front.

Moving slower, I crept to the back door, then stepped out into the night. The middle-aged customer hovered at the edge of the parking lot, near the alley, casting anxious glances into its dark depths, unwilling to enter until Cooper was there to protect him.

Keeping in the shadows to hide my face, I strolled toward him, humming a Cowboy Junkies tune, which I don't think qualified as country, but it seemed suitable, under the circ.u.mstances.

Hearing me, the man started. I looked over at him, smiled and slid my jean jacket open, giving him a peek at my holstered Glock.

He bolted.

I took his place.

I held myself still and silent in the shadows. Every dry leaf skimming over the pavement sounded as loud as crumpling newspaper. Water plinked into a puddle nearby. No, not water, antifreeze, dripping from a parked car, the sweet smell wafting past. Somewhere to my left, a street-lamp flickered and buzzed. Yet none of this distracted me, only brought the world into sharper focus.

The rear exit cracked open, then stopped. A voice. Cooper's. I listened, unable to make out words, but memorizing the sound. A woman laughed. I strained forward, gaze glued to the dark rectangle of the opening door. Then he stepped out.

Cooper walked into the parking lot and looked around. As he glanced toward the alley, I gave a small wave, staying in the shadows. He stopped, head tilting, as if thinking I didn't look look like the guy he'd sent out. I discreetly flashed a few folded bills, and he decided he wasn't going to be picky. like the guy he'd sent out. I discreetly flashed a few folded bills, and he decided he wasn't going to be picky.

As he approached, I slowly backed into the alley. He followed. When he reached the alley mouth, I gestured to the alcove with the unlocked door. Then I stepped into it, out of his sight, and opened the door. He rounded the alcove and saw the open door, but didn't backpedal, just frowned at me.

"What-?"

I grabbed his arm and twisted it, bringing him to his knees.

"Jay-sus!" Cooper's tw.a.n.g turned the oath into a southern revival shout.

I switched holds, getting his arm behind his back, and twisting again. Then I shoved him into the room and knocked the door shut behind me. When he tried to pull free, I gave a warning twist, then kicked the back of his kneecap. As he buckled, I used the momentum to drop him face-first to the floor, still holding his arm.

"Scream, and I'll snap your wrist," I said.

The door opened, and Jack slipped in. A click as he locked it behind him.

He glanced at Cooper, then moved alongside the wall, gun drawn. He took up position out of Cooper's sight, but where he could cover both us and the door.

"The money's in my back pocket," Cooper said through his teeth. "Some product there, too."

"I wouldn't touch your 'product' or the money from it." I leaned over him, letting more of my weight fall on his back. "A guy came to you, looking for-"

"Lost of people come to me. Looking for lots of things."

A small twist on his arm. Just enough for him to let out a hiss.

"That wasn't a question," I said. "Pay attention, and we'll get through this a whole lot faster. This guy goes by the name Baron. Wanted to 'prove' himself to you. Offered to do a random hit..."

Cooper audibly swallowed. "I want a lawyer."

I leaned down to his ear, still staying behind where he couldn't get a look at me. "Is this how cops usually roust you, Cooper? You have a pocket full of something that would get you in very big trouble...if I was a cop. But that's complicated. So this is how it works. I'm not a cop. You're not a drug-dealing death broker. I'm a concerned citizen. You're a concerned citizen. We're going to share our concerns about Mr. Baron. He isn't a client of yours, is he?"

"Shee-it, no. He's lost it. Right over the f.u.c.king edge. I'm staying clear."

"Good plan. And as a concerned citizen, you want to make sure he isn't a danger to anyone else, so-without admitting to any a.s.sociation with the man-you'll tell me how I can get in touch with him."

A moment of silence pa.s.sed. I knew Cooper was weighing his options. He could claim he hadn't taken any contact information from Baron. Or he could provide false information. But after about twenty seconds, he said, "He gave me his number. It's on my cell phone."

He directed me to the phone in his pocket. I took it out, then slid it back to Jack. As Jack checked it, I waited, gun to Cooper's head. He'd know then that I had a partner, but showed no sign of surprise. Cops always had partners, and he thought that's what I was, no matter what I said to the contrary. It was a fair game-cops pretending to be civilians so they don't have to follow the rules, which meant he didn't need to worry about getting busted.

Jack nodded, telling me the number was in there. He punched it into the address book on his prepaid throw-away phone, then erased it from Cooper's, and slid it back across the floor.

I put it into Cooper's pocket. Then I took out the bills Jack had given me to pay for the information. I didn't see the point, but Jack insisted, and it was his money, so paid Cooper would be.

Yet even as I stood, bills held out, I found myself hesitating. I expected Jack to grunt or give me some sign to pay the guy and get on with it. When he didn't, I looked over and saw him there, expressionless and patient. Waiting.

His gaze met mine. I looked away and let the bills flutter down beside Cooper.

THIRTEEN.

On the drive back to Evelyn's, Jack stopped at a desolate rest area pay phone to try the number Cooper gave us. I sat in the rental car, sipping bitter coffee and watching him at the booth, hunched against the cold night air, his back to me, breath streaming like smoke signals. I rolled down my window, but was too far to overhear him. A night bird squawked. I turned to gaze at the woods surrounding the rest area and thought of home.

When he came back, he was frowning, gaze distant in that way that I'd learned meant I had to be patient.

We were on the highway before he spoke. "Someone answered. Wasn't him."

"Cooper gave us the wrong number?" I shook my head before Jack could answer. "No, I guess that's not very likely. He'd have no reason to keep a false number and if it was in some kind of code, he'd have said so. He didn't seem to be holding out. So either Baron gave him the wrong number-which doesn't make sense-or Baron's changed it." I glanced over at Jack, reading his expression. "Or none of the above."

"Was Baron's number. Just not him."

I considered venting my frustration in a comment about Jack's own code, and the mental gymnastics required to crack it, but he didn't seem in the mood for jibes. He'd gone quiet again, probably thinking about Baron.

"The person who answered, did he seem to know know Baron?" Baron?"

He blinked, then shook it off, glancing over to give me his full attention. "Hard to say. Guy started spitting questions. Who's calling? What's this about? Where'd you get that name?"

"And it definitely wasn't Baron?"

Jack shook his head.

"Is there any way to trace the number?"

"I'll put Evelyn on it."