I took a moment to think. Then I said, “So, two people.”
“What?”
“If that’s his M.O. it’ll take two people to capture him. You and I could do it. If we worked together.”
“Bullshit. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Actually, I do. I spent thirteen years catching people who didn’t want to get caught. And I was good at it.”
“You’re serious?”
“Absolutely.”
“You were a bounty hunter?”
“Guess again.”
“Not a cop?”
“A military cop.”
“Really? You don’t look like one. What happened to you?”
I didn’t respond to that.
The woman was silent for a moment, too. Then she said, “What difference does a second person make? I don’t see it.”
“All in good time. The question right now is: Capturing Dendoncker—is that worth living for?”
The woman blinked a couple of times then looked away toward the horizon. She gazed in silence for a whole minute. Then she looked me in the eye. “Stopping…Capturing Dendoncker. That would be a start, I guess. But two people. Working together. You and me. Why would you do that?”
“Michael was a veteran. You’re one, too. I can see it in you. Too many of us have been lost already. I’m not going to stand by and watch another life get wasted.”
“I can’t ask you to help.”
“You’re not asking. I’m offering.”
“It would be dangerous.”
“Crossing the street can be dangerous.”
She paused for a moment. “OK. But can we actually do it?”
“Sure.”
“You promise?”
“Of course,” I said. “Would I lie to a woman with a gun in her hand?”
Chapter 6
My fingers weren’t literally crossed, but they might as well have been. I had no idea how to capture Dendoncker. And no intention of finding a way. I had no desire to get tangled up with a crazy person. He hadn’t done anything to me, as far as I knew.
I guess the overall scenario carried a certain amount of intrigue. It sounded like the guy had come up with his own take on Catch-22. You could only get close enough to kill him by being in a condition that prevented you from killing him. It was ingenious. Almost a challenge, in itself. I was sure it could be done, if I thought about it hard enough. Gathered enough intel. Maybe deployed the right kind of specialized equipment.
The truth was, I had no interest in any of those things. But I wasn’t about to tell the woman. I figured that the prospect of capturing her brother’s killer was a lifeline I could use to pull her ashore. Probably the only thing I could use. It would be stupid to cut it before her feet were safely on dry land. Worse than stupid. Criminal. I might not have been serious about capturing some guy I’d never met. But I meant every word about helping her. Suicide has claimed far too many veterans. One would have been too many. So if I could prevent there being one more, that’s what I was going to do.
I planned to take things slow. Give her time to see that the police were her best option. I was going to deceive her, yes. In the short term. But better deceived than dead.
* * *
—
The woman pushed herself away from the Jeep and stood still for a moment, staring at the ground. She seemed smaller than before. Stooped. Deflated. Finally she looked up at me. She slid the gun into her waistband and held out her hand. “I’m Michaela. Michaela Fenton. And before you say anything—yes. Michael and Michaela. We were twins. Our parents thought it was cute. We didn’t.”
I shrugged. “I’m Reacher.”
Her hand was long and narrow and a little cold. Her fingers curled around mine. She squeezed, and I felt a tiny shiver flicker up my arm.
“Well, Reacher.” She pulled away, glanced to her left and right, and her shoulders seemed to sag even further. “These bodies. Guess we should do something with them. Any ideas?”
That was a good question. If Dendoncker had sent his goons after me I would have left their remains someplace he couldn’t miss them. Like on his front lawn. Or in his bed. So that he was clear about the message I was sending. I don’t like to leave any room for misunderstanding. But Dendoncker hadn’t sent them after me. And if we were really out to capture him, a more subtle approach would be called for. Hiding the bodies would be the right move. Something that kept our cards close to our chests. But we were in the middle of the desert. The sun was high in the sky. Digging graves had not been part of my plans when I woke up that morning and I felt like I’d been flexible enough for one day.