Riverdale pointed at Begovic. “Kill him. Blow his head off. Then you can walk out of here.”
Reacher shook his head. “I can see why you don’t want him walking around, free. But that doesn’t work for me.”
Riverdale said, “This is one of those the-good-of-the-many-versus-the-good-of-the-few things. Shoot him, that’s one dead person. If you don’t shoot him, I can’t let you take him with you. That’s a given. So the doors will stay locked until more of my guys arrive.”
“Have you got any more guys?”
“Plenty more. They’ll kill both of you. You’ll probably manage to kill me before you bleed out. So that’s three dead people. Three dead is worse than one. It’s three times as bad. That’s ethics 101. So I’m asking you. Do the moral thing. Hell, even Begovic probably sees the logic.”
Begovic said, “Screw the logic.”
Reacher said, “Logic. No logic. It still doesn’t work for me.”
Riverdale said, “OK. I’ll sweeten the pot. Kill him. We both walk. I give you a million dollars, cash. I hear you’re broke. This is your chance to live like a prince.”
“I have everything I need. Everything I want. Which makes me better off than any prince. So no dice.”
“Look around, Reacher. Look at this place. Do you really want to die here? Today?”
“Everyone has to die someday. Someplace.”
“But here? Now?”
“I don’t see that happening. Not unless a random meteorite lands on us.”
“No? So what’s your proposal?”
“Open the doors. Watch us walk out.”
“Be serious.”
“Open the doors. Shoot yourself in the head. Don’t watch us walk out.”
Riverdale was silent for a moment, then he said, “Are you married, Reacher?”
Reacher said, “No.”
“You ever been married?”
“No.”
“Girlfriend? Significant other?”
“No.”
“OK. Given you’re homeless and destitute, I’m guessing you don’t get much action. So I have an idea. Might tip the scales.” Riverdale took out his phone and speed-dialed a number. When the call was answered he said, “Reacher’s neutralized. I need to get back to my office. Turn the power back on and unlock the doors between S1 and there.”
* * *
—
Nothing happened for twenty seconds. Then there were simultaneous clicks from all sides of the room and the lights stepped up a level.
Riverdale started toward the exit door. He said, “Come with me.”
Reacher and Begovic followed through the covered corridor. The rat trap, as Reacher already thought of it. He was expecting guards to burst through the door behind them at any second. Or for Riverdale to hit the floor at some predetermined signal and bullets to tear into them from the front. They covered half the distance. Three-quarters. Took a left at the end. And finally made it into the next building. Riverdale led the way up a flight of concrete steps. He said, “This is the original admin block. Everyone else has moved to Hix’s new, fancy building. But not me.”
The steps opened onto a dingy corridor. It smelled vaguely of stewed cabbage and stagnant drains. There were windows on one side looking down over two of the exercise yards. And six office doors on the other side. At the far end a metal bar was fixed to the wall. Reacher figured it would be for cuffing people to, although it was in a very illogical place.
Riverdale ushered Reacher and Begovic down the length of the corridor and into the last office. The floor was bare concrete. There were fluorescent tubes in cages on the ceiling. Framed pictures of motorcycles on the walls. A couch against the far wall, covered in gold-colored velour. And a metal desk in the center of the room. Riverdale walked across to it and unlocked the top drawer. He took out a tablet computer, activated it with his thumbprint, opened a file of photographs, and handed it to Reacher. He said, “Take a look.”
Reacher scrolled through the pictures. They were all of women. The youngest would still be in her teens. The oldest, maybe in her sixties. They were all naked. And the pictures had all been taken in that room.
Riverdale said, “Take your time. Pick your favorite. I can have her here within an hour. You can do what you want to her. For as long as you want.”
Reacher said, “What’s in it for you?”
“I get Begovic.”
“And then?”
“You can go. Free as a bird.”
“How?”