* * *
—
Wiles Park was badly named, Reacher thought. It should have been called Wiles Square. Because that’s what it was. A square. It was a nice one. An effort had been made to turn it into a place that people would want to visit. That was clear. It was surrounded by cute stores and cafés and restaurants with fancy outdoor seating. There was a fountain in the middle, probably modeled on something from a French chateau, running at a quarter capacity, probably due to a problem with the water supply. There were all kinds of brightly colored flowers planted between tiny hedges that were cut into intricate geometric shapes. And there were benches. They were made of polished concrete and set out in a wide circle, like the numbers on a clock face. There were twelve of them. But only one was near a tree, as specified by the note in Roth’s mailbox.
Reacher picked up a coffee in a to-go cup from the least pretentious-looking café on the perimeter and strolled across to the bench by the tree. He got there at ten to one. He sat down, right in the middle, and waited.
* * *
—
At five to one a guy stepped out from behind the fountain. He was broad, about six-two, and he was wearing jeans and a white Rolling Stones T-shirt. His hair was buzzed short and he had on a pair of black, sporty sunglasses. He halved the distance to Reacher’s bench, paused, scowled, then came right up close.
The guy said, “Move.”
Reacher held up his left hand and wiggled his fingers. “Like this?”
The guy’s frown deepened. “Get off the bench, jackass.”
“Why? Is it yours?”
“I need it. Now.”
“There are eleven other benches. Use one of those.”
“I need this one. I won’t tell you again. Move.”
Reacher stayed still. He said nothing.
The guy leaned in closer. “Did you not hear me?”
“I heard you just fine. You said you weren’t going to ask me to move again. I figured you changed your mind. If you have one.”
“You better watch your words. You’re starting to make me mad.”
“And if I don’t? What are you going to do about it?”
The guy turned away. His hands bunched into fists, then relaxed again. He took a deep breath. Then he turned back to face Reacher. “Look. I’m meeting someone here, at this particular bench. In about a minute’s time. It’s very important. So I’d appreciate it if you would just move to another one.”
Reacher said, “You’re meeting Sam Roth.”
The guy’s scowl returned. “How did you know?”
“Because you’re not meeting Roth. Not anymore. You’re meeting me.”
“The hell? What’s going on here?”
“Change of negotiating stance.” Reacher patted the smooth concrete by his side. “Sit down. Let’s talk. See if we can find a solution everyone can live with.”
“You got the printout?”
“It’s nearby. I can get it. If we can agree on terms.”
The guy hesitated for a moment, then slowly turned and lowered himself down onto the bench. He perched right on the very edge of the slab, as far away from Reacher as he could get. He said, “We need to see it. Make sure Roth changed the rota the way we told him to.”
Reacher caught movement over by the fountain. Another guy emerged from behind it. He was about the same height as the guy who was now sitting. He looked a little heavier. He had the same sunglasses and similar clothes, except his shirt was plain and it had sleeves. He took one step forward then stopped and mimed an exaggerated shrug of his shoulders. The first guy shrugged, too, then beckoned for him to come closer.
* * *
—
The new guy marched across and stopped in front of the bench. His face was red and a vein was bulging on his forehead. He glared at his buddy and said, “What are you doing with this bozo? We have business to attend to.”
The first guy said, “Relax. Sit down. He’s here in Roth’s place.”
The new guy stayed on his feet. “The hell he is. That wasn’t the deal.”
Reacher said, “The deal’s changed. You want the rota rewritten?”
“You know we do.”
“Mr. Roth is no longer convinced that altering the rota is necessary. It’s up to you to change my mind.”
“Are you nuts?” the new guy said.
“I wouldn’t say so. Mildly eccentric, maybe. But who am I to judge?” Reacher patted the concrete on his other side. “Sit.”
“If you’re not nuts then Roth must be.” The new guy sat. “If what we have gets out, he’s finished. His career’s over. He knows that.”