No Plan B (Jack Reacher, #27)(21)

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—

Hix shook each journalist’s hand and when the last one had filed out of the room he flopped down into the seat at the head of the table. “Bad moment, back there. High death rates? That was a little too close to home.”

“Who is that kid?” Brockman said. “I like him. Great way to trace drug deaths. We should try it on those assholes at Curtis Correctional. Dig up some dirt. Hit them right when their contract is up in Kansas.”

“We have more urgent issues. That kid needs to be watched. Twenty-four/seven, until he leaves town.”

“No need. He’s no danger to us. He knows nothing. Like you said, he was fishing.”

“He’s no danger yet. But we can’t have him poking around. Asking questions. Not if he’s looking for drugs.”

“So what if he’s looking for drugs? He won’t find any. None he can connect to us, anyway.”

“You’re missing the point. Drugs don’t appear out of thin air. They have to be smuggled. And we can’t have anyone watching for packages getting taken into the prison. Or more important, out.”

Brockman thought for a moment. “You’re right. Leave it with me. I’ll have the guy watched. And discouraged, if necessary.”

“Good. But this leads us to something else. The guy from Colorado. Who may have looked in the envelope. I had thought it would be safe to wait and see if he showed up in town.”

“He won’t.”

“He might. And if he does, I don’t want there to be any chance of him crossing paths with the journalist kid. Or of us having to deal with the guy and the journalist getting wind of it.”

“You’re worrying over nothing.”

“I’m keeping us safe. And protecting our investment. So we’re going to make a change to the plan.”

“We’re not canceling the ceremony. Or doing it behind closed doors. Don’t listen to Riverdale. That guy…”

“I’m not worried about the publicity. I want it. And it can’t hurt us. Worst case? The guy sees a video or reads a report that has a picture with it. After the event it’s too late for him to make any waves. The danger is if he shows up. Causes a scene in real time. Gets that nosey kid all fired up. So this is what we’re going to do. We’re going to push the cordon farther out. Figure out how the guy might try to get here. He’s homeless, after all. That has to limit his options. So we’ll identify any potential approach routes and post our people at strategic locations.”

“Can’t hurt, I suppose. But I still don’t think he’ll come.”

“Assume he will. The question is, how? He doesn’t have a car. He can’t rent one because he doesn’t have a license.”

“He could steal one.”

“That’s possible. What else?”

“Someone he knows could drive him. Or he could hitch a ride with a stranger.”

“Possible. What else?”

“He could go old school. Take the bus. If he could afford a ticket. There’s a Greyhound station in Jackson. That must be the closest.”

“He could do that, I guess. In a pinch. Time would be tight if he hasn’t already set off. What else?”

Brockman was quiet for a moment. “That’s all I got.”

“OK. So here’s what I need you to do. Put two men on the Greyhound station in Jackson. Have them check every bus that comes in from anywhere west of here. Also put two men at the truck stop on I-20. If the guy tries to hitch a ride, what are the chances of finding one driver going all the way from Colorado to Winson? Zero. He’ll need to get multiple rides. The final pickup would have to be quite a distance away. Everyone knows better than to stop for hitchhikers near a prison. Put two more men at the intersection with US 61, in case he tries his luck there instead. And two more where there’s construction on US 87, halfway from Jackson. In case the guy stole a car or got a ride with a friend. It’s down to one lane, right there. And it’s slow. Easy to see who’s driving. Or being driven.”

“That’s a lot of manpower.”

“There’s a lot at stake.”

“What about the prison? And Angela’s house? Do we still watch them?”

“Of course. There’s no guarantee the guy won’t slip through.”

“That’s even more manpower.”

“We don’t have a choice. Pull a couple of guards out of each unit. Minerva people only. No legacy grunts. Cancel days off and double enough other shifts to pick up the slack. And find the biggest man we’ve got. Hold him in reserve. The idiots we sent to Colorado as well. If anyone calls in a sighting have them check it. If the ID is positive, dispatch them. Make sure the guy is properly neutralized this time.”

“If they get there fast enough. And if our guys spot him. They’re going to be stretched pretty thin.”

“I have an idea about that. Some insurance, in case he does somehow get through. Something that’ll throw him off the scent. I’ll take care of it while you handle the other logistics.”

“Understood. And I’ll tell Moseley to send out extra patrols. And make sure all his units have this Reacher guy’s description.”

“OK. But I want the cops on a watching brief only. We need to handle this ourselves. No official record. And, Damon? Double-check everything. Triple-check it. Make sure everyone is at the top of their game. You know what will happen if anything gets screwed up on Friday.”