The Chaos Kind (John Rain #11)(41)

He clicked off and looked at Labee. “You got a nav system in that Jeep of yours? I don’t know how to get to the hotel.”

“I’ll drive you.”

“No, I don’t think that’s—”

“I’ll drive you.”

If there’s one thing he’d learned about Labee, it was the futility of arguing. “Can Alondra stay here?”

Diaz said, “I’m coming, too.”

Labee shook her head. “Bad idea.”

“I’m the only one Hamilton knows,” Diaz said. “She won’t listen to you. Or go anywhere with you.”

Dox said, “How about if you just call her at the hotel? See if you can reach her in her room and tell her to stay put and not answer the door.”

“Even if I reach her, if you go without me, she won’t know who you are.”

Dox stood and called Kanezaki. “Well, whoever’s going, let’s make it quick. I got a bad feeling about Hamilton, and we might be too late already.”





chapter

thirty-two





DOX


Labee drove and Dox rode shotgun. Diaz, in the back, used Dox’s burner to call the Four Seasons. She asked for Hamilton’s room, waited, then shook her head and clicked off. “Not in the room,” she said.

Dox had already tried Kanezaki but hadn’t been able to reach him. And no one in Hamilton’s office had been willing to share the cellphone number. “Damn,” he said. “If she’s not at the hotel, and someone else is geolocating her cellphone, we’re wasting our time. Alondra, you said you have the number in your cellphone. You left it in a library? Where?”

“Near the courthouse,” Diaz said. “Just a few blocks from the hotel. Livia, swing by. I’ll use it just to call Hamilton. I can ditch it again afterward.”

Labee glanced at Dox, obviously not liking it.

“It’s a small risk,” he said. “Remember, it’s not just that we need Hamilton’s intel. If whatever she knows falls into the wrong hands, that’s doubly bad.”

Five minutes later, they pulled up in front of the public library. There were people marching past with signs—SAVE THE CHILDREN and THE STORM IS COMING and DEEP STATE PROTECTS PEDOPHILES. Schrader’s bizarre prison release was in the news, and it was stirring up the QAnoners.

Diaz moved as though to get out. “No, ma’am,” Dox said, scoping the area. “Tell me where the phone is and you stay put. Just in case there are any unfriendlies in the area.”

“Behind a book called Recursion, by Blake Crouch. Level three. Fiction.”

Dox went in while Labee circled the block. He found the phone no problem and made it back to the Jeep without incident. “Haven’t turned it on yet,” he said. “Let’s wait until we’re moving.”

They pulled away and Diaz called Hamilton. Dox eyed the sideview. He didn’t see anyone tailing them, but there was too much traffic to be sure.

“Sharon,” Diaz said. “This is Alondra Diaz. I—no, I didn’t have my cellphone with me, I just picked it up. Listen—no, I don’t know where Schrader is. I had nothing to do with—listen to me, this is important. It’s critical that I meet you right away. Where are you?”

A pause, then, “Where in the hotel? I tried you in the room.”

She glanced at Dox. “The restaurant? That’s—” A pause. “I don’t know why you can’t reach Meekler, I haven’t been to the office. Are there other people in the restaurant?”

Another pause. “Can you just answer me? I think you’re in danger. Did you not hear about what happened in Freeway Park this morning? It’s not just about me. They might be coming for you, too.”

Another pause. “I don’t care if you think I’m being paranoid. Will you just stay put? In the restaurant. Near other people. I’ll be there in a few minutes and I’ll tell you more. Okay? Good. Just a few minutes.”

She clicked off and powered down.

Dox called Larison from a burner. “Where are you?”

“About a minute from the hotel. You?”

“Not far behind. We reached Hamilton. She says she’s in the hotel restaurant. I couldn’t reach K., so I don’t have independent confirmation, but there’s no reason to think Hamilton’s lying. Why don’t you pull up and send Manus in to have a look. You stay with the van. It’s not personal, just—”

“I know. I get noticed.”

“It’s one of your charm points. I’ll be right behind him. If it all looks good, we’ll send in Diaz, who’ll be functioning as our bona fides, and we’ll escort Hamilton out.”

“Understood. By the way, we’re passing protestors. I think they’re heading to the courthouse.”

“Yeah, we saw a bunch, too. Schrader’s release and all the denials, I guess. The good news is, it’ll probably draw police resources. Give us a little more room if we need it.”

“Agreed. Call me if anything changes.”

He realized he wouldn’t know Hamilton even if he saw her. “What does Hamilton look like?” he asked Diaz. He handed her his phone. “Here, see if you can find a photo.”