Every Last Fear(39)
“Stop it,” she said, smiling in spite of herself, the image of her buttoned-up boss getting wild with prostitutes unfortunately shooting through her mind. “Stan had to get back to the office.”
Her boss had left her to handle the meeting at the Marconi accounting firm on her own. Given the interest HQ had taken in the Pine case, Keller didn’t know whether to be flattered or concerned. Stan either had great confidence in her or was distancing himself from a potential shit show. Stan was a stand-up guy, so Keller decided to believe the former.
“So what’s in Chicago?” Bob asked.
“Probably blowing up two years of work on my cartel case.” Keller had the Marconi file spread out on the worktable in front of her.
“Wow, they really want to know what happened to the Pines,” Bob said. “The power of television, I guess.”
“And the president’s daughter, a law student and fangirl of ‘A Violent Nature.’”
“I hope you’re kidding.”
Keller didn’t reply.
“When do you think you’ll be home?”
“I’m not sure. I’m going to hit the accounting firm in the morning and, if I have time, try to talk to some of the girl’s classmates. I doubt it will go anywhere, but might as well while I’m there.” She hesitated, then added, “I won’t be surprised if they want me to go to Nebraska. That’s where they’re sending the bodies.” She’d tried calling Matt Pine, but it went right to voicemail. She’d texted him as well, but he’d ignored her. Or his phone was dead.
There was a beat of silence on the line. She almost apologized again, but then Bob said, “I’m proud of you, you know?”
Tears welled in Keller’s eyes. “I love you,” she said.
“Right back at you, G-woman. Give ’em hell tomorrow,” he said. And in an exaggerated tone of urgency he added, “And eat some deep dish. It’s Chicago, for Christ’s sake.”
CHAPTER 25
MATT PINE
Matt watched from the cover of the woods as a car jerked to a stop in front of Hank’s Toyota. A car door slammed and a figure stalked to Hank’s driver’s side. In the darkness, all Matt could make out was the form of a man. He must’ve worn heavy shoes, boots perhaps, because they crunched loudly in the gravel shoulder of the country road.
The man stopped, said something Matt couldn’t make out, then did something that caused Matt’s heart to free-fall. He started sprinting toward the precise spot where Matt was hiding.
Instincts took over, and Matt turned and hauled ass. He darted through the brush, branches lashing his face, thorny bushes snagging his shirt. A light, the beam from a powerful flashlight, locked on to Matt’s back, a long shadow before him. Matt hurdled over a downed tree, then cut sharply to the right, then left, then right again, trying to evade the spotlight.
He lunged behind some thick brush, the flashlight beam disap pearing for a moment. Matt darted deeper into the woods, not looking back. He kept going, his lungs on fire. When he found pitch blackness again, he stopped behind a large tree to catch his breath. He took in the humid air, trying not to make a sound. His heart was beating so hard, it felt like an alien trying to rip through his chest.
He thought he’d lost whoever was chasing him, but the forest grew suddenly quiet. The flashlight beam reappeared. It swept through the mist, like a searchlight from prison movies, back and forth across the grid. The light grew brighter and Matt stayed deathly still. Then the light went out. Darkness, the only sound blood whirling in his ears.
Matt stood ramrod straight, his back against the rough tree bark. Listening for the man’s footsteps. He should call for help, but who? Did Mexico even use 9-1-1? And what did it matter? He had no idea where he was. And even if his phone pinged his coordinates, it would be too late. But shouldn’t he try? He quietly pulled the phone from his pocket. It was dead. Of course it was. His mind tripped back to Hank shoving it in his hand. Who was she? What did they want from him? There were much easier ways to roll someone. And surely there were more promising targets than a college kid with a cracked iPhone and a few hundred bucks. His mind jumped to the man with the cleft lip scar patting him down in the middle of the street.
A small eternity passed, but the quiet finally gave way to the hum of the jungle. Night creatures. Leaves rustling in the treetops. Wild dogs barking in the distance.
At long last, when he thought his pursuer had moved on, Matt took a step. The snap of twigs under his foot seemed to echo in the night. Or was that only in his head? He took another step, half expecting his stalker to materialize from the darkness.
The monster never appeared. But Matt took no chances. He walked slowly, stealthily, one soft foot after the other, navigating through the thicket of trees. It went on like this for a long while until he saw another light. Not the flashlight, thankfully. Headlamps of a car winking through the trees. He wouldn’t be lost in the jungle all night, at least. It was a road, however desolate.
When he made it to the tree line, he had a difficult decision to make: risk walking along the roadside, or travel in the shadows until he reached civilization. The road had the obvious benefit that someone might take pity on him and give him a ride. But that someone could end up being the person who was hunting him. Also, who in their right mind would pick up a stranger at this hour? He decided to use caution. Stalk in the shadows and assess each vehicle as it approached.