Part 37 (1/2)
She stilled almost involuntarily. ”Holy Christ.”
He relayed his conversation with Jo. ”At least two men are involved. I set the rendezvous for an hour from now.”
Across the alley, the figure behind the frosted gla.s.s window hoisted something.
”But they'll be on the move and you can track Jo's cell phone signal. They'll-”
”Hang on.”
Tang couldn't tell for certain, but the object in the figure's hands seemed to have the long barrel of a rifle.
”Gabe, I'll call you back. Text me the details of the rendezvous. I'll take point on this and coordinate the response.”
She rattled off her cell number for him and hung up. She pulled back her jacket and took her weapon from the holster. She held it low, came out of the shadows, and crept down the alley.
Vance ran out of the fog toward Jo and Murdock. Thirty feet behind him came Shepard, bleeding and stumbling. Calder was prodding him along with the gun.
Out of breath, Vance said, ”Got them.”
Murdock held up Jo's phone. ”Too late.”
He threw the phone to Vance the way he'd discard a piece of trash. Without hesitating, Vance turned and lobbed it into the lake.
Murdock shouted, ”No-”
They heard the phone splash in the darkness.
”Idiot,” Murdock said.
Vance looked at him with confusion. ”I thought you wanted me to dump it.” He pointed at Jo. ”I told you, you can't trust her.”
Shoving Shepard ahead of her, Calder ran up to them. ”You're d.a.m.ned right you can't trust her.”
Shepard looked dazed and ill. His forehead was split where Calder had pistol-whipped him. A dark flow of blood covered his face and spattered his dress s.h.i.+rt.
He needed help. But one step at a time. Continuing to breathe was a victory. Getting out of the park would be the next.
Jo turned to Calder. ”Kanan's going to be at the rendezvous in fifty-nine minutes. You really want to hang around here?”
Jo understood why Gabe had chosen the Stanford campus. He knew it, from the air-the 129th had choppered patients to Stanford Medical Center more than once. He also knew that she could navigate it blindfolded and half-asleep. And, despite what he'd told Murdock, the top of the quad offered at least a dozen places for him to set an ambush.
But she could think of only one reason why Murdock had agreed to rendezvous so far down the Peninsula, and so soon: Misty and Seth were in that area. Gabe had just narrowed the search radius considerably.
Murdock nodded at Jo. ”She has to come with us. Price of the deal.”
Calder frowned. ”Fine.” She turned to Shepard. ”Last chance. You want to hand over the sample?”
”I can't.”
Calder pointed toward the road. ”Put Beckett in the Tahoe.”
Jo's spirits soared. Murdock locked his hand around her arm and began leading her up the gra.s.sy slope. Calder put up a hand.
”Wait. As insurance, to make sure she's telling the truth, we'll leave a marker here.”
”What do you mean?” Murdock said.
She kicked the spare tire. ”Tie it to Alec's feet. The bridge to the island's over that way. He should be strong enough to tread water for an hour. If we get Slick, we'll tell Ian where to find his brother.”
”No,” Shepard said. ”Wait. You can't-”
The gun swiveled and stopped between his eyes. ”Don't tell me what I can't do. You're not putting anything over on me ever again, c.o.c.ksucker.”
She hawked out the word as if it had been festering in her throat for months. Shepard recoiled.
”Move,” she barked.
Vance pushed the tire along the sh.o.r.eline and Calder prodded Shepard in the back with the pistol. They faded into the night.
Murdock hauled Jo up the lawn toward the Tahoe. From the depths of the fog she heard Shepard's voice.
”Don't. For G.o.d's sake, Riva, please-”
Then she heard a splash.
Gabe wrote a text message to Tang as he ran down Jo's front steps.
Ferd trundled alongside him, scratching his arms and neck. ”Are we going to Stanford?”
”I am.” Gabe looked him up and down. ”You're going to the urgent care center. You're covered with hives.”
”What?” Ferd held his hands out. ”G.o.d almighty.”
”It's not Congolese monkey virus. It's the aftermath of courage.”
”I don't want to leave you to handle this-”
”I know what Jo looks like. I can recognize Shepard and Kanan, if it comes to it. Somebody needs to point them out to the cops on the scene.” He slapped Ferd on the back. ”Get to the doctor. Take it from a paramedic.”
He sent the text to Tang and sprinted toward his 4Runner.
Ian Kanan blinked the fatigue from his eyes. He was standing beside a desk in the stockroom of a sporting goods store. A mess of Post-it notes and photos was spread across the desk. So were three pistols, a Kbar knife, an ankle sheath, and several boxes of custom ammunition. He was holding a night-scoped rifle in his hands.