“The Army teach you to drive this fast?” Harper asked.
futUltM filing 187
He made no reply. They passed a town called Sprague and the road straightened. Blake’s map had shown it dead straight all the way to a town called Ritzville, twenty-something miles ahead. Reacher eased up toward eighty miles an hour, but the headlights behind were still closing fast. A long moment later a car blasted past them, a long low sedan, a wide maneuver, turbulent slipstream, a full quarter-mile in the opposite lane. Then it eased back right and pulled on ahead like the FBI’s Buick was crawling through a parking lot.
” That’s fast,” Reacher said.
“Maybe that’s the guy,” Harper said sleepily. “Maybe he’s heading down to Portland too. Maybe we’ll get him tonight.”
“I’ve changed my mind,” Reacher said. “I don’t think he drives. I think he flies.”
But he eased the speed a little higher anyway, to keep the distant taillights in sight.
“And then what?” Harper said. “He rents a car at the local airport?”
Reacher nodded in the dark. “That’s my guess. Those tire prints they found? Very standard size. Probably some anonymous midsize midrange sedan the rental companies have millions of.”
“Risky,” Harper said. “Renting cars leaves a paper trail.”
Reacher nodded again. “So does buying airplane tickets. But this guy is real organized. I’m sure he’s got cast-iron false ID. Following the paper trail won’t get anybody anywhere.”
“Well, we’ll do it anyway, I guess. And it means he’s been face-to-face with people at the rental counters.”
“Maybe not. Maybe he books ahead and gets express pickup.”
Harper nodded. “The return guy would see him, though.”
“Briefly.”
The road was straight enough to see the fast car a mile ahead. Reacher found himself easing up over ninety, pacing himself behind it.
“How long does it take to kill a person?” Harper asked.
“Depends how you do it,” Reacher said.
“And we don’t know how he’s doing it.”
“No, we don’t. That’s something we need to figure. But whatever way, he’s pretty calm and careful about it. No mess anywhere, no spilled paint. My guess is it’s got to be twenty, thirty minutes, minimum.”
Harper nodded and stretched. Reacher caught a breath of her perfume as she moved.
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l”&d
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