the busiest night of the year.’
288
‘It would have been a long ride,’ I said. ‘Big fare. It might
stand out in some driver’s memory.’
‘New Year’s Eve,’ she said again. ‘D.C. taxis and town cars
are all over three states. All kinds of weird destinations. It’s a
possibility.’
‘I don’t think so,’ I said. ‘You don’t take a taxi on a trip where
you break into a hardware store and a house.’
‘No reason for the driver to have seen anything. Vassell or
Coomer or both could have walked into that alley in Sperryville
on foot. Come back five minutes later with the crowbar under
their coat. Same thing with Mrs Kramer’s house. The cab could
have stopped on the driveway. All the action was around the
back.’
‘Too big of a risk. A D.C. cab driver reads the papers same as
anyone else. Maybe more than anyone else, with all that traffic.
He sees the story from Green Valley, he remembers his two passengers.’
‘They didn’t see it as a risk. They weren’t anticipating a story.
Because they thought Mrs Kramer wasn’t going to be home.
They thought she would be at the hospital. And they figured no
way would a couple of trivial burglaries in Sperryville and
Green Valley make it into the D.C. papers.’
I nodded. Thought back to something Detective Clark had
said, days ago. I had people up and down the street, canvassing.
There were some cars around.
‘Maybe,’ I said. ‘Maybe we should check taxis.’
Vorst night of the year,’ Summer said. ‘Like for alibis.’
‘It would be a hell of a thing,’ I said. ‘Wouldn’t it? Taking a
cab to do a thing like that?’
‘Nerves of steel.’
‘If they’ve got nerves of steel, why did they run away last
night?’
She was quiet for a moment.
‘That really doesn’t make any sense,’ she said. ‘Because they
can’t run for ever. They must know that. They must know that
sooner or later they’re going to have to turn around and bite
back.’
‘I agree. And they should have done it right here. Right now.
This is their turf. I don’t understand why they didn’t.’
289
‘It will be a hell of a bite. Their whole professional lives are on
the line. You should be very careful.’
‘You too,’ I said. ‘Not just me.’
‘Offence is the best defence.’
‘Agreed,’ I said.
‘So are we going after them?’
‘You bet your ass.’
‘Which one first?’
‘Marshall,’ I said. ‘He’s the one I want.’
‘Why?’
‘Rule of thumb,’ I said. ‘Chase the one they sent furthest
away, because they see him as the weakest link.’
‘Now?’ she said.
I shook my head.
‘We’re going to Paris next,’ I said. ‘I have to see my morn.’
290
NINETEEN
W
E REPACKED OUR BAGS AND MOVED OUT OF OUR VOQ rooms and paid a final courtesy visit to Swan in his
office. He had some news for us.
‘I’m supposed to arrest you both,’ he said.
‘Why?’ I said.
‘You’re AWOL. Willard put a hit out on you.’
‘What, worldwide?’
Swan shook his head. q’his post only. They found your car at
Andrews and Willard talked to Transportation Corps. So he
knew you were headed here.’
‘When did you get the telex?’
‘An hour ago.’
‘When did we leave here?’
‘An hour before that.’
‘Where did we go?’
‘No idea. You didn’t say. I assumed you were returning to
base.’
‘Thanks,’ I said.
‘Better not tell me where you’re really going.’
‘Paris,’ I said. ‘Personal time.’
‘What’s going on?’
291
‘I wish I knew.’
‘You want me to call you a cab?’
‘That would be great.’
Ten minutes later we were in another Mercedes-Benz, heading
back the way we had come.
We had a choice of Lufthansa or Air France from Frankfurt
am-Main to Paris. I chose Air France. I figured their coffee
would be better, and I figured if Willard got around to checking
civilian carriers he would hit on Lufthansa first. I figured he was
that kind of a simpleton.
We swapped two more of the forged travel vouchers for two
seats in coach on the ten o’clock flight. Waited in the gate
lounge. We were in BDUs, but we didn’t really stand out. There
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