Fiske glanced in the rearview mirror. The black sedan was still back there. He thought quickly. “Okay, I’ll meet you at my office in four hours tops.”
“Josh ain’t got four hours. He’s shot the hell up.”
“We’re going to take care of Josh right now, Rufus. I’m meeting you, not Josh.”
“What the hell you talking about?”
“I’m going to call a buddy of mine who’s a cop. He’ll get an ambulance. They’ll take care of him. MCV Hospital is only a few minutes from my office.”
“No police!”
Fiske yelled into the phone,” Do you want Josh to die? Do you?” Fiske took the silence as Rufus’s surrender to whatever help Fiske could give him. “Describe the car to me and give me the intersection where you are right now.” Rufus did so. “My friend will have help there in a few minutes. Leave Josh in the car. As soon as you hang up, walk to my office building. It’s open. Go in the front door and go down the flight of stairs on your left. You go through another door. There’s a door on your right marked ‘Supplies.’ It’s unlocked. Get in there and sit tight. I’ll be down quick as I can. I also want you to take your brother’s wallet because I don’t want him to have any ID. If they know it’s Josh, they’re going to start looking for you nearby. That includes my office. The police cordoning off the area would throw a real wrench in my plan.”
“What if somebody sees me? Maybe recognizes me?”
“We don’t have much choice now, Rufus.”
“I’m trusting you. Please help my brother. Please don’t let me down.”
“Rufus, I’m trusting you too. Don’t let me down.”
When Rufus hung up, he looked at Josh. He slipped a gun under his shirt and reached out to touch his brother. He thought Josh was completely unconscious now, but when Rufus brushed his shoulder gently with his finger, Josh opened his eyes.
“Josh — ”
“I heard.” The voice was weak; everything about him was now.
“He wants me to take your wallet, so they won’t know who you are just yet.”
“In my back pocket.” Rufus slid it out. “Now get going.”
Rufus considered this for a moment. “I can stay with you. We go together.”
“No good.” Josh spit up some more blood. “Docs’ll sew me up. I been hurt a lot worse than this.” Josh moved a shaky hand out, touched his brother’s face, brushed away the wetness from his eyes.
“I’m gonna stay with you, Josh.”
“You stay, all this is for nothing.”
“I can’t leave you alone. Not like this. Not after all these years away.”
With a painful grimace, Josh sat up. “You ain’t leaving me alone. Give it to me.”
“Give you what?”
Josh said, “The Bible.”
Without taking his eyes off his brother, Rufus slowly reached behind the seat and handed him the book. In return, Josh held out the pistol that had been wedged against his ribs for all these hours. Rufus looked at him questioningly. “Fair swap,” Josh said hoarsely.
Rufus thought he saw a smile flicker across his brother’s lips before Josh closed his eyes, his breathing shallow but steady. One large hand gripped the Bible so tightly the spine of the book twisted.
As Rufus climbed out of the Jeep, he looked back once more, and then left his brother behind.
* * *
Fiske finally reached Hawkins at home. “Don’t ask me why or how, Billy. I can’t tell you who it is. For now he’s a John Doe. Stall the paperwork and drive the Jeep to the hospital.” Fiske hung up.
“John, how are we going to meet Rufus with the FBI right behind us?” Sara said.
“I’m meeting Rufus, you’re not.”
“Wait a minute — ”
“Sara — ”
“I want to see this through.”
“Believe me, you will. You have to make a phone call for me, to my friend at the JAG.”
“What about? And you still haven’t told me what you think happened in that stockade twenty-five years ago.”
He put one hand on top of hers. “U.S. v. Stanley. An innocent soldier and LSD,” Fiske said, watching her eyes go wide. “Only worse,” he added.