Daniel Buckman: Deceased.
It was less than three minutes after LuAnn left that Riggs received a telephone call. The message was terse, but still managed to chill Riggs to the bone.
“Someone just made an unauthorized access of your fingerprint file through the Automated Fingerprint Identification System. And it was somebody who knew what he was doing because we didn’t realize it happened until after the fact. Exercise extreme care, we’re checking it out right now.”
Riggs slammed down the phone and grabbed his receiving unit. He took a moment to unlock a drawer of his desk. He pulled out two pistols, two ammo clips, and an ankle holster. The larger pistol he put in his pocket and the smaller one he inserted in the holster he belted around his ankle. Then he ran for his Jeep. He hoped to God LuAnn hadn’t found and removed the transmitter from her car.
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
From the car phone LuAnn called the number Jackson had given her. He buzzed her back less than a minute later.
“I’m on the move too,” he said. “We need to talk.”
“I’m reporting back to you, like you said.”
“I’m sure you are. I trust you have a good deal to tell me.”
“I don’t think we have a serious problem on our hands.”
“Oh, really, I’m so very glad to hear it.”
LuAnn responded testily. “Do you want to hear it or not?”
“Yes, but in person.”
“Why?”
“Why not?” he fired back. “And I have some information that might be of interest to you.”
“About what?”
“No, about whom. Matt Riggs. Like his real name, his real background, and why you should take every caution in dealing with him.”
“You can tell me all that over the phone.”
“LuAnn, perhaps you didn’t hear me. I said you’re going to meet me in person.”
“Why should I?”
“I’ll give you a wonderful reason. If you don’t I’ll find Riggs and kill him in the next half hour. I’ll cut off his head and mail it to you. If you call to warn him, then I’ll go to your home and kill everyone there from the maids to the gardeners and then I’ll burn it to the ground. Then I’ll go to your precious daughter’s exclusive school and slaughter everyone there. You can keep calling, trying to warn the whole town, and I’ll just start killing people at random. Is that a good enough reason, LuAnn, or do you want to hear more?”
LuAnn, pale and trembling at this verbal onslaught, had to force her next breath out. She knew that he meant every insane word. “Where and when?”
“Just like old times. Speaking of old times, why don’t you ask Charlie to join us. This applies to him as well.”
LuAnn held the phone away from her, staring at it as though she wanted to melt it down along with the man on the other end. “He’s not around right now.”
“My, my. And I thought he never left your side, the faithful sidekick.”
Something in his tone touched a chord in LuAnn’s memory. She couldn’t think of what it was. “We’re not exactly joined at the hip. He’s got a life to live.”
For now, Jackson thought. For now, just like you. I’m having my doubts, though, I really am.
“Let’s meet at the cottage where our inquisitive friend was nesting. Thirty minutes, can you manage it?”
“I’ll be at the cottage in thirty minutes.”
Jackson hung up the car phone and with an automatic motion felt for the knife hidden in his jacket.
Ten miles away LuAnn almost mirrored that movement, slipping off the safety on her .44.
Dusk was gathering as LuAnn drove down the treelined, leaf-strewn dirt road. The area was very dark. It had rained heavily the night before and a spray of water kicked up on her windshield as she drove through a deep puddle; she was momentarily startled. The cottage was up ahead. She slowed down and swept the terrain with her eyes. She saw no car, no person. She knew that meant nothing. Jackson seemed to appear and disappear whenever he damn well pleased with less rippling than a pebble flung across the ocean. She pulled the BMW to a stop in front of the ramshackle structure and climbed out. She knelt down for a moment and eyed the dirt. There were no other tire tracks and the mud would have shown any very clearly.