Countdown - Iris Johansen [143]
What a bloody mess you’ve made of everything, Trevor.” Brenner walked into the treatment room where Trevor and Jane were sitting after being dismissed by the physician. “With an emphasis on bloody.”
“Thanks for your sympathy,” Trevor said dryly as he shrugged back into his shirt. “But since you were out of the action entirely you have no right to criticize.”
“I’m sympathetic.” He turned to Jane. “I feel very sorry that Jane had to put up with your incompetence. Are you okay?”
“Fine. Hardly a scratch.”
“Good.” He turned back to Trevor. “And I was hardly out of the action. Who do you think shepherded those police units to the compound?”
“Jock.”
“Be for real. What do you think the odds are that any small-town police department would send their men out in a snowstorm on an anonymous tip? I heard them debating over my police-band radio when I was driving toward Reilly’s place and took it upon myself to persuade them that glory and promotions waited for them at the compound.”
“And how did you do that?”
“Well, I did borrow Venable’s name and told them that the raid was planned by the CIA and it was to be a joint effort.”
“And they bought it?” Jane asked.
“I’m an amazingly persuasive fellow.” He smiled. “Though my Australian accent gave me a little trouble. They don’t trust foreigners in these parts. But it only goes to show you how good I am. So what’s next?”
“Next I call Eve and Joe and let them know what’s going on,” Jane said. “Then after we leave the hospital we head for the airport and get the first flight out. We have to go back to MacDuff’s Run.”
Brenner glanced at the window. “It’s snowing like hell. I wouldn’t be in too much of a hurry to go to the airport.” He held up his hand as she opened her lips to protest. “I know. You want out of here. Okay, I’ll see about a charter. But no sane pilot is going to take off until it’s safe.” He took out his phone and started dialing.
“Safe,” Jane murmured. “Did we stop them? Are we all safe, Trevor? I’m afraid to believe it.”
“I don’t know. There are still too many loose cannons to worry about.” Trevor took her hand in comfort and support. “We’ll have to wait until we hear from MacDuff.”
MacDuff didn’t call for twenty-four hours and his tone was curt when he did. “I’m through here. Venable smoothed the way, but they didn’t let me leave until he arrived six hours ago. He wants to see you but I stalled him. I said you’d call and give him a statement within forty-eight hours. He didn’t like it. But he agreed.”
“The suicide bombers?”
“No action taken by them. Without Reilly the job was evidently like a snake without a head. There were a few notes in the personnel folder that might lead the CIA to identify those particular suicide bombers. We did find reference to the targets, and they were put on alert.”
“Thank God.”
“I’ll be at the airport within two hours if I can get there through this damn blizzard. It’s got to stop sometime.”
“No hurry. The flights are grounded anyway.”
“The hell there’s no hurry. I’m going to be there when the airport opens.”
“I’m? Not we?” Her hand tightened on the phone. “Jock’s not coming?”
“Not now.”
“Venable? He has Jock in custody?”
“No, though he wants him damn bad. Jock took off before the police showed up last night.”
“Took off? Where?”
“Into the woods. I tracked him for six hours but then I lost him.”
“He could die out there.”
“He won’t die. That bastard Reilly taught him to operate in fair or foul weather. We just have to find him. And right now Venable has half the local police force looking for him. I’ll come back here when I’m not stumbling over everyone.” He hung up.
Jane hung up the phone. “Jock’s on the run.”
“So I heard,” Trevor said. “Is MacDuff worried?”
“He won’t admit it if he is.” She frowned. “I’m worried. I don’t care how good he is at living off the land. Maybe he doesn’t want to live. He tried to commit suicide before. MacDuff’s safe from Reilly now, and that gives Jock one less reason to live.”
“Perhaps he’s far enough along that self-preservation has kicked