17 A Wanted Man

understand your involvement.’
    ‘I have no involvement.’
    ‘You were seen driving the car.’
    ‘They asked me to.’
    ‘So you’re their driver?’
    ‘I never saw them before.’
    ‘What does that mean? You were what, a random stranger? A passerby? And they just stopped and asked you to drive their car?’
    ‘I was hitching rides. They picked me up.’
    ‘Where?’
    ‘In Nebraska.’
    ‘And they asked you to drive the car? Is that normal?’
    ‘Not in my experience.’
    No response from Sorenson.
    Reacher said, ‘I think they were expecting roadblocks and they wanted cover. I think they were anticipating a three-person APB, so they wanted four people in the car. I think they wanted someone else at the wheel, not one of them. Someone the cops would see first. My busted nose was a bonus. I bet that was ninety per cent of the description you got. A guy with his face smashed in.’
    ‘A gorilla.’
    ‘What?’
    ‘A gorilla with its face smashed in. Not very nice, I know.’
    ‘Not very nice to the gorilla,’ Reacher said. ‘But whatever, I was useful to them. But then they came off the Interstate. So they didn’t need me any more.’
    ‘So they shot you? Are you hurt?’
    ‘I said they shot at me. They missed.’
    ‘Do you know where they’re going?’
    ‘No idea.’
    ‘Then how can you find Delfuenso?’
    ‘I’ll think of something.’
    ‘If they don’t need you any more, they don’t need her any more, either. Just her car.’
    ‘So we’d better be quick.’
    ‘I’m still an hour away.’
    ‘Are the troopers coming?’
    ‘They’re all behind me.’
    Reacher said, ‘I’ve lost them anyway. The roads out here are impossible. I’m going to have to come at this from a different direction.’
    ‘What were you doing in Nebraska?’
    ‘None of your business.’
    ‘Is that where you broke your nose?’
    ‘I don’t remember.’
    ‘The sergeant at the roadblock said you admitted you’d been fighting.’
    ‘Not really. I said he should see the other guy. That was all. It was a conventional pleasantry.’
    ‘He told us you said the other guy was in a state other than Iowa.’
    ‘I can’t comment on what he told you. I wasn’t there for that conversation.’
    ‘Was the other guy in Nebraska?’
    ‘You’re wasting time.’
    ‘I’m not. I’m driving as fast as I can. What else can I do at the moment?’
    ‘Drive faster still.’
    Sorenson asked, ‘Where were you going?’
    Reacher said, ‘When?’
    ‘When they picked you up.’
    ‘Virginia.’
    ‘Why?’
    ‘None of your business.’
    ‘What’s in Virginia?’
    ‘Many things. It’s an important state. Twelfth largest in the Union in terms of population. Thirteenth, in terms of GDP. You could look it up.’
    ‘You’re not convincing me. You’re not helping your personal situation.’
    ‘Why am I calling you?’
    ‘Maybe you want a deal.’
    ‘I don’t. I don’t need a deal. I need to help Delfuenso if I can, and then I need to go to Virginia.’
    ‘Why would you need to help Delfuenso?’
    ‘Why wouldn’t I? I’m a human being.’
    No answer from Sorenson.
    Reacher asked, ‘What did those guys do, anyway?’
    ‘I think I won’t discuss that with you. Not yet.’
    ‘I know they jacked Delfuenso’s car. I know they had blood on their clothes.’
    ‘How do you know that? They bought shirts and changed.’
    ‘Delfuenso told me.’
    ‘You talked?’
    ‘She blinked it out. In secret. A simple letter code.’
    ‘Smart woman. Brave woman, too.’
    ‘I know,’ Reacher said. ‘She warned me about the guns. I let her down.’
    ‘Evidently.’
    ‘You didn’t do so great either, with the two-man APB.’
    ‘One would think a BOLO for two men would logically include more than two. By a simple inference.’
    ‘Troopers don’t infer things. They don’t take the initiative. Nine times out of ten it gets them in trouble.’
    Sorenson asked, ‘How is Delfuenso doing?’
    Reacher said, ‘She’s not exactly having the time of her life.’
    ‘She has a kid back home.’
    ‘I know,’ Reacher said. ‘She told me.’
    Sorenson asked, ‘Do you have access to a vehicle?’
    Reacher said, ‘Not really. There are a couple here I might be able to borrow, but it’s pointless anyway. Those guys could be anywhere by now.’
    ‘What’s your name?’
    ‘Not yet.’
    ‘OK, stay right where you are. I’ll see you when I get there.’
    ‘You might,’ Reacher said. ‘Or you might not.’
    Drive faster