61 Hours

meth bust on the police department radio net.’
    Holland nodded.
    ‘The shooter is one of us,’ he said. ‘He’s a cop.’
    Five minutes to midnight.
    Four hours to go.

THIRTY-SIX
    H OLLAND AND R EACHER HASHED IT OUT BETWEEN THEM, LIKE people do, searching for weaknesses in a theory, finding none, and thereby strengthening it to the point of certainty. A bent cop already in town explained why the watch for incoming strangers had proved fruitless. A bent cop in a car, flashing his lights, maybe patting the air with a gloved hand out a window, explained why a cautious lawyer would come to a dead stop on a lonely road in the middle of nowhere. A bent cop, hearing Holland’s triumphant radio message earlier that night, explained why Peterson had died so soon afterwards. The guy would have realized the need for action before morning.
Start of business tomorrow he’ll be calling the DEA in Washington with the details
, Holland had said. A no-brainer. And a bent cop parked in a lot, maybe waving urgently, explained why Peterson had come straight to his side, completely unsuspecting, completely unready.
    And a bent cop hauled unwillingly away by the siren and thecrisis plan explained why Janet Salter had lived through the prison riot, all five hours of it.
    Holland said, ‘It’s my fault. What I said on the radio got Andrew killed.’
    ‘I might have done the same,’ Reacher said. ‘In fact, sometimes I did do the same.’
    ‘I was trying to help him.’
    ‘Unintended consequences. Don’t blame yourself.’
    ‘How can I not?’
    ‘Why did he even go there? He wasn’t on duty. He wasn’t just passing by, because it wasn’t on his way home.’
    ‘He was always on duty, in his head, at least. And it could have been on his way home. More or less. I mean, it was a very minor detour. Two extra minutes, maybe. And that was Andrew, through and through. Always willing to give a little extra to the cause. Always ready to try one last thing, check one last place.’
    Reacher said nothing.
    Holland said, ‘I’m assuming the Mexican is behind all of this. The one we keep hearing about.’
    Reacher said, ‘Plato.’
    Holland asked, ‘How long ago do you suppose he turned our guy around?’
    ‘A year,’ Reacher said. ‘This whole business seems to be a year old.’
    ‘Was it money?’
    ‘Most things are.’
    ‘Who is it?’
    ‘I don’t know.’
    ‘A new guy, I’m guessing. I hardly know them. Not enough to trust any of them, anyway. The department is a mess. Which is my fault too, I guess. I couldn’t keep up.’
    Reacher said nothing.
    Holland asked, ‘Where do we start?’
    ‘Tell me about Kapler.’
    ‘He had problems in Miami. Nothing was proved against him. But there were rumours. It was Miami, and there was drug money around.’
    ‘Terrific.’
    ‘They were just rumours.’
    ‘You should look at him. And Lowell. What happened to him a year ago? You should look at this guy Montgomery, too. People who are all alone when they discover crimes are sometimes the same people that committed them.’
    ‘Should I bring them in?’
    ‘Safest thing to do would be to bring everyone in. The whole damn department. Sit them down right here in this room, and you’d know for sure your guy was right in front of you.’
    Holland said, ‘Can I do that?’
    ‘Sure you can.’
    ‘Should I do it?’
    Reacher said nothing. Any cop’s most basic question:
Suppose we’re wrong?
    Holland said, ‘The crew at Mrs Salter’s must be OK. They didn’t go anywhere tonight. Did they? They weren’t waiting in abandoned lots. They have alibis. Each other, and you.’
    ‘True.’
    ‘So I could leave them in place.’
    ‘But you should warn them first,’ Reacher said. ‘If our guy senses the net is tightening, he might make one last attempt.’
    ‘They’d nail him.’
    ‘Not if you don’t warn them first. A fellow cop comes to their door, what are they going to do? Shoot first and ask questions later?’
    ‘They’d nail him afterwards.’
    ‘Which would be too late.’
    ‘It would be a suicide mission.’
    ‘Maybe he’s ready for one. He must know he’s going to get nailed sooner or later. He must know he’s dead whatever happens. He’s between a rock and a hard place. Two homicides or three, either way he’s going to fry.’
    ‘He might not come in at all. He might disobey my order.’
    ‘Then he’ll identify himself for you. He’ll paint a target on his own back. He’ll save you the