“Making a call.”
“Is it safe?”
“If I keep it short, I think so. I need to talk to my assistant, Patrick.”
A man picked up on the first ring, and his voice was loud enough for Rachel to hear.
“Jake! The cops are after you. It’s on the news.”
“I know. I didn’t do it.” He laughed. “Well, they all say that, but in this case, it’s true.”
“Where are you?”
“Better not say.”
“Yeah. Right. What do you want me to do?”
“Keep things running smoothly until I get back.”
“Of course.”
“And cooperate with the cops. If they want to search my office, let them. I don’t have anything to hide.”
“Okay.”
“Next time I call you, you won’t recognize the number.”
“Take care of yourself.”
“I will.” He hung up, switched off the phone, then hesitated.
“Are you wondering if you should crush it?” she asked.
He nodded.
“I think they can’t trace it if you keep it off.”
“How do you know?”
“Spy novels.”
He snorted, then gave her a considering look. “You okay?” he asked.
“Not really.”
“We will be.”
“You promise?”
“Yes.”
He kept driving, using a secondary road that took them farther from the city.
Finally, in a town about fifty miles from home, he came to a commercial strip with several motels. After driving past the big chains, he stopped at a smaller establishment.
“What about this?”
“Kind of run-down.”
