“Now that we’re at the end of this recon, and now that our safe return is in some doubt, I’d like to know what was in your overnight bag, aside from your knickers and your Snickers.”
They made eye contact, and Taylor said, “I could lie to you and if we don’t make it back to Kavak, you’d never know.”
“That’s why I need you to tell me.”
“All right… Well, I was given something to take with me.”
“By whom?”
“By… friends of Trent.”
“Not a complete surprise. When?”
“The day before we met with General Hackett.”
“Apparently they knew you were going on a trip.”
She nodded. “They knew before we did.”
This was getting interesting, and maybe complicated, so Brodie steered toward the shore, killed the engine, and tilted the prop out of the water as their momentum put the bow into the thick growth along the bank. “Tie it up.”
Taylor wrapped the bow line around an overhanging branch, and the boat swung starboard in the current and held fast against the shore.
Brodie looked at her in the shadows. “What did they give you?”
“A… it’s called a Garmin inReach.” She looked at him. “Do you know what that is?”
“I can guess.”
“It allows two-way texting via satellite to sat phones or cell phones, independent of any cell network.”
“That was a nice going-away present.”
She continued, “It can also transmit lat long.”
“Photos?”
“No. But exceptional battery life.”
“Where can I get one of these?”
“In my overnight bag. I left it there.”
“We could have used it here. But—oh, you didn’t know you were going on a river cruise with me.”
“I wouldn’t have taken it anyway.”
“Really?”
“I’ve never used it… never even turned it on.”
“Not even a commo check?”
“Scott… look at me. I never used it.”
“Then why did you take it?”
“If I didn’t take it, I’d still be back in Quantico.”
