‘Holland’s OK,’ Peterson said. ‘But he’s tired. His wife died. Then his daughter grew up and left home. He’s all alone, and he feels a little beaten down.’
‘I saw the photograph in his office.’
‘Happier days. They made a nice family.’
‘So is he up to the job?’
‘Enough to ask for help when he needs it.’
‘Who’s he asking?’
‘You.’
Reacher finished his Miller. He was warm, and comfortable, and tired. He said, ‘What could I possibly do for him?’
Peterson said, ‘There was an old army facility where they built the construction camp.’
‘You told me that already.’
‘We need to understand exactly what it was.’
‘Don’t you know?’
Peterson shook his head. ‘It was put in a long time ago. There’s a single stone building, about the size of a house.’
‘Is that all?’
Peterson nodded. ‘A long straight road leading to a single small building all alone on the prairie.’
‘And it’s the size of a house?’
‘Smaller than this one.’
‘What shape?’
‘Square. Rectangular. Like a house.’
‘With a roof?’
‘Of course.’
‘Because I’m wondering if it was a missile silo. There are plenty of them in the Dakotas.’
‘It’s not a silo.’
‘Then it could be anything. Could be something they started and didn’t finish.’
‘We don’t think so. There’s a kind of folk memory with the older people. They say there were hundreds of engineers out there for months. And a security cordon. And a lot of coming and going. That’s a lot of effort for a thing the size of a house.’
‘I’ve heard of stranger things.’
‘We need to know. Chances are we’re going to need to go out there and make a hundred arrests. We need to know what we’re dealing with.’
‘Call somebody. Call the Department of the Army.’
‘We have. We’ve called, the county board has called, the state government has called.’
‘And?’
‘Nobody ever got a reply.’
‘How old are your older people?’
‘Does that matter?’
‘I’m asking when the place was built. Did they see all these engineers for themselves? Or just hear stories about them from their parents or grandparents?’
‘The place is about fifty years old.’
‘How long since soldiers were seen out there?’
‘Never. The place was never used.’
Reacher shrugged. ‘So it’s an abandoned Cold War facility. Maybe never even completed. One day it seemed like a good idea, the next day it didn’t. That kind of thing happened all the time, way back when, because strategy was fluid. Or because nobody had the faintest idea what they were doing. But it’s no big deal. A stone house is going to be more resistant to small-arms fire than a hut or a trailer, but I’m assuming you’re not planning on a shooting war out there anyway.’
‘We need to know for sure.’
‘I can’t help you. I never served here. Never heard any talk.’
‘You could make some back-channel calls. Maybe you still know people.’
‘I’ve been out a very long time.’
‘You could go west and take a look.’
‘It’s a stone building. Army stone is the same as anyone else’s.’
‘Then why the hundreds of engineers?’
‘What’s on your mind?’
‘We’re wondering if it’s an underground facility. Maybe the stone building is just a stair head. It could be a warren down there. Their lab could be down there. Which would explain the lack of fires and explosions in the trailers. They could have turned the whole place into a fortress. There could be food and water and weapons down there. This whole thing could turn into a siege. We don’t want that.’
Peterson stood up and stepped over to the desk and took two fresh bottles from the refrigerator. Which told Reacher they were only halfway through their conversation. Maybe only a third of the way through, if there was a six-pack in there.
Peterson said, ‘There’s more.’
‘No kidding,’ Reacher said.
‘We’ve got their top boy locked up, but command and control is still happening. They’re still functioning.’
‘So he’s got a deputy.’
‘Gangs don’t work like that.’
‘So he’s still communicating. Cell phone or smuggled notes.’
‘Not happening.’
‘You know that for sure?’
‘Definitely.’
‘Then it’s through his lawyer. A private conference every day, they’re pretending to discuss the case, your guy is really issuing verbal instructions, his lawyer is passing them on.’
‘That’s what we guessed. But that’s not happening either.’
‘How do you know?’
‘Because they have concealed video and audio in the conference rooms.’
‘For privileged discussions between lawyers and clients? Is that legal?’
‘Maybe. It’s a brand-new prison. And there’s a lot of fine print in some of the new federal legislation.’
‘He’s not a federal prisoner.’
‘OK, so no, it’s probably not entirely legal.’
‘But you’re doing it anyway?’
‘Yes,’ Peterson said. ‘And we haven’t heard a single instruction or business detail. No notes passed, nothing written down.’
‘You ever heard of the Fourth Amendment? This could screw your case.’
‘We’re not planning on using anything we hear. The prosecutor doesn’t even know we’re doing it. We just want advance warning, that’s all, in the police department, in case they decide to move against the witness.’
‘She’ll be OK. You’ve got her buttoned up tight. It’s only a month. You’re on the hook for a little overtime, but that’s all.’
‘We competed for that prison.’
‘Holland told me. Like a Toyota plant. Or Honda.’
‘It was a give and take process.’
‘It always is.’
‘Correctional staff get tax breaks, we built houses, we expanded the school.’
‘And?’
‘Final item was we had to sign on to their crisis plan.’
‘Which is what?’
‘If there’s an escape, we have a preassigned role.’
‘Which is what?’
‘The whole of the Bolton PD moves up to a prearranged perimeter a mile out.’
‘All of you?’
‘Every last one of us. On duty or off. Awake or asleep. Healthy or sick.’
‘Are you serious?’
‘It’s what we had to agree. For the good of the town.’
‘Not good,’ Reacher said. ‘Not good at all,’ Peterson said. ‘If that siren goes off, we drop everything and head north. All of us. Which means if that siren goes off any time in the next month, we leave Janet Salter completely unprotected.’
NINE
