71.
At seven minutes past ten a new Nissan Quest picked its way through the narrowed construction lane.
In the van, Crow said, “That’s Esteban driving.”
“Let the van through,” Jesse said on the radio. And Buddy Hall waved it on. It drove on across the causeway and disappeared around the bend.
“Peter,” Jesse said into the radio, “a maroon Nissan Quest.”
“Got it,” Peter Perkins said. “It just U-turned and parked near the causeway.”
Into the radio Jesse said, “Corporal Jenks? You standing by?”
“We’re here,” Jenks said.
At 10:23 Steve Friedman said on the radio, “Two Lincoln Town Cars coming down Beach Street. Right plate numbers.”
“Okay,” Jesse said. “Buddy, you hold them at the barrier. First in line.”
“Roger,” Buddy said.
“Murph,” Jesse said. “Pull the backhoe in front of the van.”
“Okay,” Paul Murphy’s voice came over the radio.
The backhoe edged in front of the van. Jesse looked at Crow. Crow looked back. Jesse nodded once. Crow nodded back. Then, shielded from the street by the backhoe, Crow stepped out of the van and started out along the causeway with his hood up against the rain. It was 10:26. The first of the two Lincolns pulled to a stop at the barrier just out of sight of the causeway. The passenger-side window went down.
“What’s the holdup, Officer?” Francisco said.
“Just a minute, sir,” Buddy said. “Gotta clear the other end. You’ll be on your way in a jiffy.”
At 10:28 Crow was leaning on the seawall at the spot where the Amber dummy had been concealed on the other side. The rain made everything slightly murky.
“Jesse,” a voice said on the radio, “Peter Perkins on the Neck. A guy got out of the Quest and walked down to the bend where he could see the causeway. He’s coming back now, walking fast…. He’s getting in the van. They’ve left the slider open on the driver’s-side backseat.”
“You hear this, Crow?” Jesse said.
Crow’s voice was muffled a little because the mike was inside the sweatshirt.
“Got it,” he said.
“Van’s under way,” Perkins said.
Jesse looked at his watch.
“Get ready, Buddy,” he said into the mike. “Seven seconds, six, five, four, three, two, one, send the Lincoln.”
Buddy Hall stepped aside and waved the two Lincolns onto the causeway. Jesse jumped from the van and sprinted to his car parked in the beach parking lot right at the causeway. He could make Crow out through the rain, leaning against the seawall. The Quest was almost there. Suddenly Crow rolled up and over the seawall and Jesse heard the boom of a shotgun. Boom, boom, boom, in rapid sequence. Christ, he thought, a street sweeper. Boom, boom, boom. No sign of Crow. Then there was a flash of
