life.”
“Pretty drastic move. If you worked for NASA you would have moved from New York, surely.”
“It wasn’t just geographic. It was everything to do with that part of me. I was tired of all the expectations. Of making the family proud.”
Reel stared her down. “So your family is so bad that you came out here, got in with the wrong crowd, did drugs, got arrested, did some prison time, and now you’re hooked up with a guy with a temporary hate symbol on his head. Nice work. And your sister puts on a uniform and risks her life protecting people like you,” she added quietly. “I know she’s proud of you. Maybe you should be proud of her.”
Holly stood and snapped, “I didn’t come here to be lectured. Do you want my help or not?”
“We do,” said Robie with a sharp glance at Reel. “Walton?”
Holly sat back down. “When I was in rehab I heard some things.”
“What things? And from who?” asked Robie.
“Another patient. A guy named Clément. He was in for drugs like me.”
“What did he tell you?”
“That he thought people were being brought here against their will.”
“Brought here to Grand, you mean?” said Robie.
She nodded.
“Why?”
“He saw it. He saw the people in a van. They were tied up with hoods over their heads.”
“Where?”
“He wouldn’t say exactly. But he said there were people with guns guarding them.”
“And you believed him? Even though he was a drug addict? He could have just been making shit up. Either delusional or maybe trying to impress you.”
“No, I think he was telling the truth. There were too many details. He couldn’t have made it all up. And he was really scared. I could tell.”
“Did he tell anyone else?”
“I don’t think so.”
“So why confide in you?”
“We were sort of thrown together. They have a buddy system at the facility, and he was my buddy and I was his. We were supposed to look out for each other. And Clément was really fragile. He needed a friend and I was it. We had just finished up a counseling session when he pulled me aside and told me about it.”
“Did you ask him any questions?”
“Some. I was more concerned with doing my time there and getting out, but he talked to me about it on a couple of other occasions and I became more focused.”
“Where’s Clément now?”
“I don’t know. He left the facility before I did.”
“What’s his last name?”
“Lamarre. Clément Lamarre. He wasn’t from around here. I think he mentioned Boulder. But he’s originally from Canada. He’s French Canadian, or so he told me.”
“What was his issue that he was in rehab?” asked Reel after she wrote this information down.
“Like I said, same as me, drug use. Opioids, coke, and heroin. He’d done some prison time too.”
“And how does this tie into Roger Walton visiting you?”
“He just showed up one day. I had heard of him. I knew that he visited the area. Over the years I’d also heard that he was high up in DC in some way.”
“And you heard this from who?” asked Reel.
“Lots of people.”
“A nurse at the rehab said that Walton used JC Parry’s name when he came to see you. Why would that be? What’s the connection?”
“JC was my friend. I called him from rehab and told him about what Clément had said. Next thing I know, this Walton guy shows up.”
“So presumably Parry talked to Walton and asked him to come and talk to you about it?” said Robie.
“Yeah, I guess so. I didn’t know who else to call.”
“What about your sister?” pointed out Robie. “She’s the law out here.”
“I…I didn’t think she’d believe me.”
Robie studied her and decided she was telling the truth. “Did you tell Walton what Clément had told you?”
“Yes, everything.”
“And what did he say to that?”
“That he would look into it.”
“We know he only visited you once while you were in rehab. Did you talk to him again by phone?”
“No. And then I got out of rehab and then, I guess, Mr. Walton had disappeared.”
Robie looked at Reel.
“Parry has disappeared too,” he told Holly.
“Oh shit. Do you, I mean, do you think I’m…?” She couldn’t seem to finish.
“In danger? If I had to hazard a guess, I’d say, yeah, you are.”
“Where do you plan to go with Luke Miller?” asked Reel.
“California. Start over. I know I’ve screwed up big-time, but I graduated from college early, and I’m still only twenty-five. I want to get my master’s and Ph.D. at Stanford, prove myself again. I want to teach.”
“Where’s Luke now?”
“The police released him this morning. We’re supposed to hook up tonight and then head out.”
“Hook up where?”
“There’s this place we used to go to. We’re the only ones who know about it.”
“Like last night, you mean?” said Robie.
Holly looked indecisive. “You’re really scaring me.”
“Then I’m really doing my job,” countered Robie.
Reel said, “And if you really want to start over, do you want to take Luke with you for the ride?”
“I told you, he’s not a bad guy. Hell, he has marketing and computer science degrees from Northwestern and has designed mobile phone apps. He just got kind of burned out like me, came out to the middle of nowhere, and basically wasted years of his life. He’s going to get on with a really successful company out in Silicon Valley when we get to California. He’s already interviewed and everything and they made him an offer. He didn’t tell them what he’s been doing out here, of course. He’s only been hanging out with those idiots for a few months anyway. He’s never even been arrested. He’s going to support us while I go to school and get back on my feet. We’re going to get married and we want to have kids.”
Robie said, “Well, that sounds like a plan. I never would have guessed he was like that just by looking at him. But, like a book cover, you shouldn’t judge.”
Holly said pleadingly, “I have to get to Luke. And I have to get the hell out of here. Can you help me do that? We just want to have a life together.”
Robie looked at Reel. “Hey, people in love, right? They deserve a shot.”
Reel said nothing to this. She just stared stonily at Robie.
He returned his gaze to Holly.
She said tearfully, “So you can help me?”
“Yeah, I think we can,” he answered.
Chapter
26
THE NIGHT WAS as dark as it was going to get. There was no ambient light here, which meant it should have been an amazing night for stargazing. However, a storm system had moved in over the Rockies and marched its way to eastern Colorado. The rain had not started yet, but it was not far off.
Robie, Reel, and Holly Malloy sat in their Yukon, its lights off, and watched the road. There was a shack up here, long abandoned, that Luke and Holly had used as a meeting place. It was remote, just like everything was remote here. One road in and one road out.
Robie, in the driver’s seat, looked back at Holly in the second row of seats. Just beyond that, in the rear cargo area was their hard-sided case with the weaponry they had picked up after landing in Colorado.
“I hope he’s not coming on the motorcycle, or else you two are going to be drowned before you get to Denver.”
“He rented a car. He sold his bike.”
Robie nodded, but something was nagging at him. They had gotten here a couple hours early just in case.
But still.
“Were you two planning to leave that night at the B and B?”
“Yes.”
“But you took time out to have sex? How stupid was that? You should have just hit the road. Then they never would have been able to find you.”