Exit Strategy (Nadia Stafford 1)

"Christ, Dee, you've been hanging around Jack too long. Speak in full sentences. Someone tried to--" She stopped. "Shit. Where are you?"

"Following him. He's having coffee."

"Good, good. How long has he been there?"

"Almost an hour."

"He'll be waiting to make his call, then. To report his failure. Where exactly are you?"

I gave her the name of the town and coffee shop.

* * *

TWENTY-TWO

It took Evelyn twenty minutes to arrive.

"Still there?" she whispered as she crept up the alley toward me.

"I think so. I've done

three walk-bys, but I'm afraid of being too obvious."

"I'll take a turn, then. What am I looking for?"

I described him. She nodded and headed for the street.

Two minutes later, as she headed back toward me, the coffee shop door opened and the man walked out. I slipped back into the shadows. As soon as Evelyn appeared at the corner, I waved her over.

"He's--" I whispered.

"Yes, I know. Stay--"

I swung past her, slid to the end of the alley and pulled the compact from my pocket. Through it, I watched the man stride into a phone booth. He dropped his briefcase, picked up the receiver and dialed.

Evelyn appeared at my side.

"Making a phone call?" she said, without even glancing in the compact mirror.

I nodded.

"Does star-69 work at pay phones?" she whispered.

"No idea."

"Damn. Probably no time anyway. Where's he parked?"

I hitched a thumb in the direction. "Half a block down, on this side. The main exit is off this road."

"Here's the plan, then. We're ending this here. I'm going straight down this road, and you're going to circle around the back way--over the curb, through an alley, whatever will get you out on the other side. Then you'll wait for my signal. If you don't see me, let him go. That means it isn't safe. There's only one way out of town, so if he leaves, we can catch up with him. Now where's my car?"

I paused. Considered her "plan"...and how much sense it made.

"One lot to the west," I lied.

"Keys?"

I made a show of searching for them, knowing she'd given me the backup set and still had hers.