Page 107 of Mission: Possible

"What?"

"I just realized where I saw the tattoo the little boy drew!"

"What are you talking about?"

"The little boy from the bank! He kept drawing a symbol that he said he saw on a woman robber during the bank heist. Vanessa had that same tattoo on her wrist! I remember now! If she and Zach were an item, she could be his accomplice!"

"You think he would take her with him?"

"Maybe." Who knew what violent men prioritized while on the run? "Maybe she knows where he’d go. Either way, we should talk to her and quick."

"Lexi's right. I'm not buying he's driving his truck on the highway either. If this woman is another piece of the puzzle, we should get to her before Zach does. She might be another loose end to tie up."

"Let's go," said Solomon and we barreled towards the door. Maddox took off at a run. Solomon and I reached the corridor before I remembered something that still puzzled me.

"Wait," I said, grabbing Solomon's arm. "I need to check something." I turned and sprinted back to the apartment and went into the living room. I tugged at the couch's cushions and arms but there was nothing hidden there. With one last look behind me, I ran back to join Solomon and we darted down the stairs to the car, motioning for Delgado to follow us.

"What're you all in such a hurry for?" he asked.

"Zach cleared out already," I said, explaining where we were going as Solomon gunned the engine and pulled out after Maddox.

When we hit a red light that Maddox slid through ahead of us, Solomon smacked the steering wheel. "I'm putting my money on Zach fleeing the moment he failed his second attempt at the hospital," he said to no one in particular. "He probably already had his bags packed."

"That suggests a lot of things," I said. "Like he didn't even try to pretend it wasn't him in Sophie's room, and he's content to pursue a life on the run."

"You think anything different?"

"I think he screwed up and panicked. He knows he was seen fleeing her room. Now it's a case of how fast he can get away with enough dough to support a life on the run." I thought about it for a moment. "He either passed the coin on to whomever hired him and got paid, or he still has it with him and possibly plans to double-cross them."

"Whoever hired him won’t take that well," said Delgado. "He runs, he puts a price on his head."

"So he runs faster," said Solomon. The light changed and Solomon sailed through the intersection.

My phone rang and I answered it, hopeful of good news. "He wasn't in the truck," said Garrett.

"Are you sure?" I asked, even though I knew he was.

"Positive. The truck came off the road and landed in a ditch. When Highway Patrol pulled the driver out, they found a scrawny kid. He claimed some dude tossed him the keys about three blocks from the hospital and told him to enjoy it."

"Let me guess. The dude looked just like Zach."

"Yep. He knew we were onto him so he sent us on a wild goose chase."

"Austen says Sophie has a car she keeps in the garage," I told him. "Perhaps he took that."

"I'll look into it. To get from the hospital to their house takes time, which means he's most likely still in the area. Where are you?"

"We're going to Sky Outdoors. Zach might have headed there. Even if he didn't, I think one of the women there knows something, as long as we can reach her in time."

"Huh," said Garrett. "We're turning back. We'll meet you there."

We pulled into the outdoor center parking lot only minutes after Maddox and found him waiting with Farid. "This is nice," I said, punching the agent on the arm.

"I wouldn't miss it for anything," said Farid. "Maddox called me and said to meet you all here. It seems we're taking down a master criminal who's been on the run for years."

"If we can find him," I pointed out.

"I don't see any sign of a Mercedes," said Maddox, "nor the truck."

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