Page 44 of Exit Strategy
Gilmour talked Patten through the process they’d followed in Dr Martin’s office. He told her about the missing files, the deleted entry in the computer’s address book, and how he’d recovered it when he spotted the doctor’s backup drive.
‘Kathryn Kasselwood?’ Patten said, as if trying the name on for size. ‘Who is she?’
Gilmour said, ‘We don’t know much about her, aside from her address and her birthday. It looks like she hasn’t been in the city for long. She only moved about six months ago. Her previous address was just “care of the VA,” so I guess she’s a vet. That’s about it.’
The whole time Gilmour and Patten were talking, Reacher could feel a wave of unease washing over him. An uncomfortable scratching sensation was growing at the back of his brain. It was tugging at him. Telling him something was wrong. Something to do with Dr Martin’s computer. Images from their search flashed and flickered in his head like scenes from a magic lantern. They were moving fast. Blurring together. He knew one of them had to be the key, but they were spinning too rapidly for him to figure out which one would unlock the problem. Whatever the problem was.
Patten took a moment to think through what she’d heard, then said, ‘So Dr Martin sells out this Kasselwood, like she sold us out. Kasselwood reached the end of her rope. She killed Dr Martin and took her file to hide her secrets and keep off the cops’ radar. But what about the guy?’
Gilmour said, ‘What guy?’
‘The guy who fronted the blackmail. Why would Kasselwood kill the doctor and stop there? Wouldn’t she finish the job? Take down the blackmailer, too? That’s what I’d do.’
The flurry of images in Reacher’s head started to slow.
Gilmour said, ‘I guess she would do that. She’d go after him next. Maybe kill him. We can’t allow that. We have to get to him first.’
Patten said, ‘How will we find him? If Kasselwood made Dr Martin talk before she killed her …’
‘We have to get to Kasselwood. Make her give up whatever the doctor told her.’
‘How will we find her?’
‘I have her address. It was in the record I got from Martin’s computer.’
The images in Reacher’s head slowed further, then stopped.
‘Excellent.’ Patten started the engine, then picked up her phone and opened Maps. ‘Give it to me.’
One of the images floated to the front of Reacher’s mind. It was bright and clear, but for a moment he couldn’t see its significance.
‘It’s—’
Then Reacher could see it. He said, ‘Hold on. Kasselwood deleted her entry in Dr Martin’s address book, yes?’
Gilmour nodded.
‘What happens when you delete an entry?’
Gilmour said, ‘Nothing. It just disappears.’
‘So what does the screen do? What do you see?’
‘The next entry alphabetically. Just like if you tore a page out of a physical book.’
‘Which should have been Kay. That was the name on the file after the space left by Kasselwood’s.’
‘Right. Kay. I saw that on the computer as well, the first time I cross-checked.’
‘So why was the address book open on Dr Martin’s own entry when you first woke the computer up? Why wasn’t it open to Kay’s?’
Gilmour was silent for a moment. Then he said, ‘You’re right. It was open to the doctor’s entry. I have no idea why. Or how. It shouldn’t have been.’
Patten said, ‘Presumably Dr Martin didn’t need to look it up. She knew her own address …’
Gilmour said, ‘Maybe there was some kind of software glitch? Maybe she hadn’t updated—’
‘Maybe Kasselwood wanted Dr Martin’s info. Maybe she thought that if she sent the doctor an email after she was dead, it would make her look innocent. Or if she showed up at the doctor’s house and made sure all the neighbors saw her. Because who emails a person they know is dead? Or drives across town to visit them?’
