Page 36 of Exit Strategy
Gilmour thought for a second, then shook his head. ‘I don’t know him.’
‘He’s part-time. Usually works nights, I think. At the Seagirt Terminal.’
Reacher said, ‘We should talk to him. Find out what he’s been told to do. Presumably he’s there to let people and equipment in and out, off the books, but we should make sure of that.’
‘You can do that. Not me.’ Patten turned to Gilmour. ‘What do you have to do for them?’
Gilmour said, ‘Provide information.’
‘About?’
‘An incoming shipment. Arrival details.’
‘Why?’
Gilmour didn’t reply.
‘Oh. Someone’s planning a heist?’
Gilmour said, ‘It looks that way.’
‘What’s in the shipment?’
‘We don’t know.’
‘Who owns it?’
‘Don’t know.’
‘Are you going to try to stop the robbery?’
‘That’s the plan.’
‘You said your nephew was in danger. How’s he involved in this?’
‘I tried to bail on them. Threatening him is their way of stopping of me.’
Patten was quiet for a moment, then she said, ‘Listen. I know this sounds wrong, but hear me out. Individual containers aren’t guarded. No one will get hurt when they steal whatever’s in it, especially if they have their own guy at the gate to let them in and out. The owners will have insurance. They won’t lose any money. If we call 911, the police might not be able to stop it from happening anyway, so there’s probably no upside to doing that. But there’s definitely a downside. Because the police will investigate. They’ll look at each one of us. They’ll say we’re accessories or something. And they’ll dig into our lives. Which means they’ll find out what theguy was using to blackmail me with, and I really, really don’t want that to happen. Plus, there’s your nephew to think about, if he’s in danger. So, here’s what I suggest: We do nothing.’
Reacher said, ‘That’s not an option.’
‘Why isn’t it? Think about it. You’ll see it makes sense.’
‘It’s complicated. We can’t ignore what these guys are doing. But we’ll do our best to keep your secret from coming out. I promise. In the meantime, thanks for the water, and thanks for your help. We should be on our way now.’
Reacher moved toward the hallway. Gilmour started to follow him.
Patten said, ‘Wait.’ She thought for a moment. ‘You’re going to see Dr Martin next?’
Reacher didn’t answer.
‘You must be. She’s the link to the guy who blackmailed us.’
Reacher nodded. ‘You’re right. We need to talk to her.’
‘Give me one minute. Let me grab my purse.’
‘Why?’
