Page 46 of Exit Strategy
Reacher grabbed Gilmour’s arm. ‘Go where?’
‘Kasselwood’s house.’
‘She won’t be there.’
‘I know. But we might dig up something with her picture on it, and hopefully something with her license plate. If we don’t find her, we’ll never find the guy who’s threatening my nephew. Let me go. We need to hurry.’
Reacher didn’t let go. He said, ‘How many people live in Baltimore? How many cars are there? You think you’ll magically spot her driving down the street?’
Gilmour stopped straining against Reacher’s grip. He was silent for a moment, then said, ‘I could call my buddy in Wiesbaden. See if he knows anyone at the Pentagon who knows anyone in the Baltimore Police Department.Or how about whoever you pissed off, with the eyes in the taxis? We could find him. Make him help us.’
Reacher released Gilmour’s arm. ‘Those are kind of last-ditch ideas, don’t you think? Kasselwood might not still be in the city. But we are. We’re here. We should look inside first. It’ll take five minutes.’
‘You think Kasselwood found the link to the blackmail guy and left it behind? Does she seem that stupid to you?’
‘I think we don’t know for sure that the guy you saw through the window is dead. He could be unconscious. He could be down to his last breath, but perhaps he can still talk. He could tell us something useful. And if he can’t, maybe there’ll be something else to find. Something Kasselwood overlooked. Like there was on the backup drive in Dr Martin’s office.’
Gilmour didn’t reply.
Reacher moved to the window next to the door and checked its lock.
Gilmour said, ‘We should see how Kasselwood got in. Go in the same way.’
‘She went in through the front door.’
‘How do you know?’
‘She had a key.’
‘She did?’
‘That’s why she took the doctor’s purse.’ Reacher glanced back at Gilmour. ‘Do you have any credit cards?’
Gilmour grunted and took out his wallet. ‘What if there’s an alarm?’
‘There is an alarm. I can see sensors on the inside of the frame. And look up there.’ Reacher pointed above hishead. There was a siren mounted on the wall between the third-floor windows. ‘But it’s not switched on.’
‘How can you tell?’
‘Someone was home when Kasselwood showed up. Alarms are for when a place is empty, or at night when people are in bed.’
‘She could have showed up first when the place was empty. The guy could have walked in on her.’
‘Then either it was switched off all along, or she switched it off.’
‘She could have turned it back on when she left, to screw with anyone who was on her tail. Like us.’
‘If she did, I’ll be impressed.’ Reacher held out his hand. ‘Better get ready to run …’
Gilmour opened his wallet. He took a moment to select a credit card, then passed it to Reacher. ‘Are you sure a card will work with that kind of lock?’
‘It won’t if they tightened it properly,’ Reacher said. ‘But most people don’t. Let’s see.’ He took the card and slipped it vertically into the gap between the lower and upper window panels, dead in the center. It moved easily at first, then caught tight after a quarter of an inch. He pushed upward and wriggled the card back and forth. It slid in another quarter inch. Reacher pressed his face close to the glass. He guided the card between the two halves of a latch that spanned the top horizontal rail of the lower panel and the bottom rail of the upper panel. It slid farther, then pressed against the arm that joined the two halves of the latch together. There was a bell-shaped piece at the end of the arm. If it had been screwed in tight, there was no way the latchwould open. But if the arm had just been dropped into place …
Reacher tightened his grip on the base of the card and pushed. Hard. The arm didn’t move. Even if the latch wasn’t done up tight, Reacher knew that physics was working against him. The arm was like a lever and he was pressing against it right at the fulcrum. The least beneficial spot. He turned his hand so that the edge of the card pressed against the side of his finger. He pushed again. The arm moved. Just an eighth of an inch. Another eighth. Then the bell at the end of the arm caught against the curved edge of its receiver. For a moment there was equilibrium – the friction balanced the force – then the force took the advantage. The arm sprang up. It banged against the glass, and the credit card shot up and got jammed between the window rails.
Reacher moved to grab the base of the lower panel, but Gilmour tapped him on the shoulder. He had put on another pair of latex gloves. He said, ‘Let me. You don’t want to leave prints.’
Reacher stepped back. Gilmour took his place and peered through the glass to locate the alarm sensors. He eased the lower panel up an eighth of an inch. He glanced up at the alarm. It stayed silent. Its strobe light remained dark. There was no sound from anywhere. No light. He heaved the panel up another eighth of an inch. There was still no sound. Nothing flashed. He held his breath and wrenched the panel up a full inch. The credit card rattled as it came free and fell to the ground. Gilmour jumped back. He retrieved the card, then continued to struggle with the panel until the gap was wide enough for him toclimb through. He pulled his gun out of his backpack, turned to Reacher, and said, ‘Let’s make this quick. Be careful. We don’t have anything to cover our hair or feet. I don’t want to be inside a second longer than we have to be. And for the love of God, don’t touch anything.’
