Chapter 70

Chapter 70— The early call

8:51 p.m., Thursday, December 29 

Jack quickly parted the trees and headed for the sidewalk, answering his phone as he walked.
“Yeah,” he said.
“Handler, is that you?”
“You’re early,” Jack scolded. “I’m taking a piss. Call me back in ten minutes.”
Jack did not give the caller time to argue, disconnecting the call without listening for a response. He started jogging back to the car where Reginald was waiting. Just as he was reaching for the door handle, his phone rang again. This time it was Roger.
“Didn’t get it,” Roger said. “You should keep them on the phone a little longer next time.”
“Got it,” Jack replied, hanging up on Roger.
“I was right,” he told Reginald when he got in. “They called me while I was taking a leak. Start the car.”
Reginald started the engine. He had shut it off only moments earlier so as not to attract attention with the exhaust.
“At least I know Roger’s on his toes,” Jack said. “I told them to call back in ten. If they managed a trace on my cell phone, they should be satisfied to see it pop up in Midtown. But they probably didn’t have time—Roger didn’t.”
“Are you sure they will call back?” Reginald asked.
“Absolutely,” Jack said. “They want something from me. They must have some information that makes them think I can exert influence over something of interest to them. Maybe someone at the meeting talked. Who knows? But they will call tonight. And when they do, we have to act quickly. They will keep Kate alive only as long as they need her. And they won’t need her after tonight.”
“I’m as ready as I can be,” Reginald assured his friend. “Maybe they will wait until ten—the time they were supposed to call.”
“They will be calling any second,” Jack countered. “They’re not concerned now that I’ll be tracing their call. If I were, I would have kept them on the first call. They’re ready to move.”
Jack took a deep breath, laid his head on the back of the seat, and stared at the ceiling of the SUV. “This is the worst part of it—the waiting.”
Just as those words tumbled from his mouth, his phone rang. Jack looked at his cell, then over at Reginald and said, “this is it.”