Jesse said nothing, trying to reconcile the little old woman skillfully maneuvering the SUV through heavy traffic with a gun-toting avenger.

“And you know, Jesse, if he hadn’t drawn, maybe I would have.”

Chapter 22

As the Ford Explorer neared the long driveway to Pete Varner’s horse farm, Ethel retrieved his phone from the pocket of her pants suit.

“Power this off so there’s no tracking possibility.”

Jesse took the iPhone and started the shutdown process. “I can’t get to the battery, so I’m not completely sure the phone can’t be still located.”

“That’s a low probability,” Ethel said. “There would have to be a Trojan app or extra chip installed, and that would be done by the NSA. I doubt Pete’s on their terrorist watch list.”

“Okay. Done.”

“Stick it in your computer backpack. We’ll return it if Pete asks for it. But I’ll bet he’ll not want to admit to tracking us.”

As they walked up to Ethel’s plane, Pete emerged from the stables. “Everything go okay?”

“Yes, but let me give you some gas money.” Ethel pulled out her wallet. “I should have stopped and filled up on the way back.”

Pete waved it away. “Your money’s no good here. It was my treat to see you. Why don’t you come in the house for a drink?”

“Love to,” Ethel said, “but I don’t want to get pulled over for an FUI.”

Varner laughed and turned to Jesse. “She means flying under the influence. All right, then lemonade.”

“Thanks, Pete, but I really need to get back. Next time.”

“Well, I can speak for Curt and say if you need help, you know where to find us.”

She gave him a mischievous smile. “And if I need help, you’ll know where to find me.”

They said their goodbyes, and five minutes later the Cessna was airborne and heading northwest.

Varner checked for his phone beneath the Explorer’s seat. “You sly little vixen,” he whispered to himself.

***

Ethel and Jesse were in the Infiniti on I-66 when her cell phone rang. She glanced at the screen before handing it to Jesse. “It’s Frank. Put him on speaker.”

As soon as the call connected, she said, “You’ve got Jesse and me. What’s up?”

“We’ve found the Malibu, and we’re nearly positive it was the same car we saw on CCTV near the parking deck.”

“Where?”

“In a lot by William Ramsay Elementary School near the activity field. The car had been reported stolen in Falls Church on Sunday afternoon, but whoever took it also stole another set of plates. They could drive fairly confidently that they wouldn’t be spotted.”

“Probably the same modus operandi as our Richmond driver. I doubt if you’ll find anything like prints or DNA.”