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Back We Were Killers Once Save as PDF
Chapters (65)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Notice
  3. Dedication
  4. One
  5. Two
  6. Three
  7. Four
  8. Five
  9. Six
  10. Seven
  11. Eight
  12. Nine
  13. Ten
  14. Eleven
  15. Twelve
  16. Thirteen
  17. Fourteen
  18. Fifteen
  19. Sixteen
  20. Seventeen
  21. Eighteen
  22. Nineteen
  23. Twenty
  24. Twenty–one
  25. Twenty–two
  26. Twenty–three
  27. Twenty–four
  28. Twenty–five
  29. Twenty–six
  30. Twenty–seven
  31. Twenty–eight
  32. Twenty–nine
  33. Thirty
  34. Thirty–one
  35. Thirty–two
  36. Thirty–three
  37. Thirty–four
  38. Thirty–five
  39. Thirty–six
  40. Thirty–seven
  41. Thirty–eight
  42. Thirty–nine
  43. Forty
  44. Forty–one
  45. Forty–two
  46. Forty–three
  47. Forty–four
  48. Forty–five
  49. Forty–six
  50. Forty–seven
  51. Forty–eight
  52. Forty–nine
  53. Fifty
  54. Fifty–one
  55. Fifty–two
  56. Fifty–three
  57. Fifty–four
  58. Fifty–five
  59. Fifty–six
  60. Fifty–seven
  61. Author’s Note
  62. Acknowledgments
  63. Also by Becky Masterman
  64. About the Author
  65. Newsletter Sign-up

By the time I got to the back galley the steward there had hung up the phone. I handed to her the eight-by-ten sign I’d gotten from TSA. Clearly, instructions had already been passed along, and though she looked at me with some concern, not having been told if I was on this particular flight because of some imminent threat, she agreed to do what I said. “Listen, it isn’t about this flight,” I said softly. “You know if it was, you wouldn’t be leaving the gate. You understand.”

She took a breath and nodded. I stepped into the port bathroom, locked the door, and sat down. I felt her press the sign against the door and make apologies to the passengers over the intercom, hoping they would just be grateful to be on a flight and please feel free to use the first-class lavatory along with the remaining one aft. It would take two and a half hours to arrive in Tucson. I doubted I would have access to beverage service, but at least I didn’t have to worry about having to pee. I made two last calls before the plane taxied to the runway.

“Thank you again,” I said when Rising Star picked up.

“You’re welcome, Agent Quinn. Good luck and Godspeed.”

You might ask why that was all this person would do. If this person could pull strings with the TSA like this, couldn’t she send a team of SEALs or something to rescue Carlo from one old codger? Well, it had to do with something about jurisdiction where I was going—and what I might do there—that it was better she didn’t know about.

And that’s all you need to know about that. My other call was to check in with Gemma-Kate’s progress and see if she had any instructions for me. She did.

She told me to have a spray vial of certain dimensions ready.

“Why can’t you get that?” I asked.

“I walked over to the campus shop but they didn’t have the kind I need.”

“But do they have the stuff in the chemistry lab?” I asked.

“I’m sure they do.”

“You’re sure. Why does this make me nervous?”

“And how do you think I feel leaving the container up to you?”

“I think you don’t feel anything at all, but that’s beside the point.”

“The important thing is that it has to be plastic,” she said.

“Why? The canisters I’ve always had were metal.”

“Plastic will be better. Trust me.”

With this caution firmly in mind I opened up the envelope and read the rest of what Hickock had to tell.

Fifty–four