Switchback Read Online Free PDF Page B

thought—” Mallory broke off and licked her lips. “Well, I—”
    His gaze flew to the glove box. A slight frown pleated his forehead. “I can’t always go by my real name in my line of work.”
    â€œYes—well—investigators for Christiani and Finn don’t usually go undercover. And if not undercover investigators, most people who use aliases are—”
    â€œCrooks?” He grabbed his street pants from the pile of stuff on the back seat, fished for his wallet and tossed it in her lap. “Christiani and Finn isn’t my only client, you know. In my line of work, I’ve even worn a chicken costume to catch a thieving employee at a fast-food joint. Believe it or not, if people know who I am, I don’t always get the answers I need. I’m Bud Mac Phearson, just as I said. You almost got us both killed pulling that stunt back there.” When she didn’t open the wallet, he snapped, “Go ahead and check me out. Blood type, political affiliations, licenses, permits. It’s all in there.”
    â€œI don’t really need proof, you know. After all that’s happened, how could I not believe you?” But even as she said it, to satisfy him and herself, Mallory opened the wallet and glanced at his identification. She couldn’t afford mistakes.
    â€œI’m glad to hear it.” He flopped back down behind the wheel. “If we’re stuck with each other, a little trust can’t hurt.”
    A heavy silence settled over them. “I said I was sorry.”
    â€œYeah, me, too.”
    From his tone, she couldn’t be sure if he was sorry for something he’d done or if he just regretted his entanglement with
her
.
    â€œI should have had my ID with me. I was stupid to forget it in the car. When I lecture on crime prevention, I warn women never to—” He swiped at a hank of hair that waved across his forehead, getting in his eyes. “Let’s just forget it, okay?”
    Mallory offered his wallet to him. He took it and shoved it into his jacket pocket. She studied him for a moment, then said, “I feel as if I’m having a bad dream and can’t wake up. Why are those men doing this? I can’t understand it.”
    â€œFor now, I’m not going to worry about why. A gun in my back has a way of dampening my curiosity. As for dreaming, I wish.”
    She rolled down her window and inhaled a bracing draught of spruce-scented air. The sound of children’s laughter came to them from up the street. The sound reminded her of Emily and unbidden tears welled in her eyes. “Shouldn’t we be going? I’d like to get my daughter.”
    He stuffed a rumpled handkerchief into her hand. “In a few more minutes. They’ll comb the streets for a while. Let’s make sure we’re safe.”
    Mallory searched for a clean spot on the handkerchief.
    â€œSorry. Toby’s hot dog and orange slush is all over it.”
    â€œWho’s Toby?”
    â€œMy pitcher.” He grabbed a dog-eared notepad off the dash, unclipped the Lindy pen attached to the bent spirals and jotted something down. “Was that a Buick they were driving? An ’88?”
    â€œThere was a
gun
hanging out the window. That’s all I noticed.”
    He didn’t even look up. “It was at least an ’88. I think the first three letters on the plate were LUD.”
    â€œAre we going to the police?”
    â€œKeith said no.”
    â€œThen why write the tag number down?” She stared at his taut face. “Every cop in King County can’t be working for Lucetti.”
    â€œDo you want to take a chance on trusting the wrong one?”
    â€œDo you know what you’re saying? That there are policemen who know about this and aren’t doing anything to stop it.”
    He tossed the tablet back onto the dash and braced his arms on the steering wheel. “That’s