helped her out.
Becky held the gun in front of James?face. Dull back the stock to load the first bullet, like this ?The safety is this little lever here. Ite a Glock machine pistol. Each magazine holds twenty-five shots and ite fully automatic, like a machine gun. Just flip the switch to auto.?
Hou really dont think we can trust her??
Becky shrugged as she pulled the elastic of James?tracksuit pants and tucked in the gun. i dont know. Better safe than sorrye all It saying.?
The last time James had got into a bad situation with a gun, het ended up killing someone. He didnt want to get into that situation again and it was the only thing on his mind as Beckye parting kiss brushed his cheek.
i抣l leave you to it, James Rose,?Becky said sadly. Dull your hoodie on, so no one can see the gun, and look after yourself.?
James smiled a little. i抣l do my best.?
Lauren looked torn up as she passed Becky in the doorway.
That didnt take long,?James said.
i couldnt face them,?Lauren sniffed. i ran back to the house.?
James was surprised at how attached Lauren had become to the horses. He gave her a quick squeeze.
Nere, put this on,?James said, handing his sister one of the tracking patches. Le might get separated.?
Lauren unbuttoned her jeans and stuck the transmitter, which looked exactly like a sticking plaster, to the top of her thigh where nobody would see it. At the same moment, a crashing sound erupted from Curtis?bedroom.
James shot down the hallway and into a sea of torn paper. Curtis had shredded his dozens of sketches and drawings, then ripped his wardrobe door off its hinges, before burrowing into a narrow space between his bed and the wall.
Lhate the matter??James gasped.
i like it here,?Curtis sobbed. Ly mome gonna go mad at me for killing them people. Then we抣l be on the run again. She likes the danger, but I get scared and it does my head in. I just want to stay in one place and draw my pictures and go to school e
James couldnt think what to say as Vaughn stepped into the room behind him.
Ire you two fighting??Vaughn asked angrily. 慙ook at the state of this room.?
Nee messed up,?James said, uncertainly. Ne needs help.?
James looked at Curtis, sobbing pitifully into the wall and wished there was something he could do.
i dont want to go back to prison,?Curtis howled. i dont want to go back on the run. I wish I was dead, but It too useless even to kill myself e
James sat on the end of the bed and touched Curtis?hand.
Hou know these moods always pass,?James said. Once youte back with your mum, you can have a proper talk with her and sort yourself out. I bet it抣l be OK.?
The never listens,?Curtis sobbed.
i need the pair of you downstairs and ready to roll in five minutes,?Vaughn said firmly. Lames, get Curtis a cloth to wipe his face. Wete got a long drive ahead. He抣l have to get a grip on himself.?
30. CALLS
John Jones and the three-man FBI team had been unable to contact James and Lauren during the two weeks theyt spent on the isolated ranch. To compensate for the lack of access, theyt watched any comings and goings from a safe distance and set up laser microphones in the trees. The invisible beams of light detected vibrations in the windows and converted them into muffled speech using a laptop computer.
Theo was starting a six-hour shift, sitting in the trees fifty metres from the front gate of the ranch, when he heard the kids were on the move. He pulled off a skiing glove and grabbed a radio to call Marvin.
John, Warren and Marvin were fifteen miles away, having a meal in a pizza place near their motel. As Marvin was talking to Theo on his walkie-talkie, he extracted a ringing cellphone from his jacket and handed it to Warren. The call was confirmation from the FBI phone-monitoring unit, who had overheard both ends of Jane Oxforde telephone conversation.
OK,?Marvin said, taking a final bite of pizza as he stood up. i抣l make some calls to see what kind of manpower we can rustle up around Boise. I抣l try and get someone to stake out the Comfort Lodge, then I抣l drive on ahead. Theree so little traffic around here, they抣l spot us in three seconds flat if we tail them. John, I want you and Warren to take the second car and try to follow the tracking signal from the