somebody wanted on a murder rap? For stealing your car keys?”
“They call it obstructing justice,” Matthews said. “And interfering with a federal officer in the execution of his office, and—”
“On the other hand, you could go with me,” Matt said. “We grab Ollwood, take her to the locals, tell them who she is, and ask them do they want to grab Chenowith?”
“You mean not even call the Anti-Terrorist Group?”
“It would take them at least an hour, probably much longer, to get up here. No telling where Chenowith would be by then, particularly if Ollwood doesn’t come back when she’s supposed to.”
“That’s insane.”
“Ollwood has got another ‘package’ she wants Susan to keep for her,” Matt said.
“More bank loot.”
“What else? And you could grab that, too. Which do you think Walter Davis would prefer? That—presuming Chenowith and whatsisname, acne face?—”
“Edgar L. Cole,” Matthews furnished.
“—Cole aren’t long gone by the time they get up here—that those Anti-Terrorist clowns grab them, in his area of responsibility? Or that one of his own agents, seizing the moment, did?”
“Goddamn you, Matt!” Matthews said.
“Is that a yes or a no?”
“Give me the damned keys,” Matthews said, putting his hand out for them.
“After you tell me where we’re going.”
“We’re going to go and play supercop, what did you think?”
“In three minutes,” Matt said.
“What?”
“Go on, Susan,” Matt said.
“ ‘Go on, Susan’?” Matthews parrotted.
“You don’t have to go, either of you,” Susan said. “Let me try to reason with her, Matt.”
“We’ve been all over that,” Matt said angrily. “It’s damned near seven. Get going!”
“Oh, God,” Susan said, but she got out of the car and trotted over to Matt’s Plymouth.
“What makes you think she’s going to do what you want her to do?” Matthews asked.
“She will,” Matt said as he watched Susan get in the car.
“Are you really involved with her, Matt?”
“I’m in love with her.”
“You poor son of a bitch!”
Susan started the car and drove out of the parking lot.
Matt handed the ignition keys to Matthews.
“Give it a minute, and then head up Route 611,” he said. “I didn’t want it to look, if Ollwood is already there, as if somebody was tailing Susan.”
Matthews nodded
“How far is Chenowith?” he asked.
“About fifteen miles out of town,” Matt said. “I checked the place out. You’ll have no trouble surrounding it. And there’s no other houses near.”
Matthews grunted, and started the engine.
“Jack, Susan got into this because she felt sorry for the Ollwood girl. She’s not part of that bunch of lunatics.”
“Oh, you poor son of a bitch! You really believe that, don’t you?”
“Yeah, I believe it,” Matt said. “Okay. Here’s what’s going down. We’re going to the Crossroads Diner.”
“I know it.”
“Behind it is a bank of pay phones. At seven o’clock, Ollwood is going to call Susan on one of them, to see if she’s there. One of two things will happen then. Ollwood will either come to the restaurant, or she will tell Susan to meet her someplace else.”
“Maybe at Chenowith’s?”
“I don’t think so. I don’t think Chenowith wants Susan to come to his house; otherwise, he would have just told her to. But someplace else, that’s possible. If that happens, we’ll have to play that by ear.”
Matthews put his Chevrolet in reverse, backed out of his parking slot, and drove slowly out of the parking lot.
“What if Ollwood is already at the restaurant, gives your girlfriend the package, and takes off?”
“That’s possible. When we get there, cruise the parking lot. We’re looking for an old Ford station wagon and/or a battered Volkswagen.”
“If Ollwood has taken off, then what, Matt?”
“This is as far as I’m going, Jack. We go to the locals and ask for their help.”
Susan was talking on one of the pay phones when Matthews drove around to the back of the Crossroads Diner.
So was a young, grossly obese young woman in overalls with a small child perched on her hip.
Susan gave no indication that she had seen Matthews’s car as they drove by her.
Matthews turned the corner of the building and stopped.
“I didn’t see a Bug or a station wagon,” Matthews said. “Did you?”
“No. What’s likely to happen is that Ollwood will come here and just give her the package. We don’t want her to get out of the parking lot.”
“Okay. You get out, see what Susan has to say, and I’ll start looking for Ollwood’s car. I’ll try to block it. If necessary, I’ll ram it.”
Matt jumped out of the Chevrolet, and Matthews began to turn his car around.