On an entirely normal, beautiful fall day in Chester’s Mill, Maine, the town is inexplicably and suddenly sealed off from the rest of the world by an invisible force field.
Авторы: King Stephen Edwin
his hands. ‘Sorry. I smudged your blouse.’
‘That’s all right.’
‘He’s dangerous, Officer Wettington.You know that, don’t you?’
‘Yes.’
‘And clever. He set up that damned food riot the way a terrorist would plant a bomb.’
‘I have no doubt of it.’
‘But he’s also stupid. Clever and stupid is a terrible combin-• ation. You can persuade people to go with you, you see. All the way to hell. Look at that fellow Jim Jones, remember him?’
‘The one who got all his followers to drink poison. So you’ll come to the meeting?’
‘You bet. And mum’s the word. Unless you want me to talk to Lissa Jamieson, that is. Glad to do it.’
Before Jackie could answer, her cell phone rang. It was her personal; she had turned in the one issued to her by the PD along with her badge and gun.
‘Hello, this is Jackie.’
‘Mihi portatoe vulneratos, Sergeant Wettington,’ an unfamiliar voice said.
The motto of her old unit in Wiirzburg—bring me your wounded— and Jackie responded without even thinking:’On stretchers, crutches, or in bags, we put em together with spit and rags. Who the hell is this?’
‘Colonel James Cox, Sergeant.’
Jackie moved the phone away from her mouth. ‘Give me a minute, Ernie?’
He nodded and went back to his garden. Jackie strolled toward the shakepole fence at the foot of the yard. ‘What can I do for you, Colonel? And is this line secure?’
‘Sergeant, if your man Rennie can tap cell phone calls made from beyond the Dome, we’re in a world of hurt.’
‘He’s not my man.’
‘Good to know.’
‘And I’m no longer in the Army. The Sixty-seventh isn’t even in my rearview mirror these days, sir.’
‘Well, that’s not exactly true, Sarge. By order of the President of the United States, you’ve been stop-lossed. Welcome back.’
‘Sir, I don’t know whether to say thank you or fuck you very much.’
Cox laughed without much humor. ‘Jack Readier says hello.’
‘Is that where you got this number?’,
‘That and a recommendation. A recommendation from Reacher goes a long way. You asked what you can do for me. The answer is twofold, both parts simple. One, get Dale Barbara out of the mess he’s in. Unless you think he’s guilty of the charges?’
‘No, sir. I’m sure he’s not. That is to say, we are. There are several of us.’
‘Good. Very good.’ There was no mistaking the relief in the man’s voice. ‘Number two, you can knock that bastard Rennie off his perch.’
‘That would be Barbie’s job. If… you’re positive this line’s secure?’
‘Positive.’
‘If we can get him out.’
‘That’s in work, is it?*
‘Yes, sir, I believe so.’
‘Excellent. How many brownshirts does Rennie have?’
‘Currently about thirty, but he’s still hiring. And here in The Mill they’re blueshirts, but I take your meaning. Don’t sell him short, Colonel. He’s got most of this town in his pocket. We’re going to try to get Barbie out, and you better hope we succeed, because I can’t do much about Big Jim on my own. Toppling dictators with no help from the outside world is about six miles above my pay grade. And just FYI, my own days on the Chester’s Mill PD are over. Rennie shitcanned me.’
‘Keep me informed when and as you can. Spring Barbara and turn your resistance operation over to him. We’ll see who ends up getting shitcanned.’
‘Sir, you sort of wish you were in here, don’t you?’
‘With all my heart.’ No hesitation. ‘I’d dewheel that sonofabitch’s little red wagon in about twelve hours.’
Jackie doubted that, actually; things were different under the Dome. Outsiders couldn’t: understand. Even time was different. Five days ago, everything had been normal. Now look.
‘One other thing,’ Colonel Cox said. ‘Take some time out of your busy schedule to look at the TV. We’re going to do our level best to make Rennie’s life uncomfortable.’
Jackie said goodbye and broke the connection. Then she walked back to where Ernie was gardening. ‘Got a generator?’ she asked.
‘Died last night,’ he said with sour good cheer.
‘Well, let’s go someplace where there’s a working TV. My friend says we should check out the news.’
They headed for Sweetbriar Rose. On their way they met Julia Shumway and brought her along.
BUSTED
1
Sweetbriar was closed until 5 p.m., at which time Rose planned to offer a light supper, mostly leftovers. She was making potato salad and keeping an eye on the TV over the counter when the knocking on the door started. It was Jackie Wettington, Ernie Calvert, and Julia Shumway. Rose crossed the empty restaurant, wiping her hands on her apron, and unlocked the door. Horace the Corgi trotted at Julia’s heel, ears up,
