Chapter 33

Leaving the library, Reacher and Chang enter the adjacent mom-and-pop pharmacy, where they buy a cheap burner phone like Peter McCann’s. They confirm it lacks voicemail and try calling McCann again; the phone rings endlessly with no answer. Reacher reasons McCann likely bought his phone here because he walks past the store daily.

Reacher deduces McCann lives in modest, possibly subdivided row housing—something he might feel ashamed of compared to a wealthier volunteer. They set a search strategy: head left from the library, past the pharmacy, into nearby downgraded streets of broken-up brownstones with multiple doorbells and labeled tenants.

In a cutaway, a man south of Mother’s Rest is told Chang stopped using her phone; Hackett has already located the pair at the library and seen them buy a burner. Their adversaries intend to block any contact with McCann and are waiting for an opportunity.

Back in Chicago, Reacher and Chang systematically canvass four nearby streets, checking long rows of doorbells with names from many backgrounds. Progress is slow; Reacher finds nothing on the first street. Crossing to the second street, they continue house by house, noting faded features and dense occupancy.

Near the end of the second street, Chang signals success: on a bell box, she finds a neatly printed label reading Peter J. McCann. Their deduction pays off, and they now have McCann’s address, even as unseen opposition closes in.