Contents
Chapter 31
Overview
Reacher and Chang reach LAX, bypass a suspicious “counterterrorism” stop, and board for Chicago. Their enemies reveal a failed car-to-car ambush and plan to intercept in Chicago. In flight, Reacher recognizes their tail from the morning diner and infers phone tracking, prompting Chang to shut her phone off before landing.
Summary
The cab detours through an empty warehouse but emerges onto LAX’s perimeter road, delivering Reacher and Chang to American Airlines. Inside, a man posing as LAPD counterterrorism flags their no-luggage behavior and tries to escort them to a curbside van. Reacher refuses, and the man backs off as uniformed officers appear.
They clear security via Chang’s status and board exit-row seats. En route, they debate whether the airport agent was genuine or a con trying to lure them into the van. Reacher suspects a setup and notes that a real mind-control scheme would have preferred them to check bags.
Cutaway: near Mother’s Rest, a coordinator hears how Hackett’s planned car-to-car shotgun hit on the freeway failed when a Ferrari rear-ended their Town Car. The enemies promise to “put this right” and prevent Reacher and Chang from reaching McCann in Chicago, with Hackett already inbound ahead of them.
Back on the plane, Reacher senses an elusive pattern. He realizes a man in a Town Car on the 405—about to level a weapon—was the same man he and Chang saw that morning in the Inglewood diner. He concludes the tail has tracked them via Chang’s phone and has escalated from surveillance to attempted murder.
They decide to act as if the threat is real: use pay phones, consider a top hotel on the paper’s dime, and stay ahead of pursuit. Chang powers her phone completely off. The plane lands in Chicago at dusk, and they prepare to move quickly once deplaned.
Who Appears
- Jack ReacherRejects a suspicious LAPD stop, deduces a persistent tail from the diner, suspects phone tracking, and plans countermeasures.
- Michelle ChangTravels with Reacher, questions his assumptions, then powers her phone off to thwart tracking.
- HackettEnemy operative whose freeway shotgun hit fails after a Ferrari rear-ends his Town Car; flies ahead to Chicago.
- Man with ironed jeans and blow-dried hairCoordinator near Mother’s Rest; receives report of failed hit and orders interception in Chicago.
- Town Car operativeSuspected shooter; seen in the Inglewood diner and later leveling alongside on the 405.
- Airport “counterterrorism” agentBlue-jacketed man with LAPD lanyard who tries to lure them to a van; backs off.
- Cab driverUses a warehouse shortcut to deliver them quickly to LAX.