Chapter 44

At dawn in Phoenix, television coverage reframes the previous night’s violence: Evan Lair is hailed for defending his family, the three dead intruders are linked to the mobster killed behind a strip club, and authorities suggest the home shootings were justified while the club murder remains unsolved. Reacher shrugs off the coverage; Chang presses him about what he saw at the farm.

Reacher recalls a machine’s lights at midnight; Chang suggests a backhoe, noting it was the day Keever vanished. Reacher concedes it fits and warns they may be underestimating the enemy. They conclude Keever may be buried on the farm, implying the locals handled the killing without outside help.

Meanwhile in Mother’s Rest, eight men convene in the dry goods store. Their well-groomed leader reports the “menu system” failed: Hackett is hospitalized under guard, and the Ukrainian team is dead. He insists Reacher and Chang will return without police, given their entanglement in multiple shootings, and the town prepares to handle them directly.

Reacher, Chang, and Westwood breakfast together; Westwood secures flights and a Menlo Park meetup. They fly to the Bay Area and wait at a Soviet-themed bar near a bookstore. Westwood warns that what they’ll find on the Deep Web may be ugly; Reacher says he’s unfazed.

The Palo Alto coder arrives on time, jittery but confident. He agrees to a private, one-night-only search, refusing publicity or payment. After brief probing about Michael’s profile and disappearance, he claims he can locate Michael’s destination within seconds and invites them to his house to begin immediately.