Left to Lapse (An Adele Sharp Mystery—Book Seven) by Blake Pierce (book club suggestions txt) 📗

Adelekept her own phone pressed to her shirt, staring, wide-eyed. “Are you serious?”she said.

“Asthe grave,” Leoni returned.

“Dowe have results from the tox report?”

“Notyet, but there’s a rush on it now. We should get those by the end of the day.”

Adelenodded urgently, then raised her own phone again, and said, “Sir, the Italiansjust got back; the coroner thinks it’s a definite murder. Found an injectionsite. Toxicology report is running late, but it should be here soon.”

“So,you want to keep the train on the move?” Foucault asked. “The Germans aregetting restless, and I have to give them an answer now.”

“Yes,yes sir, please, keep the train moving. This just confirms that it’s a serialkiller. But, sir, while we can’t stop the train, could you ask them to slow itdown a bit? That might help us to catch up with it, and to give us more timebefore the passengers get to the station.”

“Allright, I’m trusting you on this, Adele. Like I said, tread carefully.”

“Youhave my word.”

TheExecutive said something else, but Adele couldn’t hear it on account of thesudden whirring sound above.

Shelooked up and then, at the top of her voice, called, “Sorry, sir, I have tocall you later.” She hung up, gaping as a black and green helicopter moved overthe train station, headed toward the circle of traffic cones. She stepped backto an even safer distance next to Agent Leoni as the helicopter descended, theblades spinning and whirring, and then coming to touchdown on the asphalt, witha deafening sound of chugging blades.

Shestared up toward the cockpit and spotted two men. In the passenger seat, with agrin on his face at the look of Adele’s surprise, John was giving a small,sarcastic wave.

“Isthat our ride?” Leoni asked.

“Iguess so,” Adele muttered. “Be careful and try not to throw up. John sometimesenjoys bumpy rides just for the sake of annoying his passengers.”

Leonigave a chuckle which was nearly lost in the swell of the wind, but the smilefaded as he stared at her. “Are you being serious?”

Inanswer, Adele sighed, then picked up her pace, approaching the helicopter. Athird victim, a train on the move, a clock running out of time. They had toreach that train. And if the helicopter was the way to do it, she couldn’t sayno.

Shereached the metal bird and pulled herself up by a steel rung into the backseat. Leoni followed after, and to her satisfaction, she noted John’s grin fadea little as he got a look at the Italian.

Adeledonned the headset John extended to her, and then into the microphone, shouted,“You got us a pilot?”

“Pilotcame with the chopper!” John shouted back, patting a hand on the shoulder ofthe man at the controls.

Adelejust shook her head in disbelief. John was resourceful if anything. “The Executiveis having the train slowed down. German authorities are cooperating for now.But we’re on a clock!”

Thecrackle of the speakers over her headset said, “Right—this is an old flyingbuddy of mine. Call him Casper. He’s a friendly ghost, and he’s gonna be theone bringing us in.”

Adeleglanced at the second man in the cockpit at the controls, but he was stillstaring out the windshield, as if equal parts bored and at ease. Judging by oneof the tattoos on his right arms, he was ex-military.

“Casperjust has a helicopter lying around?”

Johnfrowned now. “Casper owes me three favors. You better believe he droppedeverything to pay off at least one. Forget about that shit though, we need toget moving.”

“Howare we going to get onto the train?” Adele shouted, leaning forward a bit inthe cushioned chair, though that did nothing to increase the volume of her mic.

Johnturned in his seat, his own headset pressing against his headrest, and said,with a devilish smile, “We’re going to have to rappel down onto the moving train.”He gave a wink in Agent Leoni’s direction. “Hello there, my spaghetti-eatingfriend,” he called. “Hope you’re in the mood for a little bit of a fly.”

Inanswer, Leoni shut the helicopter door and stared straight ahead. Johnchuckled, patted the pilot on the arm, and they began to lift, carried up bythe chugging helicopter blades, in search of a moving train, and, in Adele’sopinion, an incredibly reckless attempt at boarding it.

Thenagain, if it meant they could catch the killer, it just might be worth it.

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

Theafternoon settled in hazy sunlight as the chopper blades cut through the sky,spinning the air in flurries around them. John’s pilot friend dipped low,scraping the hazier wisps of mist rising from the Black Forest. In thedistance, Adele spotted the train, pulling along at a hampered pace perFoucault’s instructions. Still, her chest heaved as she stared, her eyes lockedon the small trail of movement meandering through green slopes and over woodenbridges.

“Thisis insane,” she muttered into her microphone, her hands clasped in her lap.

Johnheard her over the headset, and he nodded in the front seat. She could just seethe corner of his lip twisted in a smirk. “That’s one word for it,” he said,his eyes fixed through the windshield. He gave some indeterminable motion withhis hand which seemed to prompt a response from the pilot. The helicopterdipped lower, scything above the trees and coming nearer and nearer to thetrain below.

Theywere gaining. The train was moving at a snail’s pace—at least there was thatmercy. Adele wasn’t interested in some action move scene, ending in a horrifichelicopter crash, screaming agents, and a fiery blossom in the frame.

Slowand easy. Then again, nothing with John seemed to be easy. This whole thing washis blasted idea anyway.

Asif reading her thoughts, John looked back, his dark eyes peering at her in theback of the helicopter. “You’re the one who said we had to catch the trainbefore a station. Well… here it is. No roads lead to this part of the forest.”

Adeleshook her head, the headset shifting as she stared out the window, toward thequickly approaching locomotive. “Now what?” she said.

Johnwinked at her, and for a moment, it almost seemed like things were back tonormal between them. Nothing like a little bit of high octane adrenaline to setpriorities straight. As John moved, he reached out and accidentally pushedhis hand roughly