Free Crosscut by Meg Gardiner Page B

South Star is dead, and you don’t need to know any more than that.”
    “Yes, I do. The murders in China Lake may relate back to South Star.”
    A beat. “Murders?”
    “You don’t know?”
    Hesitation again. “I’ve been traveling. Kit, what murders?”
    “Two people from my graduating class, at the reunion this weekend. Kelly Colfax and Ceci Lezak.” I sat down on the sofa.
    “Wait— at your reunion? You were in China Lake this weekend?”
    “That’s what I’m trying to tell you. Now will you listen to me?”
    I summarized what Jax had told me about Project South Star: that it was a black project, outside the navy’s purview, possibly shut down when the research caused unpredictable results.
    “Dad, what’s the deal? A dead project from twenty years ago shouldn’t make you concerned about cell phone interception.”
    “What else have you been told?” he said.
    “About Coyote.”
    “What’s that?”
    “Not what. Who.” I pulled my feet up under me on the couch. I felt cold. “He may be the killer.”
    I filled him in. When I finished, he spoke slowly.
    “Listen carefully. I don’t know what’s going on. But you need to back away from this immediately.”
    “I can’t.”
    “Kathleen Evan—” He caught himself. After a second he spoke with strained calm. “If thirty-three years of being your father have taught me anything, it’s that you will always question authority. But this once, please do exactly as I say without debate.”
    The chill fingered down my back again.
    “Don’t talk about this to anybody else. Don’t dig into it. Will you be at home later?”
    “I’m staying with Jesse for a few days.”
    “Good. Keep that to yourself.”
    That was when fear began bug-crawling across my skin. “Dad, I’ve already talked to the China Lake police. And they’re contacting the FBI.”
    I could hear the TV behind him, applause and new music. “Put Jesse on.”
    Disconcerted, I stood and beckoned to him. When I held out the phone he looked wary. He’d met my dad once, talked to him maybe two other times. He put the phone to his ear.
    “Mr. Delaney?” A nod. “All right—Phil.”
    He listened, gazing past me. I bit my thumbnail.
    “I do.” Nodding. “Always.” He rubbed his leg. “I understand.”
    He handed the phone back to me. I scowled and mouthed, What was that? but he shook his head and angled around into the kitchen.
    I got back on the line. “What did you say to Jesse?”
    “I explained about being careful right now.”
    “Dad, what does a government-trained killer want with two members of the Bassett High reunion committee?”
    Jesse opened a kitchen drawer and began rustling around. I put a finger in my ear, but TV music was still coming from my dad’s end.
    Hang on. The TV music sounded familiar. “Is that The Tonight Show ?”
    The Tonight Show came on at eleven thirty, which meant it had long since finished in Key West, but was just starting here in California. I thought back to the way my call to him had been diverted before he picked up.
    “Where are you?” I said.
    “On travel, honey. I’m up north.”
    “North as in San Francisco?” I pulled the phone from my ear to glance at the display. Number withheld . “Are you at Mom’s?”
    “Where I am is beside the point. I’m going to double-check a couple of things. I want you to keep your head down.”
    I heard metallic sounds in the kitchen. Glanced over. The Glock lay on the counter, and in his hand Jesse held a box of nine-millimeter ammunition. Shit.
    “Dad.”
    “This may be absolutely nothing. A wild-goose chase. But I want you to play things safe. Jesse knows what to do.”
    “He’s loading rounds in a spare clip.”
    “Good.”
    “Why? You think one clip won’t be enough?”
    His voice dropped another notch. “Lie low. I mean it. I’ll talk to you as soon as I know anything.”
    I hung up. Jesse’s eyes were cool. I watched him slide cartridges into the clip, feeling scared.
    Also