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Noah suppressed the urge to speed as he merged with the traffic on I-64 eastbound as he took stock of the supplies remaining. He was down to two burner phones, still in their packages. The money situation was good, with thousands left in cash, but any attempts to use a credit card would put them on his trail within seconds. Something to be avoided at all costs. For now.
Noah resisted the temptation to pull over and close his eyes despite the late hour. Later on, he may have no choice, but he had to keep going for now. Passing east through St. Louis slowed him down. Even at one o’clock in the morning, traffic had slowed to one lane in either direction with the construction.
As the morning sun rose, he drove into Kansas City. More coffee and fast food were on the agenda, and top off the tank. He loved the Navigator, but it wasn’t the most fuel-efficient. Noah opened the packaging for a burner phone and pulled the plastic tab to activate it. It already had a fifty-percent charge. Perfect.
After completing the running around, Noah walked into the largest Walmart Supercenter he had ever seen. It took a few minutes to find the electronic department, and once there, he dialed.
Cameron picked up on the third ring. “Change of mind? Ready to come in, Noah?”
“Not a chance.” Noah leaned against a massive DVD discount bin. “I get my life back, and I won’t release any of the intel I have on your organization. I need a decision within the minute.”
“This decision is above me. I’m bringing someone else in on this conversation, just a sec.”
As Noah was placed on hold, he knew it was a stalling tactic, but he wasn't positive when a familiar voice spoke.
“What’s the deal, Hunter.” Despite a series of background traffic and wind noise, the voice of Walter Scott was recognizable.
“I get my life back without retribution. You get all copies of the documents, video files, and witness statements. Hell, you can even have the fingerprint sheets back. I only have one condition.”
Walter let out a sharp bark of laughter. “You’re not in a position to make any conditions.”
Noah ignored him. “You leave the girl alone, but fill her in on everything that’s happened. Let her live her own life. She’s still a kid.”
Sean Cameron remained silent, but there was no doubt he was still on the line. There would be others listening in as well.
“I can guarantee there will be no further action against Amanda Rawlings. As to the remainder, I would need to confirm the material. I wouldn’t buy a home without visiting it at least once.”
“That can be arranged. I’ll be in contact shortly.”
After hanging up, Noah pretended to dig through the pile of DVDs. At the bottom of the large bin, he stashed the burner. On the way out of Walmart, he stopped at the Cell Phone Store and bought two more pre-paid phones before leaving.
*****
THEIR RESPONSE TIME was better than at the rest stop. Within twenty minutes, police had each exit of Walmart covered while police officers swept through the store. K-9 teams stood at the front and rear exits. The same marshal arrived a few minutes later with his team.
US Marshal Brooks guessed the target had either gone north or west. After splitting the team, he wasn’t far out of Kansas City when the call came.
The store manager's office had access to the security system, and they scrolled through the footage. Once Brooks located Hunter, they followed the timestamp on different monitors. The phone call was made at the rear of the store, and afterward Noah dug through a display.
Brooks paused the video and turned to a waiting police officer. “Go dig in that bin. Phone’s probably in there.”
Brooks resumed the surveillance without waiting to see if his orders were followed. Hunter then went into a store within the larger store. “What’s this place?”
The cameras didn’t follow him inside. The kiosk was blind.
A middle-aged woman with the nametag Sandra pinned to a blue vest was the acting manager. “They sell phones and monthly packages. Walmart doesn’t own the store, but they operate inside.”
Five minutes later, the US Marshal talked with the young man who ran the shop. Business hadn’t been so busy that he couldn’t remember the man and what he bought—two pre-paid cell phones.
Brooks picked up another phone in the package and asked. “Are these sequenced by lot number?”
The salesman sorted through the remaining three packages on the shelf and nodded. “The lot numbers are the same. The phone numbers would be sequential, I’d guess. But I have no idea if they were before or after these.”
The federal agent didn’t have time to go through financing and approval. He pulled out a credit card. “I’ll take them all. Open them up. I need to get the numbers now.”
As Brooks called the team to rally back in the parking lot, he got on the phone with Sean Cameron. The NSA could monitor the whole lot of numbers at once. Soon as Hunter activated the burner, they would know within seconds.
The marshal pulled up maps and scouted possible areas of interest but came up short.
Hunter’s running, but where?
When the possible answer hit him, Brooks scrambled for the phone. The first chair would want to know immediately.