Read Online The Enemy by Lee Child - Free Book Online

was a professional alias.
    "What's yours?" she said.
    "Reacher," I said. There was no point adopting an alias of my own. I was fresh from the widow visit, still in Class As, with my name plate big and obvious on my right jacket pocket.
    "That's a nice name," she said, automatically. I was fairly certain she said it to everybody. Quasimodo, Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, that's a nice name. She moved her hand. Started with the top button of my jacket and undid it all the way down. Smoothed her fingers inside across my chest, under my tie, on top of my shirt.
    "There's a motel across the street," I said. She nodded against my shoulder. "I know there is," she said.
    "I'm looking for whoever went over there last night with a soldier.
    "Are you kidding?"
    She pushed against my chest. "Are you here to have fun, or ask questions?"
    "Questions," I said.
    She stopped moving. Said nothing.
    "I'm looking for whoever went over to the motel last night, with a soldier."
    "Get real," she said. "We all go over to the motel with soldiers. There's practically a groove worn in the pavement. Look carefully, and you can see it."
    "I'm looking for someone who came back a little sooner than normal, maybe."
    She said nothing.
    "Maybe she was a little spooked."
    She said nothing.
    "Maybe she met the guy there," I said. "Maybe she got a call earlier in the day."
    She eased her butt up off my knee and pulled her dress down as far as it would go, which wasn't very far. Then she traced her fingertips across my lapel badge.
    "We don't answer questions," she said.
    "Why not?"
    I saw her glance at the velvet curtain. Like she was looking through it and all the way across the big square room to the register by the door.
    "Him?" I said. "I'll make sure he isn't a problem."
    "He doesn't like us to talk to cops."
    "It's important," I said. "The guy was an important soldier."
    "You all think you're important."
    "Many of the girls here from California?"
    "Five or six, maybe."
    "Any of them used to work Fort Irwin?"
    "I don't know."
    "So here's the deal," I said. "I'm going to the bar. I'm going to get another beer. I'm going to spend ten minutes drinking it. You bring me the girl who had the problem last night. Or you show me where I can find her. Tell her there's no real problem. Tell her nobody will get in trouble. I think you'll find she understands that."
    "Or?"
    "Or I'll roust everybody out of here and I'll burn the place to the ground. Then you can all find jobs somewhere else."
    She glanced at the velvet curtain again.
    "Don't worry about the fat guy," I said. "Any pissing and moaning out of him, I'll bust his nose again."
    She just sat still. Didn't move at all.
    "It's important," I said again. "We fix this now, nobody gets in trouble. We don't, then someone winds up with a big problem."
    "I don't know," she said.
    "Spread the word," I said. "Ten minutes."
    I bumped her off my lap and watched her disappear through the curtain. Followed her a minute later and fought my way to the bar. I left my jacket hanging open. I thought it made me look off-duty. I didn't want to ruin everybody's evening. I spent twelve minutes drinking another overpriced domestic beer. I watched the waitresses and the hookers work the room. I saw the big guy with the face moving through the press of people, looking here, looking there, checking on things. I waited. My new blonde friend didn't show. And I couldn't see her anywhere. The place was very crowded. And it was dark. The music was thumping away. There were strobes and black lights and the whole scene was confusion. The ventilation fans were roaring but the air was hot and foul. I was tired and I was getting a headache.
    I slid off my stool and tried a circuit of the whole place. Couldn't find the blonde anywhere. I went around again. Didn't find her. The Special Forces sergeant I had spoken to before stopped me halfway through my third circuit.
    "Looking for your girlfriend?" he said.
    I nodded. He pointed at the dressing-room