The Midnight Line by Lee Child

made his eyes look dark. He was tall and thin. Maybe six feet two. Maybe a hundred sixty pounds. But only if he had a dollar’s worth of pennies in his pocket. All skin and bone, and awkward as a stepladder.
    The back-door sentry pushed himself off the washing machine and came over to stand close. The guy who had driven the car stepped up from behind.
    Scorpio said, “What do you want?”
    â€œYou fenced a ring to Jimmy Rat,” Reacher said. “I want to know who fenced it to you.”
    â€œYou got the wrong person altogether. I run a laundromat. I don’t know any Jimmy Rat.”
    â€œIs the laundromat doing well?”
    â€œI’m comfortable.”
    â€œAnd modest. You’re doing better than comfortable. Your cash flow is so big you had to hire two guys to watch over it. Except I don’t see how. You got no customers.”
    â€œYou accusing me of something?”
    Out the window a pale blue car stopped on the opposite curb. A domestic product. A Chevrolet, possibly. Nothing fancy. A plain specification. In it was a small Asian woman. Black hair, dark eyes. A severe expression. Nakamura. She just sat there, engine off, head turned, watching. A level gaze, over the hood of Scorpio’s parked Lincoln. Her eyes were locked on Reacher’s, through two layers of glass and thirty feet of air.
    Reacher turned back to Scorpio and said, “Jimmy Rat left you a voicemail, which is why you hired these guys. He told you I was coming. And here I am. It’s up to you how long I stay.”
    Scorpio said, “Firstly I don’t know what you’re talking about, and secondly do you know who that is, in the blue car across the street?”
    â€œShe’s a cop. Detective Nakamura.”
    â€œWho harasses me on a regular basis. As you can see. For completely invented reasons. But this time she can make herself useful for once. You’re trespassing, and she can come remove you herself. My tax dollars at work.”
    â€œYou pay taxes?”
    â€œYou accusing me of something?”
    â€œI’m not trespassing. You invited me here. Kind of insisted.”
    â€œMy point is you can stick your little threats where the sun don’t shine. Up to me how long you stay? What are you going to do, with a cop watching?”
    â€œI know her name because we talked. She told me you’re not well liked within the police department.”
    â€œMutual.”
    â€œIt’s a code. In plain English it means I could rip your arm off and beat you to death with it, and they wouldn’t stop me. They’d sell tickets instead.”
    â€œWhat code? You a cop too? From somewhere?”
    â€œYou expecting one? Not me. I’m just a guy with a question. Tell me the answer, and I’m gone.”
    Scorpio said, “You never asked how I found you.”
    Reacher said, “Didn’t need to. I already figured it out. From where your boy showed up. Restaurant staff. You slip them a few bucks. They all talk to each other. They all have cell phones. They text. A nice little network. Underpaid and underappreciated. You put the word out. Based on Jimmy Rat’s voicemail. Watch out for Bigfoot to come out of the forest. That’s what Jimmy said, right?”
    â€œI don’t know any Jimmy. Which is my point. I’m going to sit here and deny it all day long. Nothing you can do about it with a cop watching.”
    â€œMaybe she’ll leave.”
    â€œShe won’t. She sits there all day. We’ll be gone before she is. Then what are you going to do? Run after us? Which is my other point. Good luck with your night in town. You won’t get a meal anywhere. You won’t get a drink. You won’t get a bed. I got more than one network running.”
    â€œI’m sure you’re a regular Al Capone,” Reacher said. “Except you got the worst piece-of-shit car in the world.”
    â€œGet lost. You’re wasting everyone’s