¹ Snipes || Reacher

05. In a Tree

"I'm going to have to get them all into the trunk." Reacher admitted as she was looking at him, before she nodded. "I might have to break a few limbs." He said quietly and she was nodding, shutting her eyes as she didn't want to look.

After it was over, Reacher was looking at Lizzie who was tucking the gun back into the holster on her leg. "Do you want to drive?" He asked and she was shaking her head, looking horrified at the idea as he was nodding. "Sorry, that was a stupid question."

"It would be a stupid question for you, Reach." She said as she was getting into the passenger seat of the car as she was shaking her head. "But not for any other people who didn't know about what I went through." He nodded at the words.

"Ouch." Reacher replied as they were pulling off their gloves and he was taking his phone out. Reacher put his phone on speaker after Finlay had called and Reacher was looking over at Lizzie, who shook her head.

The memo was clear, she really did not want to talk to Finlay at the moment. "We hit a dead end with Spivey. You?" Reacher asked.

"Well, found out that Hubble has been lying to his wife. He hasn't worked at the bank in over a year. Guess that we could throw that into the "What the Heck Does That Mean" pile." Finlay's voice swiftly came through the phone.

"Anything else?" Reacher asked and Lizzie was waiting in silence, looking at the phone as she was stuck thinking about the trunk.

"I have got a potential lead on your brother's rental car. A driver called in a burnt-out vehicle a few hundred yards west of mile marker 97, off of Rural Route 9. On my way." Finlay stated.

"Who else knows about it?" Reacher asked automatically.

"Only the people that need to." Lizzie silently stared out of the window, her head resting against the glass, as her tears began to fall down her face again. "By the way, you can tell Borden that Tommy and Joe don't have a clue about it. I had a feeling that it would probably send Tommy into a full-on breakdown." Finlay explained as he hung up the phone.

Reacher put the burner phone away as he silently opened his arms, offering her a hug and she was accepting it silently.

"I know that you are upset, but you know why I did it, right?" Reacher asked quietly as she was nodding before she shut her eyes as she was trying to control her breathing. "I've got you, you're safe." He murmured softly as she nodded. Reacher grabbed one of her hands and she was nodding. "Come on, let's get some food." He said softly and he looked at her, before she was silently watching and he was driving off down the road.

Lizzie got a bunch of food along with some extra ketchup and salt packets and then, she got out of the car and she followed Reacher towards the car scene.

Lizzie stuck to his side like glue, her eyes flashing and she was looking at the vehicle as she shook her head.

"Time to stop for a snack, I see." Finlay remarked and he looked like he was about to say something else, but Lizzie was already on the scene as she was making her way around it.

"We worked up appetites. Besides, it was on the way." Reacher noted as he was holding a offer of fries out to Finlay, who as usual, was being a buzzkill and declined it.

"No, thanks." Finlay replied and Reacher shrugged at the words, before he popped another fry into his mouth.

"Missing out." Reacher murmured.

"Yeah, on heart disease." At the words, Reacher was staring at Finlay. "Anyways, a farmer chasing down one of his pigs found it. Roscoe told Teale the plates matched one of Morrison's old collars to throw him off the scent." Finlay explained, raising his voice loud enough for Lizzie to hear him as well.