Dead Wrong (A Cal Murphy Thriller Book 7) Jack Patterson (good beach reads .txt) 📖

Newark, where he was going to catch a flight to Lisbon before heading to Cape Verde. He’s flying under the name of Leonard Gillingham.”

“Do you know what airline?”

“I think it was United, but I can’t be sure. Just double check all the flights to Newark out of Reagan, okay?”

“Got it. Doing it right now,” Corliss said. He pounded on his keyboard and kept Cal on the line. “What happened out there?”

“You don’t wanna know. Let’s just say it’s a miracle that I’m alive—”

“Damn it!” Corliss said. “The flight left five minutes ago.”

“Find a way to bring it back to Washington,” Cal said. “If he escapes tonight, you’ll never see him again. Not to mention I owe that bastard a kick or two in the gut after what he did to me tonight.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, he tried to kill me.”

“I’ll call you back when I know something else. But call your wife. She’s worried sick.”

Cal hung up. He didn’t need to be told that. Thoughts of Kelly and Maddie are what saved his life.

CHAPTER 48

THE PLANE CLIMBED to ten thousand feet and Scott Perry pulled out his approved electronic device, his iPhone. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture blared in his earbuds. It felt like a fitting song to celebrate his escape. Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece was written to celebrate Russia’s defense against Napoleon’s aggression. It was an overture of freedom.

Perry smiled as the pulsating horns and drums reached their crescendo.

Then an unwelcome noise interrupted the finale.

It was an innocent ding, but one that followed with an ominous message as the plane banked hard left.

“This is your captain speaking. We have a small malfunction that we need to return to the gate and correct. I apologize for the inconvenience but this is for your safety. I don’t anticipate this taking very long once we arrive back at the gate. Please remain in your seat as the seatbelt sign is on.”

Perry glanced around at several other passengers. No one seemed too concerned as most people had already tuned out or fallen asleep given the late time. One baby wailed in the back of the cabin.

He checked his watch.

Relax. It’s probably nothing.

He tried to reassure himself that it wasn’t a big deal. Just a routine safety precaution.

Perry gnawed at his fingernails, unwilling to heed his own words of caution. He wanted out of the plane and he wanted out now.

The plane continued its descent through the low-hanging clouds. Seconds later, D.C. came into full view, as did the landing strip.

Perry peered out the window to see what was happening on the ground, and his heart began to pound.

Lights flashed everywhere.

There wasn’t a mechanical issue.

They were after him.

CHAPTER 49

CAL DIALED KELLY and waited for her to pick up. He braced for her scathing comments, already aware that she’d be upset and worried over his lack of contact since he promised to be home hours ago.

“Hello?” Kelly answered.

“Hi, honey. It’s me.”

“Oh, thank God. I thought something really bad happened to you.”

Cal chuckled. “It did—but I couldn’t stop thinking about you. It’s the only way I’m still talking with you right now.”

“I think I’m gonna cry,” she said.

“Look. I’m okay. That’s all that matters. Just hug Maddie for me. I’ll be home soon enough.”

“You’ve gotta stop this, Cal. One of these days you won’t come home.”

“Well, that day isn’t today. I’m really sorry, okay? I didn’t mean for tonight to go like this.”

“So, do they have Perry in custody yet?”

“He was trying to flee the country,” Cal said. “I don’t know what’s going on with him. I gave Corliss everything he needed to find him. Let’s just hope they get him before he escapes. That bastard needs to pay for what he did to Kelvin Jameson.”

“And you, too,” Kelly quipped.

“No doubt.” He paused. “I’ll be home soon. Maybe ten minutes.”

He hung up and sighed in relief. He never wanted this life, not with Kelly and Maddie involved anyway. He’d choose them over his profession any day. At least he thought he would.

But that’d be another thing to consider on another day. Today, he’d done everything in his power to see a criminal brought to justice.

And he couldn’t wait to write about it.

CHAPTER 50

ONCE THE PLANE’S TIRES BARKED and signaled their arrival back on the ground, Scott Perry pressed his nose against the window to see if he could tell what was going on.

Nothing.

There were no lights flashing or sirens blaring.

Had he just imagined it? Perhaps there was no reason for concern. Maybe it was only a malfunction.

Stay calm. Don’t panic.

Perry cranked up the 1812 Overture again and leaned back into his seat.

No need to worry. It’ll all be over within a few minutes.

Perry almost believed himself.

Almost.

The plane slowed down and turned right, returning to the terminal. That’s when something outside his window flickered again. And that was all it took.

Perry leapt to his feet and twisted the lock on the emergency exit, springing it loose.

He stared down at the ground that moved slowly beneath the plane and swallowed hard. He didn’t want to jump. Not now. Not ever. But he had no choice.

Other passengers gasped as the cold blast of outside air stunned them.

“What is he doing?” one woman asked.

“Has he lost his mind?” another person said.

Perry didn’t want to answer that. He might have indeed lost his mind, but at this point, he didn’t want to take any chances. He needed to get out of this plane before TSA agents stormed it and cuffed him. He needed to rethink his plan and give himself a chance to plot out a better escape from the country.

Here goes nothing.

Perry forced himself to jump out of the door and onto the tarmac as the plane continued to roll slowly toward the terminal gate.

He tumbled when he hit the ground and rolled for a few feet. But he felt no pain. Maybe it was adrenaline—or maybe he successfully landed from a leap from