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"Something would turn up. A piece of luck. Like the general's train showing up in Nebraska."
"After we crisscrossed three states looking for him. Would have been better if the Lifeweavers had arranged our luck to hit when we passed a dozen miles from his headquarters without knowing it."
She planted her walking stick. "You think everything's chance."
"No. If it were, I wouldn't still be alive."
* * * *
After Price flagged down a patrolman on the riverside highway, they stopped in the little Ohio-side town of Caspian. An Ordnance Station, part police house, part customs post, and part post office had the latest warrant flyers posted in a three-ring binder.
Valentine and Price went inside while the rest visited a market to buy food.
"Look what the river washed up," an Ohioan with a package said to his friend as they passed in on their way to the postal clerk.
Price helped Valentine select a handbill. Valentine wanted a female, thirtyish. "Not much to choose from. Guess Ohio women are law-abiding. Except for Gina Stottard, here."
"Stealing power and unauthorized wiring," Valentine read. "A desperado electrician."
"She's all there is."
"What do I do next?"
"Follow me."
Price took three handbills of his own-the top man had killed a woman while trying to perform an illegal abortion-and went over to a blue-uniformed officer behind a thick window. She blinked at them from behind thick corrective glasses.
"Copies of these, please," Price said, sliding the handbills under the glass along with his warrant card. "And-"
"Gimme a moment," she said, and went to a cabinet. She got a key and disappeared into another room. Ten minutes later-perhaps she'd worked in a coffee break-she returned with the copies. They were poor-quality photocopies, but still readable. "Six dollars," she said.
"My associate needs a bounty card."
"That makes it sixteen dollars. You could have said so. Have to make another trip to get one."
"I tr-I'm sorry."
Fifteen minutes later she returned with the form. It had a numbered card on it similar to Price's. Valentine filled it out using his Ohio ration-card name-Tarquin Ayoob, not a name Valentine would have chosen on his own; it came off his tongue like a horse getting wire-tripped-and passed it back under the partition. She counted the money, stamped both the document and the bounty card, then took out a scissors and cut the card free.
"What's the number for?" Valentine asked.
"If you got a prisoner in tow you can get free food and lodging at any NUC door, they just need the number. Counts as good works for the Ordnance Lottery. Bring in a man or even a useful report and your number goes in that week. You can buy tickets, too. This week's pot is half a million. Care to enter?"
"Doubt we'll be in the Ordnance long enough to collect," Price said. "I thank you, officer."
They left the station and reunited with Duvalier and the Grogs at the riverbank, sharing a final meal. Apples were growing plentiful, making Valentine think of Everready. Price pulled up the mule's feet and inspected them one by one as Bee held the animal.
"This is really good-bye," Valentine said.
"Watch your curfew around here, son," Price said. "Folks button up really tight. If you're solid-silver lucky, the police pick you up and throw you in the clink for breaking.
"I'm going to be poking around in Lexington for a bit. Ohio fugitives head there, more often than not. There's jobs at the processing plants, and the West Kentucky Legion isn't too choosy about who it takes on. I'll check in at the depots."
"Can I come back with you that far?" Duvalier asked.
Valentine almost dropped his apple. "You want to give up?"
"This led nowhere, David. I don't want to stumble around ground I don't know. I feel like we stick out here. Everyone talks different, wears different clothes."
