Reacher Episode 18: Truckin'

Reacher is working undercover at Zachary Beck’s compound and immediately has to deal with two pressures at once: the DEA’s covert operation and the suspicion of Beck’s men. He also learns that Teresa is in danger, which pushes him to keep moving carefully while he tries to avoid blowing his cover.

Duffy reacts to Reacher’s warning by roughing up the captive bodyguard connected to Richard Beck’s kidnapping, but the man says he does not know what will happen to Teresa. Reacher has a brief fight with Paulie, the enormous bodyguard, and then Chapman Duke sends him to look into the hijacked cars tied to the kidnapping.

Reacher calls Duffy to say the car-yard situation may create problems for the kidnapping story, and Duffy goes to the yard to retrieve one of the vehicles before Beck’s people can inspect it too closely. One of Beck’s associates, Angel Doll, notices the bodyguard’s car but does not catch Duffy changing the license plate, which helps keep the setup from unraveling for the moment.

Back at the compound, Duke orders Reacher to drive a truck to New London, Connecticut, giving him another test of sorts and another chance to look for clues inside Beck’s operation. Reacher also contacts Neagley and asks her to investigate the people he is working with, extending his support network beyond the compound.

Reacher meets Duffy to inspect the trailer for either drugs or Teresa’s body, but they only find carpets inside, which confirms the load is not what it was made to seem and leaves the real operation still partly hidden. Later, back in Maine, Doll confronts Reacher about his behavior at the yard and his role in the kidnapping scheme; when Doll tries to take his suspicions to Duke, Reacher kills him to prevent the cover from collapsing.