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Sherlock was shaking her head. “It can’t be Mennen Lowe himself. He’d be at least sixty. The man with the blowgun moved much younger. Emma, you said the man who tried to take you at Davies Hall was younger, too, yes?”
“He was big and he moved fast and his voice wasn’t old.”
Molly sighed. “So that’s a dead end. There’s no reason to worry about Father Sonny or anyone he knew.” She squeezed Emma’s hand again.
Savich said, “Emma, would you mind overseeing Sean and your brothers for a while? There’s a couple of questions I’d like to ask your parents privately.”
Emma gave her parents a long look and rose. She said, “I don’t mind. I know I’ll have you, Aunt Sherlock, and that Officer Trader, looking after me. And I know this man may try to take me again, so I’ll be extra careful.” A smile bloomed on her beautiful face. “If he does, I’ll take him down again.”
Sherlock said, “If you weren’t about to dazzle the world with your musical talent, Emma, I’d be telling you how great you’d be as a special agent.”
Emma smiled, turned, and walked toward the kid mayhem.
Savich said, “I thought you should be the ones to decide what Emma should hear about her grandfather. You said you called him, Molly. I’m sure it’s occurred to you Mason Lord could easily be the real target, whether it’s someone out for a ransom, or for revenge, or for leverage against him. Don’t forget, he was at the center of it when Emma was taken six years ago when his former partner, Rule Shaker, and his daughter tried to use Emma to destroy Mason and ended up having him shot and nearly killed. You were the one who put a stop to all that, Molly, when you threatened to expose them all. Do you think he could be involved again?”
“I’ve thought about that, it’s one of the reasons I called my father and told him,” Molly said. “So far as I know there’s been no contact between my father and Rule Shaker for six years. Shaker and his daughter, Eve”—Molly gave a mad grin—“my father’s viper ex-wife, are still running their casinos in Las Vegas, living the high life. My father told me Eve remarried last year, Doulos is his name. Word is, Dad told me, this guy’s a player, runs an elite gambling club for local movers and shakers called Exotica. Other than that, my father has never even mentioned either Eve or Rule Shaker. Do they still hate each other?”
“Well, sure,” Ramsey said, “especially people like them. It’s embedded in their DNA. I think they might have killed each other, Molly, if not for your threat to close them both down.”
Ramsey drew in a deep breath. “As I’m sure you have, Savich, I took a look online at what Rule Shaker and Eve have been up to; I didn’t see anything I didn’t expect. As you said, they both seem to be enjoying the fruits of their labor. Evidently she travels back and forth to Palm Beach or her husband flies to Las Vegas, a strange marriage, but who knows?
“On the other hand, maybe it’s as straightforward as Shaker not being able to let go of his hatred for Mason Lord and sticking with the peace with him Molly forced upon him six years ago.”
Molly said, “And then there’s Eve. I’ve always pictured her as a ticking bomb covered with a luscious candy coating, and relentless when it’s something she wants.”
Ramsey said, “Molly, do you think Shaker would take the chance of ignoring everything he knows you put in the hands of your lawyers six years ago?”
Molly said slowly, “I can’t imagine what it would take to make that risk worth it for him unless his hatred for my father festered until he simply couldn’t control it. Or maybe if my father went after Shaker, triggered him, pulled off something that hurt Shaker’s bottom line or his reputation. My father would know if he did that. He didn’t tell me.”
Sherlock looked over at Cal, Gage, and Sean, Emma kneeling beside them, thankfully oblivious now of the adults. She looked at Molly and Ramsey. “That sounds logical, Molly, and seems like the best place to start. Is everyone agreed it’s time we spoke to Mason Lord?”
