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55
Knox County Regional Airport
Near Rockland, Maine
SUNDAY NIGHT
Savich looked down at Williard House on Google Maps. It was isolated, the nearest neighbor five miles away, with a single country road cutting by it through a thick forest. Savich looked at Mason. “Do you believe Shaker and Eve really aren’t involved in this?”
“I hate to say it, but it wouldn’t make sense for him to tell us where Molly and Sherlock are being held if he was behind the whole thing.”
Ramsey said, “To draw you out there? Lie in wait?”
Mason would have consigned Shaker directly to hell long ago, but he knew his enemy well. “No, the Rule Shaker I’ve known for longer than I care to remember wouldn’t lie in wait if I was his target. He’d be in my face, that’s how he’d do it. So no, he’s not involved in this and probably not Eve, either. I think his son-in-law has betrayed them both, plotted all this to start up a war between Rule Shaker and me. He wants control of Rule’s casinos, with Eve or without her.” Mason shook his head. “Poor fool. Rule will crush him now, maybe even before we get there. You asked him to wait for us in your last text to him, Savich, but he didn’t even answer you. Rule’s a lot of things but rarely does he make decisions without thinking them through. And that means he’s got a plan.”
Ramsey said, “You mean shoot his son-in-law in the head before we can arrest him?”
Mason shook his head. “I doubt it. He knows we’re coming. He can’t very well kill Doulos, he’d have to deal with Savich. I don’t know what he’s planning, but he won’t want to take any chances he or Eve would be arrested for murder.”
Elizabeth Beatrice said, “Why aren’t we calling the Camden chief of police or the FBI in Maine, Dillon?”
Savich said, “The closest field office is in Bangor. I don’t want to involve them until I need them. Too many people, too many explanations, too much chance of things going sideways, maybe a hostage situation. I want to keep control.” He eyed Mason. “Whatever Shaker’s planning, I have a gut feeling he’s going to be a cowboy and there’s nothing we can do about it.”
Mason walked to a safe in the galley, brought out two handguns and ammunition, gave one to Ramsey and kept the other. Savich didn’t stop him. Elizabeth Beatrice held out her hand.
Mason shook his head. “No, you’re not coming. You’re going to stay here on the plane.”
She opened her mouth, ready to argue, and Savich said quickly, “Please, Elizabeth Beatrice, there’s enough danger without adding you to the mix. Let me do my job. Let me add, both Ramsey and Mason are trained. Your being there would divide our attention.”
Mason lightly touched his fingertips to her cheek. “Please, stay on the plane. Will you do that for me?” He was used to people jumping to do what he asked, but knew Elizabeth Beatrice wouldn’t ever be one of them. He said, “The truth is I won’t take the chance of your getting hurt. If you insist on coming, then I’ll stay here with you.”
Elizabeth Beatrice frowned at him. “That was well done. Oh, all right, I’ll stay on the plane and guard Chuck. You promise you’ll be careful?”
“As careful as I can be. It’s time I ordered a car.”
When the plane landed smoothly at the empty airport, Mason was silent. For the first time he could remember, he was terrified, about what might happen to Molly. There was nothing more he could do to save her life but trust Savich and Ramsey, and even Rule Shaker.
A young man with a white-blond mullet was waiting for them at the edge of the runway. He handed Savich the fob to an SUV, looked back at the big private jet, and said, “Nice wheels.”
Savich drove out of the airport onto Airport Road and into Owls Head. He floored it. “No traffic. GPS is working fine. Fifteen minutes to Williard House. Our first priority is getting to Sherlock and Molly. The rest isn’t important, except for whoever tries to stop us. They’ll have men patrolling, but they can’t know we’re coming, unless Shaker gives us away.”
Mason’s cell buzzed. He listened, punched off. “Chuck, our pilot, wanted to let me know Rule’s plane landed about twenty minutes ago.”
Ramsey said, “Why don’t you text Shaker this time, Mason, tell him we’re close and try to get him to wait for us.”
When he finished, Mason read his text aloud. TEN MINUTES, KNOW WILLIARD LAYOUT. WAIT FOR US, A HUNDRED YARDS FROM DRIVEWAY. “I don’t expect he’ll answer, and he won’t wait, not Rule. I keep wondering why hasn’t Doulos contacted me, sent a proof-of-life, made any demands? Maybe even forced Molly to implicate Shaker?”
Savich said in an emotionless voice, “Because Sherlock did something that prevented it.” And it scared him spitless.
