Page 55 of Kidnapping of a Myth

“Don’t do that. Don’t make me feel better because, after everything we’ve done to protect that family, I turned around and fed them to the wolves.”

“An IED almost blew you up,” Eamon snarled, pushing the car faster as his voice escalated. “I almost watched you die. This isn’t on you. If anything, it’s on me. I didn’t sense it. I should have. His scent. His heartbeat. Something, but I didn’t. Pann’s scent hadn’t come into contact with Henry. Nor was Henry’s scent on any of the traps. His heart rate was elevated, but so was Wendy’s, yet there must’ve been signs. And I still missed them, so don’t you dare try to shoulder this guilt. I trust you. If you say it’s him, it’s him, but I need you to walk me through your theory because I don’t understand. Just last night, you suspected Dale Croke because of his ticking watch.”

Eamon slammed on the brakes as a car careened in front of them. Bel braced for the impact, but they inexplicably avoided the collision, Eamon skillfully altering their trajectory as his arm flew out to halt her from lurching forward.

“The watch is still bothering me. Maybe they’re all involved, but the simplest explanations are often the right ones. Hook isn’t a code name or an alter ego. It’s initials. Plain and simple. Plus, Wendy said something at the reception.” Bel reached up and grabbed his wrist as it welded her to the chair. She clung to him with every ounce of fear and every thread of hope. She should relinquish his hand so he could use both to drive, but the idea that a beloved husband had tried to slaughter his wife’s family kept her fingers clamped around Eamon’s arm. She needed to feel his pulse, his cool warmth, his power. She needed to feel his love and know that it would never falter. That it would never deliver her to her death.

“The board only gets the company and the wealth if the Darling siblings die unmarried,” she continued. “If they are married, the spouses inherit everything. She didn’t bring it up at the house because no one knew Henry and she were eloping. She didn’t even know until the last minute, so whoever hired Pann assumed they had another month to kill the Darlings andacquire the millions. We were operating under that assumption, but what if someone planned to marry her ahead of schedule so the blame would be placed elsewhere? You can’t suspect the husband if he wasn’t supposed to be the husband.”

“So Henry orchestrated the elopement?” Eamon asked, driving so skillfully with only one hand that Bel couldn’t help but admire him despite her dread. “I never suspected him because I saw those traps up close. I saw that flooded bunker, and I experienced the destructive force of those IEDs. Whoever placed them had been planning for months, if not years. The kidnappings were not last-minute designs, so I assumed it was a board member. That theory made the most sense.”

“It does,” Bel agreed. “But only if the elopement was a spur-of-the-moment decision. Now, if it was premeditated…?”

“But how did Henry know Wendy would go for it?” Eamon asked. “Most women wouldn’t trade their fairytale ceremony for a jeans-and-sweater elopement.”

“Unless he made the wedding miserable,” Bel said. “Wendy was complaining about the extravagance. She brought it up again last night. The excess freaked her out.”

“You think he pushed the envelope so her stress would force her to cave to his proposal?”

“Maybe?” Bel shrugged as they blew past a squad car so fast that the officer didn’t even bother pursuing them. Both he and Eamon recognized he didn’t have the horsepower to catch their vehicle. “I want to be wrong. I don’t want Wendy’s husband to be the villain. She loves him, and they’re about to get on a yacht where he’ll have every opportunity to kill her and her brothers over the next month. Even with a skilled crew, the water can be unpredictable.” She clutched her stomach as if her fingers could calm the churning. “Tell me I’m wrong. Tell me love didn’t do this.”

“My love wouldn’t,” Eamon said. “But you know you’re not wrong. You’ve had a sense about this case from the beginning. We all missed things, but if you think Henry is Hook, then I only hope I can drive fast enough.”

“Griffin is goingto keep trying Agent Barry,” Bel said as they finally parked at the marina. She still hadn’t been able to get in touch with the FBI, but she’d called her boss and explained her theory. Griffin promised to send an army of reinforcements after her, but she’d hung up before he ordered her not to race headlong into danger. “And the NYPD has been notified, but we can’t wait for them.” She grabbed the door handle, but Eamon tugged her back into her seat before she could flee the car.

“Police sirens will warn Henry,” Eamon said. “He’ll go on the defensive if he thinks he’s been discovered, and if he was willing to drown a ten-year-old for money, he’ll have no qualms about using them as human shields to protect his escape. It might be best if we approach under the guise of a friendly visit. I’m not as wealthy as the Darlings, but I can easily afford a yacht. It wouldn’t be unreasonable for me to bring you here to impress you with my status. And if he isn’t Hook, then we won’t have caused drama for the family by arriving with the squad cars.”

“Smart.” Bel shoved her service weapon into the waistband of her pants before tucking her badge into her pocket. “We’re here on a date.”

“That’s all.” Eamon brushed her hair back, gathering the strands together and using one of her elastic ties to secure it in a ponytail. “Keep your eyes open and stay close. We might get lucky.” He kissed her cheek before opening his door and stepping out into the brisk sunshine.

“Maybe he didn’t do it,” Bel said, following his lead. “Maybe learning of witches and monsters has me seeing evil everywhere.”

“It’s possible.” He extended a broad hand to her, and she slipped her fingers through his. “But don’t doubt yourself. You’re the smartest woman I know. You were first to suspect me, after all.”

“But you were innocent.”

“Of those murders, yes, but we both know, my little detective, I’m not innocent.”

“As long as you don’t give me a reason to hunt you down, I can forgive your sins.”

“You know I won’t.” He pulled her close as they began strolling through the marina, hiding their desperate search below their affection. “Didn’t the FBI investigate the bank accounts of all the Darling’s connections, both personal and professional? How did they miss Henry paying Pann off?”

“Because he didn’t,” Bel said, hoping she looked like she was on a date to peruse luxury yachts and not like she was seconds away from drawing her firearm and shooting the first thing that moved. “They investigated everyone, Henry included, but his accounts are clean and boring. There are no financial or paper records linking him to The Tinker. The agents were looking for a tangible connection, not initials. Honestly, I might have missed them if it weren’t for the invite. The swirling capital letters kind of highlighted them for me.”

“So why would Pann agree to work for him?” Eamon asked. “According to your own admission, Peter Pann is a professional contract killer. How do you hire an executioner without money?”

“Maybe Henry promised him a cut after the fact.”

“No. I’ve dealt with the men who operate in our society’s underworld. They don’t take IOUs.”

“We’re missing something.” Bel cursed as she leaned her head against his shoulder. “What if I’m wrong, and Peter Pann is both The Tinker and Hook?”

“There.” Eamon pointed at the ostentatious yacht ahead of them without answering. “That’s the Darling’s. They’re still here.”

“Oh, thank God.” She sagged against him.

“We’ll get them. Just remember, we’re window shopping for the boat you want me to buy.”

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