If only. Kentucky wasn’t known for its scuba diving. They were having to get their tanks refilled in Lexington, but the centre there only had a basic range of equipment. In early June, the water temperature was in the mid-seventies near the surface, which meant wetsuits were fine for recreational diving but got damn chilly during a time-consuming underwater search.
“After that dive, I deserve bourbon.”
“I need a beer,” Knox said. “Did you see that fish?”
“What fish?”
“Was it a catfish?” Emmy asked, flicking the duckweed away. “A massive one came out of nowhere earlier, and let’s just say I’m glad I’ve got a knife.”
“You had to use it?”
“No, I punched the damn thing and it swam away, but I felt better knowing the knife was there.”
“And you didn’t think to warn us?”
“I was worried you might chicken out if I did.”
Seriously? “It’s a damn fish, Emmy, not a great white,” Alaric said.
“Don’t you watch River Monsters? A catfish can kill a man, and they grow to ten feet long. Oh, and sometimes they’re venomous.”
“You’re not really selling tomorrow’s outing.”
“Ah, yeah, sorry.” She pulled a vicious-looking knife from a scabbard strapped to her thigh. “Want to borrow this?”
“Thanks, but I’ll pass.” Alaric had his own knife, albeit a smaller folding one. “Have you seen my towel?”
Nick appeared with towels for Alaric and Knox. “Here you go. Look on the bright side, we’re halfway done.”
Halfway done with the lake, but they only had three full days until the election. Alaric wouldn’t need a knife at this rate, he’d need a flashlight, because those promised to be very long days indeed.
“I thought you were never coming back,” Beth said. “You look exhausted.”
Alaric tried not to let on how tired he was. “I’ve had better days. Did Harriet bring you home?”
“No, Dan picked me up. She was on her way here from Lexington.”
“Where I…” Dan gave them jazz hands. “Found the dude who fixed Kyla’s car.”
“Really? He remembers?”
Alaric had been convinced that lead would pan out to nothing.
“Yup. And you know why he remembers?”
“Why?”
“Because Kyla complained about the cost. Said there was no way a new bumper should cost that much, but it was a German import, and those things are never cheap. Plus he had to knock out the dents and respray the hood, and the cherry-red was a custom colour.”
“He’s certain it was Kyla?”
“He recognised her from the TV. Said he and his wife are voting Republican no matter what Mr. Carnes says.”
“Did he get curious as to why we’re asking about Kyla?” Emmy queried. “We don’t want the news getting out too soon.”
“I told him my dad recognised her on the TV too, and he swears she was the woman who ran into his beloved truck all those years ago. Even now, he grumbles about it every Thanksgiving, and he’s determined she’s gonna pay for the damage. Walt recalls Kyla claiming a moron drove into her BMW outside the mall…” It was satisfying to be right, Alaric thought. “And he’s promised to go through the boxes of papers in his basement to see if he still has the original invoice.”
Emmy gave Dan a high five. “Nice work, slut.”
“Thanks, bitch.”
“Slut?” Beth whispered. “Bitch?”
“Terms of endearment.”
“Right.” Beth didn’t seem convinced. “Do you want dinner yet? I didn’t have time to cook, so Dan and I stopped off on the way home and picked up Mexican. Everything’s keeping warm in the oven.”
“I need to take a shower first.”
Beth crinkled her nose. “Thank goodness. I didn’t want to say anything, but…”
“I stink, I know. Give me fifteen minutes. Actually, make it twenty—I want to check in with Judd.”
“How is he? Have you heard any more from England?”
“Just that he’s out of the hospital.” He’d texted Alaric on the trip back to Curzon Place. “To tell you the truth, I’m more worried about Nada. She’s been through a hell of a lot this week.”
From the Bellsfield Estate to a war zone via the emergency room. That was enough to shake anyone up, and she still had Stella Millais-Scott to contend with.
Alaric took a quick shower, although he’d have preferred to stand under the hot water for an hour or two, then towelled off. Sweats were the order of the day. He rarely wore sportswear outside the gym, but he didn’t have the energy left to button a shirt. If he lay on the bed, he’d never get up again, so he sat at the desk in the corner of the room to call Judd.
“And? What’s the story? Start at the beginning.”
“Nada’s Wonder Woman and Xena Warrior Princess rolled into one. I think I’m in love.”
“You’re in lust. That’s different. And you’d damn well better keep your hands off her.”
“Don’t worry, I will. She still misses her husband. Plus she told me if I made a move, she’d cut my balls off.”
Yes, Alaric was definitely a little bit in love with Nada too.
“What happened?”
“It was all going swimmingly. The Brits choppered us in, then we tagged along with a group of US Marines until we got near our destination. Nada had a driver lined up to meet us, an asset of hers from the old days, and he took us to get Nada’s documents and then on to the witness. The hardest part was convincing Hanifa to come with us. She was terrified, and her family didn’t want her to go, but they were living in rubble. In Syria, they could never stop running. What future did she have there?”
“Not much of one, unfortunately.”
“Precisely. And they want Ridley to pay.”
“So what went wrong?”
“You know Murphy’s Law, mate. We drank tea. Hanifa packed a bag. The driver took us to the pickup point, and the Americans came by on patrol as scheduled. Then a mile up the road, the fucking convoy drove into an ambush and all hell broke loose. It’s been a while since I got into a proper gunfight.”
Same for Alaric. And he had no desire to get into one
