“I don’t remember hearing about this,” I interrupted. Surely, the disappearance of a councillor’s family would have made the news, and even if it hadn’t, my mother would have known as Chief Inspector.
Guilt and grief weighed heavily on Rickerson’s features, carving wrinkles deep into his face and dragging the loose skin towards the floor. “I kept it a secret. I didn’t tell the police or the press or even my own assistant. I thought he would hurt them if I did.” A sob racked his body, tears spilling from his eyes. “Every day, I wonder what would have happened if I had involved someone, anyone.”
Fletcher and I gave him a minute, turning our chairs away so he could relive the worst moment of his life in privacy.
“His name is Thomas Holden,” Rickerson said in a thick voice. His cheeks were damp, and his eyes glistened, but the tears had dried up. His wine glass was empty. “He’s American. I did as he asked, and he still killed my wife. I think he was displeased that I’d taken so long.”
“And your son?” Fletcher asked quietly.
“Holden let him go. He promised to kill him if I told anyone what had happened. Ryan left for university as soon as he could and never came back. I never did figure out what was really in that shipment of wool.” He half-smiled, but it was full of cracks.
“Do you know where we can find him?” I asked. “Is he in Edinburgh at the Allraise Ventures building?”
“When he brought me to him, it was on an island on the Dormach Firth. The largest one.” Rickerson’s voice had gone quiet and dull as if any remaining spark of life had fled while he spoke. “It was a large, well-furnished building. I’d be willing to bet he’s still there.”
Hope flared within me. We now had a name and a location. We could take this guy down. “When we bring Holden in, will you testify? Your story would really help make sure he gets put away for a long time, and you would get justice for your wife.”
“If you bring him in,” Rickerson corrected bitterly. “His people are skilled, ruthless. I doubt you even get near him.”
“Fine, if we bring him in,” I agreed because it didn’t seem like Rickerson would say yes otherwise. “Will you tell your story?”
He looked down at his plate, at the cooling meat and the butter long since melted into the slice of bread. “Yes. That bastard ruined my life. Someone should stop him from ruining any more.”
“I will,” I said as I stood. “You can count on it.”
“I won’t hold my breath,” Rickerson muttered.
Fletcher and I saw ourselves out, and though we’d gotten the information we needed, the silence inside the car was heavy, oppressive. “I feel bad for him,” Fletcher said.
I nodded.
It was just after seven o’clock when we returned to the station, and the day shift workers without active cases were filtering out the door, replaced by the night shift. Dunnel was still in his office. I was pretty sure he slept in that tall cabinet behind his desk like a bat.
Fletcher and I settled in at my desk, and I pulled up a map on my computer so we could look for the island on the Dormach Firth that Rickerson spoke of. It sat just north of the city of Tain. The Glenmorangie Distillery was nearby as well, built beside the A9 just before it crossed over the water.
“How the hell are we going to get to an island?” I asked.
“There’s a ferry here,” Fletcher said, pointing to a spot on the north side of the firth, on the other side of the A9 from the island.
“They’ll know we’re coming then.”
“The ocean connects all the firths. We could charter a boat here and loop up.” She traced her finger along the blue on the map. “And then come in from the opposite direction of the expected ferry. It would take longer, but it might give us the element of surprise.”
“We should take a team this time. I think Dunnel would kill me himself if we don’t.”
“If we take more than one boat, each pair can disembark at a different point on the island. That way, they can cause some confusion, and we’ll be able to slip into the estate and find Finn.”
“Are you up for that?” I asked. Fletcher was tough, but she was still just a rookie, and there was a difference between the sparring mat and a real fight.
Fletcher nodded firmly and met my eyes. “I am.”
“Then let’s tell Dunnel and get this show on the road.”
I left my computer open as I grabbed my duster and headed over to Dunnel’s office. He was just hanging up the phone as I knocked and entered. “We got ahold of Rickerson,” I said. “He gave us a name: Thomas Holden. He’s American. He’s behind Allraise Ventures, probably has his fingers in a whole bunch of pies all around the world. We also think we know where he is. We’d like a team to use to breach the estate.”
Dunnel’s eyes turned serious, and he steepled his fingers in front of him as he looked at us. “Good work, you two. Take a five-person team, not including yourselves. You don’t know what you’re getting into over there or what kind of resistance you meet. Your primary goal is getting Finn Wair out safe and sound. Taking down Holden is secondary, got it?”
“Yes, sir,” Fletcher and I said in unison and saluted.
“Good. You have full control to pick who you want for the team. Is there anything else you need?”
“Boats,” I said. “We plan to approach by sea.”
Dunnel nodded. “Use Sunset Charter. We’ve worked with them before. I’ll call ahead
