wants me to come to Riptide, doesn’t want me to tell you or Dad.
Tyler is desperate.”
Adam came down on his knees in front of her. “Becca, look at
me.”
“I was looking at you. You’re trying to lighten things up. You
can’t. You can’t help me. Only I can do something here. I don’t
want to look at you. Just because you’re stronger, well, never mind
what you are, Sherlock got me first. It doesn’t matter. I’ve got to
call Tyler. You can’t help.”
“All right.” He rose and offered her his hand. A big hand, she
thought, a strong hand, and she wished she could take it and bite it
again, then flip him over the back of the sofa.
“You all right, sweetheart?” Thomas said, handing her a cup of tea.
Sweetheart? He’d called her sweetheart and it seemed to have
come out naturally, not a fake endearment. It nearly made her
cry. No one had ever called her sweetheart before. Her mom had
always called her honey, or when she was a little girl she’d been
Muffin.
She didn’t let it touch her. She couldn’t, not now at any rate.
“I’ve got to call Tyler, tell him that I’m coming right away to Riptide
and that none of you are coming with me. Do you understand?
Sam dies if anyone comes with me. No, Adam, just shut up.
I will not let that little boy die.”
“But that doesn’t make any sense,” Thomas said slowly. “He
wants you, that’s true, but he wants me more. Why doesn’t he want
both of us to come to Riptide? The package deal he always
wanted? What’s he up to now?”
Becca said, “I don’t know. I agree that it doesn’t make any sense
at all, but that’s what he wrote in his note to Tyler. He told Tyler
how to contact me, and then when I did call,Tyler was to tell me to
come to Riptide alone. Not to tell either of you or Sam would die.”
“Note?” Sherlock said. “What note?”
“The kidnapping note,” Becca said. “Krimakov left it on Sam’s
bed after he took him. Told him exactly what to do, told him that
if I didn’t come, he’d kill Sam, just like Linda Cartwright.”
“It might not even matter now,” Sherlock said, “but if we can get
the note, I’ll give it to our handwriting experts. Also, they can
compare the handwriting to other documents that you have,
Thomas, with Krimakov’s handwriting on them.”
Thomas said, “There are some samples of his handwriting, yes,
but what good would it do to analyze it? You’re right, it probably
doesn’t even matter now. We’re coming down to the endgame
here.” Thomas sighed and streaked his fingers through his hair. “I
wish to God I knew what kind of gambit Krimakov was playing.”
Sherlock said, “I do, too, but since we don’t, we have to keep using
the tools we’ve got. If he gives us the time, if he continues with
his delaying tactics, and more distractions, I can get the two samples
of his handwriting compared. Maybe they could tell us how far
over the edge he’s gone, or maybe prove that all he’s done is cold
manipulation and butchery, and he’s as sane as you and I. Our
people are good, trust me. There’s no reason not to do it.”
“I’ve got to talk to Tyler,” Becca said, rising, throwing off the
afghan. “Reassure him. Tell him what’s going on here.”
Sherlock said, “At the very least, if there’s still time, the analysis
and comparison will let us know what we’re up against. Trust me
on this. Get that note from Tyler, Becca.”
“Yes, she will,”Thomas said. “Go make your call, Becca.”
Becca nodded and walked to the phone, pulling the small address
book out of her purse as she walked. She looked up Tyler
McBride’s number. She dialed.
After three rings,Tyler answered, his voice frantic. “Becca? Is that
you?”
“Yes, Tyler.”
“Thank God. Where are you? What are you doing? What’s happening?”
“Okay, Tyler, just listen to me. Here’s the plan. It’s the only way
to handle this, so don’t yell at me. We’re all coming up to Riptide,