Eleventh Hour
Page 119
Nick dropped the steak knife. She put her face in her hands and started crying, low, ugly sobs.
Dwight laughed. He’d taken off his leather jacket. He was wearing a black T-shirt, khaki pants held up with a silver belt with a big turquoise buckle, and sneakers. He laughed, watching her fall apart. “I knew once you realized that you weren’t long for this earth, you’d break. I expect more from an FBI agent. I bet she won’t shed a tear.
“Pull yourself together, Nicola. I’m not going to kill you right away. Think of all the trouble you’ve caused me and poor Albia. I’ve got to punish you for that. I promised Albia I would. I’m going to let the two of you wonder about the end I’ve got planned for you.”
“What plans?” Sherlock asked.
“You’ll see,” he said. “I want you to go up the stairs first, Agent.”
Sherlock nodded to Nick, turned, and began climbing those nine wooden steps up to the deck.
Nick just nodded, and sobbed some more. She felt his hand pushing against her back, and trailed after Sherlock. Once on deck, she kept her head down, kept the choking sobs coming from her mouth. She saw they were docked at a long stretch of wooden planking. There was a narrow strip of beach, tossed with driftwood. The land looked wild, all thick pine forests as far as she could see.
“Welcome to Crane Island. Albia assures me there won’t be any interruptions. It’s a perfect place, just what I needed. Come along, Nicola, don’t hang back like that. Pull yourself together. I expected more from you. Even Cleo didn’t carry on the way you are.”
But Nick was crying harder now, completely out of control. She dropped to her knees and crawled to Dwight. She clutched at his feet, his ankles, sobbing, “Please, Dwight, let us go. I swear I’ll never say a word. I’ll run and never come back. Don’t kill me.”
“God, you’re pathetic. Get up!”
But she didn’t, just kept pleading, trying to grab his knees.
He leaned down to grab her and pull her upright when Nick suddenly wrapped her arms around his knees and jerked him forward. He yelled, off-balance, and tried to hit her with the gun. Sherlock, who had been waiting, straightened and turned, smoothly sending her foot hard into his left kidney. He went stiff in agony, then yelled. He turned the gun on her, but Nick was hitting his knees, trying to jerk him down again. He struck Nick’s cheek with his fist, then whirled on Sherlock. He tried to back up, but her leg was up and she kicked him in the ribs. He didn’t dive away, ran straight at her and managed to grab a fistful of her hair. He twisted, pulled. Sherlock yelled in pain and rage, and first slammed her fist into his gut, then her foot into his crotch. He yelled, bent over, his finger pulling the trigger of his gun. Two shots went wild. Nick threw herself at his knees, shoved him backward with all her strength. As he fell, Sherlock grabbed his wrist and twisted it hard. He dropped the gun to the deck and fell on his face. Sherlock scooped it up.
Nick dove on top of him, hitting his face, his neck, yelling, “I’m not pathetic, you murdering jerk! I wouldn’t beg you for anything, you murdering son of a bitch! We got you and you’re going to rot in jail for the rest of your miserable life.”
Sherlock stood over them, the feeling returning to her hands and feet. “That was quite an act, Nick. Well done.”
“It was, wasn’t it?” Nick said, and grinned up at Sherlock.
Then, suddenly, Dwight moved, lurched up, knocking Nick backward.
Sherlock said, “Thank you, Dwight,” and she kicked him in the head.
He crumbled back onto the deck.
Nick scrambled to her feet, yelling, “You bastard,” and hit him in the belly, then rose and kicked him hard in the ribs.
She looked over at Sherlock, grinned until she thought her mouth would split, and dusted off her hands.
“We’re good.”
Sherlock hugged her close, then leaned back. “We are good, Nick. We’re very good.”
“No one to match us,” Nick said.
“Let me get Dillon,” Sherlock said and went to the boat radio. She got the Coast Guard, which was just fine.
Twenty minutes later, when the Coast Guard launch pulled up to the Crane Island dock, with both Savich and Dane ready to leap onto Rothman’s boat, it was to see both Sherlock and Nick leaning over the side, waving to them.
“Why am I surprised?” Savich asked to no one in particular. “Thank God.”
“I’ve got to start breathing again,” Dane said. “Damn, I’ve never been so scared in my life. Just look at them, grinning from ear to ear. Is that Rothman lying facedown on the deck?”
Dwight laughed. He’d taken off his leather jacket. He was wearing a black T-shirt, khaki pants held up with a silver belt with a big turquoise buckle, and sneakers. He laughed, watching her fall apart. “I knew once you realized that you weren’t long for this earth, you’d break. I expect more from an FBI agent. I bet she won’t shed a tear.
“Pull yourself together, Nicola. I’m not going to kill you right away. Think of all the trouble you’ve caused me and poor Albia. I’ve got to punish you for that. I promised Albia I would. I’m going to let the two of you wonder about the end I’ve got planned for you.”
“What plans?” Sherlock asked.
“You’ll see,” he said. “I want you to go up the stairs first, Agent.”
Sherlock nodded to Nick, turned, and began climbing those nine wooden steps up to the deck.
Nick just nodded, and sobbed some more. She felt his hand pushing against her back, and trailed after Sherlock. Once on deck, she kept her head down, kept the choking sobs coming from her mouth. She saw they were docked at a long stretch of wooden planking. There was a narrow strip of beach, tossed with driftwood. The land looked wild, all thick pine forests as far as she could see.
“Welcome to Crane Island. Albia assures me there won’t be any interruptions. It’s a perfect place, just what I needed. Come along, Nicola, don’t hang back like that. Pull yourself together. I expected more from you. Even Cleo didn’t carry on the way you are.”
But Nick was crying harder now, completely out of control. She dropped to her knees and crawled to Dwight. She clutched at his feet, his ankles, sobbing, “Please, Dwight, let us go. I swear I’ll never say a word. I’ll run and never come back. Don’t kill me.”
“God, you’re pathetic. Get up!”
But she didn’t, just kept pleading, trying to grab his knees.
He leaned down to grab her and pull her upright when Nick suddenly wrapped her arms around his knees and jerked him forward. He yelled, off-balance, and tried to hit her with the gun. Sherlock, who had been waiting, straightened and turned, smoothly sending her foot hard into his left kidney. He went stiff in agony, then yelled. He turned the gun on her, but Nick was hitting his knees, trying to jerk him down again. He struck Nick’s cheek with his fist, then whirled on Sherlock. He tried to back up, but her leg was up and she kicked him in the ribs. He didn’t dive away, ran straight at her and managed to grab a fistful of her hair. He twisted, pulled. Sherlock yelled in pain and rage, and first slammed her fist into his gut, then her foot into his crotch. He yelled, bent over, his finger pulling the trigger of his gun. Two shots went wild. Nick threw herself at his knees, shoved him backward with all her strength. As he fell, Sherlock grabbed his wrist and twisted it hard. He dropped the gun to the deck and fell on his face. Sherlock scooped it up.
Nick dove on top of him, hitting his face, his neck, yelling, “I’m not pathetic, you murdering jerk! I wouldn’t beg you for anything, you murdering son of a bitch! We got you and you’re going to rot in jail for the rest of your miserable life.”
Sherlock stood over them, the feeling returning to her hands and feet. “That was quite an act, Nick. Well done.”
“It was, wasn’t it?” Nick said, and grinned up at Sherlock.
Then, suddenly, Dwight moved, lurched up, knocking Nick backward.
Sherlock said, “Thank you, Dwight,” and she kicked him in the head.
He crumbled back onto the deck.
Nick scrambled to her feet, yelling, “You bastard,” and hit him in the belly, then rose and kicked him hard in the ribs.
She looked over at Sherlock, grinned until she thought her mouth would split, and dusted off her hands.
“We’re good.”
Sherlock hugged her close, then leaned back. “We are good, Nick. We’re very good.”
“No one to match us,” Nick said.
“Let me get Dillon,” Sherlock said and went to the boat radio. She got the Coast Guard, which was just fine.
Twenty minutes later, when the Coast Guard launch pulled up to the Crane Island dock, with both Savich and Dane ready to leap onto Rothman’s boat, it was to see both Sherlock and Nick leaning over the side, waving to them.
“Why am I surprised?” Savich asked to no one in particular. “Thank God.”
“I’ve got to start breathing again,” Dane said. “Damn, I’ve never been so scared in my life. Just look at them, grinning from ear to ear. Is that Rothman lying facedown on the deck?”
