Keeper's Reach (26 page)

30

Mike went out to the parking lot and shoved his duffel bag into the back of his truck. He didn’t know how long he’d hang around but he wasn’t staying tonight. He wasn’t going to complicate Naomi’s life and she wouldn’t let him. Nothing had changed in three years. Reed could find someone else to help with her volunteer doctors.

He looked at the line of rental cars. The Masons’ was closest. He’d start with it.

They’d left it unlocked. He could understand. He’d left his truck unlocked.

He popped the trunk as Colin arrived, pulling in next to him.

“I don’t need a warrant,” Mike said as his brother climbed out of his truck.

“No, you need a get-out-of-jail-free card.”

“We find evidence Emma was in one of these trunks—fibers of the blanket, hair, skin, blood—”

“I know, Mike.”

He shut the trunk and turned to Colin. “Whoever took her didn’t happen on her. He waited for her. He ambushed her. He took the cross, either thinking it’s valuable or it’s potential leverage.”

“Or both,” Colin said. “I’ll find out who did it and I’ll find a way to prove it.”

“Go ahead. I don’t have to prove it. I’m not a law enforcement officer.”

“Let’s go talk to your friends. Emma’s been in touch. Hambly was attacked. It wasn’t an accident. And Buddy Whidmore was in England this past week. He flew into Boston on Thursday.”

“Buddy.” Mike swore. “He said he was in Nashville.”

“What’s his relationship with Kavanagh and Cooper?” Colin asked.

“He ingratiates himself with them.”

“Did he ever work with Reed?”

Mike shook his head. “Not directly that I know of. Buddy’s a tech guy who likes to move around. He works for anyone who’ll pay him. I always thought if he’d settle down, he’d do better, but he says he’s made a fortune.”

“So why was he in London and why is he here?” Colin let the question hang. “Kevin’s on his way. We’ll sort this out.”

Mike texted Naomi.
Lock yourself in your room. Stay away from Buddy. On my way.

He got his Glock out of its lockbox in his truck.

He and Colin headed into the Plum Tree. Jamie Mason was behind the front desk, slumped on a high stool, holding his middle. Colin drew his weapon.

Jamie looked up. “Buddy stabbed me. No warning. He’s got my gun.”

“Where is he?” Colin asked.

“Dining room. Go.” Jamie shuddered, in obvious pain. “I’ll hold on. Serena just left to pick up guys at the Portland airport.”

Mike and Colin were already moving across the lobby. They edged into the dining room, staying out of sight. Up by the windows overlooking the water, Buddy had a nine-millimeter pistol placed against Reed’s temple.

“This is self-defense,” Buddy said. “You can’t kill me for something I didn’t do. I’m telling you. You’ve pegged the wrong guy. It’s not me. I didn’t do anything.”

“The hell it’s self-defense,” Reed said, his voice clear and strong. “You attacked that man in England. You didn’t care if he lived or died, did you, Buddy? You never do. Just like Afghanistan three years ago. You tipped off those guys that we were coming. You got them to turn on each other. Three died.”

“All of them scum.”

“You know better. You know one of them was ours. So long as you made out okay, you didn’t care who else got hurt in the process.”

Mike leveled his Glock at Buddy, but Reed was too close. The shot was too risky. He glanced at Colin, who nodded in agreement. They needed Reed or Buddy to make a move. Right now, so long as Buddy was talking, he wasn’t shooting.

“What are you going to do, Buddy?” Reed’s voice was calm. “Kill me? Kill us all?”

“I’ve always been a bug on your shoe, haven’t I?”

“It’s just you and me here. Go ahead and tell me the truth. Take credit for what you’ve done. You played us for fools, didn’t you? All of us. You figured out Kavanagh had an informant. You didn’t care. You let him get killed.”

Buddy snorted. “He knew the risks. I didn’t kill anyone.”

“You made it happen,” Reed said. “You didn’t just not stop it. You made it happen because our guy combined with a successful mission would expose you for double-dealing. Kavanagh’s been haunted by what happened. He hasn’t been after a ghost for the past three years. He’s been after you.”

“I assessed the risks and took action. Isn’t that what you all do? I’m no different.”

Mike could see the spittle on Buddy’s mouth.

Reed stayed under control. “Yeah, you are different, Buddy. You lie, you manipulate, you play both sides.” Reed’s voice took on more urgency, as if he were about to let his anger get the better of him. “You’re a rodent, Buddy. Do you feel powerful when you manipulate us? Are you doing it for profit? Do you like the thrill of getting away with murder? All of the above?”

“Works for me.”

“The Brits—Martin Hambly and Oliver York?”

“York is a criminal who’s stolen tens of millions worth of art. Hambly protects him.” Buddy kept the pistol at Reed’s temple. “I steal ten bucks at a gas station, imagine what would happen.”

“I don’t know anything about Oliver York or an art thief. No one’s afraid of you, Buddy. You’ve piled up a lot of enemies. There’s only one of you and how many of us? You should have kept things simple.”

“You’re not paying attention, Reed. I’m winning.”

“But you haven’t won. Not until you’re on a beach with a bottle of rum and no one looking for you. It’s not enough to think no one will find you. Someone will.”

“Emma Sharpe is locked up without food or water. She’ll die if anyone tries to stop me. And Naomi...” Buddy’s voice was high-pitched with emotion, tension. “She’ll bleed out if she doesn’t get help.”

“Go, then,” Reed said, as if he were tired. “Just go, Buddy. Take a car and get out of here.”

Mike turned to Colin. “You’ve heard enough? Reed knows we’re here. Trust me.”

Colin nodded, and they moved together. “Buddy,” Mike called—and Reed ducked in that same instant, giving them the opening they needed. Mike and Colin both fired before Buddy could get off a shot.

Reed was ragged, leaning forward, grabbing his knees and breathing hard when Mike got to him. “Mike, hell. Thanks.” He stood straight. “I wondered how long you two would leave me with that madman. Damn. And I always felt guilty for not liking him.”

“I need to find Naomi.”

Reed waved a hand. “Go. Both of you. I’m good.” He pointed at the door. “Another Donovan has arrived.”

Kevin entered the dining room. “Naomi called 911. She used Kavanagh’s phone. She could reach it. He couldn’t and still hold on to her. She’s in her room. Ambulance is on the way.”

* * *

Mike took the stairs, Colin behind him. The door to Naomi’s room was ajar. They went in, and Kavanagh looked up at them, holding on tight to Naomi’s middle. “I’m doing the best I can but she needs a doctor.”

“I’ve got her,” Mike said, taking over from Kavanagh.

Kavanagh, Naomi’s blood on him, staggered to his feet. “Mike, you’re a fool if you don’t grab love while you can. The kind of love she has for you doesn’t come around often, or at all for a lot of us.” He sucked in a breath and turned to Colin. “Buddy?”

“He’s done.”

Naomi sank into Mike. “It was Buddy in Afghanistan. Buddy at the dovecote. I hate him.”

“He wanted to best the alpha guys,” Kavanagh said. “I’m not one myself. Maybe that’s why I fell for it.”

“Pretty alpha there when you stopped me from bleeding to death.” Naomi winced in pain. “Go home to your ex, T.K. Repair your marriage. Make up for being a driven ass. She makes a good paycheck? Because you’re going to need it when the FBI fires you.”

Kavanagh had tears on his cheeks. “Maybe my son will let me bunk with him. He’s a college senior. He’s already getting job offers. Another techie. He’ll make a fortune.”

“I’m taking up sewing,” Naomi said in a hoarse whisper. “I swear.”

Mike held her. “Easy, Naomi.”

“The paramedics are here,” Colin said.

Mike could hear them in the hall. “I’ll go with her—”

“You can’t, Mike,” his brother said. “Naomi and Jamie Mason will both be in good hands.”

Mike didn’t want to let her go, but when the paramedics entered the room, he transferred Naomi to them. He was reassured when he recognized one of them.

When they left with her, Colin touched his shoulder. “Come on. Kevin and his guys are going to need to talk to us.”

31

Nobody had expected Buddy Whidmore to explode into violence. Colin could see why.

“I never saw it coming,” Ted Kavanagh said.

They were gathered in the kitchen at the Rock Point Harbor Inn. Kavanagh, Yank and all four Donovan brothers. Naomi MacBride was in surgery. Jamie Mason was getting stitched up. Reed Cooper and Serena Mason were with them at the hospital. Mike kept checking his phone. Colin knew his older brother was champing at the bit to get to the hospital himself.

“I wanted to believe my guy in Afghanistan got caught in the cross fire between bad guys killing each other,” Kavanagh said, half to himself. He and Mike had both changed out of their bloody clothes. “But it was Buddy. He turned those guys on each other. I bet when we take another look at that day, we find out that Buddy made a profit. Giving those guys advance warning wasn’t just about saving his own skin. It was also about making a buck.”

Yank nodded. “That’s my guess, too. Buddy played both sides, illegal and legal, to satisfy his ego and his need for an adrenaline rush and cash. He thought he was smarter than everyone else.”

“He was doing all right financially until last fall,” Colin said. “His productivity app didn’t work out. He was broke.”

Kavanagh had a faraway look. “Living a lie. It caught up with him. He came to me after Reed went out on his own. He predicted Reed would recruit you, Mike. He couldn’t poach on his old outfit—he needed his own guys. Buddy prompted me to look into the Donovans and Sharpes. Naomi was doing the same thing, on her own. Buddy used that as leverage, too. The son of a bitch played me like a fiddle, as the saying goes.” Kavanagh drank some of his water. “Or is it a harp? Flute?” He swore under his breath. “I’m losing it.”

“You need some rest,” Yank said. “You did well today, Agent Kavanagh. I can’t speak for the past, but today—you saved Naomi MacBride’s life.”

“And I’m never going to let her live it down.” But Kavanagh’s humor didn’t reach his eyes and faded quickly. “Buddy didn’t make mistakes. He misled. There’s a difference. It took me too long to figure that out. He was always in control, even when he seemed reckless and out of control.”

“He got to the Cotswolds about the same time you and Naomi did,” Colin said. “I heard from Emma. She and Padgett have tracked down a witness who saw Buddy in the village—the grandson of the farmworker who came to Martin Hambly’s aid after Naomi found him. He recognized Buddy’s photo.”

“He knew computers inside and out,” Kavanagh said. “He would latch on to something and try to get me to bite. It was what he did. Point out stuff he’d figured out. He always thought what he had was solid. Sometimes it was.”

Colin could feel his fellow agent’s anguish at being duped. “After Buddy attacked Martin Hambly on Wednesday, he drove to Heathrow and stayed overnight at a hotel there. He took a flight to Boston the next morning.”

“In time to pick up York’s package here in Rock Point and ambush Emma.” Kavanagh sank against the back of his chair. “Leverage, profit, adrenaline. Violence. What Buddy did always made sense to him. He was good when he was good.”

Mike, standing in front of the kitchen sink, didn’t argue. “Reed didn’t expect violence but he suspected something was up. When Buddy surfaced, Reed invited him to the Plum Tree. You, too, Agent Kavanagh. Reed never saw Buddy as someone capable of violence and betrayal. He figured he could handle whatever agenda Buddy had and was open to the idea he might have something to offer.”

“Your instincts about Buddy were right, Mike,” Kavanagh said, clearly exhausted.

“He played people to feel sorry for him.”

Reed Cooper arrived, coming in through the back door. “I sent the guys who were arriving today home. They’re keeping Naomi overnight but she’ll be fine. Waking up soon. She’ll be stuck in Maine for a little while, anyway. You can break it to her that she won’t see grass for months.”

“We have an ocean,” Colin said.

Reed managed a thin smile at the three FBI agents. “Feel free to call me personally anytime the FBI needs extra hands. I mean for Cooper Global Security to be the best of the best.”

Yank made a polite comment that he’d be sure to call. Mike said nothing. Colin could feel his older brother’s restlessness. He nodded to him. “You don’t have to stay here, Mike.”

Kevin agreed. Mike grabbed his jacket and left.

He would be where he needed to be right now—at Naomi MacBride’s side.

* * *

Colin wasn’t surprised when his mother invited Ted Kavanagh to stay at the inn, her treat. He accepted with thanks and allowed Colin to pour him a whiskey. They’d moved into the living room with Yank and Kevin. Andy had gone to explain what he could to Franny Maroney, who knew finding Emma’s phone hadn’t boded well.

“Buddy was right,” Kavanagh said, still processing the events of the past week—and the past three years. He drank some of his whiskey. “I underestimated him. I never considered he knew how to use a weapon. He was good with that knife. Naomi was lucky to survive.”

“You thought he was a geek who wouldn’t think of using violence,” Colin said.

Kavanagh gave him a ragged smile. “You Donovans don’t mince words, do you? But you’re right. It’s taken me a long time, but I was duped and manipulated by that weasel. Mike, Reed and Naomi are good guys and you and Emma aren’t up to anything. The only mess to clean up is my own.” He sank deep into the couch cushions. “I’m not a bad guy.”

“You never gave up on your guy who was killed in Kabul,” Yank said, pouring whiskey for himself. “We like our dogged sons of bitches.”

“Buddy wasn’t a skilled operator or marksman but he was dangerous. His particular gift was in manipulating. He got those guys to commit violence on his behalf. For his benefit. You were right about me, Colin. I had the blinders on. I’m burned-out. Not cut out for this job anymore.”

“You need that vacation,” Colin said. “Director Van Buren will be glad she doesn’t have to explain a rogue agent.”

“Just a dumb one. You bastards went through my life, didn’t you? Did you search my apartment? I hope you found the cufflink I lost. My grandfather gave me a set of cufflinks when I graduated high school.”

“We didn’t go through your life,” Yank said.

Colin grinned. “Should have, maybe.”

Kavanagh drank more of his whiskey.

Yank turned to Colin. “Emma needs a few days before she flies back here. Van Buren wants you to take a break before you go under for HIT.”

Colin stood by the fireplace with his whiskey. “Telling me to go to England, Yank?”

“England or wherever Emma ends up. We’ll talk when you get back.” Yank heaved a long sigh then shook his head at Kavanagh. “Have you noticed that Donovans don’t do anything the easy way?”

“I’m beginning to,” Kavanagh said.

The senior FBI agent swallowed more of his whiskey. “Their poor mother, my wife says.”

Colin rolled his eyes. “My mother met my father after she got everyone out of a bank that was being robbed.”

“You made that up,” Yank said.

Colin thought he saw Kavanagh smile but he kept his attention on Yank. “Are you going to Boston or Washington from here?”

“Boston,” Yank said, then shook his head. “Lucy bought an espresso machine.”