Page 56

CHAPTER 56

“H erc is going to kill all of us,” Dottie said when I told them I needed their help and outlined my plan. “We might as well slit our wrists right here and now.”

She and Lionel were seated in front of their consoles but facing me, not the machinery. It seemed the motivation from the previous evening at the Wok Inn to forge their own path in Rocky Start not under the thumb of Herc had faded.

“Let’s ignore that for the moment,” I said. “Can you do it?”

They exchanged a glance. Then began talking to each other, using technical terms I didn’t quite understand. They weren’t arguing for once. They were snoops presented with an intriguing problem and that was what I was counting on to overcome the specter of Herc.

Finally, it was Dottie, not Lionel, who gave me the answer. “We could pull it off. But it won’t be perfect. For one, the shadows won’t be quite right given the time difference. And if Herc notices, he’ll?—”

I cut her off. “He wants the treasure more than anything. When a mark wants something so badly, they don’t notice details.”

“Herc is more than a mark,” Dottie said. “He’s always one step ahead.”

“That’s why we’re doing this,” I said. “Trying to get ahead of him. How long do you think you’re going to last if Herc is here in town? Until he tires of you? He uses people and then he throws them away. Look at all the people he’s eliminated because he didn’t trust them. Look at Louise who just wrote a letter trying to leverage Herc and gave it to the wrong lawyer. You think you’re not on that list?”

“She was asking for it,” Dottie said.

“Was Poppy asking for it when Junior pointed a gun at her?” I said, and when Dottie started to protest, I said, “We can’t do this without you, both of you. We need to save each other, Dottie. We need to save Rocky Start. This is a good place to live for all of us and Herc will poison that. The two of you can save this town. You do have the capability to do this, right?”

“Yes,” Dottie said slowly. She frowned. “We can even change the time-date stamp in the video so he thinks it’s live.”

I nodded. Cheery enthusiasm. “And if we pull this off, you’ll be safe, we’ll all be safe. You’ll have helped save the town, the two of you. That’s important to me and I think it’s important to you, right?”

“Yes,” Lionel said, sounding very sure.

I pulled out my cellphone. “Max is out at Betty’s with the others, prepared to do their part. They’re putting their lives on the line. You can be part of that, you can be heroes. How long will it take you to be ready?”

“I didn’t say we’d do it,” Dottie protested.

“I’m doing it,” Lionel said. “With or without you, Dottie. I’m tired of being Herc’s monkey.”

“You can’t do it alone,” Dottie said to him.

“I can try,” Lionel said, and that was the most impressive thing I’d ever heard him say. He turned to his wife. “We were good at this kind of op, Dottie. Back in the day. We still are.”

“Nobody else could do this but the two of you,” I said. “Together. Together, you’re unstoppable.”

Dottie was staring at him and then she slowly nodded. “We are.”

“So please, we need you. How long until you’re ready?” I asked again, knowing that if I could get Dottie to buy in, we were home.

Dottie closed her eyes in thought. “Fifteen minutes.”