“Tori and I could be accused of aiding and abetting.”

“You could say I used your kid to coerce you.”

“I could swear to that under oath.”

“There you go.”

Now, as they sat waiting for a sign from Tori, Honor said, “As soon as she gets the message, she’ll come. We just need to be patient.”

But he looked like a man whose patience had run out an hour ago when they had arrived at the designated place. He looked around now and, not for the first time, expelled his breath while mouthing words that Emily shouldn’t overhear. “We’re like sitting ducks. Right out in the open.”

“Well, what did you expect of a secret meeting place?”

“I expected it to have walls,” he fired back.

“It’s safe. No one knows about it except Tori and me.”

“Maybe she forgot that silly code.”

“She didn’t forget.”

“What’s it mean, anyway?”

“It means Ken’s a dork.”

He muttered another vulgarity.

Okay, so the phrase was silly, considering their ages now. But when she and Tori had first sworn an oath on it, they’d been giggling girls. Then they’d continued to use it into their teens to communicate whenever one needed to see the other immediately. It meant, “Drop everything, come now, this is an emergency.”

Of course when they were in high school an emergency had amounted to an adolescent trauma like heartache over a boyfriend, a hateful teacher, a failing grade, and, in Tori’s case, a missed menstrual period. Today’s emergency was for real. “Why here?” he asked.

“Here” was an ancient live oak tree that had roots bigger around than Honor, snaking along the ground in every direction from its enormous trunk. It had withstood centuries of hurricanes, blights, land developers, and other hazards. Imposing and magnificent, it almost appeared artificial, like something a Hollywood set designer had constructed and plunked into the clearing.

“Meeting out here in the countryside added to the thrill of sneaking out, I suppose. We discovered this place on the day I got my driver’s license. We were exploring because we could. We came across the tree out here in the middle of nowhere and claimed it as our own.

“From then on, we met here to talk about things that were too sacred even to share over the telephone.” She could tell he wasn’t quite getting it. “Teenage girls can be terribly dramatic, Coburn. It’s hormonal.”

He made a nonverbal sound that she couldn’t interpret, and wasn’t sure she wanted to. Threading her fingers through Emily’s hair, she said wistfully, “I suppose one day Emily will be sneaking out to meet—”

She broke off when Coburn sat up, suddenly alert. “What kind of car does she drive?”

“A Corvette.”

“Then that’s not her.” He reached for the pistol at his waistband.

“Wait! That’s not her car, but that’s Tori. And she’s alone.”

The small, unfamiliar red-and-white car bumped across the creaky wooden bridge and then followed the rutted path toward the tree, stopping twenty yards short of it. Honor opened the passenger door so Tori could see her. Emily scrambled out, jumped to the ground, and broke into a run, shouting, “Aunt Tori!”

Tori alighted from the Mini Cooper and was waiting to catch Emily and swing her up into her arms. “You’re getting so big! I won’t be able to do this much longer.”

“Guess what,” Emily said, wiggling free of Tori’s hug.

“What?”

“Coburn said if I would just be quiet and let him think, then he would get me an ice cream. Only not now. Later. And guess what else. We slept on a boat that used to be where my grandpa lived. Not Grandpa Stan, my other grandpa. The beds were funny and didn’t smell nice, but it was okay because we’re on a ’venture. I woke Coburn up, and when I did, he said a bad word. But Mommy told me that sometimes grown-ups say words like that when they’re very upset. But Coburn isn’t mad at me, just at the sidjeeashun.”

When Emily wound down, Tori said, “My goodness. We’ve got a lot to catch up on, don’t we?”

Over Emily’s shoulder, she was looking at Honor and telegraphing a hundred unspoken questions. She kissed Emily’s cheek, then set her down. “Let me talk to your mommy for a minute.”

She extended her open arms to Honor, and the two of them embraced. For several moments they just held each other tightly. Finally, Tori released her and sniffed back tears. “I could kill you for causing me such a fright. I’ve been worried sick.”

“I knew you would be, but there was no help for it.”

“The news stories led me to fear… Well, I’m just awfully glad to see that you and Emily are still in one piece. Did he…? Are you…? God, I’m so relieved,” Tori said emotionally. “You look like something the cat drug in, but you seem fine.”

“We are. Basically. I’m sorry you were so afraid for us. He wouldn’t let me call you until this morning. And even then he wouldn’t let me call you directly. I wasn’t sure you’d get the message. But he—”

“ ‘He’ being him?” Tori was watching Coburn as he came toward them. When her gaze moved back to Honor, her perfectly waxed eyebrows were raised. Speaking in an undertone, she said, “Kidnapper? I should be so lucky.”

Ignoring the remark, Honor made the introductions. “Tori Shirah. Lee Coburn.”

Tori gave him the inviting smile that men couldn’t resist. “Charmed.”

He didn’t acknowledge either the greeting or the smile. Instead he was looking toward the far side of the bridge that Tori had crossed in order to reach them. “Is your cell phone on?”

She was taken aback by the question and the abrupt manner in which he’d asked it, but answered immediately, “Yes.”

“Get it.” She looked at Honor, and when Honor nodded, she dropped her coquetry, retrieved her cell phone from her handbag in the car, and handed it to him.

Coburn asked, “Were you followed?”

“No.” Then, “Hey!” when he took the battery out of her phone.

“You’re sure?”

“I made sure.” She told them about the panel truck she’d seen parked on her street that morning. “I didn’t like the looks of it, so I went out the back way and borrowed the Mini from my neighbors. No one followed me.”

“What made you suspicious of the panel truck?” he asked.

“I thought someone might be watching the house. Doral Hawkins came to see me yesterday.” She went on to relate what had happened. “He’s more than a little pissed that you shot his brother. At least it’s said that you shot and killed Fred.”

To her implied question, Coburn merely nodded.

She eyed him speculatively, but when no explanation was forthcoming, she continued. “Doral told me that if I heard from Honor, I had better notify him first, or else.”

“He threatened you?” Honor asked.

Tori shrugged. “Let’s just say that he made himself understood. But screw him. Stan, too.”

“When did you talk to Stan?”

She recounted their conversation. “It vexes me to give him any credit at all, but I must admit that he was less obnoxious than usual. I guess fear has taken the shine off his brass.”

“What’s he afraid of?” Coburn asked.

Tori sputtered a laugh. “You left a trail of dead bodies, then you disappeared, taking Honor and Emily with you. Stan has a right to be more than a little concerned, don’t you think?”

“Coburn didn’t murder those men in the warehouse,” Honor said. “And he didn’t take Emily and me by force.”

Tori shifted her gaze from one to the other and said drolly, “I sorta gathered that.” Then, placing her hands on her hips and glancing down at her disassembled phone, she asked, “So, what gives?”

“The fact is that he’s—”

“No.” He put his hand on Honor’s arm to stop her from revealing his identity. “The only thing she needs to know is that you and Emily must stay underground until all this shakes out.”

“She deserves an explanation,” Honor argued.

“You said she would help with no questions asked.”