The Law of Nines

The other thing that concerned Alex was that it seemed certain that Cain had to know about the land. Why else would they have taken Walter Buckman to the ninth floor of Mother of Roses, where he would be under the thumb of Dr. Hoffmann? One way or another they would have gotten all the information out of Mike Fenton’s partner—and God only knew who else.

If Cain’s people were watching airports and bus stations to see if they could catch Alex and Jax, then they surely would also be waiting and watching the land up in Maine. After all, they had to know right where it was. They had to know that sooner or later Alex would end up there. Everything was funneling them right to that one place.

Of course, if Cain’s men could snatch them in an airport, he and Jax would be unarmed, which would make it a lot easier for them. That was probably what they were hoping. They wanted to capture Alex, but they surely would kill Jax on sight.

At least if they ran into Cain’s people up in Maine, he and Jax would be armed and expecting trouble.

“I’m not sure how long it will take us to get there,” Alex said when Mike asked. “I think it must be about thirteen hundred miles to Boston. We got a late start today, so I imagine we’ll be there by day after tomorrow—late in the day.”

“Since I suspect that my office was being watched, I feel uncomfortable having you come to Boston for us to meet. I think it would be best if we met closer to where the land is located, and to where some of the others are.”

“You have a place in mind?”

“Yes. I’ve made reservations, if it’s all right with you and Jax. If not, I can change the location. It’s farther up beyond Boston, but it’s on the way to where you’re headed, so it would be convenient and it wouldn’t lose you any time.”

“Well, I guess we are most interested in getting to the land.”

“That’s what I thought.”

“So, where do you want us to meet you?”

“In Bangor, Maine. I’m at a motel just outside Boston right now. I’m going to be heading up to Bangor in a day or two, after I finish taking care of some legal details. I already made reservations for you as well in the name of Hank Croft.”

“How’d you pick the name?”

“Stuck my finger in a phone book. It seemed like an easy name to remember. I’ll be staying at the same place.”

“Hank Croft. Got it. But when you check into a motel they usually want to see a driver’s license or some kind of ID.”

“That’s one of the reasons I’m still in Boston. I’ve been taking care of that. You would be surprised how easy it is to get those kinds of documents. It’s easier than going to the DMV. As long as I was at it, I picked up an ID for Mrs. Jenna Croft—they gave me a quantity discount. It will all be on your bill. I had the IDs say you were married. I figured that, just in case, it would make it easier.”

“Jenna Croft. That’s good thinking,” Jax said, leaning toward the phone in Alex’s hand. “You mentioned ‘where some of the others are.’ Who are these other people?”

“They’re from the Daggett Trust. They need to sign off on the transfer of title to the land into Alex’s name.”

“And do they know you’re coming?” Jax asked. “Know that we’re coming? And where we’re all to meet?”

“Yes.”

Alex gripped the steering wheel in his fists and gritted his teeth, but tried to keep his voice calm. “Mike, they could be followed. They could do any one of a number of things that could compromise us.”

“I told them your instructions. They will follow everything you told me, do everything the same as I’m doing.”

“How can you be sure that they will take all of it seriously enough?” Jax asked. Alex could hear a thread of anxiety and anger in her voice.

“These are very cautious people. They’re the ones who originally told me about mirrors.”

Alex shared a look with Jax.

“You told them about the rearview mirrors in their cars as well?” Alex asked.

“I did. They were quite embarrassed that they hadn’t thought of that long before now. They were mortified, in fact. They’re in the process of retracing their tracks over the last few years to try to identify anything that could have been put at risk because they hadn’t considered the mirrors in their cars.”

“Who the hell are these people?” Alex whispered to Jax.

She frowned and shook her head as if to say she couldn’t imagine and shared his concern.

“I have to tell you, Mike, it worries me that there are other people involved, other people who know our plans. It creates opportunities for trouble to find us.”

“Alex, I trust these people with my life.”

“Good for you, but I don’t know if I’m willing to trust them with mine, or Jax’s.”

“I can understand your concern, but I assure you, these people can be trusted.”

“Maybe so, but why can’t you take them the papers after I sign them? Why do you have to bring them in on this meeting?”