“You realize this is all nuts, right?”
“Ha-ha, nuts. No, no, I assure you it’s not nuts. Mr. Ammon has fully researched this. He’s had a vision.”
“And you believe Mr. Ammon?”
“Of course. Totally.”
“And you believe in Mammon?”
“Ah, Mammon. Yes, he is…the prince.”
“Well, I’m sorry but the prince is going to have to wake up without the coin because I don’t have it.”
Rutherford was smiling and sweating. “That would be lovely. We would all like for that to happen, but it might not be possible. So you are going to have to bring the coin to us. You’re the only one who can recognize it. Mr. Ammon is very set on this. I know this is going to sound extreme, but you must keep in mind the importance of the ceremony. I’m afraid we will be forced to wreck havoc if you don’t bring us the coin. I admit that havoc is a very strong word, but Mr. Ammon has been quite specific about this.”
“Can you explain havoc?”
“My understanding is that it would involve torture and death. Possibly mutilation.” Rutherford took a photo out of his suit jacket and handed it to me. “As you can see, this is a picture of the elderly gentleman related to your boss. I believe he’s her grandfather.”
It was a picture of Gramps waving at the camera. Two armed men in suits were standing behind him. Their faces had been blotted out.
“He’s a character,” Rutherford said. “You never know what he’ll say. Very entertaining. I would feel terrible if we had to cut his ear off.”
“That’s disgusting.”
“It is. I absolutely agree. But we must do what we must do. Responsibility is a heavy burden.” He clapped his hands together. “I guess that about sums it up. I should be leaving so you can get on with it.”
“How do I reach you?”
“I’ve sent contact information to your cellphone.”
I watched him leave and saw that there were several men in suits standing at attention by an SUV. Rutherford got in. His thugs followed.
I had a range of emotions wash over me. They were jumbled and hard to identify individually, but anger was clearly at the top of the list. I was angry that Rutherford would kidnap Gramps, and I was angry that I was involved. Diesel was wrong. I didn’t like the adventure. I liked dull and boring. I wanted my life to be pleasant. I wanted Gramps’s life to be pleasant. Hell, I wanted the world to be pleasant.
Sitting side by side with the anger was ice cold heart-grabbing fear, because I knew Rutherford and Ammon were dangerous and capable of just about anything. And I suspected that the stone was slowly turning them from merely dangerous into crazy psychopaths.
I took a look at my door and blew out a sigh. The jamb was splintered and there was a long crack running from the doorknob almost to the bottom of the door. I managed to get the door to stay closed, but I couldn’t lock it. As if it mattered. One good kick and the door was toast.
“We need a plan,” I said to Carl and Cat. “Hopefully Diesel will be back with the coin before they hurt Gramps. In the meantime I need to keep everyone else safe.”
I called Clara, gave her the short version of what was happening, and asked her to check on Gramps just to make sure he’d truly been snatched. Glo had already left the bakery, so I tried her cellphone. No answer. I called Diesel. No answer there, either. I was tempted to get in touch with Wulf, but I had no idea where to begin. I didn’t know his phone number or where he lived. And you know it was a scary day in hell when I was thinking about asking Wulf for help.
I finished vacuuming and was contemplating laundry when Glo called.
“The Pirate Museum is on fire,” Glo said. “I’m half a block away. I can’t get any closer. I hope Jo
sh is okay. I’m still mad at him, but I hope he’s out of the building. I tried his phone and he isn’t answering.”
“Rutherford and Ammon are on a rampage, and you could be in danger,” I told Glo. “Go back to the bakery and stay with Clara until I get there.”
I poured out a big bowl of kitty crunchies and set an extra water bowl on the floor for Cat.
“I’m going to leave the kitchen window open,” I told him. “Do not guard the house. If someone breaks in I want you to jump out the window and hide. I probably won’t be back tonight. I’m going to stay with Clara and Glo.”
I threw extra undies, my sweatshirt, and my toothbrush into my tote bag along with all the usual junk I always carry. I hung the bag on my shoulder, grabbed Carl, and went out the back door. I drove to the bakery and saw the black smoke from the Pirate Museum when I rolled into Salem. In my gut I knew Rutherford had started the fire, either to smoke Josh out or to send me another scary message. Most likely it was both of those things.
Lights were on in the bakery when I parked in the lot. Clara opened the door for Carl and me, and closed and locked it after we were safely inside. She had an assault rifle hanging from her shoulder and a semiautomatic handgun shoved into her jeans waistband.