of the effort bead and roll on his face despite the cool air.
When the sirens silenced, Eli counted it off, and watched Suskind freeze when footsteps sounded overhead.
Suskind gripped the pick like a weapon now, eased over—very slowly, eyes wheeling left, right—to switch off the work light.
Eli gave him ten seconds in the dark, gauged his location by the labored breathing. As he slipped out from behind the shelves, he aimed his own flashlight, switched it on.
Suskind flung up an arm to shield his eyes from the glare.
“You’re going to want to drop the pick, and switch the light back on.”
Suskind squinted, took a two-handed grip on the pick. Eli waited as Suskind rolled to the balls of his feet.
“Try it and I’ll shoot you. I’ve got the Colt .45, the Peacemaker, from the third-floor gun collection, aimed at you, center mass. You may not be familiar with it, but it’s loaded and it still works.”
“You’re bluffing.”
“Try me. Please. And do it before the cops make it down here. You owe me blood for my grandmother, and I’m happy to take it.”
Feet pounded down the stairs; Suskind’s fingers whitened on the handle of the pick. “I’m entitled! This house is as much mine as yours. Everything in it’s as much mine. The dowry’s more mine.”
“You think?” Eli said easily, then called out, “Back here. Hit some lights. Suskind’s holding a pickax in a threatening manner.”
“I should have killed you,” Suskind said between his teeth. “I should have killed you after you murdered Lindsay.”
“You’re a fool. And that’s really the least of it.”
He stepped back, just a little, when the first light spilled into the far edge of the area, and shifted his gaze—again just a little—to meet Abra’s eyes.
He’d heard her slip out behind him, out of safety.
Corbett, Vinnie and another uniformed deputy stepped in, fanned out, weapons drawn.
“Drop it,” Corbett ordered. “Drop it now. There’s no way out, Suskind.”
“I have every right to be here!”
“Drop it. Put your hands up, and do it now.”
“Every right!” Suskind tossed the pick aside. “He’s the thief. He’s the murderer.”
“Just one thing,” Eli said easily as he stepped forward, and between the police and Suskind.
“I want you to step back, Mr. Landon,” Corbett ordered.
“Yeah, I got it.” But first. He waited until Suskind met his eyes, until he was certain they saw each other. Then he punched his fist into Suskind’s face with all the rage, all the pain, all the misery of the last year behind it.
When Suskind fell against the wall, Eli stepped back, lifted his hands to show he was done. “You owed me blood,” he said, lowering one hand to show the smear of it over his knuckles.
“You’ll pay for that. You’ll pay for it all.”
He didn’t think as Suskind reached behind his back, just acted. The second blow knocked Suskind to the ground, had the gun he’d pulled clattering to the floor.
“I’m done paying.”
“Hands where I can see them,” Corbett snapped when Suskind moved. “You put your hands in the air, now! Stay back, Mr. Landon,” Corbett warned him, using his foot to kick the gun out of reach. He nodded at Vinnie. “Deputy.”
“Yes, sir.” Vinnie pulled Suskind to his feet, pushed him to face the wall to check for other weapons. He removed the holster secured at the small of Suskind’s back, passed it to the other deputy. “You’re under arrest for breaking and entering, trespassing, destruction of private property,” he began as he cuffed Suskind’s wrists. “Additional charges include two counts of assault. Looks like we get to add concealing a dangerous weapon and intent to injure onto that.”
“Read him his rights,” Corbett ordered. “Take him in.”
“You got that.” Vinnie gave Eli a subtle thumbs-up before he and the other deputy gripped Suskind’s arms and pulled him out of the room.
Corbett holstered his weapon. “That was a stupid move. You could’ve gotten yourself shot.”
“I didn’t.” Once again, Eli looked at his blood-smeared hand. “He owed me.”
“Yeah, I guess he did. You set this up. You set him up.”
“Did I?”
“I get a call from your investigator saying she just observed Justin Suskind breaking into Bluff House, and believes he might be armed. She’s concerned for your safety.”
“That sounds reasonable, and responsible, especially since he did break in, and he was armed.”
“And the two of you just happened to be down here, on the spot?”
“We were . . . exploring the passages.” Abra tucked her arm through Eli’s, added a wicked smile. “You know, a little Pirate and