Thorne: Far Horizons - Chapter 1

By Atonia Walpole

(The direct continuation of Thorne: Full Circle)

Part 1:

After spending the afternoon in bed getting reacquainted with each other, Toni and Terry came downstairs to find the House had provided a meal.“I’m about ready for this. I haven’t eaten anything all day.” Terry wandered over to the counter where various covered dishes were arrayed.

“Neither have I really, and I do need to keep something on my stomach.”

“I think I owe you something, Toni. I’ve neglected your being pregnant. We only found out a few days before I left for Quito, and since then I’ve been preoccupied or blank.”

“You don’t owe me anything, love, not a thing for what’s happened. But in the future I’m not going to be as easy when it comes to sharing you. Just keep that in mind.”

“I will, and I think things are going to be a bit different, too. You know, Toni, I never wanted to own SI, never. I would have been quite happy to work from home like I’d planned to do.” Terry took his filled plate over to the table and sat down.

Toni thought about what Max had told her and felt bad for Terry. He had responsibilities he didn’t want or need now. “Isn’t there something you can do, darling, like hire somebody to take over for you?”

“Maybe, I don’t know yet. When we get home something is going to change for sure.”

“When are you wanting to go home?”

He surprised her with his answer. “We’ve got a season here, luv. Let’s enjoy it...or until you’d like to go.”

“I always thought you didn’t like the magic, couldn’t wait to leave here.”

“I don’t like the season thing, Toni. Having to leave you was the worst thing I’ve ever had to do. But I have found out what it’s like to be without magic and I don’t ever want to experience that again.  I don’t mind it here right now because I know we can leave whenever we want to. It’s not like it was before.”

Toni sat down with her plate. “So let’s think of it as a vacation, something we haven’t had since we left here. We went to Virginia and then to London and back. We haven’t stopped, Terry, at least you haven’t, and after the ordeal you’ve been through I think you need it.”

“We can do that, but I want to go to London and see Henry. I washed out on his holiday.”

“But he understood. He does now, you know, because Dino explained what you do to him. Why did you never tell him?”

“I don’t know. Maybe I thought it best he didn’t know because of the dangers involved.”

“No more dangers, Terry, no more.”

Terry smiled, “No more, luv. I promise.”

The next week was spent at the House and surrounding small villages. They took their marriage certificate into Salem and had it registered without any questions at all.  Now that Terry’s memory was fully restored he was becoming restless. Toni could sense it in him. “Are you ready to go home, darling?”

Terry half smiled, “No, no, we can stay here if you want to for a while longer.”

“Why do I get the impression you’re doing this for me and not for you?”

“Probably because I am.” He picked up her hand and kissed it. “I’m a little worried about Dino.”

“Have you talked to him?”

“Yes, but he’s hard to understand over the phone with his jaw wired shut.”

They were sitting on the bench by the pond, “Does Dino have a girlfriend?”

“A girlfriend? I don’t really know the answer to that, Toni. Why do you ask?”

“Oh, I just thought he might be able to use a week in the House, a restorative week, you know?”

“Ah-h, do you want to invite him up?”

“Yes, and if he wants to bring someone with him that would be okay, too. I’d like to see him healed as well.”

“Do you think it would work for him?”

“I don’t see why not. He’s touched with magic, too, and so is Wyatt. I was prepared to stay the whole season if that’s what it took for you to regain your memory, but I do have appointments with my gynecologist, monthly ones now.  He’s protected here, our little Terrence, but still I’d like to follow through with what I’m supposed to do.”

“Well then, we’ll invite him up, stay a few days with him and then we’ll go home. I’d like to keep some form of normalcy in our lives if possible.”

“Normal, us?” Toni laughed. “We’ll never be normal, not really, you know.”

Terry grinned, “I know that.”

Dino flew into Boston and Toni and Terry met him at the airport. Dino walked all the way around Terry and then stated, “I want the name of your doctor.”

“You’re about to meet the medical staff as soon as we get back to the House. How are ya?”

“I’ve been better. Hello, Toni.” Dino gave her a hug.

“Good to see you, Dino. This it? No luggage?”

“You said not to bring any so I didn’t.”

They loaded up in Toni’s jeep and drove to the house. It was late afternoon and a meal had been prepared, table set and wine chilled.

Dino had a look around the house and joined them in the kitchen for a buffet dinner.

“Nice place.”

“Is your room okay?” Toni asked.

“Perfect. Reminds me of home.”

“Where is home, Dino?”

“I forget, Toni. I think it was in Texas at one time.” His plate had already been fixed with small bowls of pureed food and a straw.

“Last time you will have to eat through a straw, Dino. Tomorrow you will be back to normal, although that word is relative.”

“We’ll see. I still don’t believe all this, you know.”

While Toni and Terry had gone to the airport a room had appeared for Dino at the end of the hallway across from Jack’s room. Wearily he climbed into the bed that night, trying to find a comfortable place on the pillow, and although he tried to keep his eyes open for awhile sleep claimed him and the magic of the House began to work over him. He was a friend of Terry’s and that’s that all was needed for the House to cover him with love and healing energy.

Down the hall in Terry’s room, he said, “I feel like I have to be gentle with you. I don’t want to hurt baby.”

“You aren’t going to hurt him. I don’t think I want to swing from the chandelier but you know…”

“You never did swing from a chandelier.”

“I felt like I had sometimes.”

“You never said stop and you can, you know…tell me.”

“I never wanted you to,” she said against his lips.

The next morning Dino woke and yawned before he caught himself. He jumped up from the bed and ran to the mirror, stretched his jaw again. Okay, he thought, I’m a believer. He checked his ribs, no pain there either. He quickly took care of his shower, dressed and bounded down the stairs, feeling full of energy and more rested than he had in months.

Terry was in the kitchen pouring out a cup of coffee. He’d just come in from his run and was a little damp around the edges as it was foggy and cool outside. “G’day, Dino. Coffee?”

“Yes,” he replied with a wide smile. Terry hadn’t noticed and so he got up in his face. “I believe it...Santa Claus, the Easter bunny, and fairies.”

“Oh,” Terry got it. “Got your jaw back, have ya?”

“And my ribs, too. Yeah, I’ll say it again. Nice place you got here.”

“It is that. Have you thought about staying on for awhile, find you a little Sheila to stay with you?”

“It’s tempting, Tio, very tempting, but I got something going with Mean Marine I need to solidify.”

“Everyone to his taste, I guess. Me, I like them a little softer, a little more rounded.” Terry sat down at the table.

“We’re going to join forces, a crackpot team I’m talking about.”

“He did well getting you out. I was very impressed with him.”

“I’ve been talking to Tomas, too. He’s on board with it.”

Terry looked past him through the glass doors to the green beyond. He wasn’t ready to jump back in yet. “Put it together, Dino. Just keep me posted. I think I’m going to London and see Henry when we leave here, and stop by headquarters, let them see I’m still alive and well.”

“That’s a good thing to do. Wyatt’s been really worried, especially when he found out you didn’t remember shit. That’s between me and Wyatt and you. We never let anybody else there know you’d lost your memory. Marine thinks it was a temporary thing. He knows you’re 100% again.”

“I’m going to step back, Dino, let somebody else run the show. I’ll keep up with it, still be on top of things, but I can’t go off like I did pulling you out of a hole. I can’t do that again. I’ve got Toni and the baby to think of, and Henry.”

“I gottcha. That’s fine. Who’s going to direct the performance?”

“You, if you want it.”

“I like my little part of the world. Brian’s your man.”

“He was my second choice.” He sipped his coffee. “I’ll talk with him when I get to London.”

“You’re, um, different, Tio.”

“Yeah, how so?”

“Oh, I don’t know, relaxed maybe. Not that you didn’t always present that façade, but now I think it’s real, underneath, where real stuff goes on.”

Terry smiled, “I got my priorities straight, mate, that’s all. Order whatever you want for breakfast. It will appear in front of you. I’m going up and check on my sweet little wife. She doesn’t do mornings anymore.”

“Don’t worry about it, luv. It’s all normal and you’ve no reason to get up. Just stay there until you feel better.”

“It’s actually better here than it was at home, but still, I wake up every morning wanting to upchuck. I’m tired of it, Terry.”

“Is there anything I can do for you?”

“No, I’ve got some crackers here. I’ll be okay in about an hour or so. How’s Dino this morning?”

“Talking with his mouth open, I left him to order his own breakfast. He’s not keen on staying, wants to get back to work.” He sat down on the side of the bed.

“And you, Terry, are you ready to go back to work?”

“No, not like Dino is. I don’t know, Toni. The fire has gone out of me right now.”

“I wouldn’t say that,” she smiled and took his hand.

Terry’s eyes softened, “Not where you’re concerned. I’d like to leave here and go onto London for a week before we go back home if that suits you.”

“Of course. I know you want to see Henry and he wants to see you, too. He called daily, you know. You probably have a big bill to pay at his school for phone calls.”

“No worries, I’ll see about getting the plane to Logan then. Dino can drive home.” He bent over and kissed her. “You stay put. I’m going to take a shower.”

Part 2:

Toni felt her stomach lurch as the elevator rose to their floor. It was mid-afternoon London time, but her body told her it was morning. Terry hurried her down the hall and punched in the numbers to open his door. Toni went straight to the bathroom and Terry dumped their luggage in the bedroom. He went about opening a few windows to let some fresh air in and to let the stale, closed air of the apartment out, then checked the fridge to see if the cleaning service had brought in a few necessities as he’d asked. He felt for Toni, but there was nothing he could do but sympathize.

A week after they decided to leave the House, they were there in London. He’d already called Henry’s school and left a message. Dino was on his way back to Virginia driving Toni’s jeep. Terry thought as soon as they got home he was going to buy another vehicle. He was tired. He never slept well on planes, even nice private jets as he was traveling in now.  He plugged in the kettle for tea. One thing about the House, he was never tired there and Toni’s nausea was less apparent.

Toni had a wet washcloth over her face and moved it to the back of her neck as she went into the bedroom. The bed looked awfully inviting. Terry had opened a window and cool air was stirring in the room. He appeared in the doorway. “I’m making tea. Can you stand a cuppa?”

“Yes, please. That would be wonderful.”

“Why don’t you get in bed, luv. You look a little pale.”

“I feel a little pale.” She moved over to her bag and unzipped it, bringing out a soft nightgown and changed into it while Terry made her tea.

He brought her cup and saucer into the bedroom. “Maybe we shouldn’t have taken this trip so soon?”

“Nonsense! I’m not sick, just pregnant. This nausea should be letting up this month, I would think, at least according to Munchie.”

“She wasn’t happy when I called and told her we were heading off to London instead of coming home. Didn’t think I should be traveling. I don’t know how Dino is going to explain his sudden health.”

Toni smiled, “He’s resourceful. Thanks for the tea, darling.”

Terry went back to the kitchen, poured his own cup, took it in the lounge and sat down. He may have gotten through half of it when he dozed off on the comfortable sofa.  He awoke a couple of hours later in a darkened room and had an intense feeling of disorientation. He was neither here nor there and it took him a minute to get his bearings. Reaching over, he turned on a light and looked at his watch. It was just after five o’clock. He got up and checked the bedroom. Toni was asleep and he carefully pulled the blanket over her shoulders and turned on a bathroom light so she could see when she woke up.

Taking his cup to the sink and rinsing it out, he still had a strange feeling, and a fear settled inside him, fear of losing the magic again. He stood quietly for a minute. He didn’t feel any different, memories all intact, so he shrugged his shoulders. Maybe he’d been dreaming or something. He went back to the lounge and, closing the windows, could see fuzzy lights on the Thames. Fog was rolling in. The thought that Toni may not want to go out to dinner came to him so he wrote her a little note and set off down the street to the little shop on the corner.

Toni woke, pulled herself out of bed and padded to the bathroom. She felt better now and splashed her face with cold water. Finding her robe in the closet, she tied it around her and went to close the bedroom window. “Terry?” she called out, walking into the lounge. A lamp on the table told her he was not in the room nor in the kitchen. He was not in his study but a note on the fridge told her he’d gone to the corner store. She looked at the clock on the microwave. It was a little after six and she thought he would be home soon because the store closed at six. Turning on the TV, she got comfortable on the sofa.

Toni heard a phone ringing and struggled off the sofa, looking around for it realized it came from the sofa, so she dug around in the cushions and came up with Terry’s phone and answered it. It was Henry.

“Hi Henry, no he’s not here. He left me a note about going to the shop on the corner. How are you? Okay, good. Yes, I will tell him when he gets back. Tomorrow? All right. Good night, Henry.” Terry would hate it that he missed Henry’s call, she thought and looked at the time on his phone. It was nearly seven. Toni was beginning to worry and now she was holding his phone so she couldn’t call. It must have fallen out of his pocket. She went to the bedroom and dug some clothes out of her bag then dressed. The shop would be closed but maybe he’d stopped off somewhere. There was a pub between the flat and the shop.

She walked slowly down the street, looking left and right all the way to the next block where the now-closed shop sat on the corner. She backtracked to the pub and pushing her way through the crowd, she scanned faces. He wasn’t there. She exited the pub with a crowd and stood on the sidewalk. Something was wrong. She could feel it inside. Something was terribly wrong. She was jostled by people walking past her so she moved out of the middle of the walk and began walking back to the flat. Something cold began to settle around her and by the time she got back to the flat she was in sheer panic. There was a manila envelope propped against her door. She backed away from it until she met the wall across from the door.  “Oh no!” she moaned. “Terry.” The elevator doors opened down the hall and she jumped, dropping her bag. Oh, God! It was Max.

Max walked quickly up to her and put his arms around her. “Are you okay? Of course you’re not. Get us into the flat.”

“Max, there’s an envelope.” She couldn’t look at it.

Max walked over and picked it up, noting something bulky was inside. He turned, “Toni, open the door and we’ll see what this is.”

Toni punched in the numbers with a trembling hand and opened the door. “Do you know…what is it, Max? Where is Terry?”

Max closed the door. “I don’t know where he is, Toni. Let’s see what we’ve got here.” He moved over to the table, turned the light on above it and opened the envelope. Inside was Terry’s wallet and his passport. Max quickly thumbed through the passport to see if anything had been slipped inside. Nothing. His wallet held his credit cards and a little cash, a few receipts. Nothing had been added that didn’t belong. He looked at Toni, whose eyes were round and frightened.

“I think we might call on SI, Toni. I have a feeling he’s been snatched.”

Toni staggered back, reaching for a chair. Max caught her and set her down. “Phone numbers, love. I need phone numbers.”

Toni felt like somebody else was in her body walking to Terry’s office and switching on the lights. In his desk drawer were his business cards with numbers. She sat down in the chair across from the desk and Max picked up the phone hoping to talk to Wyatt, but Wyatt had gone home and they wouldn’t give out his number to Max. He put Toni on the phone and after a bit she got a number for Wyatt. Max didn’t like the look of her but he felt he had to get this moving quickly.

Wyatt was there within twenty minutes and sat down at the table with Toni and Max.

“Tell me everything you can, Toni.”

Toni told him about what time she went to bed and when she woke up, showed him Terry’s note about going to the store and told him about walking down there herself and back. Wyatt was going through the wallet and found the receipts. Some were from the airport but one was from the corner store. He’d made his purchases at 5:30. It was about a ten minute walk to the store so they had a time line there to work with. He picked up the passport, going through it page by page.

“Something's missing. Here, see a page has been cut out, probably by a pocket knife or a box cutter.” He looked at Max and at Toni. “The trip to Quito.” He sat back in his chair, rubbing his face with his hand. “Have you looked outside for anything?”

“No, I didn’t. I only knew something was wrong and came here and found Toni in the hallway with the envelope against the door. She was afraid to open it, afraid to go inside.”

“Okay, got a torch?” Wyatt stood up.

Toni got up and walked in the kitchen, looking under the sink. There was a flashlight there and she handed it to Wyatt, who checked to make sure it worked.

“Back in a minute.” He left the room and Toni leaned over the sink. She felt sick, she felt drained, she felt numbed.

“How did you know, Max?” she asked barely above a whisper.

“I couldn’t feel him there anymore. Come and sit down, love. Come to the sofa and sit down before you fall down.”

“What does that mean, you couldn’t feel him there? He’s not…he’s not…” She couldn’t say it.

“Don’t even think that, Toni, don’t. He may be drugged. His mind has shut down, that’s all.” He hoped like hell that was all.

Wyatt was back within fifteen minutes with a carrier bag. Taking the contents out, he checked them against the receipt. “I found this around the side of the building, river side, in a dust bin. It’s Terry’s shopping. I need to make some calls.”

Max pointed to Terry’s office. “In there.” Toni was rocking herself back and forth, arms wrapped around her middle. He put his arm around her and pulled her to him. “He’s going to be all right, Toni. We’ll get him back. We will. Believe that. Believe it, honey.”   It occurred to Max that maybe she might need a doctor, being pregnant and this had to have shocked her deeply. He didn’t like the look of her. Fishing around in his pocket, he came up with his cell phone and called his own personal physician.

Terry’s flat soon began to fill up with people. Brian Hogeland was there and another man named Chrisp with him. Max’s physician had arrived and had Toni in the bedroom. Max was pacing. He felt so helpless. Surely his brothers had felt the same thing, but he hadn’t heard from them. He heard snatches of conversation, local police, river patrol, vendetta…

Max realized something had been directed at him and he stopped, looking toward the group around the table. “Sorry?”

“I just asked who you are and how you knew something had happened to Terry.” Brian looked at him with narrowed gray eyes.

“I’m his brother. I guess we have this thing between us ,you know, connection. I had a feeling something was wrong and rushed over.”

“It’s true, Brian. Max is his brother,” Wyatt nodded, looking at Max. “Dino, I need to call Dino and let him know.”

“All we know is he disappeared between five thirty and probably six o’clock.  He could still be in the city somewhere or on the water given the close proximity to the river.”

“And somebody entered this building and left the envelope...with no fingerprints.”

Max walked over and leaned on the kitchen counter. “So what are you doing to get him back?”

“Thames police are making inquiries.”

“That’s it?” Max pushed his glasses up his nose

“Unless we hear from whoever is holding him, that’s all we can do. Now the page out of his passport leads me to believe it’s the same renegade group from Colombia and if it is we’ll hear from them pretty soon. He may be around the corner for all we know but we can’t go knocking down doors to find out. We’ve got to be patient.” Brian ran his hand through his hair. Clearly patience was not a virtue he claimed.

Max’s doctor came out of the bedroom and Max walked over to him. “How is she?”

“Physically she’s fine. I’ve given her a mild sedative so she’ll sleep for a while, maybe through the night. Does she have someone to stay with her?”

“Yes, she does.”  Max had no intention of leaving her alone. Max saw him to the door and thanked him for coming.

Brian, Chrisp and Wyatt were standing. “I think we’re going back to headquarters, Max. You’re going to be here?”

“Yes.”

“Good. I don’t imagine you will get a call here but if you do…”

“I’ll let you know immediately, Wyatt. Thanks for coming out so quickly.”

Brian put his hand on Max’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. We’ll get your brother back. We've got the best in the business at our beck and call.”

“No, you don’t. The best in the business is missing,” Max answered, opening the door for them.

The flat seemed awfully quiet and empty after they’d gone. Max checked on Toni, finding her lying on her side, asleep. He didn’t know when he’d felt so totally useless and then he did...when Terry had gone missing at sea. He felt angry that this could happen coming right on the heels of the ordeal in Colombia. Regardless of what Toni had said to him about not feeling guilty for Terry owning SI, he did. This wasn’t Terry putting himself in danger. He had done it by his own manipulating.

Part 3:

His mouth was so dry he couldn’t swallow. His tongue was too big for his mouth. He was drifting, drifting in a fog and he felt nothing. He couldn’t move his arms or his legs. They were too heavy to lift. He turned his head slightly. There was white, everything was white…white. Something was squirted into his mouth. Wet...it was water and he moved his tongue around and swallowed. Thirsty, he was so thirsty. His eyes fluttered and closed, something crawling up his arm, something hot, something…

He was running, running through a forest, foggy, the colors all wrong, but it felt so good to be running. It washed over him, that feeling that … running…white everything was white…

Max made a pot of coffee. There was no way he was going to sleep tonight. He looked at the clock in the kitchen. It was after eleven. Toni would probably sleep all night. He hoped she did. God, what it must be like for her to have him back and then have him snatched away again?

 He walked over to the windows and looked down towards the river, same river, different view from his flat. Terry had done all right for himself on his own. This was a nice flat. He would be all right still if he hadn’t…someone had knocked on the door. He walked into Terry’s office and opened the middle drawer of the desk. He’d seen the handle earlier that evening, and pulled out the gun, checked that it was loaded, and walked quietly to the door, turned the handle, stepped behind it and leveled the gun…at Jack Aubrey.

“Jack!” It came out with a breath and he lowered the gun.

“Don’t ever point a gun unless you intend to use it.”

Max was still breathing heavily and he took the gun back to Terry’s desk, sliding it in the drawer. “I might have used it, Jack. I would have if I needed to.”

“I’m sure of that, Max. What news of our brother?”

“Nothing.” Max went to the sofa and sat down, Jack on a chair facing him, and he told him what had happened.

“This is serious, Max. I always have this connection with him in my mind as I’m sure you must, too. It shut down tonight about a quarter to six. I don’t know what this means. He’s not…with us.”

“I’m the same. Not quite the same thing that happened in Colombia. I felt him then but I knew he didn’t feel me.”

“And Toni? She is here?”

“Yes, asleep in bed. I had my physician come. He’s given her something to make her sleep. I was afraid…afraid she was going into shock or, worse, that terrible sleep she was in when Terry disappeared into the sea.”

“So it’s a waiting game. Perhaps the police will come up with something. Is that coffee?” Jack noticed a cup on the table.

“Oh, yeah, I made a pot. Cups are over the sink.”

Jack helped himself and came back into the lounge, walking over to the window. “Surely someone must have seen something. This is not an isolated area.”

“How did you get here so fast? Where were you?”

“At my club. I was having dinner with Stephen Maturin. Ah, it’s a damnable thing to have happened.” He turned and came back to the chair. “No word from John?”

“No, nothing. I don’t know what he could do…what any of us can do.”

“I don’t see there is anything but it may arise. You are particularly glum, Max.”

“You could say that. I feel responsible, Jack. I should never have interfered in his life.”

“I have never quite grasped stocks and my luck has been exceedingly low in that regard. You did not force it on him, Max. He gave you his banking information so he expected something.”

“I don’t think he expected to own the company.” Max got up, took his cup of cold coffee to the sink and refilled it. “The thing that gets me is if it’s to do with the guerillas in Colombia, how did they know he was back in London?”

“That, Max, is a very good question.”

“He only arrived mid-day today, well, yesterday now. Toni says they came directly from Heathrow to the flat. They came in on the private jet."

“This smacks of some intelligence here in London. He was obviously expected by someone. I suppose this guerilla army might have spies about.”

Max leaned over the kitchen counter. “They might.” His mind however was down a different path. “I am not at all familiar with the K&R business. The only person in SI’s organization I was able to check out was a man called White. He is their finance manager. I recommended that Terry keep him on board.”

Spies? This was not Jack’s area of expertise but he was not unfamiliar. “You are thinking it is someone within the company, an unhappy employee perhaps, someone possibly overlooked for promotion or even let go. Have you voiced your opinion to Wyatt?”

“No, I didn’t have an opinion when he was here.”

“Has Dino been contacted?”

“I heard Wyatt say he was going to call him.”

“What was your opinion of the men who were here?”

“Brian Hogeland is a very sharp individual. I caught that and I believe Wyatt is also. Chrisp I do not know. He had little to say.”

They talked for a while longer and Jack began thinking about sleeping arrangements. “Is there another room?”

“Uh, Terry has an office. There’s a small sofa and this one.” Max walked into the office and looked at the loveseat. “It makes a bed I think.” He removed the cushions and pulled the bed out, felt of it with his hand. “Why don’t you take this, Jack? I don’t think I’m going to sleep anyway.”

“You must sleep, Max. You will be needed later today.” Jack walked around in Terry’s office, looking at the maps on the wall. So much detail on the new maps, he observed.

Max quietly slipped into the bedroom and checked on Toni. There was a blanket folded on the foot of the bed and he took it for Jack. “She’s still out. Here, make yourself comfortable.”  He handed the blanket to Jack.

Once Jack was settled, Max sat on the sofa and stared out the windows. Sleep would elude him for some time.

He thought he was floating on a raft in the sea. It was so peaceful, so good, he was being rocked. His eyes fluttered open. Stars. He could touch them if he could raise his arm but it was too heavy and it didn’t matter, nothing did. Something hung at the edge of his mind and he tried to get there, to see what it was, sounds, voices, but he couldn’t get there and it didn’t matter anyway. Something hot was crawling up his arm again but there was no pain, there was nothing; he was running, running on water. His legs were so heavy. He had to get out of the water…had to…fog…nothing.

Toni woke just after dawn and she knew immediately he was not there. It all came down on her and she cried until she was sick and had to get up for the bathroom. She washed her face, brushed her teeth and found her robe. She couldn’t give into to this. He was going to need her. She walked out into the lounge, remembering the carrier bag and a box of water crackers Terry had bought for her. They were still on the table and she opened the box and turned around. Max was asleep on the sofa. She walked over, nibbling a cracker. Dear Max. She sat down in a chair and looked toward the windows. The sun was just coming over the buildings across the river. ‘Can you see the sun, Terry?’ she wondered.

The sun made its way over to Max’s face and his eyes came open, sticky with sleep. He saw Toni in a chair adjacent to the sofa, legs drawn up, head resting on her knees.

“Toni?”

“Max…have you heard anything?”

“No.” He rubbed his face and sat up. “How are you this morning?”

“I’m okay. I know he’s alive. I feel it. I know it. That’s some comfort.”

Max went to the bathroom, door closed. Jack was in there so he went to Toni’s bathroom. Toni got up, picked up another wafer and put the kettle on. She felt as though she were just going through the motions, normal everyday things she must do, make tea. She ran her hand through her hair, must dress. She turned as the hall bathroom door came open. “Jack…oh, Jack!”

Jack caught her in his arms. “Now, pet.”

He held her for a minute and Toni wiped her eyes. “I’m trying to hold myself together, Jack. I don’t want to sink into it this time.”

“You do what you must, pet. We’re here with you. Your kettle is boiling.”

“Oh, tea…”

Dino looked out the window as the plane circled, waiting to land. He’d got the call as he was coming into Washington DC so he went directly to the airport and caught the next available flight. He’d been shocked, as was Wyatt, that something like that could happen in London, right under their bloody noses. He was anxious to talk to Wyatt and Brian, but his first stop would be to Terry’s flat.

Max and Jack had been down the street for breakfast, Jack wearing some of Terry’s clothes, track pants and a pullover, the only thing that would come close to fitting him. Toni couldn’t face breakfast and had her tea and wafers. Later she might have an egg.

Dino paid the taxi driver and hauled his bag out onto the sidewalk in front of Terry’s building. He turned, hearing his name called. “Brothers to the rescue again?”

“I hope so. How are you, Dino?”

“Oh, I’m great. Max, Jack, didn’t expect to see you two so soon.”

“No, neither did we.” Jack opened the door to the building and let them pass.

“Any word?”

“Nothing this morning. Max was about to call Wyatt when we get upstairs.”

“Toni taking it bad, I guess. I can’t believe this happened right out here on the fuckin’ street.”

Max punched in the number Toni had given them and they went inside. “Hello, Toni.” Dino gave her a hug.

“I’m glad to see you, Dino.”

“No, you aren’t. I’m not the one you want to see.”

“Yes, you are. I know your mind works like Terry’s, and if anybody can find him it will be you.”

“That’s a scary thought, Toni. I’m going to do my damnedest to find him.”

Dino called Wyatt, who said he was coming over. Meantime Jack and Dino took a walk down Waterman’s Walk to see if they might spot a place where Terry could have been taken on the water.

Jack led the way down underneath the bridge to where an old wooden wharf stretched out.

“You think he’s on the water?”

“Yes, I do. I could be wrong, of course, Dino, but it seems the most likely. If I were to spirit someone away this would be a perfect place. It’s hidden from the street above.”

“They must have knocked him out or something. He wouldn’t have willingly come down here.”

“Something happened at a quarter to six yesterday evening. I know this, Dino.” Jack looked at him.

“His lights went out.”

“Yes, they did.”

“Wyatt says they’ve got a report from the Thames police.” They watched a boat go by. “There’s a lot of traffic on the Thames.”

“Indeed, somewhere around six, I should think. It would take them a little time to get him down here especially if he was unconscious and I believe he was. Max said his shopping was found in a dust bin by his building.”

“I got a hunch you’re right, Jack.” Dino looked up the river. “He’s on the water somewhere.”

“We need to find him, Dino, and I fear there is not a moment to lose.”