The snowfall cut down on the visibility, but I could make out the ghostly outline of three greenhouse structures as well as an office building.

Based on the amount of land we were talking about, however, I suspected that there might very well be more greenhouses tucked back out of sight in the snow-shrouded day.

A metal mesh fence surrounded the property.

A semi was backed up to one of the greenhouses, and a man was loading mannequins into it. Another semi sat nearby, idling. There was a gray sedan parked maybe ten meters from the second truck.

“Looks like we’re gonna need more cuffs,” Ralph muttered.

We called for backup, but in this weather, the best we could hope for was a response time of eight to ten minutes. That wasn’t going to help us if there were people here in immediate danger.

“Are you good to go for it, Pat?”

“I am. What’s the plan?”

“We do this fast and clean. We’ll see if anyone here knows where your wife and stepdaughter are. Start with the guy by the semi and move on from there.”

The two of us made our way along the tree line to the fence.

++++

After Blake verified with Mannie that the building was set to go up in flames, he met with Ibrahim in the lower level. Once the building had burned down, it would collapse into the basement, where the authorities would eventually find the Syrian’s charred body.

“There’s one more thing I’m going to need from you,” Blake said to him.

“What is that, Fayed?”

“Your hand.”

“My hand?”

“Here.” Blake slipped the KA-BAR’s grip into Ibrahim’s palm and then wrapped his own fingers around it to hold it securely. “Now would be the time to pray, to make peace with God.”

“What?”

“A sacrifice. Just like with Abraham and his son. God is asking me to—”

“No, Fayed.” Ibrahim started to tremble. “I’m not ready to—”

Ibrahim tried to pull away, but Blake swept the knife across the front of the man’s neck. One long, steady swipe to slit his throat.

Like a lamb.

Like a lamb to the slaughter.

Afterward, as Blake was wiping off the blade on a handkerchief, the Matchmaker approached from the stairwell. “Is that how you treat your friends?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’m not sure I want to be counted as one.”

You’re not, Blake thought. And I have something even better planned for you.

++++

Ralph went south at the semi. I buttonhooked around the other side.

Mentally, I clicked through what to do: Assess the nature and severity of the threat. Take immediate action to protect innocent life. Quiet any threats through whatever means necessary.

Two men wearing Transit Corp jackets were gagged and tied up back to back on the ground near one of the trucks.

The drivers?