Tanner reached out and covered her hand with his own. “What else? Did they get back on the Chinook or take another aircraft?”

“They got back on the Chinook.”

“Good. It’s not as fast as some other aircraft. That will buy us time, though probably not much. Tell Les to get the Gulfstream the hell out of there and take it to Toronto. You and your crew take care of moving the helicopters. Then call your friend Abner Clark, in the sheriff’s office and tell them to be on the lookout for some neo-Nazis who have been making threats against the airport.”

“That might be entertaining. The only people Abner hates worse than neo-Nazis are the Ku Klux Klan. Maybe I’ll stay around and help him round them up.”

“No, you get out of there now. I want that airport deserted in the next thirty minutes. Do you hear me?”

“I hear you.” He sighed. “Les is almost ready to go. I had him gas up when you told me to do it before you left.”

“Then get him out of there. I don’t want a repeat of Stockholm.”

“There won’t be. I’ll be in touch.” He cut the connection.

“Neo-Nazis?” Maria asked.

“I knew it would make Sherman’s friend move faster. The townspeople up here like their peace and order and can’t stand vigilantes of any sort. I wanted them to be prepared for any violence they ran into, but I didn’t have time for explanations.” He glanced at Lara, who was sitting frozen beside him. “You’re too quiet. Are you okay?”

“No,” she whispered. “A lot of people died or were terribly hurt and they didn’t have to be.”

“And you’re blaming yourself,” he said roughly. “Stop it. It’s my job, and I’m responsible for every single thing that happened, bad or good. So stop whining and tell me why Volkov wasn’t in Stockholm with your father. Do I have to worry about an attack from a different quarter?”

Whining? She felt a ripple of anger. Then she realized he’d probably said it deliberately to jar her out of the shock she was experiencing. She shook her head to clear it. “Probably not. It’s not unusual for Volkov to send Anton to run errands for him. I can see him ordering my father to find me and bring me back. Volkov was always the stronger. He held all the power. If he wasn’t in Stockholm, then that’s probably what happened.” She moistened her lips. “My father would only call on Volkov for help if there was no other way. He wouldn’t want him to know he failed.”

He glanced at Maria. “You agree?”