“She’ll be fine, mate,” Fergus said on the way back to the car. “When we see her next, she’ll be ready to take on the whole world. That is one woman you don’t ever, as in ever, want to go up against. Especially when she’s in top form. These past few days blindsided her. Stronger people than Lizzie would have crumpled too. Now she’s mentally where she goes before she hits that courtroom to fight for her clients. This time, though, she’s fighting for the love of her life, and I, for one, would not want to be on the other end of whatever she decides to do.”

Charles agreed. “I guess it’s back to Babylon to do whatever we can. There must be someone who can turn us on to the group they call the Cavaliers to see what they’re all about. Call Joseph to see if anyone has checked in or if he knows anything.”

Five minutes later, Fergus shook his head. “Quiet as a church, in his words, mate. Meaning nothing has happened and no one has called in.”

“Guess they need us to liven things up. What’s your feeling on all of this, Ferg?”

Fergus shivered and hugged his arms across his chest. “Nothing good, that’s for sure. I keep thinking about what Maggie said about Abner, and now he’s off the grid. That’s what happens when you mess around with the dark web. It’s evil, Charles. Not for the likes of you or me or the boys. We don’t live in that kind of world. I’m not sure we’re equipped to take on the likes of what dwells in the underbelly of the dark web.”

“Good will win out over evil every time, Ferg,” Charles said. His tone of voice, however, sounded less than reassuring to Fergus, who simply shook his head and stared out the window. His thinking was, there was a first time for everything.

Back at the hotel casino, Charles turned his car over to the valet parking attendant, and the two men rode the elevator to Annie’s penthouse suite. They looked expectantly at Espinosa, whose first word was “Nada.”

* * *

Less than seven miles away as the crow flies, Maggie was ringing the doorbell of the first apartment building in Happy Village. When there was no answer, she rang the bell again and kept her finger pressed hard on the round button. “I’m staying here until someone opens this door. These people need to know we’re the good guys, and I’m the one who is going to rally them together so they understand we mean no harm. You with me, Dennis?”

“Of course I am. It’s not me you need to be concerned about. We have to win them over, and I think we can do that, but first they need to open the door.”