“Probably St. Catherine’s Hospital. But if not, then some other semi-public place. I don’t think we should go to Royal’s place on Lake Concordia.”

“Does it have to be tonight?”

“Yes.”

Kirk rubs his chin. “Does this have to do with your dad’s trouble?”

“Yes. These guys want Dad shot as a fugitive. I’ve got to convince them to cancel an APB.”

“I got you. Only one question, Bwana. Will they be armed or not?”

“Probably so.”

“Okay.”

“I just want you with me as a stabilizing presence. Ideally, nobody will lose his cool. But like I said, Randall Regan could get crazy and go for us.”

Kirk shrugs. “I got no problem with self-defense. If fact, I’m kind of—”

The ring of my cell phone stops him in midsentence. I start to ignore it, but then I check the LCD and see it’s Caitlin. I hit the button to answer.

“Hey. Can I call you back?”

“Penn, Henry’s been shot.”

The blood drains from my head so fast that I feel dizzy, even though I’m sitting. “Shot dead?”

Kirk tenses beside me.

“No. The bullet grazed his head, and then I yanked his bed clear.”

“You were there? I thought you were at the paper!”

“I needed to check something with Henry. Penn, Sherry Harden’s dead.” Caitlin sounds near to hyperventilating. “They shot her through the window. I still can’t believe it.”

“Are you safe now?”

“Yeah. Kaiser has FBI agents here, and Sheriff Dennis is on the way. Penn … what about the recording? Katy must have known her father was going to try to kill Henry. Do I tell Kaiser about it?”

My stomach knots. “Ahhh … not yet. Stay close to Sheriff Dennis and away from the windows. I’m on my way.”

“What happened?” Kirk asks as I hit END.

“A sniper just shot Henry Sexton through his hospital window. They only grazed him, but they killed his girlfriend.”

Kirk holds up his hands like weapons at the ready. “This is wild, man. Tell me what to do. Is our thing still on?”

“Yes. I want you to track down Royal for me. As soon as I can get loose from this murder scene, I’ll come to you.”

Kirk grips my hand with startling strength, then springs out of the Audi, closes the door, and leans back through the window. “Do what you gotta do, man. I’ll stay on these guys till you’re ready to brace them. And if it turns out they shot Henry Sexton … I might just take it out of their asses myself.”

CHAPTER 79