(Almost to the end. As always a huge thanks to my collaborator Karen B. for her wonderful suggestions so that this story makes sense.)

Chapter 12

It was a little more than a 100-mile drive to Pinewood Lake, some of it off the main highways. Even with the red light and siren running on Tragg's car most of the way, it still took almost two hours for Sergeant Brice to get them there. If Perry could have pushed the accelerator through the floor to get them there any faster, he would have.

Tragg had wisely ordered radio silence as they got closer to the lake for fear that Kendall might be monitoring the frequency. During the ride, Perry and Tragg tried to come up with a plan to get Della safely away from Kendall. Perry was racking his brain trying to remember the layout of the home. He had only been there once, the night Scott Shelby had been murdered. He did remember that it was a two story house, the bedrooms presumably upstairs. If Della was being held in one of the upper rooms, they would have to get by Kendall before they could get to her. By the same reasoning, if she was being kept somewhere downstairs, it would be even more dangerous.

Tragg had wanted to contact Detective Sergeant Dix, who had handled the Shelby murder case and would be more familiar with the property. However, Perry, concerned that Kendall might have an accomplice, convinced him that the fewer people who knew the situation, the better. Besides, Perry reasoned, the local detective hadn't exactly been friendly the last time they had met on Dix's turf.

As they approached the Shelby property, Brice killed the lights and stopped the car well out of sight of the house. With a bright, full moon, the three men cautiously skirted the drive, trying to keep in the shadow of several large fir trees. When they were within sight of the house, Tragg held up a hand and they stopped.

The downstairs was brightly lit, the upstairs in darkness. Perry turned to Tragg. "I think we can assume he's holding her downstairs."

"Or she's upstairs in the dark. Perry, we need some backup." Tragg turned to the sergeant, but Perry stopped him.

"Listen, Arthur. The man wants me. That's obvious. He's using Della to lure me here. But I'll wager that he has underestimated us and that he doesn't think I could've figured out his message this quickly. If we strike now, we at least have the element of surprise on our side."

Tragg seemed to reconsider. "So what are you going to do? Walk up to the front door?"

Perry smiled, even though Tragg couldn't see him in the dark. "Of course."

"Mason, are you out of your mind?" Tragg's voice was a low growl.

Perry put his hand on Tragg's shoulder. "Arthur the most import thing right now is to get Della away from him. There has to be a back door or some other entrance. I'll get inside and figure out where she is." He looked back at the house. "If she's upstairs, I'll stand at that big window in front. Then it's up to you and Brice to get in and get her out."

"And if she's down there with him?" Perry squeezed the older man's shoulder.

"I'll think of something. You just get Della. She's the one you worry about."

With that Perry turned and began walking casually up the driveway.

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Kendall had just started to nod off when the knock at the door startled him wide awake. He jumped to his feet and pulled his pistol, but held it behind his back. Taking a deep breath to slow his heartrate, he walked cautiously to the entryway. His surprise when he saw who stood on the other side of the door was equal only to his pleasure at knowing his quarry was within reach. Still keeping the gun hidden, he opened the door.

"Welcome Mr. Mason. Please come in, won't you." He stepped aside to allow Perry to enter.

Perry kept his eyes on the man as he walked into the house. "Where is she, Kendall?"

Closing the door and locking it, Kendall turned, pointing the gun at Perry. "Straight to the point, I see. Don't worry, Mason, she's quite safe."

Perry, ignoring Kendall and the gun, glanced around the room, and not seeing Della, concluded she was upstairs. "I want to see her."

Kendall, keeping the gun trained on Perry, moved to sit in a chair. "I'm sure Miss Street is sleeping. Don't you think it would be a shame to disturb her? Why don't you have a seat?"

Perry moved to stand in front of the large window, hoping that Tragg and Brice could see his profile through the curtains. "I prefer to stand." He started to reach in his pocket, but stopped when Kendall cocked the gun. "Mind if I smoke?" Perry slowly pulling his cigarettes and lighter out. Lighting one and then offering one to Kendall, who declined, he leaned back against the window sill. "So, what do we do now?"

"Simple, Mr. Mason. You're going to die."

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As Perry entered the house, Tragg watched, silently cussing, knowing that the chances of him making it out were slim to none. After only a minute or two, he saw the lawyer's large silhouette in the window. Della was upstairs.

Without hesitation, he started toward the back of the house, the sergeant right behind him. Crouching down and staying in the shadows as much as possible, they rounded the house to see a small porch, with a door leading to the kitchen. Tragg gently turned the handle, surprised to find it open. The two men entered as quietly as they could, hoping that Perry was keeping Kendall occupied. As they crept across the kitchen and entered the hallway, Tragg came to an abrupt stop. Kendall's attention was focused on Perry, so he hadn't heard the policemen enter. But Tragg's shoulders sagged as he looked around the room. From where Kendall was sitting, he had an unobstructed view of the stairway, the only path to Della.

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Della woke with a start. She sat up, looking around the room. The only light came from the moon shining through the curtains, and she couldn't tell what time it was. Her mouth was so dry, probably a side-effect of the tranquilizer, she thought. She decided to head to the bathroom for a sip of water. Carefully sliding the bolt on the lock back and opening the door she stopped and listened. She had just stepped into the hallway when she heard the voice. Perry! He was downstairs.

As quietly as she could, she hurried to the top of the stairwell, listening.

Kendall's voice. "Simple, Mr. Mason. You're going to die."

Della put her fist to her mouth to keep from crying out. She crept down two steps, looking into the living room. Perry was by the front window, Kendall seated in the chair, his gun pointed at Perry. He was so intent on Perry that he hadn't noticed her. She needed to create a distraction.

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Perry's instincts told him something had changed in the room. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Della on the stairs. His only thought was he could not allow Kendall to see her. He motioned to another chair. "Mind if I sit now, since you're going to kill me anyway?"

Kendall smiled. "Of course. We can at least be civil to one another." Perry walked to the chair, hoping that he had drawn the man's attention away from the stairs.

"I'm afraid I'm not in the mood to be civil, Officer Kendall. I need to ask, once you've settled your business with me, what happens to Miss Street?"

Kendall laughed. "Jealous? Well, I hate to crush your ego, but I think your lovely Miss Street might actually find traveling with me rather pleasant after a time. I intend to find a quiet place overseas, Spain perhaps. I did acquire the majority of Shelby's estate when Marion died, so we'll have no trouble financing our new life."

Perry's hands clenched together in his lap, but he kept his voice calm. "And if she refuses to accompany you on your trip?"

The man's smile was pure evil. "Well then I'm afraid she will end up at the bottom of the lake, along with you."

"NO!"

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Della's loud cry caused three things to happen almost simultaneously. Kendall leapt up and aimed his gun toward Della's voice, Perry launched himself from his chair to tackle Kendall, and Tragg and Brice rushed into the room.

Della was at the foot of the stairs when Tragg grabbed her, pushing her toward the sergeant. "Get her out!"

At that moment a gunshot sounded and Tragg saw Perry fall. Kendall swung his gun to Della and Brice, who were only half-way to the cover of the hallway. Without hesitation, Tragg fired, striking his target in the chest with all three shots. Kendall spun and landed face down on the floor, where he lay, unmoving. Tragg bent to pick up the gun that had skittered away when Ken fell. Della broke away from Brice, running to kneel beside Perry.

"Perry! Oh God Perry! Please answer me, please."

"Della. Please stop shouting, Sweetheart." He reached out to caress her face. "I'm fine."

Della captured his hand, bringing it to her lips. "Oh you."

Tragg stood looking down at them, shaking his head, "If I might interrupt this...ah...whatever, I think one of us should call the local authorities now."

Perry looked at Tragg. "You might be a better choice to call Dix, since he won't be exactly thrilled to see me at another one of his major crime scenes. And with an officer-involved shooting, an investigation will need to be performed. But with the preponderance of evidence, and the eyewitness testimony of two officers of the law, and one officer of the court, there should be no delay in processing a favorable outcome and then we can get back to business as usual in LA."

Tragg pushed his hat back on his head and scowled. "As usual Mason, you leave all the dirty work for me." Then he smiled at Della. "I'm glad you're okay." And with that he walked out in search of a phone.