Countdown (5 page)

Shortly before six, Maggie woke with a start when she felt something nuzzling her neck. In her foggy, sleep-filled state she thought it was Ted and almost said his name aloud when she opened her eyes to see a pair of emerald green eyes staring at her. Not Ted. She laughed out loud and sat up, the unnamed cat sitting on her chest. “You’re making yourself right at home, I see. The cat purred and rubbed against her arm and chest. Maggie thought it was the most beautiful animal she’d ever seen, and he was all hers. She had a friend now to talk to. She could tell him about her worries, her fears, share her victories and her failures and he wouldn’t judge her. He’d listen, purr, and let her know he was there for her. A true friend. Something she’d forgotten how to be.

As Maggie stroked the cat in her arms, she stared into the fire and thought about her conversation with Ted and what she had to do to try to make things right. She stretched her neck to see up at the clock on the mantel. A little after six. If she didn’t get to Harry’s dojo before the training class, she could go later and wait till it was over, which would probably be the better idea.

Maggie fed the cat again, showed him where she’d placed his litter box in the downstairs powder room, then made up a special bed for him by the fireplace. She got a perverse sense of pleasure by using Ted’s pillow for the cat.

In the blink of an eye, she whipped up an omelet for herself, ate it, cleaned up, then added some more logs to the fire. She closed the glass doors to make sure no sparks flew out that could set the carpet on fire. She smiled as the cat settled itself on Ted’s pillow and went to sleep. She really had to come up with a suitable name for her new roommate.

Satisfied that her house was in order, Maggie called for a cab to take her to Harry’s dojo. She could have taken her own car, but she didn’t want to walk six blocks to the parking garage where she kept it. Besides, she didn’t like driving in snow. Or rain, for that matter.

When she climbed into the cab, Maggie was stunned at how calm and peaceful she felt. When she’d come home earlier in the day, she’d been tied in knots. To think that a little two-pound ball of yellow fur could have such an effect on her was mind-boggling.

Normally, the ride to Harry’s dojo would have taken sixteen minutes. She knew this because she’d once timed it. Not tonight, though, not with the snow, and the plows working to sand the roads. The driver dropped her off fifty-two minutes from the time she’d stepped into his cab.

Maggie was crossing the street when a horrible idea hit her. What if Harry had canceled his class because of bad weather, and she’d made the trip for nothing? She strained to see through the falling snow, and could see a dim yellow light in the front windows. It was impossible to see who was parked where. She forged ahead and trudged her way around to the back so she could use the rear entrance. Only the boys and friends entered the dojo from the back. Not sure if she was friend or foe, she took the high road and tapped on the back door. When there was no response she opened the door, poked her head in, and called out. When there was still no response to her verbal greeting, she shut the door and advanced into the room. She froze in place when she heard a bloodcurdling bark, then a deep growl. Cyrus. Maggie sucked in her breath and didn’t move until she saw Jack and the others outlined in the doorway.

“I came to apologize to all of you,” Maggie said in a jittery voice. “And to tell you that I’m tendering my resignation and will be going back to Maryland.” She started to shake then, not sure if it was from the cold or because of the men standing in front of her.

“Easy, Cyrus. It’s okay, boy. It’s Maggie. You know Maggie.”

“It’s cold out here. Come into the waiting room,” Abner said.

“It’s okay, I’m not staying, but thanks for thinking of my comfort. I’m sorry that ... that I spied on all of you. You’re my friends, and I guess I forgot that for a little while. But having said that, in my own defense, you all closed me out. Everyone is always so damn busy that it’s a major problem to send a text or call just to say hi. I don’t even know you guys anymore. And you know what else, I’m not sure I want to. Why’d you all have to sneak around? It was like suddenly you all were guarding this planet’s biggest secret. We were supposed to be . . . family, able to count on each other.”

Maggie’s voice broke on a sob, but she rushed on. “I’ve always been there for each and every one of you, time after time, and you damn well know it. Yeah, sometimes I’m bossy, yeah, sometimes I’m over the top with my ideas and plans, but in the end, it always worked. Until recently,” she said, her tone fierce.

“I called off the detectives. You guys are unfettered now to do whatever it is you’re doing. I’m sorry, too, about that banana tree. It was a stupid thing to do. I just wanted you all to know you weren’t as smart as you thought you were, and if I could figure it out, so can certain other people. Well, that’s all I have to say. Good luck with whatever it is you’re doing.”

To her dismay, tears started to roll down her cheeks. Cyrus started to whimper. Maggie gave her muffler a wide swing, wrapped it more securely around her neck, and turned to go.

She was almost to the door when she felt her feet leave the floor and she was suddenly airborne. And then she was falling and felt someone catch her. Jack! Harry had tossed her to Jack. Oh, God, they were going to kill her. Cyrus barked his head off, then started to howl.

Everyone started talking at once but whatever they were saying made no sense to Maggie. Either they were going to rip her apart or they weren’t. “Okay, okay, how many times do I have to tell you I’m sorry? I’m sorry, okay? I’m going to get out of your hair; there’s no need to kill me or . . . to . . . do whatever it is you’re . . . ah . . . planning.”

“No one is killing anyone,” Harry said. “We accept your apology in the spirit it was given. We’re going to welcome you into our little club, aren’t we, guys?”

“Uh-huh,” Jack said.

“You bet,” Abner said.

Maggie looked at the Big Three: Ted, Espinosa, and Dennis. The three of them were smiling and nodding. She swooned. “You forgive me?”

“It’s either that or kill you, and we have never been in the killing business,” Harry snapped.

“Oh, God! I love you guys!” Maggie said, as more tears flowed down her cheeks.

Maggie walked on air as she made her way upstairs to Harry and Yoko’s spacious apartment on the second floor of the dojo. She would spend an hour with Yoko and Lily until Harry and the boys finished their seven
P.M
. class and Jack offered her a ride home. She felt light-headed with relief that the boys had welcomed her back into the fold. Even Ted, who had been stone-faced in the beginning, had hugged her and then given her the famous lopsided grin that she loved. For now her world was right-side up. Childishly, she crossed her fingers, so that it would stay that way.

Yoko hugged Maggie and ushered her into the kitchen, where she offered tea and rice cakes. Lily, she said, was in her room playing and would be ready for bed in a few minutes. “You look . . . I don’t know, extra happy.” Yoko smiled. “Do you have a new man in your life, or did you and Ted patch it up?”

Maggie debated a full moment. What to say, what not to say? She pointed to the floor, and said, “Let’s just say I have a whole bunch of guys in my life.” Before Yoko could ask any more questions, Maggie inquired about how the nursery was doing. The nursery was the love of Yoko’s life. She loved planting seedlings in her greenhouse and watching them sprout and come to life. She loved the Christmas season and pretty much lived on-site, with Harry taking care of Lily because business was better than brisk.

“You aren’t going to believe this, Maggie, but guess who came by to buy a Christmas tree today? I waited on him myself. The vice president, that’s who. He said his secretary always buys her trees from me and recommended me. I had Secret Service all over the place. I wanted to whip out my gold shield, but I was very good and I didn’t.” She giggled, and Maggie giggled, and then they were hugging each other and laughing till their sides ached.
Oh, this feels so good,
Maggie thought.

The two women talked then about everything and nothing, just two old friends playing catch-up. They stopped once to put a sleepy Lily to bed. Cooper, Lily’s protector, eyed Maggie warily until she left the room. At which point he hopped on the little girl’s bed and dropped his head on his paws as he settled down to guard his small charge.

Maggie and Yoko returned to their tea in the kitchen and picked up where they had left off. They chatted until Jack whistled from the bottom of the steps that he was ready to leave.

Maggie grabbed her coat and pack, hugged Yoko, and promised to help out at the nursery on the weekend, the last weekend before Christmas, when things got so hairy Yoko’s workers didn’t know if they were coming or going, and any help at all was appreciated.

Maggie was stunned at the snow on the ground when she climbed into Jack’s car. She shivered until the heater kicked in, then relaxed. For the most part, they made the trip to Georgetown in silence, Jack concentrating on the road conditions and Cyrus being uncommonly quiet. When they reached the street they both lived on, Maggie noticed that Jack and Nikki’s house was dark, which meant Nikki wasn’t home yet. “Want to come in for a beer or a sandwich, Jack? I don’t know about you, but I didn’t have much to eat today, and I know you guys never eat before a workout. Your house is dark, so Nikki isn’t home yet. It’s up to you.”

“Sure,” Jack said agreeably. “Just let me drop Cyrus off at home.” Maggie’s sigh of relief at not being rebuffed made Jack grin in the darkness.

When she and Jack got back to her house after settling Cyrus at Jack and Nikki’s, it was not until she slid her key into the lock that Maggie remembered about her new roommate. She froze in place and slapped at her head. “Oh, my God, I forgot about . . . jeez, I hope he’s okay. I just got him. Oh, Jack he was so bedraggled. I need a name. I couldn’t come up with a name because I was so upset with all of you, and . . .” She pushed at the door and looked around frantically. Jack stood rooted to the floor as he looked around to see what Maggie was talking about. He smiled when he saw a skinny yellow cat with green eyes coming toward Maggie. The mangy cat circled her feet and purred so loud, Jack laughed out loud.

“This is your new roommate?”

“Yeah. Yeah, he is. He’s not much to look at right now, but I’ll fatten him up. He likes to sit on your lap. He’s sweet. He came . . . at just the right time. I had pretty much hit bottom. I was ready to throw in the towel and hit the road.” Maggie’s tone turned defensive as she scooped up the yellow cat and nuzzled him under her chin. He purred even louder. “Everyone needs someone at some point in time, Jack. Today was my point in time.”

Jack nodded.
That
, he understood. “What do you call him?”

Without missing a beat, Maggie blurted, “Hero. Because he is.”

“Sounds good to me,” Jack said as he tweaked the cat under his chin. Hero hissed his disapproval. Jack laughed. “Once he gets to know me, he’ll love me. Animals love me. I bet Cyrus and he will get along. Maybe a play date. While you cuddle with him, do you want me to make my own sandwich and yours, too?”

“Sure. I have some pickles in the fridge. Put some on my plate. Coffee or beer?”

“Too late in the day for coffee. I’ll go with the beer,” Jack said, taking off his jacket and making himself at home in Maggie’s kitchen. Something he’d done often in the past.

Maggie looked around, set the cat down, and removed her jacket. It was almost like old times. Almost. And almost wasn’t going to cut it with her. She needed to hear words, wanted precise explanations. In short she wanted yesterday but was not foolish enough to think that’s what she was going to get. But she was desperate enough to take whatever she could get and work from there. “So, talk to me, Jack.”

Jack talked while he made the sandwiches and uncapped the two beers he set on the table, laid out napkins and paper plates. Even though it was bad manners, he talked while he was eating and was still explaining things as he opened the second set of beers. He finally wound down by saying, “That’s pretty much it. I don’t think I left anything out. You got questions, ask me now before I head on home.”

Maggie’s arms flapped in the air. “Why?”

Jack shrugged. “It just evolved, Maggie. Everyone seemed discontented, especially me, so I guess you could say I was the catalyst. You girls had moved on. Then there was that disastrous Thanksgiving last year with Charles. I guess you could say we were all ripe for doing
something.
Especially me since Nik and I hit a rough patch, Abner and Isabelle were snapping and snarling at each other, and you and Ted were ... whatever you and Ted were doing, which, according to Ted, was that you left him swinging in the wind.

“We were actually starting to talk about it before dinner that Thanksgiving, and Charles was on board. The truth is that of all of us, Charles was the most gung ho. He said he was sick of writing his memoirs that no one would ever read. That’s one of the reasons I think we decided to forge ahead once he was gone. We couldn’t have gotten it off the ground without Dennis and his money.

“Yeah, we were trying to keep it secret, at least for a little while. Stand on our own laurels, so to speak. We’re on a case right now. There’s no doubt in my mind or the others’ that if we somehow managed to run aground, we’d call on you girls. If you need more than that, you’re out of luck, I’m afraid. It’s the best I can give you right now.”

Maggie nodded. “I’m good for now with what you’ve told me. Does the case you’re on have anything to do with that slew of pictures Ted and Espinosa sent me? It’s Lieutenant Governor Sandford, right? You’re gonna take him down and are using his wife, Fiona, as bait, right?”

Jack was shocked. He almost jumped out of his skin when Hero leaped onto his lap and started to purr.

Maggie laughed out loud at the expression on Jack’s face. “Now be nice to him.”

“How’d you figure it out?” Jack asked as he reared back as the cat tried to climb his chest.

Maggie made a disgusted sound deep in her throat. “I’m a reporter, for crying out loud. I sense things, feel things, and my gut kicks in. It’s what I do. It’s in my blood. You guys are going to nail that slum landlord, right?”

Jack gave up being surprised. “Sandford got away with it the first time around because he’s wealthy, his family is powerful, and he’s the lieutenant governor. If the law won’t step in, then we’ll do it for them. We’ve got a plan, and we’re going to make that skunk wish he’d never been born.”

“Your . . . ah . . . plan . . . that isn’t like that pumpkin plan you had back in Utah when things went to hell, is it?”

Jack grimaced. “Damn, am I ever going to live that down? In the end, it worked. But to answer your question, our plan is foolproof. Trust me.”

In spite of himself, Jack found that he was stroking the skinny cat’s head. Hero purred so loud that Jack laughed out loud. “Cyrus is going to pitch a fit when I get home and he smells this cat on me.”

Maggie giggled. “Into each life a little rain must fall. Suck it up, big guy.”

“I gotta go, Maggie. Listen, for whatever it’s worth, I’m glad you’re on board.”

Maggie reached for the cat and cuddled it close to her chest. The little animal felt warm and safe in her arms. “Me, too, Jack. Me, too.”

 

 

Maggie rolled over and groaned. What was that noise? The phone? The doorbell? She squinted at the red numerals on her bedside clock, which read 4:58. It was the doorbell! Who rang someone’s doorbell at this time of the morning? An emergency? Cops? What? She swung her legs over the side of the bed and raced from the room and down the hall. She took the steps two at a time and almost threw herself at the door. She didn’t even bother to check the peephole to see who was on the other side of the door. She swung it open, and barked, “What? Do you know what time it is?”

Ted didn’t say a word; he kicked the door shut with his foot, grabbed her and kissed her until her teeth rattled. When he broke away, he stared down at Maggie, and said, “Say something, or I am outta here forever, and this time I mean it.”

“Do that again, that thing you do with your tongue,” was all Maggie could manage to say. Ted obliged.

When they broke apart the second time, Ted took charge. “It’s too cold in here. I’ll make a fire, you turn up the heat and make us something to eat and lots of coffee unless you want to skip all that and we head to the second floor
now.
”

Maggie blinked. Who was this guy who was suddenly in charge of her life? Whoever he was, she decided in that moment that she liked him. She turned and galloped up the steps, Ted right behind her. She flew to the bed, jumped on it as she was ripping at her pajamas. “What’s taking you so long?” she yelled as Ted tripped over his own feet.

The yellow cat hopped up on the bedroom chair and curled into a ball as he tried to shield his ears from the wild whooping sounds that filled the room. Eventually, he fell asleep when the room turned quiet.