Authors: Fern Michaels
“So don’t get caught. Our job is just to tail Elias to see if he really is going to the White House. That’s it. The rest of it, that’s just the icing on the cake. Maggie did say the girls are extremely worried,” Ted said, lying through his teeth. “Especially Nellie.”
Bert cleared his throat. “She should be worried. If I tell you guys something, will you swear on Myra’s and Annie’s lives that you won’t repeat it? Especially you, Ted. Maggie can drag anything out of you, so tell me now if you think you can’t keep your lip zipped.”
“I swear. Okay? She can only do that sometimes,” he added defensively.
Harry took a moment to turn completely around in his chair. He locked his gaze on Ted. “Bert has it all wrong.
You
swear on
me,
Robinson. That goes for you, too, Espinosa.”
“Yeah, yeah, I get it. I swear on you, Harry.”
“Oh, yeah, me too, Harry. I mean it. We both swear on you.”
Harry smiled.
“Okay, here goes. Remember now, this is just among us. About four months ago, Elias came to me and asked me to go to the doctor with him. Seems he had some tests done, and he wanted someone with him when he got the results. I was that someone. Elias has been more than a mentor to me, he’s been like a father. I’m not telling you something you don’t already know. I went with him. Elias has the onset of Alzheimer’s. He doesn’t want Nellie or anyone to know. He’s fine right now, but he does have little lapses in memory, nothing serious at the moment. Like he forgets where he put something or thinks he did something when he didn’t do it. He’s on some meds now, which he keeps in the car so Nellie won’t see them. My point is, whatever reason he was called to the White House, Elias has enough brains not to take anything on. I don’t know how he’ll get out of it, but I know he won’t commit to anything. That’s it. All of you, stop looking at me like that. This is not something any of us can fix for him. He’s got great doctors. I’ll be watching over him, and I’d like you guys to do the same as much as you can.
“Yeah, yeah, I know, Nellie should be told, but I promised, and I intend to honor that promise until such time as I have to break it. You guys would do the same thing if you were in my place, so stop looking at me like I’m some two-horned creature from outer space. I want your promise to help me keep my promise.” Four heads bobbed up and down.
“Considering Elias’s condition, I know that secret or not, Elias will tell me what went on at the meeting today if it comes off. When that happens, we’ll act on the information. Until that happens, we go about our business. Do you all agree?” Again, four heads bobbed up and down.
Jack took a deep breath. “What’s Harry’s assignment?” Jack asked with a devilish glint in his eye.
Still in his ass-kissing mood, Ted said, “How should I know? He’s good at everything. What do you guys think he should do? We called him to keep him in the loop. We have to stick together. Wait a minute, can Alexis hear any of this, because if she can, we are dead in the water, gentlemen.”
“What kind of office do you think this is?” Jack asked indignantly.
“It’s Lizzie Fox’s office. And you don’t think this place is wired for
everything!”
Ted said in disgust. “Right now she’s probably on the phone with the girls. We didn’t have an appointment. We just showed up. That in itself is suspicious, don’t you think? Oh, shit, now it’s going to get back to Maggie. We screwed up, Espinosa.”
“What’s with that
we
stuff. This was your idea.”
Bert grinned. “Relax. Lizzie made Alexis sign a confidentiality contract when she hired her. She can’t talk about anything that goes on here. That means she can’t say
bubkes
about anyone who walks through those doors. I was with Lizzie when she explained it all to Alexis. She understood. Lizzie went to great lengths to explain how she could go to jail. Alexis understood that also.”
“And you think that will stop her from talking to the girls. I-don’t-think-so! She’s a goddamn vigilante, and we all know where their loyalties lie—with each other. Sorry, Espinosa, but it’s the truth,” Ted said.
“Ask yourself who Alexis fears the most—us, the girls, or Lizzie? Lizzie wouldn’t bat an eye if she had to turn her in. Alexis knows that. Plus, the girls, especially Nikki, understand that confidentiality part. She wouldn’t forgive Alexis, and I also think she’d head her off at the pass if she thought Alexis was going to divulge confidential information. And she’d convince the others to do the same. Believe it or not, those women have rules and ethics that have gotten them where they are. We might not agree with them, but that’s not our problem. We’re safe,” Bert said.
“From your lips to God’s ears,” Espinosa mumbled.
“Time to make a plan, boys,” Jack said.
“We’re screwed for sure if we have to go with one of
your
plans,” Ted said, getting up to stretch his legs. “Let’s hear it!”
Jack sniffed. “I didn’t say I was going to make a plan, I said it’s time to make a plan, that means all of us have input. Your problem, Ted, is that you’re afraid of Maggie. You need to think on your own. You have to learn how to act independent of Maggie. We’re here for you, aren’t we, Harry?”
Harry looked over at Ted. “Uh-huh.”
“Yeah, sure, whatever. So, let’s hear your contribution to our plan, and it better not have anything to do with pumpkins,” Ted said ominously.
B
ert looked around the office as though he hoped for an idea to land square in his lap. He shrugged and waved toward Jack when there was no lightning bolt. “So, articulate, Mr. Emery. What kind of plan?”
Jack looked around at the skeptical faces staring at him. He, too, shrugged. “I guess we just go for a walk around the White House and watch to see who shows up. It’s not exactly a plan, more like surveillance in my opinion. And, guys, we aren’t even sure that Elias is going to the White House. Nellie just
thinks
that’s where he was going because of the suit and polished shoes. I’m thinking we should be in position about three-thirty. If there is a meeting, no one wants to be late. Scratch that to three-fifteen, forty-five minutes prior to the meeting. They have to sign in, get rid of the junk they’re carrying, be escorted to an anteroom, where they wait for the president to see them. Actually, a full hour is probably more like it. Harry can do a few spins on his Ducati, and Bert and I can alternate going round and round while we all keep our cell phones turned on for easy communication. Ted will be the one who knows first where Elias is headed. If it even looks like he’s headed for the White House, we get in position and start our surveillance. That’s my input. You guys got anything to add, feel free to share it with us right now.”
Ted stuffed a pastry into his mouth and mumbled something that sounded like, “That works for me, stupid as it sounds.” He licked his fingers and reached for another gooey bun, thinking, if Maggie were here, the pastries would be gone in the blink of an eye. He ate a third one, telling himself it was for Maggie.
“Yeah,” Espinosa said.
“Once we confirm that a meeting is actually going on and identify the attendees, what’s the next step?” Bert asked.
No one had an answer to the question.
“When are you guys outta here and what are you going to do when you close down the office?” Espinosa asked.
“Two weeks, give or take,” Jack said. “Most of the cases and files have already been transferred to Nikki’s firm. Bert and I are just cleaning up a few pro bono cases Lizzie had on her calendar. It’s a good thing. I wasn’t cut out to be a defense attorney or a corporate attorney or any other kind of attorney except a prosecutor. Bert said he feels the same way. But to answer your question, I don’t know what the hell I’m going to do. My old boss is trying to win me back but … I don’t know, it isn’t feeling right.” He looked over at Bert to see what he was going to say.
Bert threw his hands in the air. “I’m in the same place Jack is. After being director of the FBI, then going through that nightmare with Jellicoe … I’m kind of up in the air about which direction I want to go in. We’ve got nest eggs now, thanks to Lizzie. When I make my decision, I want it to be the right one this time around. You know how it goes, by the time you hit forty, you want to be settled for the long haul.”
Harry startled everyone by saying, “That’s about the most intelligent thing I’ve heard since we arrived.”
“Well, thank you, Harry Wong,” Bert and Jack said in unison.
“Who’s moving into these digs once you clear things out?” Espinosa asked.
“Another small law firm. Two lawyers—brothers, actually. Nice guys. They bought all the furniture, even the pictures on the walls. All they have to do is move in. Actually, they’re taking over Lizzie’s lease, which still has four years to run. That’s Lizzie, hedging her bets in case she ever wants to come back,” Jack said.
“Well, as far as I can tell, guys, we’re done here. Espinosa and I better get on the road,” Ted said as he reached for the last pastry on the plate. “Thanks for the eats. Lunch would have been better, but beggars can’t be choosers.” He gathered up the backpack he was never without and headed for the door, Espinosa in his wake.
“Starting at two-thirty, call, and we’ll arrange an open line,” Jack said.
“You got it!”
When the door closed behind Ted and Espinosa, Harry bounced out of his chair. “Something’s wrong here.”
“No shit!” Jack said.
“There’s always something wrong,” Bert said. “You got any clues, any insight into what that might be, Harry?”
“Well, for starters, what business is it of ours where Elias goes? So we’re doing Nellie a favor by spying on him. That’s it. So what? We don’t even know if anyone else is going to the White House. Ted said it himself, that he wanted to know
in case,
the operative words here are
in case,
Maggie asked who else was there. This does not smell or feel like a mission to me, and furthermore, the girls are out of business, so the point is moot,” Harry said.
“Son of a bitch!” Jack said, ticking off his fingers. “You just said eighty-seven words all in one breath. Way to go, Harry!”
“Eat shit, Jack.”
“Boys! Boys! Enough with the compliments. There is that little matter of… Annie and her date with Fergus Duffy. That’s important, but I don’t know why. Maybe because the guy never met her. Don’t give me any of that shit that he saw a picture of her and he’s lusting after her. I suppose he could be lusting after her money. Don’t get me wrong here, there’s nothing wrong with Annie in the looks department, and she does have a winning personality. What I’m saying is, why Annie?”
“Maybe because Myra is married and the others are too young for him. Fergus Duffy is an old geezer. I’m thinking that might be the fly in the ointment in what’s going on or at the very least motivating the girls to help Nellie. Always bear in mind the girls only tell us what they want us to know. Always, always, remember that,” Jack said ominously.
“They miss the action, the adrenaline rush,” Harry said.
“Harry, you are absolutely amazing today. I cannot believe how astute you are. You’re absolutely right on that, too. To be honest with you, I kind of miss it myself. This,” he said, waving his arms about, “is about as exciting as watching paint dry.”
“You are a witty man, Jack Emery.” Bert guffawed.
Harry wisely remained silent.
“Hey, Bert, I have an idea. You still have contacts at the Bureau. How about giving one of them a call and see if you can find out if the director has a four o’clock meeting at the White House today,” Jack said.
Bert thought about the request and shrugged. “I can try, but that doesn’t mean my guy will even know, and even if he does know, he might not share his info with me. We’re talking FBI here, and the FBI does not have loose lips. He might have to do some hand-wringing and get back to me. It could be a hard sell, and I am persona non grata, as we all know.”
“You won’t know unless you try, so just do it,” Jack said.
Bert did it. Harry and Jack listened to what Jack later described as Bert’s version of sweet talking. The sweet talking consisted of the promise of two tickets to the first Redskins game, dinner at Wasabi for two, and sixteen gallons of free gas.
“Well, boys,” Bert said as he powered down his cell phone, “I think I got more than I bargained for. My buddy just told me that Director Yantzy is indeed headed to the White House, and he is royally pissed—the director, not my guy—because … he is going to have to see Calvin Span, the director of the CIA, at the same meeting along with, are you ready for this one? Donald Frank, Secretary of Homeland Security. John Yantzy hates Calvin Span the way I hate rattlesnakes.
“By the way, I was sort of hoping Span wasn’t going to return to the CIA after his open-heart surgery back before we joined up with Jellicoe. When they appointed Karen Star as his temporary replacement, I cheered her on. Langley loved her as much as they hated Span, but I see now he’s back in the saddle. He should have stepped down for good. I wish they’d boot his ass to the curb. So, there you have it. What say you all? Harry is so right, I’m smelling something here.”
“And he just gave that all up with all those promises you made,” Harry scoffed.
“Well, yeah. He did say everyone in the Bureau heard the director bellowing about the meeting, and he didn’t think it was a secret, so he told me. It’s so wonderful to have friends in high places. We have to divvy up on the promises I made. Three ways, boys, five hundred each should do it! Remember this—I am only as good as the promises I make and the promises I keep. Shell it out and smile while you’re doing it.”
Jack and Harry handed over the money. Bert pocketed it gleefully as Jack immediately started to text Ted to bring him up to speed.
“Wonder who else is in town that we don’t know about, aside from Fergus Duffy,” Bert mused more to himself than to anyone else.
“Maggie might know. I can’t remember who the
Post’s
White House reporter is because they rotate them from time to time. Shoot, we should have thought to ask Ted. Now, if we were astrologers, we could figure out if the confluence of the planets is merging with the stars and what the outlook will be for this afternoon.” Jack grinned from ear to ear at the stupid look on Harry’s face.