Authors: Fern Michaels
“Okay,” Annie said agreeably, “but what exactly am I buying, ladies?”
“Three hundred and fifty acres of prime Virginia real estate. That’s how many acres are on the Needleman parcel. The layout is pretty much the same as my place here and Nellie’s farm, though mine is considerably larger. It will need a lot of work, but like I said, Isabelle is your girl. Oh, Annie, this is your chance to put down those roots and still be close to me and Nellie, not to mention all the girls. It’s the perfect solution. But you have to be happy with the purchase. I know you’re into bright lights and glitz and glamour, but this could be your nest to come home to when you’re … you know … burned out from that busy life.”
“Okay, I’ll call Conrad and tell him to do it. He’s my business manager,” Annie said for Nellie’s benefit. “Do you know the name of the Realtor?”
“Alice Orman, Adventure Travel. It’s right on Main Street in town.”
“Okay, I’m going to do it. By the way, how much is it?”
“Well the barber said it was reduced from thirty-seven million to thirty-six but he, the barber, thinks you can get it for thirty-five. I’d offer thirty-four five and offer a cash deal, no mortgage. The barber said the estate is eager to sell, and in this economy they might jump at a cash sale.”
“I’ll have to buy it through one of my holding companies. If they find out I’m the buyer, the price will double or triple. People think I’m made of money and stupid at the same time.”
“That should work,” Myra said happily. “You might want to stop by the barbershop and offer the barber a finder’s fee or whatever it is they give someone who turns you on to a property.”
“I do love the way you spend my money, Myra.” As she punched in her business manager’s phone number, Annie said, “Maggie’s on it. A tail will pick up Elias at the gas station. She’s going to have Joseph do it. She said he is exceptional at tailing cars. She’s going to have Ted positioned somewhere farther on to pick him up the closer he gets to town. She’s on that, too, and that’s all we have to worry about.” Annie turned her back and spoke quickly to the person on the other end of her cell phone. She was beaming when she hung up.
“I do think, ladies, I may very well be your new neighbor very shortly.”
Myra and Nellie jumped right in with suggestions.
“A sunroom for the morning sun where you can have your coffee.”
“The library has to be redone, and I think mahogany would be great.”
“Super-duper state-of-the-art kitchen that will make Charles drool.”
“One of those really modern bathrooms with thirty-seven jets to pound your body!”
“A real veranda with a lot of Southern rocking chairs.”
And on and on it went until Annie’s cell rang. She was grinning from ear to ear when she said, “The estate accepted my offer for thirty-four five. In thirty days, I will be your new neighbor!”
“All rightttt! Myra, what does this call for?” Nellie asked.
“Mr. Kentucky himself. Coming right up,” Myra said as she headed for the kitchen and the bourbon. “Should we include Charles in this little celebration?”
“Let’s not,” Nellie said cheerfully.
“Okay,” Myra said just as cheerfully.
Within minutes the celebration party was on.
When all three cell phones rang, one after the other, four hours later, there was no one coherent or who cared enough to answer them except Charles, who had just come out to the terrace to ask what the ladies would like for dinner. Lady and her pups were lying on the deck, whimpering and whining at these strange goings-on. Charles picked up the phone, clicked it on, and heard Maggie giving him a breathless update. He listened, frowned, and told her to keep calling with updates, as Myra, Annie, and Nellie were indisposed.
“You mean they’re snookered? What are they celebrating?”
“God alone knows. Do you want to tell me why you’re tailing Elias? No, this is not need to know, Maggie. I
do
need to know, and I need to know
now
!”
M
aggie Spritzer slowly took the skin off a banana, then leaned back in her comfortable chair. She was wearing what she called her granny glasses. She peered over the top of them as she glared at her star reporter, a.k.a. her fiancé, and his partner, her star photographer. She chomped down on the banana and motioned for the duo to take a seat.
“I’m not going to like this, am I?” Ted grumbled.
“Probably not, but ask me if I care. A job is a job, you take the good with the bad. Actually, I’m going to give you a choice, so think carefully before you answer me. That goes for you, too, Espinosa.”
“I live to serve you, Mighty EIC,” Espinosa said, waving his arm to indicate he was totally at her disposal.
“Suck up!” Ted hissed.
Maggie waited as she worked on the banana. When she was satisfied she had both men’s complete attention, she said, “This is your choice. Saint Anthony’s is having their Christmas-in-July bazaar this afternoon. They expect a tremendous turnout. They have a lady attending who makes purses out of candy wrappers. The newest rage, I’m told. She’s donating over five hundred of the purses to the bazaar. The church is going to use the proceeds from the affair to send the inner-city kids to camp next summer. A profile of the donor would be great. Now, if you two don’t want to cover the bazaar, I understand, so that’s why I’m giving you a choice here. Your second choice is to tail Elias Cummings. He should be leaving the farm around two-thirty if Nellie’s intel is on the money, and I see no reason it wouldn’t be since she’s married to the man. Espinosa, you pick him up as soon as he hits the highway after he leaves the farm. Ted, you pick him up as soon as he hits the District.”
Maggie tossed the banana skin into her trash basket and broke open a package of Oreos. “So, what’s it going to be, the bazaar or the tail job?”
“That’s a no-brainer, Maggie. You gonna tell us why we’re tailing one of our own? Don’t try pulling that NTK on us because if it was need to know, you wouldn’t be sending us out to do this job. What the hell is going on?” Ted demanded.
Maggie pretended to think about the question. She shrugged. Annie hadn’t said she couldn’t clue in her people, and besides, if she couldn’t trust Ted and Espinosa, whom could she trust?
“It seems Elias has been acting very secretive of late. Nellie says he tells her
everything,
that they have no secrets from each other. Unlike some people I know,” Maggie said, fixing her steely gaze on her fiancé. Nellie managed to check Elias’s phone on the sly, and it seems the White House has been calling. Yesterday, or maybe it was this morning, Nellie said he got out his best suit, the one he wears to funerals; he polished his wing tips, got a haircut, and picked out a power tie. All he would tell her was he had a meeting today at four o’clock. You are tailing him so I can report to Annie, who will then report to Nellie, her husband’s whereabouts. I don’t think I need to remind you that the Countess de Silva owns this paper. We do what we’re told. Joyfully, willingly, and we smile while we’re doing it. Any questions?”
“More a comment than a question,” Ted said bravely. “Elias was the director of the FBI before Bert took over. I’m sure he’s been called to the White House so they could … you know, maybe pick his brain, some forgotten case the Bureau worked on, and they want clarification, that kind of thing.”
Maggie finished off the Oreos and yanked at a bag of pretzels from the overflowing goodies drawer in her desk. “Ya think, Ted?”
Espinosa decided it was time to weigh in. “Shame on you, Ted. Everyone knows Maggie is the one who does the thinking. We’re here to serve, to do her bidding, and we
never
ask questions. Is there a bonus involved in this?”
“No, there is not. The two of you are still standing here. Move! Go! Call in every thirty minutes or text me. If you’re late, you work the bazaar tomorrow since it’s a two-day affair.”
Phone in hand, Maggie called Annie. “We’re good to go.”
Outside, in the summer sunshine, Ted looked at Espinosa and snarled. “What the hell was that all about? I don’t like this. If I thought for a minute it was just Nellie getting her bloomers in a knot, I wouldn’t have a problem tailing Elias. This ain’t some domestic issue. You agree or disagree, Espinosa?”
Espinosa looked down at his watch. “We have two hours till we have to leave. We can either go to an early lunch or do what you’re thinking, which is to head over to Lizzie’s office to see Jack and Bert. Five bucks says they are not in the loop on this. We better call Harry, too, and tell him to meet us there. You call him, Ted.”
“I’m not calling him, you call him. That crazy bastard can send death vibes through the phone, and I want to stay alive so I can spy on Elias Cummings as per my assignment. Do it, Espinosa.” When Espinosa didn’t pull out his BlackBerry, Ted said, “Look, you don’t have to have a running dialogue with him. State the facts and hang up. As long as we tell him what’s going on, we’re in the clear, and he won’t kill us. He just gets pissy when he’s excluded. So! Will you do it already?”
Espinosa hopped from one foot to the other as he toyed with his BlackBerry. “I have a better idea, Ted. I’ll text him!”
“Listen, you dumb shit, Harry does not text. We’re lucky he answers the phone, and he might not answer, and you can leave a voice mail. You’re wasting time.”
Ted didn’t realize he was holding his breath until Espinosa blurted out his message, which had to mean Harry was live on the other end. “Well?”
“He didn’t say a word. You heard my end of the conversation. Now what?”
“Now we hail a cab and head over to Lizzie’s office. I still can’t believe Bert and Jack are working there. I know it’s just temporary until Lizzie can transfer everything over to Nikki’s firm, but it still isn’t working for me.”
“I wonder what Alexis will do when the office shuts down for good,” Espinosa said fretfully.
“Do I have to do all your thinking? She’ll go to work for Nikki, or else she’ll open her own business. She’s got a good business head on her shoulders. You’re still smarting over the fact that she won’t marry you, eh? You know that living-in-sin shit you keep talking about is a real turnoff to women. You know that, right, Espinosa?”
“I don’t want to talk about it, Ted, so stop sticking your nose in my personal life.”
“Cranky today, aren’t we? Alexis is a fine woman, but then you already know that. I don’t know what she sees in you to begin with. Be a shame if she bails on you for your puritanical attitude. Get it through your head, some women just do not want to get married. Look how Maggie is dragging her feet. Not that I mind. Kathryn made it very clear to Bert she won’t marry him. That should tell you something. All I’m saying, Espinosa, is this—don’t do something stupid like give Alexis an ultimatum. Well, we’re here!” Ted said cheerfully, as the cab pulled to the curb. He tossed some bills over the top of the seat, grabbed a receipt that he would fill in later, and exited the cab.
“Follow me,” Ted said.
“Why should I?” Espinosa snarled.
“Because if you don’t, I’m ratting you out to Maggie.”
“You are dumber than I thought. Maggie is not supposed to know we’re here.”
“There is that,” Ted said agreeably, as both men went off into peals of laughter.
Alexis Thorne looked up and smiled when she saw Ted and Espinosa enter the office. “How nice to see you two. Did you come to take me to lunch?”
“Nope. We need to see Bert and Jack. Are they free?”
Alexis laughed, a delightful musical sound that rendered Espinosa witless. Ted had to drag him down the hall to Jack’s and Bert’s offices. They turned when they heard Alexis squeal Harry’s name. For some crazy reason, Ted flattened himself against one wall while Espinosa did the same thing on the opposite wall. Harry laughed, an evil sound, as he danced past them straight into Jack’s office.
Jack looked up, a confused look on his face. “What did I forget?”
“Nothing,” Ted said. “We come bearing news. Of course it goes without saying we are not supposed to be here, and for God’s sake, don’t tell Maggie or our asses are grass. She’ll fire us in a New York minute. We literally took our lives in hand by coming here.”
“Bert!” Jack bellowed. “Get in here! We have company!”
“Looks like old home week.” Bert grinned as he came through the door. “What’s up? Were we supposed to do lunch or something?”
Everyone took a seat in Lizzie’s luxurious office. Jack pressed a button to ask for coffee and sweet rolls. “Unless you guys want to go to lunch?”
“Coffee’s fine. We don’t have all that much time before we have to head out on Maggie’s orders. It goes without saying we are not supposed to be here. Maggie will hand us our heads if she finds out.
Capisce?
”
Jack looked at Bert. Bert looked at Jack. Harry tilted his head to the side, his eyes dreamy and unfocused.
His eyes on Harry, Ted rushed to tell his story. When he was finished, Harry relaxed and slouched down in his chair. “It means something, but we don’t know what. Whatever
it
is, it concerns the girls. Just the fact that Elias is keeping it all secret from Nellie is all they need to know. Their imaginations are running wild, ditto for Maggie, and that’s why we have to tail him this afternoon. We came here for your input and to spring you on this nice sunny day. We could use some help, and by help I mean … we’re going to be busy. Maggie would like to know who else is going to this little meeting at the White House. She didn’t say she wanted to know, but I’m anticipating her asking, and God help me if I don’t have the answer. We thought you two could sort of spot for us. Don’t forget that Fergus Duffy, the guy from Scotland Yard, is here in town.”
Jack looked up, a frown building on his face. He was about to question Ted when a motherly looking woman wearing shell-rimmed glasses entered the room carrying a tray with coffee and pastries. “It’s okay, Melissa, we can pour our own coffee. Will you tell Alexis on your way out to hold all of Bert’s and my calls?”
“Sure thing, Mr. Emery.”
When the door closed behind Melissa, Jack leaned forward. “Yeah, things are slow here. Bert and I can do that. The Secret Service hates us, you know that, right? If they get downwind of the fact that we’re spying on the White House, they’ll fry our asses. Just so you know, Ted.”