Chapter 26
T
hey were in place. The six-room apartment on Kilbourne Place was in lockdown mode.
Isabelle turned on the big-screen TV. “What will it be, girls? The Cooking Channel, the Shopping Channel, or
The Ellen Show
?”
“What are they cooking?” Kathryn asked.
Isabelle clicked on the Cooking Channel. “Some kind of fish with the head still on it. They're going to stuff it. Yuck! They're selling handbags on the Shopping Channel. Made out of candy wrappers. You wanna watch that?”
“Why not? A girl can always use another handbag,” Alexis said as she peered at the colorful bags lacquered to a high shine.
The truth was, no one was the least bit interested in what was on the big screen. They were just yakking to pass the time until they got the call from Avery that Mr. OO was on the way.
“The roads are pretty good, and it finally stopped snowing. Maybe our guy will leave early today to beat traffic,” Annie said.
“You wish,” Myra said as she reached for the pearls that were no longer around her neck.
“The minute Avery calls, we have to go dark, and that means turning off the television,” Nikki said. “I wonder how Jack and the others are making out with Jason Parker. No one said what
their
game plan was to get him here.”
Yoko laughed. “Harry will simply put him to sleep, and they'll carry him in. Harry has no patience.”
Myra's and Nikki's phones rang at the same time. Isabelle quickly turned off the TV. Her hand was on the light switch to darken the apartment when Nikki held up her hand, a signal to wait. Both women listened to the voices on the other end of their phones. Nikki spoke first. “Yoko was right. Parker is asleep in the back of Ted's car. They should be here in fifteen minutes. They cleaned out his office. They're bringing all his files, his client list, his personal laptop, and all the computers his people use.
“Parker Investments is no longer in business. They even put a sign on the door to that effect. It's a good thing that Avery's people cleared the street and put up those
NO PARKING
signs so we would all have parking spaces. That yellow tape is like magic. People actually respect it.”
“Mr. OO's ETA is in twenty-five minutes, according to Avery. He's driving in front of him, and two of his people are behind him in case he makes a stop along the way. We'll be cutting it close if Jack and the boys are running late. Avery did say the roads are starting to ice up, so driving is hazardous,” Myra said.
“So we sit and wait. Ten more minutes of light, then we cut it off,” Nikki said.
“Are we going to shout âSurprise!'” Kathryn asked. “Do any of you think he's going to put up a fight?”
“If you want to, dear. Cornered rats usually either spring at their tormentor or scurry off into the dark. By the way, have you all noticed that the man doesn't even have an artificial Christmas tree? There are no signs anywhere that a holiday is approaching,” Annie said.
“And this means . . . what?” Yoko asked.
Annie shrugged. “Men aren't like women when it comes to holidays and sentiment. I read that somewhere. You can't just ignore Christmas,” Annie said fretfully.
“Don't worry, dear. We'll make sure Mr. OO knows it is the holiday season,” Myra said grimly.
The room went silent. Kathryn and Isabelle moved to the front window so they could report what was happening. Avery Snowden and Jack were reporting in every five minutes with progress updates.
“Douse the lights. A car is coming down the street very slowly. I think it's Jack. Yes, it's Jack, and Ted is right behind him. I wish we'd had the foresight to knock out that streetlight two doors up. No one is on the street, though, that I can see,” Kathryn said.
“Okay, they're parking now. Doors are opening. Mr. OO is going to have to park behind him. I hope that doesn't make him suspicious that his parking space has been taken by a strange car,” Isabelle said. “Ted has Parker on his shoulder. Okay, they're coming up the steps now. Door is opening downstairs. Someone needs to show them the way with the flashlight.”
Nikki ran out to the hall with her Maglite.
Myra clicked on her phone, listened, and powered down. “Avery said ten more minutes, nine if they make the next traffic light.”
A commotion ensued as the boys, in a change of plans, dumped Jason Parker on Mr. OO's bed, then duct-taped him to the bedpost. Jack's arms were full of files and laptops, as were everyone else's. He dumped everything unceremoniously on the floor.
Nikki handed Jack a flashlight. “You guys stay in here until we call you, okay? How long is he going to be out for?”
“How long do you want him out?” Harry asked.
“At least twenty minutes,” Nikki responded.
“Your wish is my command,” Harry said, walking over to the sleeping man. He bent down, touched his neck, and smiled at the little group. “Done.”
“Jack, the minute Orzell reaches the top of the steps and opens the door to the apartment, you and Bert hit the hallway in case he backs out and tries to run,” Nikki said.
“Gotcha.”
Kathryn shouted from down the hall. “He's here. At least I think it's him. He must have made the traffic light. Yep, it's him. Avery is right in front of him and parking farther down the street. Okay, he's out of the car and walking toward the steps. Everyone in position now.”
No one breathed as they waited for the door to open. The minute it opened and Mr. OO stepped into the room, Annie turned on the overhead light. “Surprise! Surprise!” they all shouted.
Owen Orzell froze in place, a look of pure horror on his face. “Who are you? How did you get in here?”
“You have to guess who we are. And we came down the chimney like good old St. Nick,” Myra said.
“Oh, sweet Jesus, you're the vigilantes. I recognize you. I don't have a chimney or a fireplace.”
“There you go!” Kathryn said, giving him a push that sent him flying across the room.
Alexis picked him up and set him on one of the dining-room chairs they'd brought into the living room.
“Sit!”
she said.
Orzell sat, his face mottled with fear.
Annie moved across the room to stand in front of their captive. “Now, listen to me very carefully, Mr. Orzell, because I will repeat nothing. We're going to ask you some questions, and if you answer them quickly and truthfully, we will not peel the skin off your face and pour vinegar on said face. We might or might not push your ugly face into a salt box. After we give you your facial peel.”
“Please don't hurt me. I'll tell you anything you want to know. I knew this day was coming. Span said it would never happen, but I knew he was lying.”
The Sisters stared at the man in disbelief. “I can tell, this is not going to be any fun,” Kathryn muttered.
“Talk!” Myra said.
“Promise you won't hurt me. I can't stand pain. Blood, either. I get sick. You were joking about . . . about peeling the skin off my face, weren't you?”
“No promises. We do not give a good rat's ass if you can't stand pain or blood or if you get sick. We were more than serious about your facial skin,” Alexis said, pulling out a KA-BAR knife and a bottle of white vinegar from her red bag.
Annie looked over at Myra and hissed, “So much for going out in a blaze of glory. This looks to me like a shoo-in. I was hoping for some fireworks.”
“I know, dear, but we have to play the cards we're dealt. The evening isn't over yet.”
“We're waiting,” Nikki said. “How about this for a jumping-off spot? Tell us how a dead man can be living upstairs on the third floor?”
“You know about Joel?” Orzell said.
“And the staircase leading to the third floor. We also know about Jason Parker. Actually, Mr. Parker is snoozing on your bed as we speak,” Nikki said.
Something sparked defiantly in Orzell's eyes. “Well, if you know all that, then why are you asking me?”
“Confirmation. Do not make the mistake of lying to us, and while you're at it, wipe that smirk off your face,” Alexis snarled as she advanced with the fighting knife.
Annie perked up. Maybe that blaze of glory was going to happen, after all. She deflated like a pricked balloon when Orzell said, “Oh, God, please don't hurt me.”
“Talk fast,” Kathryn said as she bent over until she was a mere inch from Orzell's face.
“It was Span. He had a gambling problem. He was really good at ferreting out other people's weaknesses and making those weaknesses work for him. I like to gamble, too. He saw me in Las Vegas once, and that's how it all started. He lost over two hundred thousand dollars that night. Even if I was stupid, which I'm not, that put up a red flag to me. A director of the CIA does not make the kind of money where he can lose that much money in one night and not break a sweat.
“Eight years ago, about a year after Joel died, Span came to me, since I am the guardian of the CIA fund, and gave me a pitch about God and country and how this guy Jellicoe was going to single-handedly make the world a better place. It was a crock, but I went along with it. I was pretty down at the time because of my best friend's death, but I know that's no excuse. Jellicoe charged outrageous sums of money for his government contracts, which were numerous, but there were caps on those contracts. Span made up the difference from the fund I control.”
“Where does Jason Parker come into all of this?” Nikki asked.
“The monies in the fund just sit there. They are never invested. It's like a never-ending source of money flowing in from drug deals abroad, auctions. It just never stopped. Span suggested we take some of it and invest it, and the two of us would keep the earnings. He found Parker. We had a meeting, and I pretended to be Joel Jessup because, for obvious reasons, I couldn't use my real name. I was the client. My fund's money is what put Parker in business, but it was all a scam. He was just like that guy Bernie Madoff. But I have to say, he paid me off. The last two months the earnings went down, but not enough to alarm either Span or me. The economy,” he said, as if that explained everything.
“How much money did you two skim off?” Annie asked, a dangerous glint in her eye.
Orzell licked at his lips. “A lot.”
Alexis advanced with the KA-BAR in one hand and the vinegar bottle in the other.
“Upward of a hundred million.”
“Dollars?” Myra squawked.
“Where is it?” Nikki demanded.
“Mine is offshore, what I didn't gamble away. I honest to God don't know where Span's is. He went nuts when Jellicoe was arrested, and he got fired. In case you don't know this, Span was found dead this morning. I heard the news at the Pentagon. He was shoveling snow and keeled over. He knew better than to shovel snow after his open-heart surgery a few years ago, but he went ahead and did it, anyway. I think he had a death wish. That means he's off the hook, and I take the fall for all of it, right?”
Annie blinked. The blaze of glory looked like nothing but smoke just then. “Right,” she said through clenched teeth.
“How much did you filter?” Myra asked.
“Millions and millions,” was the response. “It's all in the computer.”
“Give me your password,” Nikki demanded. “If you don't, I have a program that will crack it. But if we do that, you'll be in pain a lot longer.”
Alexis waved the wicked-looking knife in front of Orzell's face.
“That won't be necessary. My password is Yenom. It's
money
spelled backward.”
“How much of the fund's money is still in Jason Parker's hands?” Myra asked.
“Tens of millions.”
“We want it. We want yours, too.” Kathryn whistled sharply, and Bert poked his head in the door. “Showtime. Wake him up and bring him and his personal laptop in here!”
“Okay, honey.”
Kathryn blushed, and then she shrugged.
“Who else knows about all this?” Yoko asked.
“How should I know?” When the knife was a millimeter away from his hairline, Orzell said, “The president. At least I think she knows. She wanted to make a substantial transfer, but I stalled her. She wasn't even supposed to know about this special fund so she could plead plausible deniability. When I told Span, he said she was chasing ghosts and trying to scare me, and I should just hold tight.”
“We need to huddle,” Nikki whispered to the others.
Kathryn looked down at Orzell. “You so much as twitch, and we'll peel the skin off your ass and . . . assorted other places.”