“Please don't hurt me. I won't move. I swear I won't twitch or blink.”
Kathryn laughed, a truly evil sound.
“I think he's telling the truth,” Myra whispered. “We'll know for sure when Nikki logs on to his and Parker's computers.”
Bert and Harry took that moment to lead a groggy Jason Parker into the room. Jack dragged another chair from the dining room and set it next to where Owen Orzell was sitting.
Parker was a little braver than Orzell. “I know who you are, and you're breaking the law because you were pardoned, and here you all are, up to the same old tricks. You kidnapped me. That's against the law. I demand that you release me right now.”
“Shut up!” Alexis said.
“Don't tell me to shut up. I'm on a first-name basis with the president of the United States.”
“A pity she doesn't know that. Now, sit down and listen to what I am going to tell you. Either you give us the information we want, or we will simply peel the skin off your face and then pour vinegar all over it, after which we will roll that same face in a bucket of salt,” Alexis said.
Parker's eyes rolled back in his head. Jack jerked him upright.
“Tell them what they want to know, Parker. They're going to find out, anyway,” Orzell said.
“What did you tell them, you weasel?”
“Don't call me a weasel, you slimeball. I told them everything. Don't try playing innocent, because I know Span told you everything. These women are the vigilantes, and they don't take prisoners. Everyone in the damn world knows that.”
Nikki had the two laptops open and was typing furiously. She looked up a moment later and confirmed, “He was telling the truth about his password.”
“Must be your lucky day, you piece of crap,” Alexis said, lowering the KA-BAR to her side. “Okay, Mr. Parker, you're up. Give us your password, and I won't peel the skin off your face. They say vinegar burns like hell.”
“No way am I giving you my password! If you're so damn smart, figure it out.”
“Now you see, there's a problem there. We really don't have time for fun and games. Either you give it up now, or you both get a facial peel. Your choice,” Isabelle said.
Alexis looked over at Orzell. “This might be a good time for you to tell your buddy here that the game is over, and if he doesn't cough up the password, you both get the peel, and he goes first.”
“Parker, give it up, for God's sake. There's no way either one of us can win this. Besides, you're a damn crook, bilking people out of money just like that scum Madoff.”
“And aren't you the lily-white little weasel.”
“No, I'm not a lily-white weasel. I'm guilty just the way you're guilty. At least I had the good sense to own up to it. Look at them, for Christ's sake. They have blood in their eyes. They won't blink if they start skinning you. The president pardoned them, and here they are, doing what they did before the pardon, so that means the president knows about it. She's looking the other way, you stupid clod.”
For the first time, Parker looked unsure of himself. “Okay, let's cut a deal here. I tell you the password, and you let me walk out of here.”
The women doubled over laughing. “Sweetie, you aren't going anywhere except where we send you. We closed up your office. You are officially out of business and have left the country. We're going to give your clients back all their money, plus a little extra for being stupid enough to get involved with you,” Annie said.
Alexis walked behind Parker's chair, grabbed a handful of hair, and yanked his head back. “On the count of three, I'm going to slice off the top of your scalp, roots, skin, and all, if you don't give up the password. One! Two!”
“Okay, okay! It's Rich.”
Nikki looked up. “That's stupid. I would have guessed that right away. What's the password for your client list?”
Alexis gave Parker's head another jerk backward, the tip of the KA-BAR digging into his skull. “Fools. As in plural.”
“Look who's the fool now,” Nikki said as she typed in the passwords. “Well, lookie here! This sure is a lot of money just sitting there. Let's see, how should I divert it? I think I'm going to need more time to decide what I want to do with it. You, too, Orzell. Now tell me where that really big fund is, Mr. Orzell, and the name of it and how you work it.”
“It's all in a file named Rose of Sharon. It was my mother's favorite flower. Everything is in the file, the brokerage houses, the account numbers, the offshore money, all of it. You aren't going to take my personal money, are you? My parents and my friend Joel left me an inheritance. You can't take that!”
“Oh, you silly, silly man, of course we're going to take it. Where you're going, you aren't going to need money. I'm going to print out some quitclaim deeds you're going to sign so your properties become ours. We are going to have such a good time spending your money. Yours, too, Parker,” Nikki said.
Nikki turned to Jack and said, “Go into his office and hook up his printer. I'm going to download the deeds. Alexis is a notary, and I'm sure she has her seal in her red bag.”
“You're thieves!” Parker spat.
“Yes, we are,” Nikki said agreeably. “Rich thieves,” she clarified.
Jason Parker sprang off his chair and lunged at Nikki. Harry moved quicker than lightning, and the next thing they knew, Jason Parker was out cold across the room.
Owen Orzell started to cry.
“Will you just shut up already? It is so unmanly to snivel like that,” Kathryn barked.
“Did you really think you were going to get away with this?” Myra asked in a tone that she would use to discuss the weather with a friend.
“At first I did. Then, when Span started gambling more and more and demanded more money, I knew it was just a matter of time. Will it do any good to say I'm sorry? It's all drug money, anyway, from around the world that found its way into the CIA coffers.”
“Where did you lose all that money, Mr. Orzell?” Annie asked.
“Vegas. I'm a gambling addict, but not as bad as Span was. I knew when to hold and when to fold. He didn't.”
“Which casino did you lose all that money in?” Annie asked.
“That big one, Babylon.”
“Really!” Annie trilled. “Span, too?”
“That was his favorite casino. And now he's dead.”
“That is just too interesting. I don't suppose you have his bank account numbers, or do you?” Annie asked, a decided gleam in her eye.
“Stop thinking I'm some dumb schmuck. Of course I have his account numbers. How else do you think he got the money? Do you think I met him in some dark alley and handed over a check? I don't think so! I wired the money to his banks. It's in the file under his name. If you plan on taking it, you'd better do it quick, before a couple of his ex-wives go after it.”
“Why, Mr. Orzell, thank you for that valuable information,” Nikki said. The Sisters watched as she tapped at the keys. A blizzard of numbers rushed across the screen. “It's all ours now!”
“I cooperated. Please let me go. I'll quit gambling. I'll get a job working at some fast-food joint. I'll stay on the straight and narrow. I swear, I promise never to gamble again. I helped you. Please!” Orzell wailed.
“You need to shut up, or I'm going to knock your teeth out and stuff them down your throat. You are a gutless wonder, and we are not going to let you go. That's the bottom line,” Yoko said sweetly.
Orzell howled his misery just as Jack returned with the quitclaim deeds. “Sign on the dotted line.” Orzell signed, his hand shaking so badly Kathryn had to threaten him again.
“You're up, Parker! Sign here!” Kathryn said as Ted and Espinosa dragged a sputtering, kicking, panic-stricken man over to the pool of light in the living room. “Sign your name and be quick about it.”
With no other recourse available to him, Jason Parker signed his name on every piece of paper Jack handed him. Alexis squatted down and dug her notary seal out of her red bag but not before she handed the KA-BAR to Kathryn, who waved it about like a sword.
“Well, I think our work here is done,” Annie said.
“And we didn't spill a drop of blood. We didn't do anything violent. We acted like the civilized women we are,” Myra said. “I'm very proud of all of us tonight.”
“I really hate to bring this up, Myra, but I wanted us to go out in a blaze of glory. I really did. We didn't even make a puff of smoke.”
Myra patted Annie's hand. “I know, dear. Sometimes things just don't work out the way we plan for them to. But we accomplished what we set out to do. Nikki and the girls will make all that money go where it belongs. The president will be happy that we kept our bargain.”
“I wanted that blaze of glory, Myra,” Annie said stubbornly.
“Yes, well, I want my pearls back, too, but that isn't going to happen, since the dogs ate them. Be happy we're all walking away in one piece, that justice is done, and we have our lives back. I have to call Mr. Snowden now to have him pick up these two men. I don't think we should ask what's going to happen to them. I, for one, really do not want to know.”
The Sisters agreed with that sentiment entirely.
When the downstairs door closed behind Avery Snowden and his men, the Sisters looked at one another. No one said a word as they gathered up their belongings while the boys carted all the computers out to the cars.
“We'll have to send a letter to the tenants downstairs, telling them they have to relocate,” Isabelle said.
Nikki nodded.
“Then I guess there's nothing more to do here. We close up shop and . . .”
“Go home,” Annie said flatly.
“Yes, dear, we're going home,” Myra said. “Fergus is waiting for you, just the way Charles is waiting for me.” Myra turned and whispered to Annie, “Did you ask him?”
“Good Lord, no. In all the excitement, I forgot. I'll do it right now. Ted! Can I talk to you a moment?”
“Sure, Annie. What's up?”
“How would you like to be the new editor in chief of the
Post
? Maggie will be leaving after the first of the year. She suggested you take her place. She said you would do as good a job as she did. You don't have to tell me right now. There is a considerable increase in pay and some handsome perks. You can hire Joseph as your right hand if you like, and he, too, will receive a considerable pay increase. Can you let me know by January first?”
“I'll take it. I don't have to wait till January first. Joe will come on board. Did Maggie really say that?”
“She did, plus a lot more. All of it good.”
“Well, damn,” was all Ted could think of to say.
Annie smiled as she linked her arm with Myra's and followed the rest of the Sisters out the door, down the steps, and outside.
“I'm okay, Myra. I was just a little miffed back there. We'll always be friends, right? By the way, I'm going to give all the girls an interest in Big Pine Mountain for Christmas. I already have a mountain. I don't need another one. Lizzie is going to do the deeds and have them all ready for Christmas. This way, the girls can take their families and all the animals there whenever they want. If we're lucky, they might even invite us from time to time.”
“Annie, don't you dare ever change.”
“Okay, Myra, I won't. You either.”
“Never,” Myra said.
Epilogue
Thirteen months later
N
ot much had changed at Pinewood or in the Sisters' lives. Life was leisurely for Myra, Annie, Charles, and Fergus. Myra and Annie visited almost daily, weather permitting. Charles worked down in the war room, compiling what he was fond of saying were his boring memoirs. Fergus Duffy worked at his new job heading up security at Myra's candy plant, a job he professed to love.
The younger Sisters called Pinewood on a daily basis to check in, and every Sunday they and Maggie and the guys made it over to have one of Charles's home-cooked dinners and catch up on each other's lives.
They always had presents for Yoko and Harry's baby girl, because that was what seven godmothers did. Little Lotus Lily Wong was spoiled to the nth degree. Maggie and Gus had gotten married in June, only weeks after he was able to walk down the aisle. Maggie had asked Charles to give her away, and after their honeymoon, they had bought a farm property outside Richmond, where Gus was busy breeding dogs. They kept threatening to bring a puppy to give to little Lotus Lily, but so far Yoko had managed to head them off.
The weather hadn't changed much, either. It was still snowing, just the way it had snowed a year ago to the day.
Myra stood at the back door, watching the snow fall. It was quiet outside, but not as quiet as it was in the house. It did smell good, though. Charles had prepared a huge pot of chicken noodle soup, and it was simmering and throwing off tantalizing aromas. Two large chickens complete with stuffing were roasting in the oven.
“You're bored, aren't you, Mom?”
Suddenly the kitchen was filled with a blinding white light. Myra whirled, her hands going to her throat for the pearls that no longer graced her neck. Standing by the table was her beloved daughter. “Dear God,” she whispered in a strangled voice. She wanted to move, but her feet were rooted to the tile floor. “Darling girl!”
“Mummy, don't be sad. I worry about you.”
Myra reached for the edge of the counter. “You look so beautiful. I remember the day I bought you that red sweater, and you said you loved it. Why in the world would you worry about me?”
“I loved everything you ever gave me, Mom. I don't want you to be sad. Don't tell anyone I told you this, but Nik and Jack are going to be getting their new baby any day now. I am so happy for her. I stopped by her office for a chat before I came here, and she told me. She wants to tell everyone, to shout it from the rooftops, but she's afraid she'll jinx the adoption. But the real reason I stopped by was to give her Willie. She cried, Mom. She said her new baby was going to love Willie as much as I do.”
Myra did her best to absorb what she was hearing. “That . . . that's wonderful. I won't say a word, and I'll act surprised. God in heaven, I miss you, Barbara.”
“I know. I miss you, too. You're doing the right thing, you know. That's what I came to tell you. I know how worried you are, but don't be. It smells good in here. Charles was always the best cook. If I try, I can almost taste those brownies cooling on the counter.”
Tears rolled down Myra's cheeks as she walked toward the bright light and the beautiful girl in the red sweater. “I need to touch you, honey. I need to feel you. Can I do that?”
“Let's try, Mummy. Let's both try real hard.”
Her arms outstretched, Myra waited until the girl in the red sweater moved. She heard the endearing words,
“Oh, Mummy, Mummy, you feel so good, so warm, so soft, so motherly.”
“Oh, God, oh, God, you feel just the way you felt the day I held you in my arms for the first time. I can feel you. I can really feel you. I want to hold you forever, never let you go,” Myra sobbed.
The blinding white light waned, and Myra was left standing with her arms outstretched, tears rivering down her cheeks. The last words she thought she heard ricocheted inside her head. They were words Annie was fond of saying to her and they now were the words her spirit daughter was whispering.
“You rock, Mummy.”
Myra sat down on the kitchen chair where her spirit daughter had been sitting. Was it her imagination, or did the seat still feel warm? She smiled as she wiped at her tears. Well, if she even had one doubt about what she was planning, that doubt was now gone.
Off in the distance, Myra heard the sound of a horn, then a second one.
Time to get moving.
Fifteen minutes later Myra and her entourage descended the steps leading to the war room, where Charles stood waiting. The large-screen TV was on so Lady Justice could preside over the meeting and the people seated at the table.
In the middle of the table was a package wrapped in brown paper and sealing tape.
All the chairs were full.
Charles descended the two steps from his dais and stood behind Myra's chair. “Before we begin, I would like each of you to affirm that you will swear your loyalty to this little group. As I call your name, say aye or nay.
“Annie de Silva?”
“Aye.”
“Fergus Duffy?”
“Aye.”
“Nellie Easter Cummings?”
“Aye.”
“Elias Cummings?”
“Aye.”
“Pearl Barnes?”
“Aye.”
“Myra Rutledge Martin?”
“Aye.”
“Martine Connor?”
“Aye.”
“Since we're all in agreement, let's begin our meeting. Myra, open the box.”
Myra ripped at the wrapping and held up the box for everyone to see. She turned to Martine Connor and said, “I think you should do the honors.”
Martine Connor opened the box and withdrew a gold shield and held it up for everyone to see. “It's the only thing I took with me when I left the Oval Office. I have one for each of you and one for myself.”
“Then, ladies and gentlemen, I think we are good to go,” Charles said happily. “That's another way of saying, we are indeed back in business, and I, for one, couldn't be happier.”