by Ana Stone
"I think I'm swearing off wine, thank you," she declined, remembering her last couple of experiences with wine drinking.
"I get your drift." He nodded and pulled a leather memo book from his pocket and tore off the top page. "We had the wine tested and you were right. It was drugged. With this." He slid the paper across the table.
Sydney looked down at it then up at him. "You're sure?"
"Absolutely." He picked up the paper and held it above the flame of the candle on the table, letting it burn down almost to his fingertips before he dropped it in the ashtray. "You sure you're okay?"
"Fine," she said gruffly. "But just between you and me, I'd feel a lot better if Blake had just believed me to begin with."
"Give the man a break, Syd. I mean, put yourself in his place. Suppose you had walked into his place and found another woman in his bed? Do you think you would have been so quick to forgive?"
"I get your point, and you're right. But it still hurts."
"His plate's kind of full right now. And you didn't exactly help matters by having Tyler committed. Blake's supposed to be running the show, remember? How do you think that made him feel? Not to mention the fact that we had to do some skirting around the issue to make it look like he authorized it. And by the way, just where is Tyler anyway? We haven't been able to get any kind of lead on him."
Sydney smiled at him mischievously. "I guess that means I did a good job."
Weasel's face broke into a smile after a moment. "Okay, you did good. But I'd still like to know where you stashed him and how you covered your tracks so well. So, where is he?"
"Where no one would look." She opened her purse and took out a note pad to scribble down the address. "And unless you screw up and pass this around, no one will think to look."
Weasel took the paper and after reading in, put it in his pocket. "Okay, so on to business. Seems like you're having lunch with a dude who's got more money than morals. He’s here to put a Senator in his pocket to make sure legislation goes the way he wants in what will prove to be the world’s most efficient Advanced Encryption Standard cryptographic processing circuit.
“You're going to introduce me to dear old dad and we're going to make sure Zayne finds out about it and about my need for a Senator. And while we're at it, you're going to drop a few choice tidbits about your dad working to make sure the military budget gets slashed all to hell and back and that he has a lot of clout as to how the vote goes."
"I understand that part," she responded. "But why this act with the AES?"
"Let's just say we want to make sure Zayne finds an easy way to get to dear old dad. If he thinks he can blackmail him then so much the better."
"Okay, but don't forget that we still have to talk my father into going along with this."
"No problem," Weasel smiled. "Jack'll jump at the chance to put Zayne away when we tell him what's going on."
"But what about my mother? You know her mouth."
"What about her? She doesn't have to know."
"In case all those expensive clothes have clouded your mind, let me remind you that she already knows you. How do you think we're going to get her to go along with pretending that you've never met?"
"Leave Shirley to me." He said with a laugh. "Come on, Syd. You know she never could say no to me."
"That's true." Sydney reluctantly agreed. "But she can be very stubborn when she wants to."
"Then I'll play my ace in the whole."
"Which is?"
"Publicity." Weasel's smile widened. "We'll tell her about all the publicity that's going to ensue when this thing breaks. Why she'll be the media darling."
Sydney smiled despite herself. "That ought to do it all right."
Weasel polished off his wine then stood up. "So, shall we say tomorrow at noon at your father's house?"
She nodded and stood. "I'll go see him now and set it up. Are you coming by later? I'll fix dinner."
"No, I think maybe you and Blake should spend some time alone. You really need to get things ironed out, Syd. He's not the most secure man on the planet right now. He needs some reassurance."
Sydney thought about that and wondered how anyone could be more insecure or need assurance more than she did right now. Blake didn’t trust her, Adrian made her feel like the fox in a hound hunt and the FBI had her office and car bugged. And he needed reassurance? She looked up at Weasel as they walked outside. "GW, I really do love Blake and I wouldn't ever invite Adrian to spend the night with me."
"I know. And I think deep down Blake does, too. But you have to remember that in this he has to think like an investigator first and a boyfriend second. A lot's riding on this gig, Syd. It could make or break his career."
Sydney considered his words. "Then I'll try very hard not to do anything to mess things up. In the meantime, could I ask a favor of you?"
"Name it."
"Just be careful. Blake told me you weren't a field agent and I just don't want your brilliant mind to get your skinny butt into something you can't get out of."
Weasel laughed good-naturedly. "I'll do my best to keep my narrow little ass in one piece. Catch you later."
Sydney watched him get into the back of the long black limousine that pulled up at the curb then she turned to walk down the block where her car was parked. Her mind turned to what she was going to say to her father. She was so caught up in thoughts, she didn’t notice the two men who followed her.
"What do you mean you think there's a conspiracy?" Jack Forrest demanded heatedly. "How would you know something like that?"
"Dad, if you'll just listen−" Sydney started but was cut off.
"Unless you heard it from someone involved. In which case . . . Sydney, are you part of this thing?"
"No, if you'll just give me a minute I'll explain."
Jack took a seat behind his desk and regarded her. "You have my full attention."
"Thank you." She took a seat in the chair in front of the massive desk. "Like I said to begin with, I can't tell you how I know this, only that I do. Apparently Ned Tyler took some money illegally from the man who was involved in that mortgage scandal decade ago. He thought he was safe but someone found out about it and used the information to blackmail him. He was asked to attend a meeting where there were several other men present; a congressman - I don't know who, a high-ranking general, and two other men. They told him about the World Trade Center Bombing and a plot to bomb the UN building that was thwarted by the FBI and all kinds of things. But what they were mostly interested in was the military budget and the impending budget cuts. They wanted him to try and sway the vote. He told them that the public would never go for more spending on the military and was told by the man who had arranged the meeting that he - the man, that is - had a plan to change the attitude of the people."
"That hardly sounds like a nefarious plot," Jack commented. "More like some unscrupulous, less than honest lobbyist."
"That's not all, Dad. Tyler's convinced that the man who arranged the meeting is behind what happened in Akron, and he thinks that was just the first of the bombings that are going to happen."
Jack looked at his daughter with a mixture of shock and disbelief on his face. "Are you telling me that Tyler's uncovered some terrorist plot?"
"In a manner of speaking, yes, that's what I think."
"Then you should have gone straight to the FBI." He stood up and walked around the desk to lean back on it. "Sydney, honey, this is very serious. If you have any information about who's responsible then you have to go to the FBI."
"I already have. Blake's in charge of the investigation and GW's working with him. That's really why I'm here, to try and enlist your help."
"Blake Edwards, the fellow you've been seeing off and on? I didn't know you two were still dating."
"It's moved passed dating. But that's beside the point. We need your help, Dad."
"In what way?"
"Blake and GW have come up with a plan." Sydney stood u
p and walked across the room so that she would not have to face her father when she told him. "They think that Adrian Zayne is the man behind all this and−"
"I should have known!" he exploded. "I've always suspected that he's . . . " Jack's face flushed and he bounded across the room. "Tell me that you're not seeing Zayne anymore."
"I sort of am." She looked away. "I'm what GW calls their 'inside man.' See, Adrian has some sort of thing for me for some weird reason and Blake and GW think that maybe I can get him to−"
"No!" Jack interrupted. "I absolutely will not stand for this. You have to disassociate yourself from this immediately. Do you have any idea what kind of danger you could be putting yourself in?"
"Yes, I know." She said quietly as she turned and faced him. "But I have to do this. And I need you to help me. Please, Dad. I know this is asking a lot but this is important, probably the most important thing I've ever asked you. Will you help me?"
Jack studied her for a few moments then sighed. "Just what exactly is it you want me to do?"
Sydney smiled at her father. "Just be yourself. GW is undercover as some hotshot with 'the' computer company who wants to make sure that legislation on the latest AES goes the way his company wants. They want me to pretend to introduce you to him and make it look like he's bribing you. At the same time, if Adrian really is behind this thing, then he's going to be looking for someone who has some clout who can sway the vote on the military budget. And−"
"I thought he had Tyler in his pocket?"
"Well, Tyler's kind of out of the picture."
"Kind of how?"
"He had a breakdown."
"I haven't heard anything about that. When did it happen?"
"Very recently. And as I understand it, he’s tendering his resignation. So, like I was about to say, Adrian will be looking for a new power figure and if I play my cards right, he'll be looking at you."
Jack sat down on the leather couch along the back wall and looked at her in silence for a long time. "And the FBI wants me to pretend to go along with Zayne, is that it?"
"More or less."
"Do you have any idea how this will look if word of this gets out? The damage it could do to my reputation?"
"Not if we nail Adrian. Dad, just consider this. If we don't stop him then what happened in Akron could happen again. I just can't live with knowing that I could have done something to prevent it and didn't and quite frankly I can't imagine that you could either."
Jack's frown transformed into a grudging smile. "You know all the buttons to push, don't you?"
"I learned from the best," she teased, then became serious. "I know this is asking a lot, but I really believe that your reputation can stand the test. After all, you're a good, honest man. How can helping the FBI put away people who would kill innocents make you look bad?"
"I see your point. But let me ask you something. Are you doing this to see those people put away, or because you're involved with Blake and want to make him happy?"
"Neither. Or both maybe. But mostly just because it's the right thing to do. And you always told me that doing something because it was the right thing to do is enough."
"Indeed I did. Very well, I’ll help you. But I'll need to discuss this with your mother and I'm not so sure she'll be thrilled with the idea."
"I think I've got that covered." Sydney grinned. "GW and I want to meet with you for lunch tomorrow and GW's going to work on Mom."
"Devious." Jack laughed. "Very devious, but very good. Shirley's always had a soft spot in her heart for that boy."
"Then we'll see you tomorrow. How about Maison Blanche?
"Noon." He stood and gave her a hug. "Will you promise your old dad one thing?"
"If I can."
"Be careful."
"Don't worry." She disengaged herself from his embrace and smiled up at him. "I have my own knight in shining armor watching over me."
Jack raised one eyebrow. "Well, that's all well and good but even knights sometimes get their armor pierced."
"I get the point. I'll be careful. But right now I have to go. See you tomorrow. And make sure that Mom doesn't act like she recognizes GW."
"I'll do what I can," he promised. "See you tomorrow."
Sydney left her father's office and got in the elevator. Two men got in with her and they all rode down to the ground floor. Sydney walked to her car and as she was getting her keys out of her purse she happened to see the two men's reflection in the window of her car as they got into a gray BMW parked nearby. She got in her car and started it, thinking it odd that they did not pull out of the parking lot.
That thought changed after she had gone a couple of blocks. She looked in her rear-view mirror and saw the same BMW behind her. A small jolt of fear ran through her as she realized she was being followed but she assured herself that it was nothing to worry about. Even if the men were working for Adrian, there was nothing odd about a daughter visiting her father. She forgot about the men completely and returned to her office.
Her secretary was not at her desk which was strange. Sydney thought that perhaps she had taken longer than normal for lunch and proceeded into her office. Just as she opened the door the chair at her desk turned around.
"Darling, I was beginning to think you were not going to return." Adrian smiled at her.
"Adrian, what are you doing here?"
"I'm your next appointment." He held up her appointment book.
"You need a psychiatrist?" she gave him a skeptical look.
"Desperately," he replied as he stood and started toward her.
Sydney dodged around him, put her purse on her desk and picked up a notepad. "Very well, then let's have a seat and get started."
Adrian gave her a wicked smile. "What? No couch? And I was so looking forward to it."
Sydney took a seat in one of the leather wing-chairs and gestured to the other. "I don't think you're ready for that. Shall we?"
He walked over and leaned down, placing his hands on the arms of her chair. "By all mean, let's."
Sydney looked up at him, feeling a sensation of butterflies in her stomach, wondering what kind of game he was playing this time.
Chapter Nine
Wednesday, April 26
Washington, D.C.
Blake was just getting out of the shower when he heard the persistent knocking on the front door. He hurried to get out and wrap a towel around his waist. “Okay!” he yelled as he started down the hall. “I’m coming!”
Sydney threw her arms around him as soon as he opened the door. “Thank god you’re here!”
“What’s wrong?” He untangled himself from her arms and closed the door.
“What’s wrong?” she repeated the question incredulously.
“Yeah.” He turned and walked away from her, trying to pretend that he did not know why she was upset.
He had gotten a message from her late the previous afternoon that she was having dinner with Zayne and would call as soon as she got in. When he had not heard from her by midnight he called her apartment. A man answered, sounding like he had been awakened by the phone answered and told him that Sydney did not want to be bothered.
“What’s wrong with you?” She followed him into the bathroom.
“Just trying to get ready for work.” He grabbed another towel and started drying his hair. “Do you mind?” He jerked his thumb in the direction of the door.
“Yes, I do!” She grabbed the towel from his hands and tossed it down on the sink. “Where were you last night?”
“Where was I? Shouldn’t that be my line?”
A perplexed look came on her face for a moment before she dismissed the question. “I tried to call you a dozen times and you weren’t here. You could have at least left you voice mail on.”
Blake leaned back against the sink and crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Nice try, but no banana.”
“What’s that mean?”
“It means I called your apartment and your friend Mr
. Zayne answered and told me that you didn’t want to be disturbed. Funny, but I was sure you said something about not wanting to jump in bed with the guy. I must have been mistaken.”
“That’s insane! He wasn’t at my apartment!”
“Oh, then it must have been one of your other boyfriends.”
Sydney’s jaw clenched and a flush stained her cheeks. “You…you bastard! How dare you. You know that’s not true. I was right there where I said I’d be, trying to call you half the night!”
Blake heard the anger in her voice and read it in her body language and it seemed very genuine and very real. But he knew he had called her apartment. He had not gotten the wrong number. A man had answered and he was certain it was Zayne.
“Well, that’s really amazing, considering that I was right here all night and the phone never rang.”
Sydney stared at him wide-eyed for a moment then ran out of the bathroom and into the bedroom to jerk the receiver of the phone up to her ear. Blake walked into the room and looked at her. “There’s nothing wrong with the phone.”
“There has to be!” She dialed a number and waited for a few moments. “Hi, it’s Syd. Will you call me right back at this number?” After reciting Blake’s number she hung up.
Several seconds passed in silence. She looked over at Blake and arched her eyebrows then looked down at her wrist watch. Neither one of them spoke for what seemed a very long time. Finally, she broke the silence by picking up the phone and dialing again. “It’s me again. Why didn’t you call? …Are you sure?... Okay, thanks. I’ll see you at noon.”
She hung up the phone and faced Blake. “That was GW. He tried to call your number and let it ring a dozen times but there was no answer.”
“That’s impossible!” Blake crossed the room, picked up the phone and punched the zero. “Hello, this is Special Agent Blake Edwards with the FBI. I think there’s something wrong with my phone. Could you check and tell me what number I’m calling from?...Yes, I can give you my identification.”
