Trading Places

by Fern Michaels

  “No, Your Honor, I’m fine. I just want to get this over with.”

  “Take your time, Detective. As much as you need.”

  Zack nodded, struggling to take long deep breaths. Some of the color returned to his face. He nodded to show he was ready to continue.

  “They all thought when I retired to the Florida Keys, they were going to continue their operation. They had big plans to use me and my fishing boat. I didn’t go to the Keys, though. Instead, I went out of the country and moved around a lot until my wife couldn’t take it anymore. She became too ill. She knew something was wrong. I finally told her what I’d been doing. She told me I had to make it right. She made me promise. I knew I had to make it right, and had plans to go to the DA as soon as…when it was time. I just didn’t expect it to be so soon. I had to grieve for my wife and figure out how I was going to make it all come out right. Then I found out I was terminally ill. The decision was made for me, and here I am.”

  Zack did his best to straighten up in the witness chair. He looked straight at the jury when he said, “Those men sitting there, the defendants on trial today, that’s only the tip of the iceberg. Contrary to what you might have heard and read, there is a blue wall.

  “Yes, Detective Jade ran. She’s probably going to be running for the rest of her life because what you have here is just the tip of the iceberg like I said. She’s an honest cop. One of the good guys. The kind of cop I used to be.”

  The entire courtroom watched as retired Detective Zack Miller slumped forward. The prosecutor ran to him. “Pills, right pocket.” The prosecutor fumbled in Zack’s pocket for a brown vial. “Two,” Zack said. A deputy appeared with a glass of water. Zack swallowed the pills, leaned back, and waited for them to kick in.

  “This court will take a ten-minute recess. Mr. Minelli, bring your witness to my chambers. Mr. Maris, you are free to join us.”

  “Let’s go get a cup of coffee, Alex. “The engineer looked so dazed, Nathan had to lead him out of the room.

  “I think I’ll just go on home, Nathan. Maybe I’ll stop and pick up a Christmas tree. I didn’t do any shopping yet, either. You’re supposed to pick out a tree when it’s cold and snowy. It really is sticking even though the roads are slushy. I hope they don’t freeze. The roads, I mean.”

  “Alex, shut up! This could all turn on a dime. It does not mean we’ll never see them again. You are not going home, and you are not going to pick out a Christmas tree without me. We’re going to see this through to the end. You and me, together. Now, let’s get that coffee.”

  Two thousand miles away, Anthony Papadopolus looked away from the television set he was staring at. He pressed a button on a console next to his chair. The door opened silently. “Do it!”

  “Yes, sir. Right away, sir.”

  “Aggie! It’s Zack! Zack Miller. Zack is the mystery witness. Are you listening to me, Aggie? Oh my God, he looks…he looks sick.”

  Both girls scooted closer to the television set. They held on to each other as the retired detective took the oath, then walked slowly to his seat behind the railing.

  They listened, hardly daring to breathe, as Zack started to speak. Aggie kept wiping her eyes with the hem of her tee shirt. Lizzie sniffed, blowing her nose every few seconds.

  A long time later, Lizzie nudged her sister. “It’s over, right?”

  Aggie shook her head. “Didn’t you hear what he said, Lizzie? Dutch and Joe and a few of the others are just the tip of the iceberg. The others will go to ground.” She swiped at her eyes again before she turned back to the television. Lizzie cried harder.

  It was twenty minutes to three when the judge again called a short recess. Again, Zack Miller was taken to the judge’s chambers.

  The detective was tiring, but he had refused to give in, even to Maris’s ruthless cross-examination.

  Alex led the way down the hall to the elevator. “I need some fresh air. And, I’m going to bum a cigarette off someone.”

  “You won’t have to. I have a pack in my coat.”

  Outside, the wind seemed to be whipping from all directions. Nathan held his arm up to ward off the wind so Alex could light his cigarette. A plume of smoke fought with the swirling wind and snowflakes. Nathan shook his head to show he didn’t want a cigarette.

  “The steps are icing up,” Alex said flatly. “Some surprise, huh?”

  “Maris isn’t getting anywhere, and he knows it. For as sick as he is, Miller is unflappable. So he cut a deal, so what. The man is dying. There’s no reason for him to lie. He did clear Aggie, though. That’s what I care about.”

  Nathan felt the presence, whirling around to see a tall man who looked familiar.

  “Mr. Hawk?”

  “Yes, I’m Nathan Hawk.”

  “Dr. Rossiter?”

  “I’m Dr. Rossiter.”

  “Will you follow me please.”

  Alex and Nathan looked at one another. Like robots, they followed the tall, impeccably dressed man down the steps to a long, black stretch limousine.

  In an instant, a chauffeur in uniform was holding the door open. Nathan bent down to peer inside. He straightened up, and said, “Are you a cop?”

  The man laughed. “Hardly. Get in, gentlemen. You’re safer with us than you would be with your mother at your side. And take these, please. You will need them where you are going.”

  “What the hell. Okay.”

  The door closed the moment they were settled inside. The glass partition dividing the front from the back slid upward.

  “This is a pretty stupid move on our part, Hawk. Who the hell is that guy?”

  “I don’t know. I do know I’ve seen him or else met him somewhere. I got a nose for stuff like this. Remember what I do for a living.”

  “How can I remember when your body parts wash up off the Atlantic somewhere.”

  Even with the slushy roads and the swirling snow, the driver was making excellent time.

  “Where the hell are we going, Nathan?”

  “I have no clue, Alex. But I think we’re about to find out. This road takes us to the airport. It’s kind of hard to see out these black windows. I don’t know why I say this, but I think this vehicle is bulletproof.”

  “What!” Alex sputtered.

  The limo stopped. The chauffeur and the man in the front seat both got out at the same time. The door opened. Nathan and Alex both got out. They looked around, their eyes full of questions.

  The tall man pointed to the right. “They’re waiting for you.”

  The sleek, impressive Gulfstream was indeed waiting. The steps were being lowered as they watched.

  “The pilot’s cleared for takeoff. Hurry,” the tall man said.

  “Wait just a minute,” Alex blustered.

  Nathan reached for the tall man’s arm and squeezed it. “I remember where I saw you. You’re…”

  “Mr. Papadopolus said to tell you, Godspeed. Sometimes he gets overly dramatic. Jet fuel is expensive. Go!”

  Nathan and Alex both sprinted to the Gulfstream and barreled up the steps. The steps were taken away, the door closed, and the aircraft was taxiing down the runway before they were buckled into their seats.

  “This is just a guess on my part, partner, but I think we’re on our way to see those two women who are in our bloodstreams.”

  “Hot damn!”

  Epilogue

  It was midafternoon, Portuguese time, when Nathan and Alex stepped off the rickety plane that had been chartered for them, onto hard ground. After clearing immigration using the passports they had been given, they made their way to the car rental agency, carrying their jackets and overcoats. They were told there were no cars available, but there were two scooters. They signed off on them and stuffed their winter clothing into the wire baskets attached to the back fenders. With a map, they headed down the main road that would take them to the little village on Fayal they had been instructed to go to.

  They stopped once at a local shop to show the proprietor a pictu
re of Aggie that Alex had taken back in Pennsylvania. She was standing next to her organic carrot patch, Gus at her side. She was smiling into the camera.

  “Sim.” A chubby woman pointed down the road. “Veg-a-ta-bals,” she said. She held up one finger.

  “I think she means one kilometer,” Nathan said. The woman pointed to Gus and pretended to cower in fear. Then she laughed. They laughed with her.

  Ten minutes later, both scooters came to a screeching halt. The marketplace was almost empty. A few late stragglers were picking up vegetables and fruit on their way home from work.

  Aggie, newly arrived back on Fayal after an urgent summons that she and Lizzie still had not made any sense of, looked up when Gus stood, his tail swishing. He barked, a bone-chilling sound, until he saw two figures running toward them. Aggie’s hand went to her heart and then to her mouth. “Alex! Oh, my God, is it really you! What? How? Nathan! I’m not dreaming, am I?”

  “You better not be dreaming because I’m going to kiss you until your teeth rattle.”

  “I don’t know what to say. Ohhhhh.”

  Nathan dropped to his haunches as he tussled with Gus. “How’s it going, big guy? I wish you could talk. I think they’re going to be at that for a while,” he said, looking at the liplock going on between Aggie and Alex.

  “If you tell me where Lizzie is, I’ll get out of your way.”

  Aggie disengaged herself for a second. “She’s at a nude beach a mile or so from here. Go slow, and Gus will show you the way. You gotta strip down, or they won’t let you on the beach. Don’t worry, no one looks. Take Nathan to Lizzie, Gus.” The dog barked, prancing alongside the motor scooter. Nathan climbed on, revved the engine, and crawled forward. Gus looked back once as if to say, can’t you go a little faster. He did.

  Gus came to a halt at a thatched hut on the roadside. A high wooden fence separated what he assumed was the beach from the main road. There were a number of signs in different languages. The one in English said NO CLOTHING ALLOWED.

  When in Rome.

  Nathan stripped down to the buff, paid his admission, and walked through the gate. No one looks was what Aggie said. Everyone on the damn beach was looking at him. His hands immediately went downward. A woman walking past said, “First time, huh?” Nathan’s head bobbed up and down.

  Gus raced ahead, to where a woman was reclining in a canvas chair. He barked at the dog lying beside her. Alice reared up, and the two of them raced down the beach.

  “Hey, Lizzie, guess who?” Nathan called, his voice cracking with all the attention he was getting from the other nude sunbirds.

  “Nathan! Nathan Hawk! My God, I must have had a sunstroke. Nathan, is it really you!”

  “In the flesh!” He ran then, not caring if the whole world saw his wobbly ass. She was in his arms in a heartbeat. She smelled of seawater, sand, and soap. He hugged her so tight she squealed. Then he kissed her. And she kissed him back. They only broke apart when all the sun worshipers clapped their hands.

  “Oh, Nathan, kiss me again. Don’t worry about them, no one looks.”

  • • •

  They were on their third bottle of wine outside Lizzie’s little house. Aggie had cooked dinner, and now they were sitting on the grass, making plans to go to Lisbon on the morning boat.

  “The pilot gave me this thick envelope and said it was from your friend, Mr. P. I forgot all about it until now. I guess we should read it before we make any more plans.”

  Their heads bent together so they could read the papers by the lanternlight.

  Nathan looked at the three of them, his voice suddenly serious. “You realize, you can’t go back, right?” The sisters nodded. “That’s the bad news. The good news is, Alex and I are staying here. It seems Mr. P. bought Fayal’s newspaper for me. I will be running it. He also secured a position for Alex teaching at the school. He’s taking care of all our business for us, and it will be forthcoming. Whatever that means. He said he will be visiting us for a friendly game of cards sometime in the spring, when he comes here on his honeymoon. He said he’s sailing here in your yacht.”

  Nathan looked over at Lizzie. “He and Noreen are getting married. Noreen wants to know where she should register in Fayal for wedding gifts.”

  Lizzie and Aggie broke into peals of laughter.

  They stopped laughing long enough to ask, “Is that all?”

  “Nope. There’s one more thing. He said, ‘Merry Christmas, kiddo.’”

  “Come on,” Lizzie said, jumping to her feet. She reached down for his hand. “Let’s go for a walk on the beach.” She stood on her toes, and whispered, “I never made love on a sandy beach before.”

  “I’m your man, lady. Let’s go.”

  “Wait for us, we’re going, too,” Aggie said, yanking Alex to his feet. The dogs ran ahead.

  “And they said you were a wild card, Lizzie Jade. They don’t know the half of it. Did you miss me?”

  “With every breath I took.”

  “Me, too.”

  “Oh, life is so good,” they heard Aggie squeal happily.

  “Better than good, it’s perfect,” Alex said.

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Epilogue