9. Hokus Pokus

by Fern Michaels

Ted settled himself more comfortably in the V of the tree. He took a moment to wonder if Jack Emery and his goons had sat in this same tree spying on the vigilantes during his hate-on for the women. Probably. He settled his backpack in the small of his back and proceeded to watch the farmhouse with his night vision goggles, thanks to a going-out-of-business sale at an army surplus store. He hoped he didn’t fall asleep.

  As Ted sat in the tree with his eyes glued to the farmhouse he let his mind wander to where and what the vigilantes were doing. This whole damn thing smacked of them and their shenanigans. He raised his head slightly and then leaned forward. He could see shapes moving in what he thought was the kitchen. It was hard to tell since everything was green with just dark shapes.

  Forty minutes later he was rewarded with a mass exodus from the house. Ted watched as the judge’s visitors got into their respective cars. Emery, that asshole Wong, his old love and Lizzie Fox. He had a bad moment wondering if he should follow the gaggle of visitors or stay in the tree and watch the judge and the house. A no-brainer if ever there was one. The visitors were obviously going home. Where else would they go at two in the morning? He settled himself as comfortably as he could and watched the house. Nellie Easter was a night owl. He remembered Jack telling him that once. Something to do with painful arthritis. He made a deal with himself. If the lights went out, he’d go home.

  At three o’clock the lights were still on in all parts of the farmhouse. At three thirty he saw movement in the kitchen. At four o’clock he saw two figures in the kitchen. At four fifteen, the kitchen door opened and both figures were outlined in the open doorway. He sucked in his breath when the light on the back porch was turned off. Oh, be still my heart. Who was the mystery guest? And where was the mystery guest going? And how was he or she going to get to wherever they were going, since there were no vehicles to be seen in the courtyard?

  Ted strained to hear what was being said but he couldn’t hear a thing. He turned slightly, the night vision binoculars trained on movement to the right. “Fuck!” A horse! Why hadn’t he seen the animal before? Jack Emery would have seen it and had a horse standing at the ready or whatever the hell horses did. He called himself every name in the book for his lack of foresight. There was no way he could get out of the tree and follow a damn horse.

  Ted trained the binoculars on the two moving figures. He watched when one of the figures mounted the horse with ease. Obviously an accomplished horsewoman. A moment later the horse took off at a full gallop. He continued to berate himself as the fast-moving target fell off his radar screen. He went back to the heat-generated figure of Judge Easter, who was entering the house through the kitchen door. He watched as the lights went out one by one until the house was in total darkness.

  “Well, shit!” Ted grumbled as he climbed down from the tree and made his way to his car that he’d parked over a mile away. If he burned rubber he could make it back to his apartment, feed Mickey and Minnie, take a shower and get ready to take on the Russian delegation if he wanted to keep his job.

  Ted cursed all the way back to the District. He knew in his gut that something was going down and he also knew it involved those goddamn vigilantes. He knew it.

  Chapter 13

  Myra squirmed in her seat. She couldn’t wait to get off the plane. An eight-hour delay had left them all cranky and out of sorts. The girls were snapping and snarling at one another and the words weren’t pretty. Annie, on the other hand, thought it all a big lark and was marveling at the sparkling zircon embedded in her belly button.

  “You don’t think the glue will come off, do you, Myra? I am going to have a giant poster made up of me strutting my stuff. Not to worry, I’ll hang it inside my closet door. Assuming at some point I’m going to even have a closet,” she babbled. “Myra, did you notice not one of those…those strange people in the back of the plane has moved? I know they’re the G-String Girls’ people, but surely one of them has to pee.”

  “It might have something to do with the fact that they don’t drink or eat. All they do is watch us. And yet they stare through us. I think maybe they’re Charles’s people,” Myra whispered. “I certainly hope they aren’t the type who will write tell-all books when this is all over.”

  “We only have an hour until we land at Dulles Airport. I do hope this all goes well. I have to admit, Myra, I’m nervous.”

  Myra rolled her eyes. “I know.”

  “What gave it away, Myra?” Annie asked. “Am I too hyper? Isn’t this disguise fooling you? I haven’t seen this much skin since…well, never. How do you think we’d do as pole dancers? I read somewhere that those…establishments that feature such things put oil on those poles. That would then require a great deal of skill and…agility, wouldn’t you think? I think we need to get out and about a little more.”

  Myra played with the encrypted phone in her hand as she wondered why Charles wasn’t checking in. With less than an hour to go till landing, she was starting to worry. “Now I know what I can get you for Christmas.”

  Annie ignored her when the girls marched to the front of the plane. Myra gasped. Annie’s eyes almost popped out of her head when Alexis held up a large poster of the G-String Girls. “Tell me I don’t do good work!”

  Relieved that the snapping and snarling had come to an end, Myra nodded her head. “Absolutely perfect. I really didn’t think it was possible but you made it happen, dear. Are you going to test out your appearance with the people in the back?”

  “We already did, Myra,” Nikki said. “They were stunned. They said they couldn’t tell the difference between the real G-String Girls and us. They’re going to get off the plane first. As far as the media is concerned, they are our bodyguards, and our hair, makeup, wardrobe, shoe and guitar people. There are a total of sixteen in our entourage. The trunks alone will cause a furor. It’s working so far.”

  Isabelle held up a bundle of trench coats. “We deplane wearing these. We whip them open, give the press one shot of our glorious bodies, then we button up and head for the limos. I really think this is going to work. I really do. The truth is I’m a little excited,” she gushed. The others agreed, even Kathryn, who was trying to examine her glittering pasties. “I can’t believe I’m saying this but, girls, we’re hot!”

  “Smoking hot,” Annie chirped.

  “I feel so left out,” Alexis groaned.

  “Not to worry, dear,” Annie assured her. “You are our backbone. Once you get into your disguise you will be one of us without…all your body showing. We’re going to need you for patch-up work if…if something goes wrong. We can’t do this without you.”

  “Can we cover up now?” Myra asked. The others laughed as they strutted back down the aisle to their seats. She had tied the belt so tight on her trench coat she was gasping for air. The encrypted cell phone that was still in her hand vibrated. Charles.

  “Do not ask, Charles. Do not. Why are you calling?” Myra snapped.

  “To tell you everything is in place. All our bases are covered with one change. You will be staying at the five-star Willard InterContinental, the crown jewel of Pennsylvania Avenue. I’ve engaged twenty suites and other assorted rooms for the entourage. As planned before, you won’t be staying there that long. In fact, you will be leaving almost immediately even before the real G-String Girls arrive. Dear heart, you are all going to have one bloody reception committee when you land, so be prepared. Think of it as your fifteen minutes of fame.”

  “I already had my fifteen minutes of fame, Charles, the day we were arrested. I do not need any more fame.” Myra could hear Charles laughing on the other end of the line. In spite of herself she felt a giggle erupting. “G-strings and pasties are not comfortable, my darling.”

  “But they look so good,” Charles quipped.

  This time Myra did laugh.

  “Your welcoming committee is going to be awesome. I think the entire male population of Washington, DC, will be waiting for your appearance. I understand almost every male from Georget
own University will be there. They chartered buses. In addition it seems hundreds of midshipmen from Annapolis, not to be outdone, also chartered buses. Every available law enforcement officer has been called in for crowd control, even the special agents from the FBI. The media coverage is going to be beyond belief. I’ll make sure I get all your press clippings.”

  “Oh, dear God!”

  “Make me proud, Myra!” Charles said before he broke the connection.

  The tightly belted trench coat that was choking Myra was forgotten as she got up to run back to tell the girls what Charles had just shared with her.

  “Well, hot damn!” Kathryn said as she high-fived the others.

  Annie was so glassy-eyed, Myra had to swat her on the back to bring her back to reality. “This is not funny, Annie,” she hissed.

  “Oh, yes it is, my friend. You really do need to lighten up, and will you get rid of the damn pearls already? The G-String Girls wear leather dog collars festooned with diamonds and nail studs. You need to get with the program or they’ll spot you for a phony the minute we land.”

  Myra let loose with a string of colorful words that made Annie blush, but she undid her pearls and stuck them in the pocket of her trench coat. Alexis was at her side in a nanosecond to clip the dog collar around her neck. “Perfect!”

  The pilot’s voice pealed out of the intercom. “Ladies, buckle up, this plane is about to descend. We should be on the ground in seven minutes.”

  “I like it better when the stewardess makes the announcement,” Annie grumbled. “He was way too flat sounding.”

  “Annie, shut the hell up or I will personally tighten that ridiculous collar around your neck until you scream for mercy,” Myra said as she walked back to her seat to do the pilot’s bidding.

  It was one o’clock eastern standard time when the sleek silver bird hit the Dulles runway with a jolt.

  “Showtime, girls!” Alexis shouted to be heard above the sound of the plane’s engines. “You all know what to do, so let’s show them our gusto!”

  “Oh, God! Oh, God!” was all Myra could say.

  “I’m ready! I am soooo ready!” Annie trilled.

  “Myra, you screw this up and I will personally snatch those pearls out of your pocket and toss them to the four winds,” Kathryn said. “You can do this. Charles is counting on you. You know damn well he’s someplace watching us. More like leering, but it really doesn’t make a difference. He is watching. C’mon now, give him the thrill of his life. Later, when all is said and done, you can make him eat shit if you want to punish him for making you go through this.”

  That was all Myra needed to hear. Her clenched fist shot in the air.

  The plane door opened. The sounds from outside were deafening. Hoots, whistles, catcalls, shouts of “Bring it on, let’s go, girls!”

  The girls laughed, even Myra, as they formed a single line to deplane. The moment the moveable stairway was in place, the people from the back of the plane ran down the steps to form a tight cordon of security.

  The pilot took a moment to stick his head out of the cockpit to say, “They closed all the run-ways for you, ladies. Dulles has never, as in never, done that. You’re making history! Good luck!”

  Alexis, who now looked like someone’s old mother with kinky gray curls and a stoop to her shoulders, ushered the girls through the door, one at a time. “This is it, girls. The minute you hit the top step, throw open that coat and wave! I mean wave! When you get to the bottom, form a single line. Your space has been roped off. The security is manning the ropes. Give them a kiss. Give those guys something to have wet dreams about tonight.”

  Isabelle went first, followed by Nikki and then Annie. Kathryn followed Myra and Yoko was the last to hit the staircase.

  The rope line and the yellow tape were straining as law enforcement struggled to hold back the throngs of young guys bent on snapping pictures. Offers of marriage were shouted among other things more lurid.

  “I’ve never seen anything like this in my whole life. I’ve never read about anything like this, either,” Jack said to Harry Wong. “Jesus, did you see those bodies? Hey, Navarro, look alive here!”

  Their trench coats swinging in the breeze, the G-String Girls strutted their stuff in their stiletto heels. As the guards ushered them along the rope line, Nikki spotted Jack and stepped over to the side to kiss him on the lips. “Hi there, big guy, I’m Mandy! You coming to my concert?” Nikki purred before she followed the beefy guard in front of her, all the while blowing kisses to the fans.

  Jack reached out for the rope line to steady himself. “Son of a fucking bitch!”

  Harry almost went down for the count when Yoko reached up and tickled his chin. “Oooh, I hope you have a front row seat, honey. I’m going to play just for you.” In a daze, Harry reached for Jack’s arm as Yoko stretched herself over the line to kiss a young kid with a Mohawk hairdo.

  “We’re stupid, Jack.”

  “Yeah,” Jack said happily. “I knew I knew that body the moment I saw it on the stairway.”

  “Liar!” Harry said.

  “Sounded good, didn’t it? Hey, they fooled us. That was the test. We’re good to go here!”

  Kathryn had her lips locked on Bert Navarro’s. “What’s a great big guy like you doing out here? I’ll leave a ticket for you at the door the night of the concert. You can come backstage if you want. Dream about me, okay?” For the crowd’s benefit, she whipped off the trench coat and then strutted her way to the waiting limo.

  “Get back!” Jack roared when it looked like the crowd was going to vault over the rope line. He pulled out his gun and yelled again, “GET BACK!”

  Bert Navarro swung around, his gaze locking with Jack’s. “Did…?”

  “Hell no!”

  The women standing next to the limos lined up again, blew kisses as they whipped off their trench coats. The crowd went wild. They all did a little dance, with the crowd begging for more. Annie obliged as she did her version of a bump and grind. Myra joined her, to the others’ amazement. Myra pursed her lips, knowing some camera was focused on her, and mouthed the words, “Eat your heart out, sweetie!”

  “Are we good or what?” Annie chortled as she turned her newly lifted backside to her adoring public. “I am loving this! How about you, Myra, are you loving this?”

  “Damn straight,” Myra said, borrowing Kathryn’s favorite expression.

  Inside the limos, the women collapsed amid groans and laughter. “We pulled it off, we really pulled it off. Charles is a pure genius,” Nikki gasped. “Jack didn’t recognize me.”

  “Neither did Harry,” Yoko said, and laughed.

  “And Bert’s eyes might be back in their sockets by now. He sure can kiss,” Kathryn said.

  “Okay, fun’s over. One more performance at the hotel and you can all go back to being who you were before we left the mountain,” Alexis said. “We came here to do a job so let’s not let our fame go to our heads.”

  “Oh, poop, I was just getting wound up. I have a lot more in me to show the world.”

  “Annie, I don’t want to hear it,” Myra said. “How far is it to the hotel? This latex is starting to itch.”

  “Thirty minutes tops but with traffic, it’s anyone’s guess,” the driver said.

  “I think we’re on a roll, ladies,” Kathryn said, a dreamy look on her face. “Yep, that guy is some kisser.”

  Chapter 14

  Nellie Easter, flashlight in hand pointed at the floor and led her guest down a dark hallway to a bathroom bigger than most people’s living rooms. She’d led Justice Barnes to this spot because this particular bathroom had no windows, but it did have exquisite lighting. She closed the door and then turned on the light.

  “You’re getting pretty good at this cloak and dagger stuff, Nellie,” Pearl said in a jittery-sounding voice.

  “Do you mean good the way you suddenly got good with your disappearing act? What the hell is going on, Pearl? And the reason for this cloak and dagger st
uff, as you call it, is because there is probably someone outside watching the house. Someone who knows you’re here. That means they’re spying on me, you and the others. They also probably saw you riding my horse over here to Myra’s house. I’m sorry you had to be alone here so long but there was nothing else I could do. I want to tell you right now, I do not like going through those tunnels. They spook me big-time. Enough said. Why are you here? Grant came looking for you tonight. He drove all the way out here to see if I knew where you were. Jack Emery opened the door to him. I had to think fast on my feet and I am the first to admit, I am not good at that. I like to ponder problems. I said we were playing poker. I have no idea if he believed me or not.”

  Pearl Barnes looked around the brightly lit bathroom. “This is very pretty. Myra always did have good taste. I really don’t know where to start, Nellie.”

  “You’ve put me, the others and yourself in jeopardy by coming out here not once but twice. I will tell you this, I did not like the look on Grant’s face tonight. I’m going to tell you something else and I don’t care if it hurts your feelings or not. I don’t like him, Pearl. I realized that tonight when I was talking to him. On top of that, he’s a liar. He said he did not go to the FBI and he did. I’m really tired, Pearl, and I’d like to go to bed, so talk fast.”

  Pearl sat down on the edge of the bathtub. She clasped her hands in her lap as she looked around and then back at Nellie. “It all went wrong, Nellie. I think…I’m almost positive that Grant…that Grant and my ex–son-in-law are coconspirators. At first I didn’t want to believe it, then I started watching and listening. All right, I spied on Grant. When I started the underground he was right there beside me. He broke the law right along with me. He never asked for anything. We both thought we were helping all those women and children get a better life. He never complained, did his share of the dirty work. We’ve been together almost twenty years, Nellie.

  “A little over a year ago he started to change. It was subtle. He stopped being so attentive. He grew secretive. I was so busy with the underground and my work in court that I more or less chalked it up to plain old exhaustion on my part. As you know I can be cranky at times. I should tell you that there is a lot he doesn’t know. Maybe in my heart of hearts I didn’t trust him. All I know is he started pressuring me to tell him those things I didn’t share with him, the things I won’t share with you, either, for the safety of my people who are putting their asses on the line every day.