9. Hokus Pokus

by Fern Michaels

  The EOC handed her a sheet of paper. “This just came in a few minutes ago. Do you care to comment, Spritzer?”

  Her heart fluttering, her stomach churning, her eyes twitching, the best she could come up with was, “Tell me you aren’t taking this seriously?”

  “The caller was very serious. Everyone in this town knows Grant Conlon is Justice Barnes’s live in…whatever they call it these days…boyfriend, for lack of a better term. He’s also the brother-in-law of the director of the FBI. You’re damn right I have to pay attention. There’s something here. I can smell it, Spritzer. And if this guy is right, you’re up to your eyeballs in it. It would certainly explain that exclusive you got and those magical tickets you gave me, now wouldn’t it? I am paying attention. All the media got the same call and so did the FBI. If you have anything to say, this would be a good time to get it off your chest. Well?”

  Maggie cleared her throat. “Ever hear of brownie points? I was trying to be nice by giving you the tickets. End of story.”

  “There’s nice and then there’s nice. I’m putting you on unpaid leave as of this minute. If nothing comes of this, you have a job. If I find out otherwise, you’re outta here, Spritzer.”

  Maggie’s back stiffened. “Since when do you pay attention to anonymous tips? Don’t I have rights?”

  “Right now, no. Get your gear and don’t come back here until I call you.”

  “What about Ted? He’s behind this. I know it. We have issues. He’s trying to get back at me. This isn’t fair, Liam.”

  “Maybe not but that’s the way it’s going to be. Thanks again for the tickets.”

  Maggie turned on her heel but not before she said, “I hope you rupture your eardrums tonight.”

  Back in the lobby, Maggie looked around. Abner was gone. She couldn’t decide if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Whatever it was, she’d have to think about it later. She yanked at her cell phone. She needed to call Jack and warn him. She should call Nikki or Myra, too. She walked over to a bench and sat down. She closed her eyes and tried to make sense out of what was going on all around her. She’d had no idea Ted could be so vindictive. How could he just up and ruin her life like this? How?

  Memories of their time together flooded through her. At times they were like a matched pair of socks, like a set of salt and pepper shakers, him and her. Other times they fought like tigers and made up like wild animals. Ted called it imperfect love. And he did love her. Past tense, had loved her. Of that she was sure. She’d loved him, too. They were good together and they did respect one another. For the most part there was total trust in their relationship, except when it came to work and in that respect they were competitive. Then it all went wrong with that Sunday brunch. She should have handled that a little better. But a girl did have her pride. At the time it had seemed like a bump in the road, but it had turned into a mountain road.

  A lone tear trickled down her cheek. Ted must really hate her. Really hate her. The thought left her sad. All her empty tomorrows flashed in front of her. Abner Tookus was no Ted Robinson. No challenge there. Shame on you, Maggie, for even thinking there might be something there to hang your hat on. Maybe she was a one-man woman. She’d go through life without a man, she’d get cranky and curmudgeonly and become a spinster in an old, creaky rocking chair living off her memories.

  Maggie flipped open her cell phone. She debated all of one full minute before she hit her speed dial. Maggie didn’t think it was possible for one person to say so little to convey anger, disappointment and then even more anger in so few words. She bristled not only at Jack’s tone but at his words. She defended herself. “Is it my fault this town is a zoo? Traffic is not moving. Do I need to remind you I have a job?” She was about to tell him what had just transpired but decided to wait until Emery was done railing her out.

  Finally, when she had had enough, she shouted to be heard over Jack’s tirade. “What, Jack? What do you want me to do? Even if I can get to the armory, what am I supposed to do? I’m the press. My colleagues have been there for hours. They’ve got it covered. Unless you have something specific you want me to do, I’m staying put. Make up your damn mind.” Right now, right this second was when she was supposed to tell Jack about Ted’s phone call. She should be telling him about Sullivan putting her on unpaid leave, too. She should be telling him that law enforcement was hot on her trail. Yeah, that’s what she should be doing.

  An unbidden memory floated to the surface. She’d had the flu and Ted had taken care of her. Much better than her mother had ever taken care of her when she was sick as a child. He’d made her chicken soup that was so bad it probably made her better. He fussed and fussed, setting the alarm to make sure she got her meds on time. He’d rubbed her down with alcohol when her fever spiked at 104. He’d held her hand and read her fairy tales from one of his old treasured schoolboy books. He’d spoon-fed her, held her hand and head when she gave up the soup. He’d been there for her. More times than she cared to admit. They were supposed to get married and grow old together.

  “Maggie, are you still there or am I talking to myself? Did you hear what I just said?”

  Maggie shook her head to clear her thoughts. “You said you have Ted’s backpack and my encrypted phone was in it and it hasn’t been damaged.” I should tell him. Maybe he already knows. If he knows, he’d be rattling my cage. I really should tell him.

  “Do you know where Ted is? Have you heard from him, Maggie?”

  Tell him now or forever hold your peace. Maggie knew she was probably making the biggest mistake of her life when she said, “No, I don’t know where Ted is. No, I haven’t heard from Ted.” It was true in a sense. She really didn’t know where Ted was. It was Espinosa who had called her.

  “Stay available in case I need you.”

  “And how likely is that, Jack? You’ve pretty much kept me on the outside all along. I’m not turning my life upside down for you for no reason.” Maybe she could still make the concert if she didn’t go back to the apartment to shower and change. Abner said she looked good just the way she was.

  She waited for a response. What she got was a dead tone in her ear. “Screw you, Jack Emery, and the horse you rode in on.”

  Maggie looked down at her watch. If she ran all the way, she could make it back to the apartment, take a quick shower, spruce up a little, put on sneakers, carry her heels, and if she ran all the way back to the armory she just might make the concert. Well, she’d never know unless she gave it her best shot.

  Maggie barreled through the lobby door at a hundred miles an hour, shoving people out of her way. Tears blurring her vision she ran like she was in a marathon.

  Fourteen minutes later she blitzed through the door of the apartment building and took the stairs two at a time.

  It registered, but barely, that the apartment door was unlocked. With all that was going on in her life, did it really make a difference? She did slide the dead bolt home when she closed the door behind her. She started to remove her clothes as she walked toward the bathroom where she came up short in the doorway. All she could see were the bloody gauze and cotton balls. The peroxide bottle had no cap on it. Two tubes of ointment were squeezed dry. The wet towels had blood all over them, and Ted’s filthy clothes were in the bathtub.

  Maggie sat down on the edge of the bathtub and cried.

  Chapter 24

  Judge Cornelia Easter looked down at the caller ID and wished the little compact phone would disintegrate in her hand. This definitely was a call she didn’t want to take. She looked at her watch, noted the time and then closed her eyes as panic engulfed her. She took a great gulping breath and expelled it in a loud swish. I can do this. I know I can do this. He’s probably taping this conversation. “Hello, Elias.” Her voice came out flat and even. That was a good thing.

  “Nellie, hello. Listen, I’m going to get right to the point. This is too important to beat around the bush and right now time is of the essence. The Bureau received a very disturbing p
hone call and it involves you to a certain extent. Bearing in mind there are a lot of crazies out there, we still have to pay attention to calls like this. A man calling himself Grant Conlon called and said that you, Elizabeth Fox, Jack Emery, Harry Wong and Maggie Spritzer, the reporter, are all sympathizers or outright members of the vigilante group. The caller said the vigilantes are right here impersonating the G-String Girls. The man went so far as to say you’re all new members of that little organization. Are you, Nellie?”

  Nellie struggled to work indignation into her voice. “Shame on you, Elias. I refuse to dignify that ridiculous question with an answer.”

  “Well, you better think twice, Nellie. Justice Barnes’s ex–son-in-law has been calling around to the media saying the exact same thing. We can’t seem to locate either man. They appear to have dropped off the face of the Earth. This same caller implied that Justice Pearl Barnes has been included in all this…this…conspiracy. Now, if you were me, what would you do?”

  Nellie sucked in her breath. “If I were you, I’d get a new phone number and then I’d go home and take two aspirins and go to bed. I think you and everyone in the District are obsessed with the vigilantes because they made fools of all of you. You know I’m right, Elias. I think it’s hilarious that you think the vigilantes are posing as those scantily clad singers. Have you considered their ages and how they could do something like that? This is beyond ludicrous, Elias. Shame, shame on you. Now, if you have nothing else to say, let me get back to being miserable with this stomach virus that has attacked me. You can apologize to me later.”

  “Don’t leave town, Nellie. I’m posting an agent near your compound. For your information, the Bureau and I will never ignore a phone tip. We depend on concerned citizens. Like I said, don’t leave town.”

  “I suppose the next thing you’re going to tell me is you’re going to tap my phone.”

  “No, I won’t tell you that. It’s already been done. By the way, where is Elizabeth Fox? She seems to have disappeared.”

  Nellie sighed for Cummings’s benefit. “Now, how would I know Elizabeth Fox’s whereabouts?”

  “Doesn’t she belong to that little poker group of yours? Grant told me all about it the night he came out to inquire as to Pearl’s whereabouts.”

  “As a matter of fact she does belong to our little poker group. She’s a real card shark, I can tell you that. I seem to recall hearing her telling Maggie Spritzer she was going out West but I am unaware of a time frame. Lizzie said she always wanted to take a road trip. Bear in mind I just overheard her telling Maggie this. Check with her. She does have a cell phone, Elias. I can give you her number if you like.”

  “I have her number. She doesn’t answer. It goes straight to voice mail.”

  “Smart girl. I’m going to turn mine off, too, when I hang up.”

  “I hope you’re taking this call seriously, Nellie.”

  A black furry cat leaped onto Nellie’s lap and then clawed her way to her shoulder. She purred so loud Elias Cummings asked her what the strange sound was. “Are you recording this conversation, Nellie?”

  Nellie forced a laugh she didn’t feel. “What a ridiculous question, Elias. What you’re hearing is my cat, Baby Girl. She’s purring on my shoulder. I think this conversation is finished. I’m going to hang up now and forget this insulting phone call. Good-bye, Elias.”

  Baby Girl squirmed when her mistress threw the cell phone across the room. She jumped to the floor and started to hiss as the other four tabbies investigated the thrown object, their backs arched in the air. Satisfied that nothing further was going to happen, the cats scattered as Nellie fumbled for her encrypted phone. Her old gnarled hands were shaking as she punched in the number three that would connect her with Jack Emery. Her gaze dropped to the watch on her wrist. She almost swooned when she saw the time.

  Nellie wasted no time. “Elias Cummings just called me. He told me he was taking a phone call that came into the Bureau seriously. Someone calling themselves Grant Conlon said you and I and the others are either vigilante sympathizers or actual members. He told me not to leave town and he asked about Lizzie. I said she was on vacation. Obviously she has her cell turned off because she didn’t answer. What’s going on, Jack?” Nellie heard the harried district attorney suck in his breath on the other end of the line.

  “Well, Judge, the rubber is meeting the road as we speak or if you don’t like that explanation, then the shit is going to hit the fan very shortly. I’m just winging it from here on in. The girls are here and are suiting up as we speak. The atmosphere here has changed. I’ve never seen so many cops and agents in one place. The media has it going on with coverage that would make the president jealous. That’s all I can tell you, Judge. Before you can ask me, yes, I am nervous. Hell, that’s the understatement of the year. I’m scared out of my wits. Charles just called and the real G-String Girls are ten minutes out. They should be landing soon. I just hope they can get here before anything goes down. This is just a little too damn close for comfort. There’s just so much Harry, Bert and I can do. Oh, shit! I gotta go, Judge, I think I’m about to get arrested. Call Charles right now.”

  Nellie dropped her head between her knees so she wouldn’t pass out. Deep breaths, she told herself. Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale. She had to call Charles. But she couldn’t do that until she got herself under control. A minute later she was bellowing at Charles. “Do something! Jack said he was about to get arrested!”

  “Yes, I know. I have it under control, Nellie. Calm down, take a deep breath. Listen to me. Call Maggie and talk to her. She’s our weak link right now. Can you do that, Nellie?”

  “I’m not an idiot, Charles. Of course I can do it. Elias Cummings just called me and he’s been trying to call Lizzie. She’s not answering her phone. That’s not good, Charles.”

  “I know, Nellie. I’ve got it under control. Who do you think told her to turn off her cell phone? Call Maggie. Something isn’t quite computing there.”

  “Oh,” was all Nellie could think of to say before she realized she was talking to dead air. How did the man do it? How could he be up on every little detail? She was certain he had an entire army at his disposal. She had no clue how he made it all work but was glad he was doing whatever it was he was doing.

  Well, she had her marching orders so she better hop to it or Charles would come down off his mountain and take her to task. She realized as she dialed Maggie’s number that she’d never really been comfortable around the reporter. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust her, she did, but only to a point. Once a reporter, always a reporter. She pressed the cell phone hard against her ear. She wasn’t surprised when the call went straight to Maggie’s voice mail. Her message was blunt and frosty. “Charles asked me to call you. Please return my phone call ASAP.”

  In her gut Nellie knew Myra and the others were walking into a trap. She started to wring her hands until they painfully protested. She looked down at her cats who were swarming around her ankles. “I’m too old for this,” she mumbled. “Nonsense,” she responded to herself. “Age is just a number.” Her other self retaliated. “Bullshit!”

  Nellie settled herself, the cats on her lap and on the back of her recliner. All she could do was wait and watch the news coverage. She clicked her remote to one of the 24-hour news channels. Her jaw dropping, she could only gape at what she was seeing on the big plasma screen.

  Jack Emery looked around at the pandemonium that surrounded him. He heard the shout that went up from the crowd and saw Special Agent Daniel Saxon bearing down on him, flexi cuffs in his hands. “Vigilantes! The vigilantes are here!” It was a roar that drowned out everything else. Where the hell was Harry Wong? He whirled around but the crowd was so thick there was nowhere to go. Panic set in. He yanked at the gun in his shoulder holster, double-checking to make sure the safety was on. “Move, goddamn it!” he roared. The sea of people nearest him screamed and parted and then closed ranks again. At best he had a minute, maybe two, before Saxon g
ot his hands on him. Everyone who was anyone in law enforcement knew Saxon was the FBI’s eight hundred pound gorilla.

  Another roar of sound split the early-evening air, this one different. “There they are! There they are! Look!” More roars shrieked in the air just as the skies opened up and a river of rain drenched the screaming crowd.

  Jack wanted to look over his shoulder but knew that would lose him precious seconds. “Harry, where the hell are you?” he bellowed at the top of his lungs.

  “Covering your ass, where else do you think I’d be? I took care of your little problem. Put the damn gun away. Saxon’s out for the count. He might wake up around midnight. The girls made an emergency appearance at the entrance. That’s why the crowd is going nuts. They threw out some stuff to the crowd. Underwear, I think. Lacy panties! Thongs! All colors. Animal prints.”

  “Jesus Christ!”

  “Yeah, that’s pretty much what I said. Hey, it worked. Thirty minutes to showtime. Bert just weighed in before you got yourself between a rock and a hard place. The G-String Girls just landed. They have to go through Customs and should be here within the hour. Right now that could be iffy with the rain that’s coming down. Charles has people who will bring them here. In police uniforms. They step in, our girls step out. Simple. If it works.”

  “We have to get out of here, Harry. We need to get inside to make sure the girls get away safe and sound. Tell me how the hell we’re going to do that?”

  Harry’s shoulders slumped. “We aren’t. Charles assigned others to that little task.”

  “Screw that! I don’t trust anyone but us. Come on, think of something!”

  “You keep telling me you’re the one with the brains so act like you have one. I’m just your muscle. C’mon, c’mon, I’m getting soaked here. You know what, desperate times call for desperate measures. Fire the fucking gun in the air and run like hell. On the count of three. I guarantee a path will open up for us. I’ll scream a sighting of the vigilantes at the same time. You ready, fearless leader?” Not waiting for a reply, Harry started to count. “One! Two!”