by Stephen Frey
“I’m sorry.” He could see her irritation quickly turning to anger. “I just get a little crazy when I see you. You know that.”
Jesse tried to hide her smile. He could always do this to her. She couldn’t stay mad at him, no matter how hard she tried.
“Come on, Jess, who’s your friend?” Todd smiled mischievously.
“Stop it.” She felt her smile coming on again and didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of seeing it.
“Who’s your buddy?”
“Stop it.”
“Who’s your pal?”
She could fight it no longer. “You are.” She put a hand to her face to cover her grin.
Todd laughed. “It would have been better if you had said you get a little crazy when you see me too, but I know you have a difficult time saying things like that.”
“What do you mean?”
He pushed out his lower lip, as he always did when he was thinking deeply. “You’re kind of uptight sometimes.”
“I am not.”
“Yes you are.” He said it with such conviction there was no reason for her to protest any further. “But then you probably have a right to be.”
He knew her so well. “I try not to be.”
Todd picked up several more french fries. “You just need to spend more time with me. I’d loosen you up.”
“I’m sure.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked quickly.
“Nothing.”
Todd watched her for several seconds, tempted to push further. He had sensed an opening, a subtle signal from her that maybe she was finally ready to take a chance. But it was probably just his imagination. “What can I do for you?” His tone became businesslike for the first time since they had sat down. “I’d like to think you really did call just because you wanted to see me, but I have to believe there’s another reason. You sounded a little jittery on the phone.”
The words at the end of Robinson’s memo flooded back to Jesse. Trust no one. But that was impossible. She couldn’t follow up on Neil’s memo completely by herself. She needed someone’s help, and though Todd could be irresponsible and reckless at times, he was as trustworthy a human being as there was in the world.
“It might be dangerous,” she said.
“Look at me—I’m shaking.”
“I’m not kidding. It may involve some powerful people.”
He nodded. Jesse wasn’t prone to exaggeration, and he sensed this might be something more than just an active imagination. “Tell you what. Let’s finish lunch, then take a walk.”
“Okay.”
They ate quickly, paid the lunch tab, and walked out of the diner. Five minutes later they were standing at the end of a long observation pier jutting out into Baltimore’s harbor.
Todd leaned against the railing. “So, what’s the deal?”
Jesse moved closer to him. A man seated on a bench twenty feet away seemed to be taking too keen an interest in their conversation, and she would take no chances that anyone other than Todd might hear this. “A few nights ago my boss, Neil Robinson, died of a heart attack in the lobby of the Grand Hyatt,” she began quietly. “The next morning I received an E-mail message from him, sent on a delayed basis, asking for my help and citing a conspiracy he believed he had stumbled onto. He told me he had hidden a file at his river house, and I was to pick it up.”
“Did you get it?”
“Yes.”
“What was in it?”
Jesse looked at the man again, but he seemed to be paying no attention now. “Elbridge Coleman’s personal and corporate tax returns for the last few years. And notes Neil had taken during a conversation with someone he doesn’t identify. Apparently Neil had suspicions about Elbridge Coleman’s election campaign.”
Todd raised his eyebrows. A Senate election campaign. This might be interesting after all. “What kind of suspicions?”
“That Coleman is simply a front. That he’s being funded by people in this country who want to get rid of the man currently holding the Senate seat Coleman is trying to win.”
“You mean Malcolm Walker.”
“Yes.”
“Why would these people want to get rid of Senator Walker?”
“According to the notes, Neil believed the motive lies in the fact that Walker is an outspoken critic of the military. They want to get rid of him because he’s waged war on the Defense Department since he was elected to the Senate six years ago.”
“Waged war on the Defense Department. That’s an interesting way to put it.”
“Yes, I guess it is.” Jesse smiled. “Anyway, he’s been on a one-man crusade to hack the defense budget and has enjoyed some success during his first term. Neil wrote in his notes that he and his unnamed source believed Coleman was being funded by people friendly to the defense industry. People who would like to see the defense budget grow instead of shrink.”
“Was Neil specific about who these people might be?”
“No.”
“Was there anything else in the file?”
“No.”
“That’s it?” Todd was suddenly annoyed. “That’s all you have? Just a few tax returns and your boss’s notes?”
“Yes.”
“Jess, I mean no disrespect to your boss, or to you for that matter, but I think he was just a little off his rocker.” Todd held his thumb and forefinger so that there was a small space between them. “Look, people have suspicions all the time, but nine times out of ten, probably more, there isn’t anything to them. Believe me, I see it constantly in my line of work. This is most likely one of those times. It’s sad that he died, but you need to let him go.”
“I would agree with you except . . .” Her voice faded.
“Except what?”
“Someone else came to Neil’s house on the Severn the night I was there getting the file. I assume he was looking for the file as well. And this was not a friendly person.”
“What do you mean?”
“The guy chased me through the woods to my car and shot out my windshield.”
“My God, were you hurt?”
“Just some small cuts on my arms.” She pulled up the sleeve of her blouse to show him the scabs.
“Do you think he saw your license plate?” Todd’s skeptical tone disappeared.
“I don’t think so. My headlights were in his eyes, and then I cut them as soon as I was past him.”
“Did you report the incident to your superiors or the police?”
“No. I really didn’t have anything concrete to tell them, and I figured someone might be able to trace me that way. If I filed a formal report, I mean.”
He nodded. “Did you take your car into a shop to have the glass replaced?” Todd asked the questions rapidly.
“No. I didn’t think that was a good idea either. I thought maybe someone could track me down that way too. Sara Adams, another woman in the branch, is giving me a ride to work. We live close to each other.”
“I remember Sara. You introduced me to her last year when I came by your office.”
“Oh, that’s right.”
“She’s a pretty good friend of yours, isn’t she?”
Jesse and Sara had known each other for six years now. “A very good friend.”
“Well, it was smart not to have your car fixed. You probably would have paid with a credit card, and whoever was after you might have been able to trace you by checking glass repair shops. Tell you what—I’ll rent you a car under my name until this is over.”
“Thanks. That’s really nice. I’ll pay you back.”
He waved a hand as if there was no need to worry about it. “How about the E-mail? Any way they could get to you because of that?”
“I talked to a person at the branch about it. He’s in systems. I had erased the file from my computer, and when he searched the computer system, there was no record of Neil’s sending the message to me. I don’t know how Neil covered the trail, but he did. I never made a physic
al copy of the E-mail either, so there’s no record on the printer log.”
A seagull landed on the railing a few feet away. Todd watched it preen. “You don’t think your boss actually died of a heart attack, do you?”
She hesitated. “It’s strange. I found the young woman who waited on Neil that night at the Hyatt. He had a drink with another man. The waitress didn’t remember much about the other man except that he didn’t stick around when Neil had the attack. The paramedics asked if Neil was with anyone and she said yes, but then they couldn’t find the guy. Don’t you think that’s odd?”
“Yes, I do. Did you check the date book in Neil’s office? Maybe the person’s name was in there.”
“That’s another curious thing. Someone took a lot of stuff out of Neil’s office right after he died.”
“Really? Like what?”
“His appointment book, the hard drive from his computer, disks, some files, and a few other things.”
“Do you have any idea who it was?”
“No. Some workmen came and delivered a new desk around nine-thirty that morning. Neil’s secretary thinks they took the things, because she found out later there was no requisition for a new desk and she noticed the things were missing from his office around ten, just after they’d left. Poor woman. She didn’t even know Neil was dead at that point. She just thought he was late.”
“Did she inform anyone that the items were missing?”
“She called the police and they came, but they don’t have anything yet.”
“And they probably never will.”
The sound of a freighter horn rolled down the harbor as the huge ship cast off its moorings and tugboats began pushing it toward open water.
“Anything else you can tell me?” Todd asked.
Jesse glanced down the harbor in the direction of the horn. She took a deep breath of salt air. “You’ll probably just think I’m being paranoid.”
“No, I won’t. There are enough coincidences and unexplained events here to make me think you really should be careful.”
“The other morning, the morning after I was chased, I had to pull an old file from our branch storage center. It was a file from a long time ago, so it wasn’t on the central computer. Anyway, when I came back, I ran into this guy coming out of my office. I’d never seen him before.”
“And?”
“He said he was looking for Sara. I asked her later if this guy had come by, but she didn’t know what I was talking about. But the guy had a visitor’s badge, so I figured they must have called Sara before letting him come up. They always do that before allowing visitors into the building. Security has been really tight ever since the Oklahoma City bombing.”
“Did you talk to the security people at the front desk about this?”
Jesse nodded. “There was no record on the register of anyone signing in to visit Sara around that time.”
“Someone seems to have excellent access to government buildings,” Todd observed. “Was there a name on the guy’s badge? The man who was coming out of your office.”
“I don’t remember.”
“I know this sounds crazy, but do you think Sara could be involved?”
Jesse watched the seagull inch its way toward them. Sara had been asking so many questions lately, and she seemed flustered when pressed about the man who was supposedly visiting her. But the idea was ridiculous. “No.”
“Was the guy doing anything in your office that would make you suspicious?”
“I don’t know. We literally ran into each other in the doorway. I was going in, he was coming out.”
“Do you think it was the person who chased you at the river house? Did you get a look at the guy that night?”
“Only for a second, in the headlights. He had a baseball cap pulled down over his face, so I didn’t see much of his features, but I’m pretty sure he didn’t have a beard. The guy in my office did.”
Todd leaned farther back against the railing. “A beard’s an easy disguise.”
“Well, that certainly makes me feel better.”
“I’m sorry,” Todd said gently. “Look, if that was him in your office, he certainly had the opportunity to take action against you, and he didn’t. And anyway, how could he have found you if he didn’t see the license tag and you didn’t take the car in to be fixed?”
She pushed her long blond hair behind her ears as she thought for a moment. “I don’t know.”
They stood in silence for a moment watching the commercial and pleasure craft crisscross the harbor.
“I like your hair that way.”
“What?” Jesse looked into his eyes.
“I always remember you wearing your hair up. It looks great down like that. Are you wearing it like that all the time now?”
“Uh huh.” She didn’t want to tell him this was the first day she had let it down in a long time.
“By the way, happy birthday a day late. I have your present, but I forgot to bring it.”
“Sure, sure.” She nudged him playfully. “That’s what you always used to say. And somehow the present never found its way to me.”
“I’m serious. I have one for you.”
“Oh, God!” She was suddenly alarmed.
“What’s the matter?”
“I completely forgot. I’ve got a meeting at two o’clock.” She checked her watch. “And it’s already five after.”
“So I’m making you forget time now.” Todd gave her the crooked smile. “I think after all these years I’m finally making progress.”
“Come on.” She started walking quickly away.
A few minutes later they were almost back to the branch building. As they neared the main entrance, Jesse slowed down.
“Hello there,” David called out. He pushed off from the long black limousine on which he had been leaning and moved toward them. As he came closer, he saw Jesse’s surprise. “Oh, right.” He snapped his fingers as if he’d forgotten something. “I told you I’d pick you up, but I guess I didn’t tell you what kind of car to expect.” David eyed Todd for a moment, then looked back at Jesse. “You look great today, Jesse. I like your hair that way.”
Before she could protest, David had taken her hand and kissed her cheek. “Thanks,” she murmured, glancing back at Todd.
David moved past Jesse. “David Mitchell.” David extended his hand to Todd.
“Todd Colton.”
As they shook, they exchanged curt nods.
“So.” David turned back to Jesse as he let go of Todd’s hand. “Ready for an afternoon at Sagamore?”
“Yes. But give me just a minute.”
“Sure.” David understood immediately and walked back to the limousine.
Todd whistled softly. “So, Jess, is this what you do in the afternoons now? Ride around in limousines? I guess bankers aren’t so boring after all. No wonder we ran back here for your meeting.”
“Stop it. David works for a money management firm in Towson called Sagamore. I met the woman who runs the firm at business school the other night and she asked me to come out and visit. It would be a great place to work after I graduate. That’s all this is.” She paused. “As if I have to explain anything to you.”
“That may be all it is for you.” Todd motioned toward David. “But that’s not all it is for him.”
“What are you talking about?”
“If there’s one thing I can recognize, Jess, it’s a bird dog on scent. That one’s got yours so far up his nostrils it’s driving him crazy.”
“Quiet, will you?” She smiled at David, silently assuring him that she needed just a few more seconds, then turned back to Todd. “We met the other night for the first time. There’s nothing going on.” She grabbed his hand. “Hey, will you help me with what we talked about?”
Todd looked at her face for a moment without saying anything, as if trying to judge for himself whether or not there was anything going on with David. “Yes, but we’ll have to talk about my fee at some point.
”
“Fee?”
“Sure,” he said, smiling. “Some of us have to work for a living. Some of us can’t afford limousines.”
“Enough.” Jesse held up her hands. “I’ll call you later,” she said over her shoulder, shaking her head as she slid onto the limousine’s leather seat. So he was going to charge her a fee.
Todd watched the sleek black car move away from the curb. About the only kind of compensation he was going to require of Jesse Hayes was her time. And he was going to try to get as much of that from now on as he could.
“Ever been in a limousine before?” David asked from the seat facing hers.
“No,” she said brusquely, still annoyed at Todd. The male ego was such a fragile thing. Of course, now that she thought about it, she had never seen Todd jealous before. Jesse smiled. Maybe a little jealousy wasn’t such a bad thing.
“Hello.” Elizabeth Gilman rose from the floral-patterned chair and moved out from behind the dark wood desk as soon as she noticed Jesse and David standing at her office door.
“Elizabeth, you remember Jesse Hayes.” David played chief of staff for a moment.
“Of course.” Elizabeth took Jesse’s hand and guided her to the sitting area of the huge corner office. “Have you enjoyed the afternoon with us?”
“Very much.” Jesse sat down on a comfortable couch as Elizabeth and David took chairs. “It was so nice of you to invite me here.” She glanced out the windows at the impressive view, then at the beautiful antiques and paintings adorning the room. The office was a sharp contrast to the stark government gray of her cubbyhole downtown.
“Don’t mention it. I like to do this with people I feel hold great potential. Your professor tipped me off about you before class, and as soon as I heard you discuss the markets, I knew he was right. I’m very much a first-impression kind of person, with stocks and people.”
David laughed politely. “I don’t know about that, Elizabeth. I’ve never met anyone who can remember so many facts about so many companies. You do a tremendous amount of research before you buy a stock, as your record shows.”
“He’s just saying that because I’m the managing partner.” Elizabeth winked at Jesse.
