"What did you say?" Jack said as Ted stepped out of the way for him to get a better look at the contents of the freezer. Jack reached in to pick up one of the oversize trays. "Lasagna, my ass. Grab these and head next door. This isn't food! These are the records. I tried a case not too long ago where these drug dealers hid their money and records in dummy food containers in the freezer."
"Oh, shit!" Harry shouted. "Car lights arcing through the front window. There goes the garage door. Move! Move!"
Jack tossed the freezer trays to the guys. "Don't slam the kitchen door. Ted, did you turn the gas off over there?"
"Yeah. I told you the gas connection is back there by the back door. I did it when we broke in. There won't be any heat, and I didn't see wood anywhere for the fireplace. They aren't going to be able to stay in that house. Who turned the breaker off?"
"I did. I ripped that box to hell and back," Harry said. "I dumped those nuggets behind the hot-water heater. No gas, no electricity. If the temperature drops any lower, the pipes are going to freeze and burst. That happened to me once at the dojo when I first bought it and we had a ten-day freeze. You have to let the water drip."
"How soon before there's a knock on this door?" Espinosa asked.
"Any minute now," replied Jack. "C'mon, guys, close the drapes and blinds. Espinosa, you're the one who will open the door if it happens. They might recognize Ted from some of his articles and bylines. Harry and I can't be seen. Just say you're the owner's nephew and you came down here at his request to turn the heat up and...drip the water. Shit! We don't know the owner's name. Newsom might know the owner."
"The name is Michael Otis. The house on the other side is owned by Kevin and Joan Holmes," Harry said.
"Man, I love you!" Jack said, hugging his friend.
"So, what's our game plan?" Ted asked. "Are we staying here, or are we leaving? When is that guy at the guardhouse going to wake up, Harry?"
"We're good for now. What do you want to do, Jack?"
Harry's deferring to him was such a rarity, Jack was stunned. "I say we wait thirty minutes to see if anyone knocks on the door. If it doesn't happen, we split, head for town, get rooms at a motel, and sack out."
Ted pointed to the stack of freezer trays he'd piled up on the washing machine in the mini laundry room. "You backed up the Rover, right?"
"You're losing it, Ted. You were in the damn truck, guiding me. Yeah, I backed it up. Why?"
"We have to get this stuff in the truck. Four guys. Their stuff is gone. What do you think those two are going to think? Too bad we weren't smart enough to back into the garage. If you had done that, we could have barreled out, and if they are watching, they wouldn't know there are four of us. Four means robbery!" Ted snarled just as the front doorbell rang.
"Espinosa, you're up! We'll hole up here in the laundry room. Make it good!" Jack said.
Espinosa raced to the front door and took a deep breath before he opened it. "Yeah?" he barked.
"You aren't Mike Otis," Adel Newsom said, suspicion ringing in her voice.
"Thank God!" Espinosa said dramatically. "I'm his nephew. By marriage. He asked me to come down to check the pipes so they don't freeze. Not that it's any of your business, ma'am. Who are you anyway?"
"Your neighbor. I just got here but have no heat. There's something wrong with the breaker box, too. We...I don't have any electricity either. Do you have heat?"
"No heat, but the power is on. The gas lamps are out on the street. Could have been the wind. It is pretty squally out there right now."
"When did you get here?" Newsom asked.
"You sure are nosy for a neighbor. About an hour ago. I'm just getting ready to leave. You got a problem, take it up with my uncle. I'm outta here."
"Did you...did you see anyone on the street when you got here?"
"Lady...I don't even know your name...You can't get in here unless the guard allows it. You should be talking to him, not me. I've never been here before, so I can't help you."
"What's your name?" Newsom asked.
"What's yours?" Espinosa parried.
"Adel Newsom. I'm a lawyer. And you are?"
"Mike Otis's nephew, Fabio Garcia. I'm a plumber. A good one, by the way. Before you leave, you better let the faucets drip, or the pipes will burst. Then you won't have any water either. That's the problem with having a vacation home. You need to live in a house and keep up with it from time to time. If you don't mind, I was just getting ready to leave. Call Mike if you have any problems. Check your car radio for the weather. Nice meeting you, Ms. Newsom."
"Do you have any wood?"
Espinosa leaned against the door frame. "Nah. Mike didn't order any. If he had any, I'd sleep by the fireplace. I'm not looking forward to heading into town. Doesn't look too good out there. You be careful now. I want to check everything one more time before I leave." He yawned elaborately. "Hey, why don't you try calling the guardhouse or whomever you call for maintenance around here? Sorry I couldn't help you."
"I'm sorry, too," Newsom said as she tried to peer past Espinosa and into the house.
"Well, if there's nothing else..."
Newsom shrugged and hugged her down coat tighter to her chest. "Be careful on the road. Good thing you have a four-wheel drive," she added as an afterthought. At least that was the way it sounded to Espinosa.
"Yeah, I wouldn't have attempted this if I didn't have four-wheel drive. That's why Mike asked me to make the trip. Maybe we'll meet up again when Mike has his annual Fourth of July party."
"Maybe," Newsom said, turning around and heading across the narrow porch to the steps.
Espinosa couldn't resist a parting shot. "Don't be foolish and try staying in the house. You could freeze, and with gas, you never know. Carbon monoxide," he said dramatically. He slammed the door shut and raced to the laundry room.
"Does she suspect something?" Jack demanded.
"Hell, yeah, she suspects something. Suspicion was flooding out of her pores. I'm going out through the garage. I'll back in the back end of the Range Rover. You guys jump in and we're outta here. I'm thinking that staying in town is not a good idea. I'll head out to the highway and stop at the first rest stop I find. Ted, work that GPS. Maybe we should take our chances and head back to the District."
"Temperature is dropping," Ted said. "This crap on the ground is going to ice up real fast."
"Stop at the guard hut," Harry said.
Espinosa obliged.
Minutes later, keys in hand, Harry entered the guardhouse and woke up the guard. "Listen to me, sir."
The guard jerked upright. "I'm listening, young man," he said groggily.
Harry felt momentarily flattered at being called a young man. "I want you to pay attention to what I'm saying. I am not going to tell anyone you sleep on the job. Your secret is safe with me."
The guard shook his head. "Oh, thank you. I guess I was just exhausted. I swear to you, I have never, ever slept on the job."
"I believe you. The weather does strange things to people. Now, the second thing is, I was never here, okay?"
"You were never here. Right."
"If you say I was here, I will come back, pull your brain down through your nose, then send it back to your head through your ears. Clearly, your brain will be scrambled. When I leave here, I want to leave knowing you and I have a clear understanding. Do we, sir?"
"You betcha we do, young fella. You were never here. I will never, ever sleep on the job again, and my brain will remain intact."
Harry reached over and patted the guard's cheek. He smiled. "You have a nice night now, you hear?"
"You betcha, young fella."
"Business has been taken care of, gentlemen. We can now leave this snowy paradise," Harry said, jumping back into the Rover. "Quickly, because I can see headlights back in the distance."
Espinosa did his best to burn rubber.
Chapter 8
"Something is wrong," Yoko whispered to Nikki, who was sitting next to her. "
Watch Charles. Whatever he's hearing is not good for us. Harry has not called. Did you hear from Jack? Alexis said Joseph has not called her either. I just checked the weather, and they are driving into the storm. We should have heard something by now, don't you think?"
Nikki's heart fluttered in her chest. She was worried; so was Alexis. She could tell by the frown lines between her lustrous brown eyes. She took a deep breath and moved to the side, but not before she whispered to Yoko, "I'm going to call Maggie. She has her finger on the pulse of everything."
A second later Maggie's voice came through, crystal clear. Maggie didn't even give Nikki a chance to say anything before she started to rattle off what was going on. "The guys' phones aren't working. No one knows what happened to Snowden's people. They were a no-show. The guys persevered and prevailed. They have the goods. It was in the freezer, disguised as frozen food. They're on the turnpike now, on their way back home. They were going to stop in town, but they had to do a little...construction work, so that means Newsom and Bell will be heading to town to spend the night."
Nikki sucked in her breath. "What kind of 'construction'?"
"They turned off the gas and threw the knob into the snow. They ripped out the breaker box. No heat, no electricity. No wood either. The guys almost got caught but got out in time. Talk about some foresight...Ted and Espinosa picked the lock on the house next door, turned on all the lights, so they skedaddled over there the minute Newsom and Bell arrived. Newsom knocked on the door, and Espinosa answered and said he was the nephew of the owner and was just there to check on the house. He said he didn't think she bought his story, but there was nothing she could do. Five minutes later they were out of there."
"Do you know where they are right now?" Nikki asked.
"Somewhere on the turnpike, headed this way. Ted called about fifteen minutes ago and said they're playing it careful and staying behind a sanitation truck that is salting the road. That's it for now. I'm going to stay here at the paper until they get here. Do you know anything?"
"No, nothing. Charles is on the phone with someone, and whatever he's hearing isn't looking good. I'm thinking it's Snowden. I'll tell him the guys pulled it off the minute he gets off the phone. I'll call you back. Thanks, Maggie." Nikki ended the call and shoved the phone into the pocket of her sweatpants. Charles was doing the same thing, the frown on his face getting more pronounced by the second.
Charles motioned for the Sisters to take their seats at the round table. "Avery Snowden just called. There was an eleven-car pileup on the turnpike. He and his people were in cars eight and nine. The northbound lane was and still is blocked solid with an eighteen-wheeler that went over on its side. Ambulances and fire trucks have been trying to get to the scene. They can't even cross over the lane to head back south. Southbound is moving at a snail's pace, but it is moving. It's the weather, and no one can control Mother Nature."
Nikki held up her hand. "The guys scored, Charles. They're on the way back with the evidence, which was hidden in Newsom's freezer." She quickly related all that Maggie had shared with her.
"Have they looked through the records?"
"Maggie said no. All they wanted to do was get out of there. She said she's going to stay at the paper to wait for them. Not much you can do when Mother Nature takes a hand. All we can do now is wait."
Charles nodded. "Let's all go over to the dining room. I made some pizza for a late-night snack. I have things to report and discuss, and we need to make plans to get you all down off the mountain. Mr. Bell's children's Christmas party is in a few days. Your window of time is going to work against you because of Mother Nature."
The Sisters donned their down jackets and headed for the door, Charles bringing up the rear. The minute they were in the toasty warm dining room, they shed their outer gear and clustered around the fireplace. Before long the wonderful smell of baking pizza wafted into the dining room.
Charles joined the Sisters and made his announcement. "There's something wrong with the cable car. Tee said his heart was in his throat on the way down. I watched the car come back up, and even I could tell something is wrong. I can't put you at risk, so you're going down the mountain on snowshoes. Myra and Annie will be on one of the snowmobiles. Transportation will be waiting at the base of the mountain. You leave tomorrow, as soon as it gets light."
"Where are we staying, and will the things I ordered be there when we arrive?" Alexis asked.
"I took care of everything, Alexis. You're going to be staying at the Post apartment. It's in a corporate building for companies to house overnight guests, and Maggie assures me no one pays attention to anything, as most of the apartments are rarely used and rarely for more than an overnight stay at any one time. What that means is there won't be any curious neighbors paying attention to you or the deliveries that will take place tomorrow morning.
"The offices, firms, and Bell's office pretty much are locked up by six o'clock. My intel tells me that on occasion an architect on the second floor stays as late as eight o'clock. And he uses the stairwell to get to the underground garage and doesn't go through the lobby. We already discussed the security guard, so there's no point going over that again. You want to be in and out."
"What makes you so sure Bell wasn't keeping his records at Rehoboth, where Newsom kept hers?" Kathryn asked.
"Instinct. With Bell keeping his records separate, Newsom has no hold on him other than a possible personal relationship. I suspect when caught, both of them will try to blame the other to get out from under. It's the survival instinct. Storing such incriminating records in a freezer tells me Newsom is not the brains of that duo. Bell, now, has thought this through and prepared for it. I can almost guarantee it. I suppose I could be wrong, but I don't think so."
"If you're wrong, and Bell has moved his records from the office, where does that leave us? With no proof of wrongdoing, our hands are tied. The guy is a lawyer and knows how to cover his butt," Kathryn said.
Charles laughed. "Girls, a little matter like no proof has never stopped you before. It's a given that he won't willingly give up anything, but Newsom will."
Isabelle was about to voice a question when the timer on the oven went off, signaling that the pizza was ready. At the exact same moment, Charles's cell phone chirped. The girls rushed to the kitchen, while Charles moved out of sight to talk in hushed whispers.
Alexis poured root beer into frosty glasses from the freezer while Annie and Myra sliced the pizza with kitchen shears. Plates rattled, napkins were unfolded, and silverware was placed on the table just as Charles slipped his phone into his pocket. "I have news."
"Tell us, dear," Myra said. "The pizza is too hot to eat at the moment."
"One of my people has zeroed in on the surrogates. They're waiting for word from you as to when and where you want them taken. The original adoptive parents are standing by. Right this moment, we do not know where the babies are. That information, I'm sure, will be in Ms. Newsom's records. I have a small cadre of nurses on standby who will bring the babies to a designated safe house, at which time the original adoptive parents will be brought in to claim their babies. It seems all the surrogates are third- or fourth-year college students, recruited from Georgetown, George Washington, and the Catholic universities. The ones we know about all filed suits to reclaim their babies."
"So what you're saying is, we're going in blind. Everything will go down in real time, and there is no margin for error. Is that what you're saying, Charles?" Nikki asked.
"That's about the size of it. I'll choreograph it down to the last chord, but the rest will be up to you." He reached for a slice of pizza, bit down, and rolled his eyes. "Delicious!"
"The only thing I'm worried about is the babies," Annie said. The others agreed with her.
"I'm working on it, Annie. No matter what, the babies are our first priority. I want to stress, as strenuously as I can, that no matter what happens or what goes down, the babies come first. Tell me you all agree. I want to see a show of
hands."
Seven hands shot upward.
"Good! Now, I think we're ready for our second pie. I'll do the honors this time," Charles said, getting up from his chair.
"Does that mean what I think it means?" Isabelle asked. "If it comes to a crunch, and it's either us or the babies, the babies win?"
"Yes, dear, that's exactly what it means," Myra said.
Seven very sober faces looked up at Charles as he set the second pizza in the middle of the table. "Pepperoni and sausage," he said cheerfully.
As Charles prepared to serve the pepperoni-and-sausage pizza, Adel Newsom and Baron Bell were quarreling bitterly. Bell was driving a silver Mercedes, which was supposed to be good in bad weather conditions. It wasn't. He was driving at a snail's pace and all over the road. He tried to ignore his companion, but it wasn't working. She was shrilling at him at the top of her lungs. "You're a fool. You said this was a foolproof operation. Not only are you a fool, you're stupid. It was your idea to drive here, instead of having Douglas drive us here in the Town Car. Look at you! Just look at you! You never drive in snow and don't know what the hell you're doing. You're all over the road. You're going to kill us!" she shrieked.
"Shut up, Adel. I didn't tell you to store your records in the freezer out here in the boon-docks. That was your own brilliant brainstorm. I told you it was stupid, but did you listen to me? No, you did not, and this is the result. I must have had my brains in my ass when I got involved with you. I thought you were smart. I was wrong. You're just a greedy bitch." Then he added insult to injury and said, "An old greedy bitch."
Adel Newsom continued to screech. "Don't tell me to shut up, Baron. You turned green when I told you that reporter, the one who runs the Post, came to my office. You almost wet your pants when that old harridan that works for you told you the same thing. They know."
"Who are they, Adel?" Bell demanded through clenched teeth.
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