Wild Card

by Stuart Woods

  “Sitting up in a chair and talking a blue streak. She’s happiest when Bob is there.”

  “I expect he’s happier, too.”

  * * *

  • • •

  Rance Damien went into Henry’s office and found Hank already there. “I’ve got some bad news,” he said in Sicilian.

  “Now what?” Henry asked.

  “I became suspicious of Elise, so I had her apartment wired yesterday. She came home from work, but apparently went out after that.”

  “So what’s the bad news?” Hank asked.

  “Her mother called and left a message—in Sicilian.”

  The Thomases let that sink in for a moment. “Can we talk here?” Henry asked.

  Rance took Bob Cantor’s bugs from his pocket and placed them on the desk. “We can now,” he said. “My people found these in our offices last night.”

  Henry looked at the hardware as if it were a nest of poisonous spiders. “How long have they been here?”

  “There’s no way to tell,” Rance replied. “The point is, Elise understands Sicilian. How many times have we used it when she was in the room?”

  Everybody thought about it. “Only once, I think,” Henry said. “She was waiting to take a letter.”

  “What did we talk about on that occasion?” Hank asked.

  “Far too much,” Rance said.

  “Who was listening to these bugs?”

  “My best guess is Cantor,” Rance said, “but that’s only a guess. Could be the police or the D.A.”

  “Maybe Barrington?”

  “Maybe. If Barrington was listening, then Dino Bacchetti heard it, too.”

  “I had a call this morning,” Hank said. “Bacchetti had a meeting with the D.A. yesterday.”

  “That may not have been about us,” Rance pointed out.

  “Let’s assume that it was about us,” Henry replied. “What’s our next move?”

  Hank looked at his grandfather. “Is that buyout offer we had still on the table?”

  “Could be,” Henry said.

  “Then we should explore that possibility.”

  “I’ll make a call,” Henry said. “What if it isn’t still on the table?”

  “Then we’d better start thinking about our exit strategies,” Rance said.

  42

  Stone went upstairs to see Sherry and found her doing the Times crossword. A good sign, he reckoned.

  “You seem to be feeling better,” he said.

  “Thanks to you and Bob. I’ve got a new piece of bone in my skull, courtesy of my surgeon, and my ability to do the crossword seems to have improved. I recommend a bullet in the head to everybody.”

  Bob sat, dozing, in a chair in the corner.

  “Can I borrow him for a minute?” he asked.

  “Well,” she said, looking at her sleeping boyfriend, “he isn’t doing me much good right now. Go ahead, take him.”

  Stone shook Bob by the shoulder. He woke up, wide-eyed. “I thought you were a Thomas,” he said.

  “Let’s go talk for a minute,” Stone said, and Bob followed him into the hallway.

  “What’s up?”

  “We don’t seem to be getting anywhere. Sherry, Elise, and her mother are still in danger, and the D.A. doesn’t buy Elise’s testimony as sufficient for getting a warrant to bug the Thomases, let alone convict them.”

  “My bugs have gone dead, too,” Bob said.

  “I thought you might have something in mind,” Stone said. “Something you might not want to share with me.”

  “Gotcha,” Bob said. “I have dreams about machine-gunning them all.”

  “Something a little more subtle, perhaps.”

  “I’ll give it some thought,” Bob said.

  “Don’t get back to me,” Stone replied, then sent Bob back in with Sherry.

  * * *

  • • •

  When Stone was back at his desk, Joan buzzed. “Jamie on line one.”

  Stone picked up the phone. “You’re up early,” he said.

  “I’ve been thinking.”

  “Tell me.”

  “If Dino’s not getting anywhere with the D.A., why don’t we plant a hand grenade under his ass?”

  “That’s an attractive thought. What do you have in mind?”

  “Publishing the piece I wrote about what Elise Grant overheard the Thomases discussing. There’s nothing the Thomases can do, except what they’re already trying to do.”

  “Why don’t I bring it up with Elise and see what she has to say?”

  “You do that, then get back to me.”

  “Bye.” Stone hung up the phone, then called Elise’s throwaway cell.

  “Good morning,” she said.

  “How are your new quarters?” he asked.

  “Not bad. I mean, it’s a hotel, not home. How long do you figure we might have to stay here?”

  “I was just thinking about that,” Stone said. “Dino isn’t getting anywhere with the D.A. Jamie, however, called this morning and she has an idea that might shake things up.”

  “She wants to publish what I said, doesn’t she?”

  “She does, and she makes the point that doing so won’t put you at any more risk than you are now.”

  “But it would rattle them to their core, wouldn’t it? To see their own words in print?”

  “That’s the idea. Frightened people make mistakes.”

  “You tell Jamie to go ahead. I’m sure she took notes.”

  “She recorded you over the phone, and she’s already written the piece.”

  “Tell her I’ll look forward to reading it in tomorrow’s Times.”

  “I’ll do that. My best to your mother.” He hung up and called Jamie.

  “Yeah?”

  “Elise is all for it. How do the paper’s libel lawyers feel about it?”

  “I’ve been on the phone with them and Scott for the past half hour. They’re not happy, but they haven’t vetoed it, either.”

  “Then go.”

  “I’m gone.” She hung up.

  Stone called Dino.

  “Bacchetti.”

  “Just a heads-up for you.”

  “I’m listening.”

  “Jamie’s piece on Elise is running in tomorrow’s Times.”

  Dino laughed. “That should stick a firecracker up the D.A.’s ass.”

  “My thought is that the D.A. should hear about it when he reads it in the paper, not earlier.”

  “I haven’t returned his call yet.”

  “Then don’t.”

  “I have to. Anyway, I want to hear what he has to say.”

  “Let me know.”

  * * *

  • • •

  Dino put in the call to Ken Burrows.

  “Yes, Dino?”

  “I’m returning your call, Ken.”

  “Oh, yes. I wanted you to know: I’m not proceeding with a warrant for wiring the Thomases.”

  “What a shock,” Dino said.

  “Oh, don’t be a smart-ass, Dino. I have to follow the law.”

  “Not asking for a warrant is not following the law,” Dino pointed out. “If you ask for it, you might even get it.”

  “My best people think not.”

  “You ought to try listening to your conscience, instead of your ‘best people,’” Dino said. “You might try making a decision all by yourself sometime.”

  “Good day,” Burrows said, then hung up.

  Dino called Stone back.

  “Yes, Dino?”

  “I spoke to Burrows. He says his best people have advised against getting a warrant.”

  “I’m shocked, shocked,” Stone said.

  “That’s what I told him.”

  “W
ould you like to predict his actions when he reads tomorrow’s Times?”

  “I predict he’ll call me and accuse me of giving the story to them.”

  “You have perfect deniability on that one.”

  “I guess I do, don’t I?”

  “Talk to you later.” They hung up.

  Bob Cantor was standing in Stone’s doorway. He took a breath.

  “Don’t say it,” Stone said. “Jamie is running her story on Elise in tomorrow’s Times.”

  “I wish my bugs were still in place,” Bob said. “I’d like to hear their reaction.”

  “So would I,” Stone said.

  43

  Ari Kramer and Annie Lee sat on a bench in their Cambridge apartment, both naked, and watched Joe Box deliver a rousing speech to an audience of three thousand in Manchester, New Hampshire.

  “You outdid yourself on this one,” Annie said, stroking the inside of his thigh.

  “I did, didn’t I?” Ari replied, with his characteristic bluntness. “I believe the expression is, I knocked it out of the ball.”

  “That’s ballpark,” she corrected.

  “You’re becoming a pedant,” Ari said.

  “I am not. I’m just correcting a small error in your parlance that would damage your credibility if anyone but me heard it.”

  “I suppose I should be grateful,” he said.

  “I don’t think you feel gratitude, Ari—not in the usual meaning of the word.”

  “I’d be grateful if you’d shut up about how I speak.”

  “No, you’d just get even angrier when I correct you.”

  “Why are you the arbiter of the quality of my speech?” he demanded.

  “Because I’m all you’ve got,” she said, moving her hand up farther.

  Ari gave a little twitch as she neared home plate. “I’m grateful for what you just did,” he said.

  “That I can believe,” Annie replied, continuing her exploration. They dived into the bed.

  * * *

  • • •

  The Thomases and Damien sat in Henry’s office and watched the Box speech on a large computer screen.

  “I’m having trouble believing this,” Henry said. “I’ve known the son of a bitch for a decade, and he’s hardly ever missed an opportunity to say something awkward and turn people off. I was stunned when he was reelected.”

  “He’s now got a nine-point lead over the incumbent in the Republican primary,” Damien said.

  “Yeah,” Hank chimed in, “but that will disappear in the general election. Independents and young people are going to be harder to attract than your standard Republican voters.”

  “A good point,” Damien said. “I’ll see what I can do about it.”

  * * *

  • • •

  The couple had just come simultaneously for the first time, and they lay in each other’s arms, panting.

  “Oh my God,” Annie said.

  “If you’re speaking to him, tell him I concur,” Ari said.

  His Skype ring nearly blasted them out of bed. Annie clutched a sheet over her breasts. “Can he see me?”

  “He’ll be able to, unless you get out of the bed,” Ari said, “as soon as I answer.”

  She ran for the bathroom while Ari got into khakis and a polo shirt. “Yes, William?” he said, pressing a button.

  “Good afternoon, Ari,” the man said. The bandages that had been concealing his face were down to just one over his chin. Above that, his face was looking more normal.

  “I hope you’re well,” Ari said, struggling to find a little sincerity.

  “I’m very well, and so is Senator Box, if the speech I just watched is any measure.”

  “He’s coming along very nicely,” Ari said.

  “I think we need to shift gears,” Smith said.

  “I’m sorry, I don’t understand.”

  “It means we should take Senator Box to a higher level.”

  “What level do you mean? We have to get him nominated first.”

  “What I mean is: We’ve been appealing mostly to a Republican audience during the primary. Normally, we’d wait until after the primary, then begin appealing to independents, young people, and more conservative Democrats.”

  “I understand.”

  “But I don’t think we should wait until after the primary, I think we should start now.”

  “I think that’s a very good idea,” Ari said.

  “Perhaps he could say a kind word about Medicare,” Smith said. “Perhaps even Obamacare.”

  “Health care is certainly going to be an important talking point in the general election,” Ari agreed.

  “He’s speaking in Burlington tomorrow. That would be a good place to swing him more to the political center.”

  “I believe you’re right,” Ari replied. “I’ll write him something tonight, and he can memorize it with his breakfast.”

  “Good, get right on it,” Smith said. “I won’t keep you any longer.”

  Ari signed off. He had already drafted a half dozen speeches of the kind Smith was asking for. He had only to touch up one for a Burlington audience.

  * * *

  • • •

  Henry Thomas hung up the phone and grinned at his two companions. “They’ve made us a very good offer,” he said. “I’ll call them back in a few minutes and edge them up a little—less than they’re expecting—and we’ll be done.”

  “When do they want to close?”

  “I haven’t suggested a date; I don’t want to sound anxious. I think they’ll want to move quickly, though. We’re at forty-two dollars a share. They think I’ll come back with forty-eight, but I’ll make it forty-six. I know we’d all like to have the extra two dollars, but if we get greedy we might delay or even blow the acquisition. After all, it’s a cash offer. They’ve brought in a huge pile of overseas earnings, and they’re itching to spend some of it.”

  “What are our personal obligations as managers of the company?” Hank asked. “How long do we have to stay? A year?”

  “My guess is their final offer will come with a condition of our immediate departure.”

  “God, I’d love to be out from under,” Hank said.

  Henry’s phone rang. “Yes? Hello, Harman. I’m listening.” He listened, then said, “Hold the phone a minute, will you?” Henry covered the receiver. “The offer is $46.50 a share, closing within a week. He says they’ve already done their due diligence. And our duties end at closing.”

  Hank and Damien nodded.

  “All right, Harman,” Henry said. “Congratulations! You’ve got yourself the finest investment bank in the country. Just e-mail me a signed offer, I’ll e-mail you back my signature, and we’re done until closing.” He said goodbye and hung up.

  “Thanks for the extra fifty cents, Poppa,” Hank said.

  “Yes, sir,” Damien echoed.

  “So,” Henry said, “what are you boys going to do?”

  “I’m thinking Switzerland for a while,” Hank said.

  “It’s someplace with no extradition treaty for me,” Damien said. “I may hang around until the election.”

  “I’m staying right here,” Henry said. “The house in the Hamptons in the summer, Aspen in the winter. I’ve got another season or two of skiing left in me.”

  44

  Stone, Dino, and Viv were at Brasserie Georgette, having just arrived.

  “You’d better double the guard on the Grants,” Stone said. “Jamie’s story runs tomorrow in the Times.”

  “I have already done so,” Dino replied.

  “I’ll double Jamie’s guard, too,” Viv said, reaching for her phone and making the call.

  Stone’s phone rang. “Hello?”

  “It’s Jamie.”

  “Viv, Dino, and I were
just talking about you. All of it good.”

  “I’m delighted, but I have new news.”

  Stone looked around; nobody was too close. “I’ll put you on speaker, to save me having to repeat it to Viv and Dino.”

  “Okay, ready?”

  Stone pressed the button. “Ready.”

  “A reporter on our business page got a hot tip a few minutes ago. A preliminary agreement has been signed between H. Thomas & Son and DigiWorld, a hedge fund specializing in bank acquisitions.”

  “Who’s buying whom?” Stone asked.

  “DigiWorld is the buyer, at $46.50 a share, twenty-five percent over the stock price at closing.”

  “So the Thomases are getting richer,” Stone said.

  “The two remaining Thomases and a family member named Lawrance Damien own a majority of the shares.”

  “Well, your breaking story is going to put the fear of God into them, isn’t it?”

  “I can’t imagine that it won’t torpedo the acquisition, or at least lower the price significantly.”

  “It couldn’t happen to a nicer bunch,” Dino said.

  “By the way,” Viv chimed in, “I’ve already doubled your security. You’ll have two outside men as well as the two inside women.”

  “Do you really think that’s necessary, Viv?”

  “It can’t hurt,” Viv replied.

  “No, I guess it can’t,” Jamie agreed. “Well, I have some calls to make. Enjoy whatever dinner you’re having wherever.” She hung up.

  “Well,” Stone said, “if either of you has any H. Thomas shares, you’d better unload them on the foreign markets before bedtime.”

  “None here,” Dino said.

  “None here, either,” Viv echoed.

  “Have you got people on Huey, our computer whiz?” Stone asked Viv.

  “Yes, and I’d better double that, too. I think Huey should know, too,” Viv said.

  Stone dialed the number.

  “Huey here.”

  “Hi, Huey, it’s Stone Barrington.”

  “Hey, Stone. You should see my new place. It’s coming right along.”

  “Huey, have you been contemplating a vacation lately?”