Code blue, p.26
Code Blue, page 26
“Aren’t you going to join us?” Hawthorne asked.
Nikki reached over to the sideboard, where a half-filled tumbler was sitting. “I’m a little ahead of you. It helps me unwind.” She raised her glass. “Cheers!”
“Cheers!”
“Cheers!”
“Tell me more about Sunnydale. Are either of you involved in any of the company’s finances? Administration?” She knew it would be a conflict of interest if they were. She simply wanted to hear how they would answer the question.
Gerber was the first to speak up. “No. No. But we do have an interest in the care of people who live in our districts.”
“Understandable.” Nikki nodded. And waited. She could tell Hawthorne was the more nervous of the two.
“Yes,” Gerber continued. “What’s important to our constituents is important to us.”
In a pig’s eye, she thought to herself.
“Let me tell you a little about my clients.” At this point, she could make up any story she wanted. They were on the hook. “They are looking to invest five million dollars.” She waited to see how Gerber was going to react.
He kept his cool, but it was not easy. He could barely speak, dazzled by the sum of money she proposed, and his head was getting a little foggy.
Hawthorne shook his head several times. He shut his eyes tight.
“Are you alright?” Nikki asked.
“Uh, yeah. I th—th—think so.”
“Easy there,” Gerber slurred slightly.
It was just a matter of a few more minutes before the two men were in la-la land. Hawthorne hit the floor, and Gerber toppled over him. Nikki buzzed the office next to hers, where Jack and Harry were waiting.
Within seconds, they were in Nikki’s doorway. “Did someone call for a trash collection?” Jack smiled devilishly. Harry lifted Gerber and flung him over his shoulder in a firemen’s lift. Jack did the same with Hawthorne. Nikki walked ahead of them and opened the door for the rear elevator.
Once outside, they carried the men to their van, hog-tied them, and threw them in the back. Their next stop was the tunnels of Pinewood, where they would learn their fate.
Tempe Executive Airport
Henry followed the signs to the hangar. Wide, open doors revealed a Gulfstream jet. Annie and Kathryn were standing by. A wheelchair and a ramp waited for their precious cargo. Kathryn leaned into the car, eased Aunt Dottie out of the front seat, and placed her in the wheelchair. She was in a semi-conscious state. Theresa crouched down to meet her at eye level. The woman looked up at her.
“JoAnne?”
Theresa’s eyes welled up. “No, Aunt Dottie. I’m JoAnne’s daughter.”
The older woman’s eyes searched for more answers. Theresa repeated what she just said. The older woman managed a little smile. “You look just like your mother.”
“Come on, ladies. Let’s get you guys home,” Annie said, as Kathryn wheeled her up the ramp.
It was a tearful send-off, but a happy one. Everyone got their final laughs about Frida and Henry’s disguises, and all promised to keep in touch.
As Henry and Frida began to drive away, the tune of “Mustang Sally” came over the radio. Henry impulsively turned up the volume. “Whaddya say we go to Vegas?” He patted his new best friend on the knee.
“But look at the way we’re dressed!” Frida remarked.
“Then we’ll fit right in.” Henry chuckled, and put the pedal to the metal.
In Flight
Annie had arranged for a nurse to fly with them. She came prepared with an IVP and fluids that Dottie desperately needed. Halfway into the flight, Annie handed the phone to Theresa. “Time to let your sister know about the family reunion.”
Theresa thought she was in a Coen Brothers movie. Biz arre. Funny. Absurd. “I should probably call my husband, too, before he thinks I ran off to be a cave dweller.”
Chapter Twenty-one
And Justice for All
Pinewood
The Tunnels
Hawthorne and Gerber woke up to the dank smell of mold and urine. If either of them were to guess, they would think they were in a dungeon. They would be half right. They had no idea this horrible place was situated under a beautifully restored farmhouse outside McLean, Virginia, whose owner was one of the richest women in the country.
Dungeons were known for keeping people separated from the rest of the world, and torture was part of the deal. They had no idea how long they had been there or why. Food would be pushed through a small opening at the bottom of the door, and they were forced to sit and sleep in their urine and feces.
After two days, Myra and Annie climbed down the stone stairs, saluted Lady Liberty, and walked through a tunnel that led to the concrete slab boxes where the two men were being held.
“We won’t keep you long. We wanted the opportunity to inform you as to why you are here, and what your future holds.”
Gerber was about to protest, but Annie kicked him in the leg.
“Next time I’ll aim higher.”
“Why are you doing this?” Gerber whined.
Hawthorne simply stared ahead. He knew this day would come.
Myra began with a laundry list of their crimes and misdeeds. “You robbed the government. You robbed unsuspecting seniors of their pensions and let them waste away in your crime lab.”
It was Annie’s turn. “You let people with life-ending diseases suffer without their medication.”
Gerber was blubbering, “But those people were going to die anyway.”
“I guess you don’t have a problem with pain.” This time, Annie aimed right for his groin.
An hour later, a crew sent by Pearl Barnes arrived to remove the men and send them to a similar “rehabilitation camp” as Gerber’s two aunts. As they were being carried out of the building, the Sisters formed a line to send them off. The last person was Aunt Dottie, who elegantly gave them the middle finger. It just so happened it was the same one with the art deco ring.
The anchor of the nightly news continued the story of the two missing men:
Senator Spencer Gerber and Congressman Maxwell Hawthorne have been missing for two days. We’ve been told that they are wanted for questioning. The congressman’s wife, Karen Hawthorne, claims she has no idea where her husband is, but some think the two men have fled the country.
Several days later, Karen Hawthorne was shocked when she was served with a search warrant and arrested. She screamed her head off. “Don’t you know who I am?”
The agent calmly replied, “We do. And that is why we are here.”
Aunt Dottie was regaining her strength. The doctors were optimistic that the delayed physical therapy would not hamper her recovery.
Lizzie Fox phoned Theresa. “Hi. I understand your aunt is coming along well.”
“Thanks to you and your friends,” Theresa said with gratitude.
“I have some exciting news for you.”
“I don’t know if I can take any more excitement,” Theresa said, and chuckled.
“I think you’re going to enjoy this.” Lizzie paused. “We couldn’t figure out why Sunnydale would hijack your aunt.”
“That was my question, too.”
“Do you think it’s because she won a quarter of a million dollars in the lottery?” Nikki said calmly.
“She what?” Theresa gasped.
“You heard me. Two hundred fifty thousand smackers.”
“Holy guacamole.” Theresa was baffled by the news.
“We’re taking care of the legal measures for you. With all the chicanery, it may be a few months before we can have the funds transferred. I’ll draw up a power of attorney agreement so you can handle her funds. I am sure you are much more trustworthy than those scoundrels.”
“And Nurse Nasty,” Theresa said.
“Just think, there were two of them,” Nikki remarked.
“As if one wasn’t enough,” Theresa said. “I don’t know how you guys pulled this off, and I don’t know how I will ever be able to repay you.”
“Enjoying your new family member is thanks enough,” Nikki said.
“Brian began working on a room for Dottie so she can live with us. The lottery money will come in handy for whatever care she needs.”
“That’s what I thought you would say,” Nikki replied with confidence.
The Following Weekend
Maggie reminded Charles of the promise he made, and he was very happy to oblige. He had a new recipe he wanted to try. With Fergus as his sous chef, they produced a well-deserved banquet.
Yoko arrived with bowls of white gardenias, which were placed on the dining room table. White tea lights sparkled off the Baccarat crystal wine glasses. It was a wonderful setting something that had become a tradition after a successful mission.
The Sisters gathered together at the table, along with Harry, Jack, Fergus, and Charles. They joined hands, and Myra said grace: “Thank you for the many blessings in our lives.”
This was followed by another tradition: Maggie shouting, “Let’s eat!”
The first course was lightly sautéed zucchini flowers stuffed with mascarpone cheese, accompanied by fresh figs and prosciutto. The main course was a showstopper of lobster thermidor, a classic French dish of sautéed lobster meat in a brandy cream sauce, stuffed back into the shells, then quickly browned with a crust of Gruyère cheese. A boule of sourdough bread and a salad of arugula with beets, goat cheese, and crumbled walnuts complemented the divine cuisine. As with all fine meals, a good bottle of wine was served.
For dessert, Charles served a warm fig cake with crème fraîche and fresh berries.
It was a night of good food, good humor, and good friends.
Epilogue
Months had passed, and there was still no news about the missing congressman and the senator, or his two aunts. When the authorities raided Edith and Janet’s cottages, they discovered each had a room fitted with monitors, and weeks of recordings were kept on file. In addition to the federal filings of fraud, all four were charged with invasion of privacy in absentia.
Eventually, their “alleged” immoral and illegal actions became public knowledge. Their assets were seized, and a judge determined they would be distributed to those who had been harmed. Karen was found guilty of her role as accomplice in the scheme and sentenced to twenty years in prison for securities fraud. She hated the color orange.
Frida and Henry moved to San Diego, where the weather was much more to their liking. Jeremy and Regina became an item and moved in together. Danny and Bonnie began to plan their wedding.
The money from the lottery helped pay for a new suite for Aunt Dottie at Theresa and Brian’s home. She spent many nights telling stories of her sister to her nieces and their children. The family was enormously grateful for the missing piece they didn’t know was missing but was finally found.
Look for The Final Storm, the new thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Fern Michaels …
In her award-winning wildlife photographs, Charlotte Gray captures all the beauty and wonder of the natural world. Far better to focus on breathtaking landscapes than to turn the lens on her own painful childhood and the uncaring mother she left behind in Florida. Piece by piece, Charlotte has built a new, independent life, one she’s eager to protect.
A chance encounter on assignment in Las Vegas sparks an intriguing relationship, and for the first time, Charlotte impulsively follows her heart. But along with love and fresh beginnings comes a trove of secrets about her new husband. And someone in his past is determined to upend Charlotte’s happiness by threatening what she cares about most.
After everything she’s weathered, Charlotte is about to face the task of rebuilding her life yet again. But this time she’s doing it with hard-won strength, experience, and the wisdom to know when to forgive, when to let go, and how to walk into the sunshine and claim the support and love she deserves …
Fern Michaels, Code Blue
