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  “Have you met anyone important?”

  “Nope. The prime minister of Israel was there today. So was some Muslim leader. I see Marti’s schedule every morning, and she doesn’t have a spare moment. I have no idea when she gets a bathroom-and-lipstick break. It’s a killer schedule. This is absolutely not for publication, Maggie, but something has Marti’s knickers in a twist. She came into my office, admired my window view, said hello, then just stared at me for five whole minutes. After that display of something or other, she kind of nodded to herself and told me not to work too hard and that she was glad I liked my office. Oh, she brought me a poinsettia plant for my desk. I thought that was a little weird, but I can’t shake the feeling that something is going on. I asked Toby, and he said he didn’t have a clue. I think he would have told me if he did.”

  “So, you like it there, huh?”

  “Actually, Maggie, I don’t like it there. I only took the job to make sure POTUS keeps her promise to the vigilantes. I gave her six months. She knows what she has to do.”

  “What if she hasn’t kept her promise at the end of the six months?” Maggie asked.

  “Then the girls can go at it, and I’ll help in any way I can. Just like you will. Do you want to tell me why you’re here so I can quit messing with this food I’m not going to eat?”

  Maggie made a production of going through her bag, looking for money. She finally ended up with eighty-seven cents. She laid the coins out on the table. “I’m hiring you, and this is my retainer. Unless you take credit cards.”

  Lizzie bolted upright. “Are you in some kind of trouble, Maggie? Did something happen at the paper? It’s not Ted, is it?”

  “None of the above, Lizzie. I’m not sure if I should be here, but we all belong to the same…club, so to speak. Plus…women have to stick together, don’t you agree? By the way, no one knows I’m here, and I’d like to keep it that way. Also, I probably should have called the mountain, but I didn’t.”

  “I absolutely do agree that we should all stick together. Why don’t you just tell me what brought you out here on this miserable night so we can go at it and make it right?”

  Maggie started to shred one of the paper napkins on the table. “We’re good on the eighty-seven-cent retainer?”

  “We’re good on the retainer, Maggie.”

  Maggie sucked in air and let it out with a loud swoosh. “Okay, here goes. Buckle up and listen carefully.”

  Chapter 5

  Ted Robinson walked to the curb and whistled shrilly. Luckily, a cab pulled up almost immediately. Both he and Espinosa climbed in. Ted leaned over the seat to speak to the driver. “We want to go to Georgetown, but with a stop at Andolino’s on the way.”

  Ted leaned back and buckled up. “Espinosa, call Andolino’s and order takeout for five. Spaghetti, meatballs, and sausage, with three orders of garlic bread, salads all around, and two six-packs. I’ll call Bert, Jack, and Harry.”

  Harry was the only one of the three who kicked up a fuss, which prompted Ted to say, “Listen, you ninja terrorist, I don’t have time for this bullshit. Just be at Jack’s when we get there. Espinosa and I are bringing dinner, and, no, if you want that tofu shit, bring your own, we’re eating Eye-tal-yun. That is so rude, Harry, and God or Buddha is going to punish you for talking to me like that. Bye.”

  “He’s going to kill you, Ted. You know that, right?”

  “Jack will shoot him. I’m not worried.”

  Espinosa laughed so hard he choked, and Ted had to pound him on the back.

  When Espinosa finally got his breath back, he asked, “Do you want to be fried or planted?” Then he went off into another choking fit of laughter.

  Ted stared out at the falling snow and thought it was tapering off. His thoughts turned to Maggie. He wished he wasn’t so gutless. He turned to Espinosa, who was staring out his own window. “Straight up, Joe, would you have caved in to Maggie the way I did?”

  “Yeah. Maggie has the full electric charge. The best we can hope for is a sputtering spark, which doesn’t say a whole hell of a lot for us.”

  Ted almost strangled himself when he squirmed and wiggled to face Espinosa. “What’s your best guess? Did those guys call the mountain? Did they spill their guts? I need to know your thoughts so we don’t go confessing to something they did, too. You getting my drift here?”

  “I am. The short and long answer is yes. I’m also thinking my ass is going to go in a sling when Alexis finds out she’s the only one who didn’t get a call. Do you think I should call her, Ted?”

  “Hell, yes. Talk sweet. Tell her you were in a dead zone, and the phone keeps dropping calls. We’re here. Anything else you want besides what you ordered?”

  “Yeah, two bags or boxes of cannoli. Make sure they have chocolate on the top.”

  The cabdriver slid to the curb, and Ted hopped out. He was back ten minutes later, his hands gripping two very fragrant shopping bags full of food. Two six-packs were tucked under his arms. The cab was moving before he could buckle up.

  “What’d she say?”

  “Nothing. The call went to voice mail. I told her to call me and said it was very important, crucial actually, along with critical, and to get back to me as quick as she could.”

  “Okay, your ass is covered. Do you really think the others blabbed?”

  “Absolutely they blabbed. You can take it to the bank.” Espinosa wondered if what he was saying was true. “Look, you’re good at bluffing and lying when you have to. You’re a reporter, for God’s sake. Just act like you know they did it and go on from there. Harry is not going to kill you. He might hurt you a little, but he doesn’t want to go to jail. Relax.”

  “We need a new circle of friends, Joe. Haven’t you noticed how stressed we are of late?”

  “I thought you’d never mention it,” Espinosa grumbled. “By chance, do you mean someone like Charlie Farrell and his gardening wife, or do you mean Matt Oliver and his social-climbing spouse?”

  “Jesus, we’d die of boredom and be drinking sherry out of little glasses at four in the afternoon. Forget I mentioned it. We should think about maybe taking Xanax or something. Nah, with our luck we’d get addicted. Harry isn’t that violent.”

  “Yes, he is.”

  “Shut up, Espinosa. We have only a block to go, and we’ll be at Jack’s house.”

  “Just out of curiosity, Ted, have you given any thought to Maggie finding out we’re going to Jack’s house? She’s going to come home sooner or later, and she lives just two doors away. Plus, she’s going to see the bill for the credit card you charged all that food on. Dinner was just for the two of us, not for five, and Andolino’s is expensive. She’s going to figure it out.”

  “You had to say that, didn’t you? Don’t I have enough on my mind without worrying about my expense account? We’re here. You take the beer, and I’ll carry the food.” Ted inched himself out of the cab and handed the fare to the driver, along with a generous tip, compliments of the Post.

  “It looks like it stopped snowing,” Espinosa said. His jittery-sounding voice did not go unnoticed by Ted.

  Espinosa jiggled the two six-packs of beer as he rang the doorbell with his elbow. When the door opened almost immediately, he stumbled through the open doorway. Jack stepped aside.

  “It quit snowing,” Espinosa said.

  “That’s nice to know. I was going to turn in early tonight. What the hell is it with you two? Can’t you get enough of me during the day? Whatever this is all about, it better be good.”

  “Yeah, right. Like you think I’d spring for dinner for five people at Andolino’s if it wasn’t important? Plus the taxi fare and tip. Is everyone here?” Ted asked.

  “All present and accounted for,” said Jack. “Harry is in his killer mode, and he also brought weeds and tofu and that shitty green tea. Guess we can save his share for Maggie.”

  Ted snorted. “Believe it or not, Maggie has lost her appetite. I’m worried about her.”

  “And w
ell you should be. We’ll save it, anyway,” Jack said, leading the parade to the kitchen, where Bert and Harry were waiting expectantly.

  Bert sniffed appreciatively. Harry nibbled on his weeds. Ted refused to make eye contact with Harry as he started to take the boxes out of the bags.

  “We don’t even need dishes or silverware. Everything is included. No fuss, no mess,” Espinosa said, taking his place at the kitchen table.

  “We can talk after we eat. The food is still hot, so let’s enjoy it,” Ted said.

  The guys fell to with gusto. Thirty minutes later the kitchen table was clean, and the fifth meal was in the refrigerator. Harry packed up his weeds in a little plastic bag and stuffed it into a pocket of his baggy pants. All eyes turned to Ted.

  Ted squared his shoulders and worked up a case of ripe indignation. “You guys just couldn’t wait, could you? You promised Cricket not to blab, and what do you do? You damn well blab! Don’t deny it! So much for guy power! No wonder women don’t trust us. Well, say something. I’m embarrassed to be sitting here with you. You can’t be trusted.”

  “Now hold on here, Ted,” Jack blustered. “You better be careful when you bandy accusations about. Where do you get off saying something like that?”

  He looks guilty. They all look guilty. Ted felt so giddy, he thought he was going to black out. He risked a glance at Espinosa, who looked like he was going to fall off his chair in relief.

  “Maggie.” Ted leaned back on his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. “You gonna lie to my face or man up?”

  “Okay, okay. I’m the head of the goddamn FBI. I had no right to make a promise like that. How’d that look if it got out?” Bert said lamely.

  “We’re part of a team here. I had to tell Nikki,” Jack said. “You think I want those girls coming down on me, and that’s exactly what would happen if they found out after the fact.”

  “So what are you going to do about it?” Harry asked quietly.

  “Not a damn thing,” Ted said cheerfully. “It’s what Maggie is doing as we sit here talking. She’s on her way to Lizzie’s house. She was leaving when Espinosa and I left the paper. We both heard her give Lizzie’s address to her driver. Hell, she’s been there now for about an hour. Now, gentlemen, being as smart and astute as you are, why do you think Maggie went to Lizzie’s house in this weather at this hour of the night, and more to the point, why isn’t Maggie hungry? Well, say something.”

  “The woman hasn’t been born that you can trust,” Jack said virtuously. “Women stick together like glue, and they can keep a secret.”

  “That’s what women say about us,” Bert said, pity ringing in his voice. “Except for the part about us keeping a secret. Obviously, we failed the test.”

  “I did not divulge any secrets, nor did I call Yoko,” Harry said.

  All eyes turned to Harry in disbelief, but no one said a word.

  “What? What? A man is measured by how he keeps his word. I gave mine to Cosmo Cricket. I take something like that very seriously. Why are you looking at me like that?”

  “Well, Harry, what do you think Yoko is going to say? How is she going to feel when she finds out you didn’t think enough of her to alert her to what’s going on? What about all that crap you guys are always spouting about losing face?” Jack said. “Man, I would not want to be in your shoes right now.”

  “Up yours, Jack. Yoko feels the same way I do about honor and lying and giving one’s word,” Harry retorted.

  “That was back in the Dark Ages, buddy. She’s a member of the vigilantes these days, or did you forget that? She’s damn well going to wipe up the floor with you. Ah, you aren’t looking worried, Harry. Big mistake.” Jack cackled.

  The others looked at Harry with pity.

  Harry squirmed in his chair. “You guys are bullshitting me, right?”

  “Nope,” the foursome said in unison.

  Ted got up, picked up his backpack, and started for the door. “My work here is done. I enjoyed your titillating company and dinner, even if I paid for it. Have a nice evening, boys. Uh-oh, it’s snowing again,” he said to no one in particular. “Espinosa, call us some wheels.”

  “Never mind calling for a taxi. I can drop you off,” Bert said, coming up behind them. “I got a parking space two cars up.”

  “We accept,” Ted said magnanimously. “I have to stop at the convenience store near the apartment for some cat food. I can make my way on foot after that. You want to stay over, Espinosa?”

  “Yeah, I think I will,” Espinosa replied.

  Inside the car, Ted finally got the courage to ask, “How’s Harry? Is he staying the night at Jack’s?”

  “Looked to me like he was crying when I left. He was begging Jack to help him out, and Jack was extorting all sorts of promises out of him. That’s all I know, boys. Hey, do you think spring will ever get here?” Bert asked.

  “Someone should remember to call Jack in the morning to see if he’s still alive,” Espinosa said. “I can’t believe you guys squealed.”

  “Well, you did, didn’t you?” said Bert. “Isn’t this the kettle calling the pot black, or whatever the hell that saying is?”

  “Actually, Bert, we didn’t squeal,” Ted lied and was glad it was dark inside the car, so Bert couldn’t see the lie in his eyes. “Maggie did to us what we did to you. She wormed it out of us, but I think she already knew. They’re women, for God’s sake, and you can’t trust them.”

  “So, what does this whole sorry episode mean to us guys? To Lizzie? To the girls?” Bert asked.

  “Damned if I know,” Ted said.

  “Not a clue,” Espinosa said.

  Chapter 6

  The Sisters were gathered in the conference room as they waited for Charles to join them. They were talking among themselves in hushed whispers.

  Annie was listening intently to the conversation around her, one eye on the door so she could alert the others when Charles was about to appear.

  “I’m not sure what we’re supposed to be feeling here,” Kathryn said. “Should we be happy for Lizzie, or is this something that’s going to work against us and her? Especially her.”

  Nikki, the only lawyer in the group, sat up straight. Her voice was tight with emotion. “It’s every lawyer’s dream to be nominated to the Supreme Court. We all live and breathe for that to happen. But having said that, Lizzie isn’t every lawyer. Plus, she just got married. She’d be on one coast, and Cosmo would be back in Nevada.”

  “Well, he did buy that big new house for Lizzie, so that has to mean he’s contemplating living here,” Alexis said.

  “They’ll crucify Lizzie in the vetting process. I can see it now. She represented the vigilantes. She married Nevada’s most famous lawyer, who just happens to represent the gambling industry. It will be a three-ring circus,” Isabelle said.

  “The big question is, will Lizzie even want to go to the Supreme Court?” Yoko asked as she chewed on her thumbnail. “We all know she turned down a federal judgeship, saying she preferred to work in the trenches, so to speak. I don’t want to see those people chew her up.”

  “None of us want to see that happen,” Myra said.

  “Then we need to prevent it, don’t we?” Annie said grimly. “But first we need to find out Lizzie’s reaction to this news.”

  “I can tell you exactly how Lizzie is going to play it,” Nikki said. “First, she’s going to be stunned speechless. Then, at warp speed, she’s going to see everything that could and will go wrong. Her first worry will be us, then Cosmo. Then she’ll make that little snorting noise she makes sometimes and say, ‘No big deal.’ But it is a big deal. It will all seem like a dream for about ten minutes. Then she’s going to get angry. With us and with Cosmo, because we found out before she did, and Cosmo acted like the man he is and didn’t go to her right away.”

  The Sisters looked at Nikki in awe.

  Annie cleared her throat just as Charles appeared in the doorway. They all looked at the heavy load of fil
es and folders he was carrying. He offered up a greeting and went straight to the bank of computers lining the far wall.

  “Enough already, Charles. It’s late. We’re all tired. Please, join us and tell us what is going on,” Myra called over her shoulder.

  And then the Sisters all started to babble at once.

  Charles clapped his hands over his ears, a signal for quiet. “I understand your concern, your worry. Now, let’s sit down and try to come to some sort of resolution where Lizzie is concerned. To begin with, I want to tell you I have a seed of an idea, but it will require my leaving the mountain for a day or so. Now, one at a time, tell me your thoughts and your concerns and where and how you think this is going to play out.”

  “That’s an absolute no-brainer, Charles. First and foremost, we don’t want to see anything happen to Lizzie. We don’t want her splashed nine ways to Sunday, and we don’t want to be the ones responsible for her not being confirmed,” Annie snapped.

  “With all your resources, surely you can find a way to do something, dear,” Myra said.

  “I suppose in the back of all our minds, we’re wondering how this will affect the pardon Martine Connor promised. We all know the only reason Lizzie took on the job of chief White House counsel was because of us. Pro bono, no less,” Kathryn said. “For us,” she added emphatically.

  Myra leaned forward. “I would like us all to take a vote right now. As of this moment, our pardon, which is really iffy to begin with, goes on the back burner, never to be brought up again until we have Lizzie on whatever road she wants to walk down. I want to see a show of hands.” Myra smiled when she saw eight hands shoot upward, Charles’s included. “Then it’s settled. Lizzie is our priority. The moment we find out which way she wants to go on this…honor…we go to work.”