What the group saw was a smiling, attractive, young woman with short, dark hair sporting a sweatband and doing a stretching exercise with her foot up on a bench along the Tidal Basin.
“What’s the name of the medical registry?” Myra asked.
“Around the Clock Medical Registry,” Dennis responded.
“I know exactly what that is and where it is. Nellie used them for Elias when one of his caregivers would call in sick. No, they do not pay well. Nellie said she felt sorry for them and always tipped well. She did say she liked the people they sent to her,” Myra said.
“Maybe Miss Petrie is independently wealthy,” Alexis said.
“Nope. She said her father and mother are schoolteachers. She has no living grandparents and comes from a big family, four brothers and two sisters. I don’t see any extra money there. She must be getting it from somewhere else,” Dennis said.
“Blackmail?” Espinosa said.
“Those tabloids pay big bucks for inside information. They might say they just pay a few thousand, but in reality try fifty thousand. We did a series of articles on tabloids about four years ago, right, Ted?” Ted nodded. “Tabloid journalism is nothing like the kind of journalism we practice at the
Post,
” Maggie said virtuously.
Annie sniffed to show what she thought of Maggie’s comment in regard to tabloid journalism. “I think I can personally guarantee this is the last picture and article you will see in that particular tabloid or any other tabloid for that matter. The minute Lincoln Moss finds out, if he hasn’t already, it’s history.”
Charles weighed in. “I would not want to be Miss Jane Petrie right now. If she hasn’t already been grilled to within an inch of her life, she will be shortly. It’s a good thing, Pearl, that you cleaned out the clinic and sanitized it.” The others nodded. Pearl just looked miserable.
“Which now brings up the question of did Lincoln Moss find his wife or did his wife leave on her own. The reason I say that is think about this. Amalie and Rosalee have to buy groceries. That’s where the bulk of tabloids are sold. Do any of us really think that Lincoln Moss goes to the grocery store? I don’t. I think, and this is just my own personal opinion, that the ladies saw the paper at the checkout stand and took it on the lam. All on their own. Possibly with the help of Rosalee’s boyfriend, who works at the Home Builders Depot, where she also works,” Nikki said.
“Honey, I think you’re right. That makes more sense than anything else we heard. That means to us, at least for now, that the two women are safe and not in Moss’s clutches,” Jack said.
Pearl sighed mightily. “I so hope you are right, Jack. But how long can they stay where they are without any real help? Think about the resources that Moss has at his disposal.”
“
Think young,
people. Jason, that’s his name, right, doesn’t think like we do? He and his friends are social-media fiends. They live on the Internet. They know how to do things and stuff that just boggles our minds, and they have a whole army out there just waiting to help them with a simple request,” Jack said.
“Jack couldn’t be more right,” Abner Tookus said. “Y’all want me to hack into Miz Petrie’s financials?”
“I thought you’d never ask,” Annie drawled. “Do it!”
“What’s our next move?” Nikki asked.
Charles cleared his throat. “I just made our next move. I sent Avery Snowden a text telling him to pick up Jane Petrie. Do not be surprised if she’s gone and disappeared.”
“Oh! A snatch and grab!” Dennis said, his eyes sparking with excitement.
“It’s only a snatch and grab when you manage the grab part, kid,” Ted said.
“Does that mean Petrie is in danger?” Dennis asked. No one answered him.
“I hope it does!” Pearl Barnes said spitefully. “I hope if she’s guilty, she pays forever for what she’s done. And all for money, so she can drive a Corvette and go to Europe twice a year! I’d like to see her tarred and feathered. Think!” she screeched. “Who else has she scammed or blackmailed? How many poor souls out there were at her mercy? She’s a damn nurse!” This last was said as though that was the beginning and end of it all. Then Pearl shook her head and mumbled an apology everyone knew she didn’t mean.
“Okayyyy, moving right along here, people. What’s our next move?” Kathryn asked.
“I think we need to figure that one out. We are open to ideas, suggestions, and plans,” Charles said. “The floor is open, people!”
Chapter 4
T
he gang broke for lunch at one o’clock. Charles left the group to their haggling and plotting to go, as he referred to it, topside to prepare a luncheon they could eat outdoors on the terrace. Fergus went along to help.
Left to their own devices, the group listened in awe as Abner rattled on about Jane Petrie’s financial status.
“That was pretty quick, Abner,” Ted said.
Abner beamed. “What can I tell you. When you’re good, you’re good, and I am
good.
The only thing I haven’t done yet is to get her IRS file. The young lady is pretty much an open book. Doesn’t appear to be hiding anything. So, sit back and listen up. Right now, as of today, Miss Petrie has thirty-eight hundred dollars in her personal checking account. Out of this account she pays a hefty mortgage of seventeen hundred dollars a month. She pays her utilities, cell phone, water, insurance, and a car payment that is $982 a month. Plus her credit cards. She has two, a Visa and an American Express that she pays off in full every month. Some months she takes it right down to the wire with an ending balance of five dollars. She deposits checks every three or four days. I assume paychecks from private clients plus checks from the Around the Clock Medical Registry. They usually run around seven to eight thousand a month. All of that in and of itself is not something out of the ordinary. What is out of the ordinary is her brokerage account, which is quite robust. She opened it three years ago with a deposit of thirty-three thousand dollars. All told, since she opened the account, she has made twenty-seven deposits, and the lowest deposit was for five thousand dollars. The highest was sixty-two thousand dollars, which was made ten days ago. Unusual amounts, to be sure, and all even amounts. Twice a year she takes out between five and seven thousand dollars, which coincide with her trips to Europe. She transfers the money to her regular account, then does the trip on her credit cards so she can rack up frequent flyer miles. On her return, she pays it all off. Right now, as of today, the lady has $387,444.12 in her brokerage account. Not bad for a single, twenty-eight-year-old nurse.
“By the way, just as an aside to all this, Miss Petrie passed the security check the Medical Registry did on her when she signed on with them. She has a clean record as far as their records go. Not even one complaint. I checked her driving record, no tickets, no points against her license.”
Pearl took a page from Kathryn’s playbook and banged her fist down on the table. “That little sneak!” she bellowed. “Now what?” she demanded.
“You tell me,” Abner shot back. “I’m just a hacker. What you do with the information is up to you. I laid it all on your doorstep.”
“This might sound like a stupid question, but what does she buy on her credit cards?” Alexis asked.
Abner laughed. “The same thing all women buy. Clothes, shoes, handbags, cosmetics, and she buys a lot of
La Natural
products. At six hundred dollars a pop for some kind of magic eye cream that will reduce fine lines and wrinkles.” Isabelle pelted him with a spitball. He laughed out loud.
“Send that all to Charles, and when he comes back, he can print us all a copy for our files,” Annie said.
“Next!” Myra said.
“I think we should pay a visit to
In the Know
and see what we can pick up there,” Maggie said. “How about if Nikki and Kathryn show up and say they have a sighting and are there to claim the prize. Its headquarters are in Alexandria. They can be there and back in a few hours, depending on how talkative the editor in chief is. If they don’t get anywhere, then Ted, Espinosa, Dennis, and I can take a crack at them. Hey, you could do it right after lunch.”
Nikki looked at Kathryn, who grinned. “Let’s do it!” Kathryn laughed out loud as she bobbed her head up and down.
“Someone call Mr. Snowden. We should have heard something by now. Unless he called Charles personally,” Myra said.
“I’ll call him. He hates me,” Jack said. “I won’t let him slough me off either.” The others sat back and listened to the one-sided dialogue that made some of them titter. The end result was Miss Petrie, according to Avery Snowden, left for Europe last night. And the reason he knows this is because he ran into Miss Petrie’s neighbor, a studly young man who works out religiously at Gold’s Gym who said he was house sitting until she got back. He said it was an arrangement they’ve had for a few years. He also said she moved her trip up early this summer because she normally didn’t go till September. Said she needed a break from the horrible humidity and foul weather. Whatever the reason, she’s gone. At least for now.”
“Abner, dear, is it possible for you to . . . um . . . freeze Ms. Petrie’s brokerage account?”
Abner smiled. “Is that a question or a suggestion?”
“Both!” Myra snapped, before Annie could get her tongue to work.
“No problem. Consider it done. I love screwing up everyone’s paperwork as much as I love giving away other people’s money.” Isabelle blew him a kiss to show her approval.
Fergus appeared suddenly and announced that lunch was ready on the terrace. Everyone beelined for the stairs.
Lunch was BLTs, with the lettuce and tomatoes from Charles’s garden, the bacon so crisp you could snap it in two. The tomatoes were vine-ripened to perfection, the lettuce crunchy, and it was all served on homemade sourdough bread. Pitchers of frosty sweet apple tea and lemonade were the beverages of the day.
Charles was about to make an announcement when Myra cut him off. “We know, dear, Jack called Mr. Snowden. Miss Petrie has flown the coop at least for now. What you don’t know is that Abner checked her financials. Abner, tell Charles and Fergus what you found and what you did. Which pretty much guarantees that Miss Petrie will have to return to the States to straighten out her account. She does have credit cards, so I guess she could max them out. Abner, did you happen to notice what her limits are?”
“I did notice. I guess I should have mentioned that. Her Visa has a fifty-five-thousand-dollar credit limit. She has a platinum American Express that pretty much has no limit. She has an excellent credit history and pays off her cards in full at the end of the month. If she had to live off the cards for six months or so, she would not have a problem. What she would do after that is anyone’s guess.”
“It is easy to get lost in Europe,” Isabelle said. The others nodded.
“We take a wait-and-see attitude on that little matter then,” Annie said. “Avery will be on top of it.” She then filled Charles and Fergus in on Nikki and Kathryn’s plans for the afternoon.
“Are you sure that’s wise?” Charles asked.
“Wise or not, that’s what they’re going to do. We didn’t put this to a vote or even discuss it, but I’m bringing it up now, and yes, Charles, I know all about your rule of not discussing business while eating, but I don’t care. Do you understand, I-don’t-care?” Myra said. There wasn’t much for Charles to do other than nod. Any fool could clearly interpret the glaring looks he was getting from everyone.
“I would like Jack, Harry, and Abner to go out to Amalie’s house and see what they can pick up in the way of clues. I want a male eye on it. If Lincoln Moss sent anyone out there after Amalie and Rosalee, it would be men. Men are not as meticulous as women, and I mean no offense. It’s just the way it is. I’ll give you directions on how to get to the house,” Pearl said.
“Count me out,” Abner said. “I have too much going on here, and I’m on a roll. Jack and Harry can handle things without me.” A second later, he was in his own zone, typing at the speed of light.
“Ah, action at last,” Jack said, smacking his hands together. “I’m done eating, so let’s hit the road, Harry. How long will it take us to get there, Pearl?”
“About a half hour depending on traffic.” She immediately started to write down the directions on a sheet of paper she ripped from a legal tablet. She handed it over to Jack, who quickly read through them. “Appreciate the map, Pearl. I know where this is, actually. I had a couple of witnesses who lived in that general area during my second stint as a prosecutor. Guess we’ll see you when we see you. Sorry to be leaving the cleanup to all of you.”
“Yeah, Kathryn and I are sorry, too. See y’all in a bit.” Nikki laughed as she reached down for her shoulder bag.
“I guess that means the rest of us go back to the war room and see what else we can come up with,” Myra said.
“Not so fast! Fergus and I prepared lunch. We do not do cleanup. We’ll just sit here and have another glass of tea while you tidy up my kitchen.”
“What about dinner?” Annie grumbled. “I didn’t see any preparations under way.”
“That’s because we will be barbecuing. Dennis agreed to it when he arrived. Now, shoo! Let Fergus and me sit here and digest our lunch.”
The parking lot was huge, and Nikki had no problem finding a parking space. The moment she cut off the engine, Kathryn looked at her, then at the eight-floor glass-and-steel building. “Guess tabloid journalism really pays.
In the Know
uses all eight floors.”
“That’s because it’s a political-scandal rag. Everyone wants to know all the politicians’ dirty little secrets. They aren’t really into the Hollywood scene, like most of the tabloids, unless there’s some politician involved. Think about it, Kathryn, gossip- and scandal-wise, it doesn’t get any better than when one of the world’s top models, who just happens to be married to Lincoln Moss, hits the gossip circuit.”
Kathryn got out of the car and waited for Nikki to lock it. She hopped around for a few minutes, aware that Nikki was watching her. “Yeah, it hurts. No sense lying about it. Now that the dampness is lifting, and the sun is out, it’s not aching as bad. Before you can ask, I don’t know what I’m going to do. Between you and me, Nikki, I think I’m allergic to this damn titanium bar they put in my leg. They say no. It’s my leg, but I’m seriously considering having it taken out and letting the leg heal on its own. So I walk with a limp for the rest of my life, so what. I always thought I was tough, but the pain is really getting to me. The therapy just aggravates the whole deal. I’m fed up. Okay, enough of my whining. Let’s go see what the dude who runs this paper can tell us.”
Nikki linked her arm with Kathryn’s as a show of moral support. “It goes without saying, Kathryn, that if there’s anything I can do, and I know I speak for the others, just ask. You have to ask, Kathryn. Can you do that?”
Kathryn looked at her old friend. “Maybe before the answer would have been no, but not now. Now I know when to ask, and I won’t have any trouble doing it. I’m done with all the ‘why me’ pity parties I’ve been having. C’mon, let’s see what
In the Know
has to say for itself.”
The two women walked across the parking lot to a wide stone walkway boarded with low evergreen ground cover and colorful flowers. “Maintenance must cost a fortune,” Nikki said, looking around. Kathryn nodded. “And this building had to cost beaucoup bucks. I think I read it was built twelve years ago. Looks brand-new. No one told us who actually owns this rag, do you realize that?”
“Well now that you mention it, yeah. Probably one of the other tabloids, and this is just a spin-off to throw everyone off.”
Nikki held the door for Kathryn, and they walked into a wonderland of a grotto of waterfalls and live trees and every flower known to man. Soft music was being piped in from somewhere, soothing sounds along with the waterfall. Probably to soothe the minds of those here to rat out others.
Groups of people were sitting everywhere, chatting, taking notes, or just relaxing. In the center was a circular desk made out of colored stone that was so eye-catching both women gasped as they looked around to see all the minirainbows reflected on the walls from the overhead lighting.
The woman behind the desk looked up and smiled. She was not beautiful; nor was she homely. She was pleasant-looking. Her hair was done nicely, her makeup was flawless, and she was dressed conservatively. She wore Sarah Palin glasses. “Can I help you?”
“I hope so.” Nikki smiled in return. “We’d like to see Mr. Goodwin, and no, we do not have an appointment, but it is important. We’re here to claim our prize.”
The woman whose name tag said she was
PAMELA WARREN
said, “And what prize would that be?”
“The one about the model,” Kathryn said.
“Oh, I see. Please, have a seat, and I’ll see if Mr. Goodwin is free.”
The girls didn’t bother to take a seat; instead, they walked around looking at all the marble and statues as well as trying to get a fix on all the people in the lobby. Nikki whirled around in time to see Pamela Warren motion for them to return to the desk.
“Mr. Goodwin says he can only give you ten minutes because he’s late now for another appointment. Will that work for you, ladies?” She beamed a high-wattage smile that pretty much said it better be okay because there were no other options.
“Sure,” Kathryn drawled. “I know how to talk fast. The really big question is how long it will take Mr. Goodwin to write out the check. That might eat into the time frame.” Pamela Warren didn’t smile at this snappy comeback. Instead, she said, “Someone will be here momentarily to escort you to Mr. Goodwin’s office.”
Warren was as good as her word. A spiffy young man in a Savile Row suit, with messy hair that was all the fashion and manicured nails, appeared from a hidden doorway and motioned them to follow him. He had a fussy walk and kept waving his hands as he led the way down a well-lit corridor with framed pictures of various front pages of past editions of
In the Know.
When he reached the last door at the end of the hallway, he knocked softly. Then he opened the door and stepped aside. The door swished shut on well-oiled hinges.
It was a white-and-black office with white furniture, black carpeting with not a speck of lint, glass-topped tables, and overhead lighting. A black vase held two dozen beautiful white roses and was centered in the middle of the glass-topped coffee table. The desk at the end of the room was a slab of glass on stainless-steel columns. Not a comfortable room at all, but then, as Nikki said later, maybe that was the point.