there, and the file
was there, so I took it. I did return it later, but all the pictures were gone.
I have the originals.” Warren asked Reed what they were.
“They’re pictures of you, sir. You and
Marshall.” Warren looked at her. “They’re pictures of the two of you in bed. Why
would he want these?”
“Because he thought he could blackmail
him.” Jack pointed to the next folder. “This was his plan. I don’t think it
would have done him a great deal of good without the rest, so I guess he
abandoned the idea.”
“And the tapes? Where are they? With you,
too?” She shook her head. “Do you plan to use them, as well?”
“No. They’re in your private home in the
Hamptons. They’ve been there all along. There’s a swing in the yard. Under the
left leg is a box. Those as well as the letters are stored there.”
She leaned over Reed, hurt more than she
thought she’d be. “This is the records of all our assignments. I updated them
when I could. Also, you’ll find a record of all the chips we had implanted into
us. I had mine—”
“Jack, look at me.” She stretched her
neck but continued going over the things on the computer, ignoring Warren. “I
asked you to look at me. You may not have worked for me before but you do now,
and I want you to respect my requests.”
She stood. “It was no more a request
than when Corrine asked George to take out the trash. I don’t trust people,
that’s a given. But I’d never do anything…knowingly do anything to harm the man
that I assumed I worked for.”
“I know that now. And I wanted to thank
you. You have no idea what those would have done to our families had they
gotten out. No one must know.”
She decided to tell it all. “Everyone
knows, sir. The only people who might not know are the hobos on the street, and
only if they haven’t seen the two of you together. The entire country knows you
and Marshall are lovers. If you guys let it out there, it’s doubtful that
anyone would care.” He started to speak. “I have the floor, thanks, so just
shut up and listen. You mark my words. No one gives two shits who you sleep
with, so long as the economy keeps on the way it is.”
“But Garrett thought they would. Why else
would he have taken those pictures and set us up? He thought that the country
would care.”
“He thought that everyone would care,
because he was stupid. That man might have run a good game for a while, but he
was the stupidest man I ever met.” She pointed to the computer. “Do you know
that there are so many memos on this thing that never got sent because the man couldn’t
string two words together and make it work?”
Marshall laughed. Jack leaned back over
the computer to continue from there when Caitlynne asked her about Snow. Jack
stood there for several seconds before she moved to her chair again.
“She’s safe. I spoke to her a few days
ago. She’s not happy with me, but she’s safe.” Jack turned to the people in the
room. “She had nothing to do with anything but helping me remove the chip from
my head. I’d been overseas on assignment, and when I returned, I’d bumped my
head on an open cabinet door. She was in her office when I asked her to look at
it and to stitch it up if it needed it. She pulled it out, and I knew something
was wrong.”
“You had the chip on you when you came
here. It was broken, but Reed helped us figure it out. How do you think Mann
found out you’d had it removed?”
“He knew right after I came back from
Europe. I was to come in for a physical, and I figured they’d plant another one
in me or had figured out that I knew. Casey said that the x-rays that she took
of me looking for another one probably set the sucker off. She said if they
ever wanted me to come in and have a little operation, I was to get her out of
town. When Mann started harping on me about the yearly physical three months
too early, I sent her away.”
“Where is she?” Marshall asked. Jack shook
her head
was there, so I took it. I did return it later, but all the pictures were gone.
I have the originals.” Warren asked Reed what they were.
“They’re pictures of you, sir. You and
Marshall.” Warren looked at her. “They’re pictures of the two of you in bed. Why
would he want these?”
“Because he thought he could blackmail
him.” Jack pointed to the next folder. “This was his plan. I don’t think it
would have done him a great deal of good without the rest, so I guess he
abandoned the idea.”
“And the tapes? Where are they? With you,
too?” She shook her head. “Do you plan to use them, as well?”
“No. They’re in your private home in the
Hamptons. They’ve been there all along. There’s a swing in the yard. Under the
left leg is a box. Those as well as the letters are stored there.”
She leaned over Reed, hurt more than she
thought she’d be. “This is the records of all our assignments. I updated them
when I could. Also, you’ll find a record of all the chips we had implanted into
us. I had mine—”
“Jack, look at me.” She stretched her
neck but continued going over the things on the computer, ignoring Warren. “I
asked you to look at me. You may not have worked for me before but you do now,
and I want you to respect my requests.”
She stood. “It was no more a request
than when Corrine asked George to take out the trash. I don’t trust people,
that’s a given. But I’d never do anything…knowingly do anything to harm the man
that I assumed I worked for.”
“I know that now. And I wanted to thank
you. You have no idea what those would have done to our families had they
gotten out. No one must know.”
She decided to tell it all. “Everyone
knows, sir. The only people who might not know are the hobos on the street, and
only if they haven’t seen the two of you together. The entire country knows you
and Marshall are lovers. If you guys let it out there, it’s doubtful that
anyone would care.” He started to speak. “I have the floor, thanks, so just
shut up and listen. You mark my words. No one gives two shits who you sleep
with, so long as the economy keeps on the way it is.”
“But Garrett thought they would. Why else
would he have taken those pictures and set us up? He thought that the country
would care.”
“He thought that everyone would care,
because he was stupid. That man might have run a good game for a while, but he
was the stupidest man I ever met.” She pointed to the computer. “Do you know
that there are so many memos on this thing that never got sent because the man couldn’t
string two words together and make it work?”
Marshall laughed. Jack leaned back over
the computer to continue from there when Caitlynne asked her about Snow. Jack
stood there for several seconds before she moved to her chair again.
“She’s safe. I spoke to her a few days
ago. She’s not happy with me, but she’s safe.” Jack turned to the people in the
room. “She had nothing to do with anything but helping me remove the chip from
my head. I’d been overseas on assignment, and when I returned, I’d bumped my
head on an open cabinet door. She was in her office when I asked her to look at
it and to stitch it up if it needed it. She pulled it out, and I knew something
was wrong.”
“You had the chip on you when you came
here. It was broken, but Reed helped us figure it out. How do you think Mann
found out you’d had it removed?”
“He knew right after I came back from
Europe. I was to come in for a physical, and I figured they’d plant another one
in me or had figured out that I knew. Casey said that the x-rays that she took
of me looking for another one probably set the sucker off. She said if they
ever wanted me to come in and have a little operation, I was to get her out of
town. When Mann started harping on me about the yearly physical three months
too early, I sent her away.”
“Where is she?” Marshall asked. Jack shook
her head
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