you say you are, Mr. Meeks?”
“Look, I—”
“What’s the address of Liz’s apartment?” Conner cut in.
Meeks checked his notepad. “Four-forty-seven East Fifty-first Street,” he answered. “Apartment K-Five.”
Conner made a quick mental note of the address. He had no idea if it was right, because Liz had never told him where she lived. He’d asked a couple of times, but she wouldn’t say. She was too afraid he’d come by when Todd was there.
“Satisfied?” Meeks asked with a friendly smile.
“I suppose,” Conner agreed, reaching into his pants pocket. Feeling the bullet the intruder had thought was in the revolver.
“Were you having an affair with Elizabeth, Mr. Ashby?” Meeks asked hesitantly.
“What?”
The investigator held his hands up. “Look, I’m not here to judge anybody. Me, I don’t care what you and Elizabeth might have done. And I don’t intend to tell anybody either. I just want to find her. That’s all I’ve been hired to do.”
Conner gazed down at the little man, wondering what in the hell was going on. Wondering how this guy had found him.
“When did you last see Elizabeth, Mr. Ashby?”
“Last night,” Conner confessed.
“Where?”
“She was at my apartment.”
“Did she stay the night?”
“No.”
“What time did she leave?”
“Around eleven thirty. That was the last time I saw or spoke to her.”
“Uh huh. Anything else you want to tell me about last night?”
“No.”
Meeks scribbled a few notes, then closed his pad and glanced up. “All right, that’s all for now. Thanks. I’ll be in touch if I need to talk to you again.”
Conner watched the investigator walk away down Lexington Avenue. If Meeks went to the cops with what he knew, Gavin’s warning about Conner becoming a suspect in Liz’s death would come true. The police would be all over him.
Conner strained his neck as the small man disappeared around the corner. Now he
had
to find out what had happened to Liz.
It hadn’t been long. Not even twenty-four hours. Lucas and Bennett were back in the limousine, this time somewhere in northern Virginia.
“All right,” Bennett said, his tone grave. “This is it. We’re going live.”
A wave of emotion rushed through Lucas. Going live. Just the sound of it made his pulse pop.
“Are you ready?”
“Yes, sir.”
Bennett nodded. “Yes, I’m confident you are, Lucas. Which is why I’m putting you in charge of this thing.” He hesitated. “You can spend tonight in your apartment and take care of any final arrangements. But tomorrow you’ll move to Georgetown. I don’t want you coming home tomorrow either. Understand?”
“Yes.”
“When all this is over, after the election, your office on the second floor will be waiting. Got it?”
“Absolutely.” It was strange. Suddenly he wasn’t nervous at all. The jitters of only a few moments ago were gone. He was calm, completely confident.
“We need to move quickly,” Bennett continued.
“Of course.”
“Things have happened.”
“What things?”
“Things,” Bennett snapped.
“Yes, sir.” Bennett was clearly on edge. Lucas had never seen him like this.
“One more thing. The man we spoke about yesterday will be coming to see you in Georgetown tomorrow afternoon. Expect him a little after three.”
“You mean Cheetah.”
“Yes.” Bennett glanced out the limousine’s window. “Now, there are some things I need to tell you about the monetary arrangements. Things that involve a man named Sam Macarthur.”
8
Jackie Rivera had grown up in a Bronx housing project, the daughter of a white mother and a Dominican father. Shortly after Jackie turned seventeen, both of her parents were killed in a car crash on the FDR. And she was left to raise her three younger siblings on her own.
It was a huge responsibility for a teenager, but she’d met the challenge head-on. The way she always did. Her brothers and sisters had all graduated from high
“Look, I—”
“What’s the address of Liz’s apartment?” Conner cut in.
Meeks checked his notepad. “Four-forty-seven East Fifty-first Street,” he answered. “Apartment K-Five.”
Conner made a quick mental note of the address. He had no idea if it was right, because Liz had never told him where she lived. He’d asked a couple of times, but she wouldn’t say. She was too afraid he’d come by when Todd was there.
“Satisfied?” Meeks asked with a friendly smile.
“I suppose,” Conner agreed, reaching into his pants pocket. Feeling the bullet the intruder had thought was in the revolver.
“Were you having an affair with Elizabeth, Mr. Ashby?” Meeks asked hesitantly.
“What?”
The investigator held his hands up. “Look, I’m not here to judge anybody. Me, I don’t care what you and Elizabeth might have done. And I don’t intend to tell anybody either. I just want to find her. That’s all I’ve been hired to do.”
Conner gazed down at the little man, wondering what in the hell was going on. Wondering how this guy had found him.
“When did you last see Elizabeth, Mr. Ashby?”
“Last night,” Conner confessed.
“Where?”
“She was at my apartment.”
“Did she stay the night?”
“No.”
“What time did she leave?”
“Around eleven thirty. That was the last time I saw or spoke to her.”
“Uh huh. Anything else you want to tell me about last night?”
“No.”
Meeks scribbled a few notes, then closed his pad and glanced up. “All right, that’s all for now. Thanks. I’ll be in touch if I need to talk to you again.”
Conner watched the investigator walk away down Lexington Avenue. If Meeks went to the cops with what he knew, Gavin’s warning about Conner becoming a suspect in Liz’s death would come true. The police would be all over him.
Conner strained his neck as the small man disappeared around the corner. Now he
had
to find out what had happened to Liz.
It hadn’t been long. Not even twenty-four hours. Lucas and Bennett were back in the limousine, this time somewhere in northern Virginia.
“All right,” Bennett said, his tone grave. “This is it. We’re going live.”
A wave of emotion rushed through Lucas. Going live. Just the sound of it made his pulse pop.
“Are you ready?”
“Yes, sir.”
Bennett nodded. “Yes, I’m confident you are, Lucas. Which is why I’m putting you in charge of this thing.” He hesitated. “You can spend tonight in your apartment and take care of any final arrangements. But tomorrow you’ll move to Georgetown. I don’t want you coming home tomorrow either. Understand?”
“Yes.”
“When all this is over, after the election, your office on the second floor will be waiting. Got it?”
“Absolutely.” It was strange. Suddenly he wasn’t nervous at all. The jitters of only a few moments ago were gone. He was calm, completely confident.
“We need to move quickly,” Bennett continued.
“Of course.”
“Things have happened.”
“What things?”
“Things,” Bennett snapped.
“Yes, sir.” Bennett was clearly on edge. Lucas had never seen him like this.
“One more thing. The man we spoke about yesterday will be coming to see you in Georgetown tomorrow afternoon. Expect him a little after three.”
“You mean Cheetah.”
“Yes.” Bennett glanced out the limousine’s window. “Now, there are some things I need to tell you about the monetary arrangements. Things that involve a man named Sam Macarthur.”
8
Jackie Rivera had grown up in a Bronx housing project, the daughter of a white mother and a Dominican father. Shortly after Jackie turned seventeen, both of her parents were killed in a car crash on the FDR. And she was left to raise her three younger siblings on her own.
It was a huge responsibility for a teenager, but she’d met the challenge head-on. The way she always did. Her brothers and sisters had all graduated from high
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