The Value Of Valor - KJ3

by Lynn Ames

  “Wait,” he exerted just enough pressure on her hands to keep her from getting up. “At least tell me who the doctor was who pronounced the president dead and what the cause of death was.”

  “I can’t.”

  The terror was clearly visible in her eyes, so Peter relented. “Okay.

  Okay. I won’t push you anymore. If you change your mind, give me a call.”

  “Why are you so interested in all this, anyway?”

  Peter shook his head. “Better if you don’t know.”

  She nodded in understanding. “I’ve really got to go.”

  “Keep in touch, will you?”

  She laughed. “You’re a fine one to talk. You’re never around.”

  “You’ve got a point there. Take care, Mel.”

  “You too, Peter.” She kissed him on the cheek before getting up and leaving the restaurant.

  Peter watched her until she was out of sight, his mind clicking on possible explanations for why the president’s case was handled in such a secretive manner. Regardless, the lack of a cause of death and an autopsy report meant that he was missing a critical piece of evidence. Without it, he might not be able to prove that the Commission killed the president and more importantly, he might not be able to save Kate.

  Lynn Ames

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  he rain was coming down hard as dignitaries, friends, and the T media gathered in the cathedral for Kate’s funeral. Peter and Barbara arrived together and sat in the second row—the first row was reserved for the president of the United States and his entourage.

  Peter watched the crowd file in; he recognized faces from Kate’s past—co-workers from her television days, colleagues from other media outlets, members of the White House press corps, the Senate majority leader, the speaker of the House, members of President Hyland’s Cabinet, the commissioner and former commissioner of DOCS, Michael Vendetti, and the rest of Kate’s staff.

  He also took note of the five operatives who took up strategic positions around the cathedral. He watched them scanning the crowd, obviously looking for anything that would lead them to Kate.

  “Peter Enright?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m Mimi Hyland.” The former first lady sat down to his right as a host of camera shutters clicked and flashes exploded in her face. “My husband spoke very highly of you.”

  “I thought the world of him, too, Mrs. Hyland. He was a great man; we’ll all miss him.”

  Mimi nodded, her hands shaking slightly. “No one more so than I, I assure you.”

  “Mrs. Hyland?”

  “Mimi, please.”

  “Where is your Secret Service detail?”

  Mimi shrugged, seemingly caught off balance by the blunt question.

  “They gave me the option to continue using their services—I declined. I just wouldn’t feel comfortable using the taxpayers’ money to protect me.

  After all, what could I need protection from?”

  Peter chose to ignore the question, thinking that she might very well be better off without them.

  “Charlie had a great deal of confidence in you, Peter—in your ability to get to the bottom of things. He never told me precisely what it was you The Value of Valor

  were working on for him—only that he knew you’d find the answers he sought.”

  “I appreciate that, ma’am.”

  “That’s why I need to talk to you.”

  Peter turned to face her, a question in his eyes.

  “I’m sorry. I understand you were a great friend of Kate’s, and I don’t want to intrude on your grief, but I need some answers, and I can’t seem to get them on my own. It-it’s about Charlie’s treatment at the hospital.”

  “Mrs. Hyland?” Peter cut her off. “Is there any chance we can discuss this later, in a more private setting?” His gaze shifted around the room as he noted the many eyes upon them.

  Mimi looked around, as well, as if noticing the attention her presence garnered for the first time. “Oh. Of course. By all means.”

  “Can we get together later this afternoon? I could stop by your house.”

  “That would be fine, Peter.”

  “Then I’ll see you this afternoon. Can I call you to confirm the address and time?”

  “Of course.”

  Their conversation was interrupted by a commotion at the back of the hall. With great fanfare, President Wheeler made his entrance, flanked by a cadre of Secret Service agents. He took his seat in the front row as agents fanned out around him.

  Seconds later, the priest appeared at the podium. “Ladies and gentlemen, good friends, we are gathered here today to mourn the passing of a wonderful and talented woman—Katherine Kyle. While we grieve over the tragic end of her time here on Earth, let us celebrate that Katherine has gone to a far better place…”

  Barbara leaned over to Peter, “Can you believe this load of crap?

  Kate doesn’t have a religious bone in her body. If she were here, she’d be throwing things at this idiot.”

  Peter nodded his assent as he continued to monitor the operatives, following their lines of sight to determine on whom they were focused.

  He barely heard the priest when he said, “Ladies and gentlemen, the president has asked to say a few words about Katherine.”

  Wheeler rose from his seat and ambled to the altar. He fumbled as he pulled a dog-eared piece of paper from his right inside breast pocket.

  “Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. I’m truly sorry to be standing up here today, eulogizing a woman who died far too young. I didn’t know Katie all that well…”

  “Obviously, asshole,” Barbara hissed in Peter’s ear. “He has no idea what Kate would do to him if she knew he’d called her Katie.”

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  “…but I know President Hyland thought the world of her. On behalf of this country and its people, I think it appropriate to honor Katie by acknowledging her contributions to the betterment of mankind…”

  “What a load of hooey,” Barbara said under her breath.

  “…and preserving her memory with the planting of a tree on the grounds of the White House. A plaque will be erected dedicating the tree to her to commemorate her life.”

  “On behalf of Katherine, I thank you for that great honor, Mr.

  President, I’m sure she’s watching over us all now and appreciates the gesture,” the priest said. “Finally, let us say a prayer that Katherine will continue to watch over all of us and remain a bright star in our lives for all eternity. In the Lord’s name, I ask it. Amen.”

  The president and his entourage were the first to exit the building, and everyone was required to remain seated until his motorcade left the parking lot.

  As the crowd began to disperse, Peter noticed movement in his peripheral vision—a brief glimpse of blonde, quickly covered by a black scarf. Even as his heart leapt in his chest, he remained outwardly calm.

  He leaned over to Barbara and whispered urgently, “Don’t ask me questions right now; I need you to do something.”

  “Okay.”

  “I want you to start running to your right. When you get outside, hail a cab, and take it to the airport. Make it look like you’re desperate to get away. Go inside and buy a ticket on a flight to Denver with your credit card. Board the plane. When you get to Denver, call this number,” he rattled off ten digits. “Somebody will pick you up.”

  “What?”

  “No questions. Just do it. The guy who picks you up will deposit you back at the airport a few hours later to go back to Albany. He’ll already have a ticket for you in another name. I’ll reimburse you and explain later.” Peter watched as the operatives around the room pretended not to watch them. “Go now. Run as if your life depends on it.”

  Barbara pivoted on her heel and made a beeline for the side exit.

  Peter smiled grimly as all five operatives took off at a dead run after her.

  When he was sure they were gone, he moved quickly to the
opposite side exit, where he’d last seen the woman in black. As he exited the cathedral, he nearly ran over a person leaning against the building next to the door.

  “I knew you’d see me and come.”

  “Jay? Thank God.” As tears started to cloud his vision, he hustled her away—to a car he had parked in an adjacent lot. “Get in quickly. And stay low.”

  She did as she was told. Peter shut his car door as casually as he could, started the vehicle, and drove away.

  The Value of Valor

  From the floor of the passenger side, Jay said, “This wasn’t exactly how I pictured our reunion.”

  Peter continued to monitor his mirrors, but he smiled down at Jay, taking his right hand from the steering wheel and brushing it across her cheek. “You have no idea how wonderful it is to see you. I can’t believe you’re here, and I want to hear all about it. Right now, though, my top priority is keeping you a secret.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I’m pretty sure Kate will kill me if anything happens to you.”

  “K-Kate? Peter, what are you saying?” Jay’s head felt light—she put her hand on the seat to steady herself.

  “I’m saying Kate is very much alive or at least she was when I left her the night before last. If I let anyone so much as harm a hair on your head, she’ll strangle me with her bare hands.”

  Jay’s head fell forward until her forehead made contact with the seat.

  Her shoulders shook as she wept, an intense feeling of relief washing over her.

  “Hey. Hey. None of that in my car—this one’s borrowed and I can’t return it with water stains on the seat.” Peter shifted so he could rub Jay’s back briefly. “It’s okay, honey.”

  “She’s alive?” Jay raised tear-filled eyes to Peter’s, her voice thick with emotion.

  “Yes, she is, although there are some very bad men who’d like it to be otherwise.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “I know you don’t, Jay. Let me just get you someplace safe where we can talk about everything, okay?”

  “But…okay,” Jay agreed, although all she really wanted to do was get answers. She blew her nose with a tissue she produced from a black trench coat.

  Peter returned his focus to the traffic around him.

  Peter pulled up to his condo, having taken the most circuitous route he could imagine. He was certain he hadn’t been followed, but he wasn’t going to take any chances. Before the day was over, he would have a new place rented. He pulled into the garage next to Kate’s car. “You can get up now.”

  “Where are we? Is she here?” Jay asked, her pulse quickening as she spotted the BMW.

  “No, honey. But there is someone here who’s going to be very glad to see you.” He opened the door to the condo and stepped aside for her to enter.

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  She hadn’t made it two steps in the door before a seventy-five-pound blur came flying at her, tail wagging furiously.

  “Fred! Oh, my God. Fred.” Jay knelt on the ground and caught the dog around the shoulders, hugging him tightly to her. “I’ve missed you so much.” Her tears soaked his fur, as he gleefully returned the affection.

  He licked her ear, then her face, and finally her chin, his whole body wiggling with joy.

  Peter stood back smiling from ear to ear. “In case you care, and I’m pretty sure you don’t, your black coat is now white.”

  Jay stood, Fred still glued to her side. She looked down at her dog hair-covered coat. “As if I care.” She turned and threw herself into Peter’s arms, so overwhelmed by emotion she didn’t know what to say.

  Peter wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. He could feel her trembling, and it made him want to go to Southport himself to find Breathwaite. “You’re safe now, Jay. Everything’s okay.”

  “Is it?”

  “Getting better every second.”

  “Peter, where is Kate? Why are they saying she’s dead?” Jay could hardly contain herself.

  “Come inside first. Let me look at you.” He led the way into the living room, helping her out of her coat along the way. “Nice dress.”

  Jay looked down. “It belonged to a friend of mine.” She thought of Terri and sent her a silent thank you.

  “Sit down, if Fred will let you.” He shook his head at the dog, who had attached himself to Jay’s leg and showed no inclination of letting her go anywhere.

  Jay sat on the sofa, laughing as Fred plopped down on her foot, his back leaning against her legs. “I’ve missed you, too, buddy.” She scratched him behind the ears.

  “Jay, where have you been? I searched for you.”

  “I know. I found that out a couple of days ago. Terri told me.”

  “Terri. The healer on the reservation near Chinle?”

  Jay nodded. “It’s a long story. She wasn’t trying to keep you away from me. I mean she was, but only because she didn’t know if you were one of the ones trying to kill me.”

  “How did you survive that crash? I saw what was left of the car.”

  Peter closed his eyes, feeling a little queasy as his mind conjured up a vision of the wreckage.

  “You were there?”

  “A few days after the crash.”

  “W-was Kate there?” The idea of her lover seeing the charred hull of her rental car made Jay’s stomach roil.

  The Value of Valor

  “She was there the day of the crash, honey.” Peter took Jay’s hand, which was shaking. “The president flew her out there as soon as she got the phone call.”

  “Oh, God.” Jay swallowed the bile that rose in her throat. “Poor Kate.”

  “Mmm. She was a mess. Apparently tried to go in there after you. A state trooper had to hold her back.”

  Jay’s smile was bittersweet. “That’s my girl.”

  “What happened?”

  “Good question. I’ve been asking myself the same thing. The last thing I remember was picking up a poor woman whose boyfriend had just ditched her by the side of the road.”

  “That explains the forensic evidence the FBI found at the scene—

  some teeth and bones.”

  Jay nodded. “I feel so badly about that—she died because I picked her up.”

  “You were only trying to help her.”

  “Not only that, but Terri had heard about the accident and was convinced that the dead woman was me.” Jay sighed. “Anyway, when I pulled over to give her a lift, I noticed the car behind me stopped about a hundred feet back. It was creepy—I felt like I was being followed. After she got in, I sped up. Whoever was in the car chased me.” Jay shuddered.

  “I don’t remember the accident or going over the edge.”

  “How did you survive?” Peter wondered again, a hint of awe in his voice.

  “Some boys from the reservation were working near where my car went over the edge. They said the car hung on a ledge briefly before it crashed to the bottom of the canyon. They got to it in time to pull me out; they said the other woman was already dead. When I woke up, it was several days later. I was in the clinic and I couldn’t remember anything.”

  “Were you on the reservation the whole time?”

  “Yes. I-I was in very bad shape for a long time. Peter,” Jay looked at him, a profound sadness in her eyes, “I didn’t even know my own name until the other day when CNN announced Kate’s death. That brought everything back.” Jay’s lower lip started to tremble. “If I could’ve figured it out sooner, Kate wouldn’t have had to go through thinking she’d lost me.” Quietly, she added, “I know what that feels like—the last two months must have been pure torture for her.”

  Peter got out of his chair and moved to her side. “Barbara and I have been worried about her.”

  Jay’s expression turned resolute. “I intend to fix that.”

  “Good.” Peter squeezed Jay’s shoulder.

  Lynn Ames

  “Why are they saying Kate’s dead? And this time, you’d better answer me,” Jay th
reatened.

  “The Commission wanted everyone to believe Kate was dead to cover her absence, Jay. I’m telling you, I was with her the day before yesterday at the airport in Phoenix.”

  “Phoenix?” Jay’s head snapped up. “Day before yesterday?”

  “Yes.”

  “What time?”

  “I don’t remember, honey. It was after noon sometime.”

  Jay groaned and buried her head in her hands.

  “What? What is it?”

  “I was in the airport then.”

  “You were?”

  “Yes. I caught a mid-afternoon flight here.”

  Peter nodded. He didn’t want to mention that the flight Jay took was most likely the one Kate had urged him to get on.

  “By the way, where’s Barbara? I thought I saw her at the funeral.”

  “You did. I sent her to Denver straight from the service.”

  “Denver? Why?”

  “Because I saw you.”

  “Okay, cryptic boy, could you try explaining in English, please?”

  Peter heaved a heavy sigh. “There were five men in the cathedral who were there for the sole purpose of trying to find clues as to Kate’s whereabouts. I sent Barbara to Denver because that’s the last lead the goons had on her.”

  “You sent them to Kate’s location?” Jay’s posture stiffened slightly.

  “No. I sent them to the last place they thought Kate was. If I’m not mistaken, Kate is in New Zealand by now.”

  “New Zealand?”

  “I thought she’d be safe there—at least for a while.”

  “Peter, who are these people? What do they want with Kate?”

  Peter knew he couldn’t keep the details from Jay, so he told her everything.

  When he was done, she whistled. “If you weren’t the one telling me, I’d never believe a word of it.”

  “That’s our biggest problem. Kate won’t be safe until we expose these guys. We can’t do that without any evidence or we’ll lose all credibility.”

  “So Kate is going to have to keep running until we can prove what happened?”

  “I’m afraid so.”

  “Let’s get to work.”

  The Value of Valor

  Peter smiled and kissed Jay on the top of her head. “It’s great to have you back, half pint. We all missed you.”