Final Cut (The Kate & Jay series Book 4)

by Lynn Ames

  Kate put an arm around Jay. “I’m sure Sabastien is working as fast as he can.”

  “I know he is, and I’m really grateful. It’s just…”

  Something niggled at the back of Kate’s mind. She turned to Peter. “You said there were two pieces of news. What’s the other?”

  “Sabastien was able to trace the source of the deposit into the fake Swiss bank account to what Lorraine identified as an off-the-books CIA slush fund. He aggregated a series of e-mails between an IP address connected to the CIA and one that’s linked to an IP address within the IRS.”

  Jay gave a fist pump. “We have them! What do we need to do now?”

  “Nothing. There’s nothing we can do… Yet.”

  Jay’s face darkened. “What do you mean? You just said Sabastien and Lorraine have enough to clear us.”

  “They have a paper trail, yes. But we don’t have specific names at the moment, and, short of Lorraine getting on a plane with the information, there’s no way that you and I take possession of the proof.”

  “So tell her to get on a plane!” Jay yelled.

  “Look,” Peter said testily, “we all have plenty of incentives to want this to be over. I’d like my wife back, you’d like your lives back and your good name, Sabastien, I’m sure, would like not to be a fugitive charged with treason. Our primary job right now is to take the information about Vector and use it to identify the Black Knight. Unmasking him is the only way to clear Sabastien and to prove you,” he thrust his finger at Jay, “didn’t have anything to do with the leak. The IRS mess will have to wait.”

  Jay picked up a small rock and threw it in the direction of the trees below. “That’s just great.”

  “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be callous about your finances. I could’ve been more gentle with that news.”

  “You think?” Jay asked.

  After an awkward silence, Kate stepped into the breach. “Peter, we have the data you picked up in Casablanca. It shouldn’t be hard to figure out when John Robie hacked Vector. Then we would need to determine what Vector was working on at the time of the hack to try to figure out why he targeted them.”

  “And go back again to review Robie’s profile to see what Vector has in common with other hacks he committed. If we find the pattern, maybe we find a name. He’s likely hiding in plain sight on the payrolls of Vector Research, Techtronic, or West Technologies.”

  “Now that we know for sure Vendetti is involved, it explains why he picked the Hyland Commission Report to leak,” Kate pointed out. “Bitter much?”

  “It was a way for him to kill two birds with one stone,” Peter said. “They get Sabastien out of their hair and they do real harm to Jay’s reputation and career. Vendetti knows Jay is your Achilles heel, Kate.”

  Kate’s stomach rolled and her heart lurched at the memory of the last time Vendetti and his cabal used Jay as a pawn to hurt Kate. Their murderous plan very nearly succeeded. She noted that Jay’s face had lost all color and imagined she was remembering too.

  “Oh my God! I-I’m sorry,” Peter stammered. “That was remarkably insensitive, even for me. I wasn’t thinking…” He made a move toward Kate, but she waved him off. He turned toward Jay, but before he could reach her, she stood up and started to pace, effectively brushing him off. He looked again to Kate, and she shook her head minutely, silently urging him to let it go.

  She knew Jay. This wasn’t a conversation Jay was willing to have. She didn’t want to dwell back there—not again. She’d done enough of that while writing the book.

  As if to confirm Kate’s thought, Jay abruptly changed the topic. “Even if we can prove everything we think is true about the Commission and Vendetti’s involvement in the leak, it still won’t get the Feds or the IRS off my back if they think the movie discloses top secret information.”

  Kate checked her watch. “True, but we still have some weapons at our disposal. Speaking of which, if we hustle, we might be able to get back to Albany in time to watch Mimi Hyland’s press conference. That ought to go a long way toward bolstering your case.”

  Mimi Hyland stepped through the door and stood off to the side of the podium. She blinked as dozens of flashes from digital cameras exploded in her face. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust. Apart from Charlie’s funeral, she hadn’t faced a room overflowing with journalists eager to hear what she had to say in many years. Well, you got them here, old girl. Better put on a good show.

  Her former press secretary glanced over at her from the podium and Mimi nodded that she was ready.

  “Ladies and gentlemen of the press, I give you the former First Lady of the United States of America, Mimi Hyland. Mrs. Hyland will make a brief statement. She will not be taking questions at this time. No exceptions.”

  Mimi walked to the podium and gazed out at the gathering. The red lights from the television cameras indicated that they already were recording. The print journalists all had their notebooks and tape recorders out and at the ready. She’d been told that some of the cable networks were carrying her remarks live. She was sure that wherever Kate and Jay were, they were watching. Although she wished Jay could be standing here with her, together they’d made the conscious decision that having Jay there would be counterproductive and a distraction. This one’s for you, kid.

  Mimi took a deep breath and addressed the gathering. “Thank you all for coming. A lot has been said and written in the past little while about events that happened during my husband’s administration. Top secret documents purportedly were leaked to Time magazine, and accusations have been hurled around about who is responsible and what their motive might have been.

  “I’ve read the stories alleging that Jamison Parker, a New York Times best-selling author who needs no help promoting or selling her books, is in some way connected to the leak. Frankly this is shoddy reporting. Just because the journalist to whom the documents allegedly were leaked once worked as an intern at Time when Ms. Parker was a reporter there, it does not mean that she was the source of the documents.

  Mimi gripped the sides of the podium with her hands and leaned forward. She was surprised at the well of anger that bubbled up on Jay’s behalf. Maybe letting them see that indignation isn’t a bad thing.

  “Let me tell you a little of what I know. First, I have known Jamison Parker and her wife, Katherine Kyle, for more than thirty years, dating back to when Charles Hyland was Governor of New York. There are no more upstanding, finer citizens and patriots than these two women.”

  She hadn’t planned to mention Kate, but really, it was nearly impossible to think of Jay without Kate and vice versa.

  “Second, Jamison Parker risked her life to report the truth when my husband and our national security were under siege. She was an integral reason why the story had a happy ending. If she had wanted to reveal classified information pertaining to that situation, she wouldn’t have needed to leak any documents to do it, and she could have done so ages ago.

  “Third, and I really want you to pay attention now, I have read the manuscript in question. I want to tell you a couple of things about it, no spoiler alerts required. It is a fabulous, masterfully crafted piece of writing. It is fiction. In no way could this work be construed to be a threat to national security. And, because I think we can all agree that I was an eyewitness at the time, I can safely tell you that no top secret information is revealed in the making of this work of fiction.

  “There. Now I hope we can put that bit of fiction to bed and move on to more important stories. I do not deny that top secret documents may have been leaked. I’m not privy to that information. What I can say unequivocally is that Jamison Parker is a heroine, not a villain. And I will not stand by and watch her, and her reputation, be tarnished in this manner. If my husband was still alive…”

  Mimi’s voice quavered and she took a moment to compose herself. “Charlie would be appalled by these accusations. Tyranny flourishes when those in a position to tell the truth do nothing. I’ve remained silent
on this matter for too long. Thank you for your kind attention.”

  Mimi let go of the podium, straightened up to her full height, and retreated via the entrance through which she’d arrived.

  Sitting at home on the couch, Jay wiped away a tear. “Wow. Did you put her up to that? I can’t believe she went that far. She didn’t need to do that.”

  Kate pulled Jay close and kissed her on the temple. “Nobody asked her to do that, sweetheart. The press conference was her idea. As far as I know, no one gave her talking points or discussed with her what she would say. I certainly didn’t have a conversation with her about it.”

  “Do you think that’s a game-changer?”

  “I don’t know. I certainly hope so.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me! Can they do that?” Dara asked.

  “They’re the government,” her accountant said. “Who’s going to stop them?”

  “What can we do?”

  “Under the law and per the terms of the audit, I’m required to provide them with the documentation they request.”

  “Seven years’ worth of tax returns?”

  “And the backup materials.”

  “I’ll have everything shipped to you as soon as possible.” Dara turned her neck from side to side in a vain effort to alleviate the stress. “I find it rather curious that this comes up at the same time we lose our location in London.”

  “About that. You know I have to advise that it would be unwise to sink money into a new location.”

  “I’m aware. George and I are working on a strategy that salvages the existing location. We’re scheduled to meet with British officials day after tomorrow. George’s assistant is working on all the arrangements right now.”

  “Keep me posted. And Dara? I’m sorry I had to be the bearer of bad news.”

  “It’s not your fault. I trust you to take care of me.”

  “That’s my job.”

  “And I’m grateful that you’re very good at it.” Dara shook off the feeling of foreboding. There were too many coincidences. The FBI, the IRS, and the Brits? Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. The question was, what could she do about it?

  “Trouble?” Rebecca asked. She sauntered into the home office and slid her arms around Dara’s waist. “Anything I can do to help?”

  Dara closed her eyes and breathed in the scent of Rebecca’s shampoo. “You’re already helping just by holding me.” She nuzzled Rebecca’s cheek. “I love you.”

  “I love you too. But you’re evading the question.”

  “I know. I just…” Dara’s throat tightened. I just…what? Am in over my head?

  “Whatever it is, we’re in it together, sweetheart. For better or worse, remember?”

  “I do,” Dara quipped, as much to lighten her own mood as to deflect Rebecca.

  “Very clever.” Rebecca kissed Dara’s chin. “Don’t quit your day job.”

  “Which one?”

  “Either.” Rebecca backed away and took Dara by the hand.

  “Where are we going?”

  “To watch television.”

  “You want to watch TV right now?”

  “I knew you were busy, and I gathered from the tone on your end that it wasn’t good news, so I didn’t want to interrupt. But I recorded something I really think you’re going to want to see.”

  When they were snuggled together on the divan, Dara filled Rebecca in on the conversation with her accountant and the mounting roadblocks they were facing.

  Rebecca listened attentively, but didn’t say a word, a reaction Dara thought odd and out of character.

  “How are you not reacting to all that?” Dara finally asked.

  “Oh, trust me, I’m hopping mad on the inside. But I think what I wanted to show you just might be a tonic for both of us.”

  Dara narrowed her eyes. “How so?”

  “Watch.” Rebecca pushed Play. Former First Lady Mimi Hyland appeared on the screen.

  “Thank you all for coming. A lot has been said and written in the past little while about events that happened during my husband’s administration…”

  Dara watched in silence, an idea forming in her head. When the press conference was over, she ran back into the office to grab her phone. As she was about to place a call, she noticed a notification for a text message from George. She clicked to open it.

  Brits now are refusing to meet with us, citing diplomatic relations with the US. Go figure. Call me when you can.

  Dara clenched her teeth. That was the last straw. It was time to fight back.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Peter pushed away from the desk and stretched his arms over his head. He’d spent hours sifting through the details of John Robie’s activities and he’d made good headway. With Kate and Jay’s help, he had identified the date Robie hacked Vector, and mapped his subsequent hacks to confirm their suspicion that, after he’d likely gone to work for the Commission, he’d inadvertently targeted another corporation with Commission ties.

  He thought of Jay with a pang. She was still sore at him, he could tell, and it pained him. He loved Jay like a sister… If only she were here now. She was so good at seeing the connections and synchronicities that most people overlooked. Peter checked his watch. By now, she and Kate should be at the airport.

  He made a note to send a nice bottle of wine to Lorraine’s petite blond friend, their next-door neighbor, Jessica. When he’d called her this morning and asked for her help, she’d come right over. Peter explained what he required, and Jessica enthusiastically embraced the assignment.

  A short while after Jessica’s arrival, Jay pulled her car into the second bay of Peter’s garage, the FBI tailing not-so circumspectly in her wake. Fifteen minutes after that, Jessica drove off in Jay’s car, wearing Jay’s clothes. Predictably, Jay’s FBI buddies followed several seconds behind. Ten minutes after that, Kate and Jay, now dressed in an outfit she’d brought with her, headed in the opposite direction in Peter’s truck.

  Peter scooted closer to the desk and bent once again to the task at hand. It was time to ferret out exactly who the Black Knight really was. They were close; he could feel it.

  Kate and Jay waited in the shadows of a private airplane hangar a short distance from the Million Air Terminal at Albany International Airport. Each of them carried a briefcase and an overnight bag.

  “Ma’ams. If you could step back this way, the plane you’re waiting for is being towed in right now.”

  As if on cue, an airplane tug backed into the hangar, pulling a sleek Dassault Falcon 2000EX jet. The plane was eerily quiet with the engines shut down. When it was all the way inside and stopped with the wheels chocked, the aircraft door opened to reveal Dara.

  She bounded down the stairs and enveloped Jay, and then Kate, in hugs. “It’s so good to see you both.”

  “I can’t believe you’re here. Riding in style, no less,” Jay said.

  “Ride courtesy of one of our newest producing partners. Randolph Curtain from 722 Films called me last night.”

  “I thought he was a no.”

  “He was, until he saw Mimi Hyland’s press conference yesterday. Apparently, he was a major contributor to President Hyland’s campaigns back in the day. He met the President and First Lady several times and was very impressed by her.

  “After watching the press conference, he called me to say he had a change of heart, and he wanted to know what he could do to help. I told him loaning me the studio’s plane and crew for a couple of days would go a long way. I figured the FBI couldn’t follow you up in the air.”

  “True,” Kate said. “You said you had an idea you wanted to bounce off us?”

  “I do.”

  “And why did we need overnight bags?” Jay asked.

  “You’ll see,” Dara said enigmatically. “I have some surprises for you. Come on board. Rebecca and George are inside, along with some other folks I’d like to introduce you to.”

  Kate and Jay followed Dara up the stairs and boarde
d the plane. The inside of the craft was luxurious with eight captain’s chairs in two groupings. Five of the eight seats were taken, leaving just enough room for Dara, Kate, and Jay.

  Jay and Kate dropped their bags next to two of the empty seats.

  “I’m so glad to see you,” Rebecca said. She kissed Jay on the cheek and hugged Kate.

  “Likewise,” Jay said.

  “Jay, since you can’t come to us in LA without bringing unwanted company…” Dara smiled her megawatt smile. “I decided to bring some of our cast to you. Let me make the introductions. You know George Nelson, our director.”

  George shook Kate’s hand and gave Jay a hug. “Good to see you again.”

  “This,” Dara pointed to a handsome, distinguished-looking man Kate thought she recognized, “is Trevor Hanscome, who will be playing the president.”

  “What a pleasure to meet you in person,” Jay said. “I love your work.”

  “Thank you. It’s great to meet you. I’m a fan of yours as well.”

  “You’ve read my books?”

  “I have. And I’ve been memorizing your lines.” He pointed to the open script on his seat. “Nice to meet you also, Ms. Kyle.” Trevor bowed slightly.

  “Kate, please.”

  “Very well. Nice to meet you, Kate.”

  “As for the rest of this lot,” Dara said with affection, “Jay, Kate, please meet our other main players, Laura Simmons, Juanita Jensen, and Richard Broderick.”

  Kate caught a glimpse of Jay out of the corner of her eye. She looked positively star-struck. “Nice to meet you all.” Kate stepped forward and shook hands with each of them in turn.

  “Yes.” Jay recovered. “What a thrill to meet you all. To have all of you, whose acting I so admire, say words that I wrote… I never imagined anything like it. Thank you all for agreeing to be in this movie.”

  “What you created is magic, Jay,” Juanita said. “I think I speak for all of us when I say, the honor is ours.”

  “Here, here,” Laura, Richard, and Trevor piped in.

  “Okay, if we’re done with the mutual admiration portion of our program, let’s get down to business,” George said.