Hokus Pokus (The Sisterhood: Rules of the Game, Book 2)

by Fern Michaels

  It was the old childhood endearment term of Mummie that made Myra square her shoulders. If her darling daughter’s spirit had such faith in her how could she disappoint her? She nodded.

  “Now, don’t you feel better, Mummie?”

  “You know what, I really do, darling. Is Charles all right?”

  “More or less. He was kind of frazzled but when I left he seemed to be getting it all under control. It’s you he’s worried about. He doesn’t know what to expect when you get back.”

  Myra forced a laugh. “And, well he should. Always keep them guessing, right? That’s what you used to tell me about your various beaus when you were a teenager.”

  “You got it. Okay, I’ll see you onstage. Make me proud, Mummie, okay?”

  “I will darling girl, I promise. Even if it fractures me.”

  Eyes sparkling with happiness, Myra whirled around. “Chop-chop, ladies, let’s get a move on. Charles is counting on us. We need to make him proud of us. We can do it!”

  “Rah! Rah!” Kathryn said as she danced across the room in her cop uniform. “You heard the lady, chop-chop!”

  Nikki looked over to the far corner of the room and smiled. “Thanks, Barb,” she whispered.

  “No problem, Nik.”

  Forty-five minutes later the Sisters were ready to exit the suite. A flurry of phone calls went over the cyber network to alert those on the ground level. They left, two by two, each group walking down to a different floor.

  Three police cruisers and one battered green van were lined up in a neat row. Looking like they knew what they were doing, the Sisters climbed into their assigned vehicles and they peeled out of the parking lot, sirens wailing, blue lights flashing.

  Jack Emery heaved a huge sigh of relief. “I wish I could say our job here is done, Harry, but we still have to wait to make sure Alexis gets to the armory. The minute she steps into the taxi in whatever getup she’s wearing this time, then we have to head for the armory. I got the last cruisers for the girls so we’re going to have to take a cab, too.”

  “See! See! You don’t think ahead, Jack. I have our transportation parked on the street. While you were running around like a chicken without a head I was taking care of our transportation. Translated…I was thinking ahead. We’re going on two wheels. Play your cards right and I promise not to buck you off when I take the corners. Who is going to sanitize the suite once Alexis leaves?”

  Jack shrugged. “Some of Charles’s people, I’m sure. Fortunately for us that doesn’t come under our purview.”

  Jack’s cell phone chirped. He had it open in a nanosecond. It was Navarro calling in. “No sign of him, Jack. I have the lobby and all entrances covered. What do you want me to do now?”

  “Head to the armory. I’d bet my next paycheck Robinson is either there or on his way. We’ll be leaving in a few minutes ourselves. Stay alert.” Jack craned his neck to take in his surroundings. “Where the hell is Maggie? She should have been here by now.”

  “I don’t know, Jack. My guess would be traffic,” Harry said.

  They were back in the lobby when they saw Alexis step out of the elevator. She was dressed in a maid’s uniform, complete with apron and carrying a string bag. She paused a moment as if she was looking for something or someone. She made eye contact with Jack before she made her way to the door where she disappeared.

  “Okay, we’re good to go.”

  “What about Maggie?”

  “Give her another call. I have a call coming in.” Jack clicked on his cell phone. “Lizzie! Jesus, don’t tell me you already have a problem. All hell is breaking loose here. I can’t handle anymore so whatever is wrong, take care of it.”

  “Shut up, Jack, and listen to me. I’m on my way to your cabin in Montana. My bus is almost full. I’m calling to…I think I’m calling to thank you for allowing me…No, that’s not right, not allowing me, I mean, to trusting me with all these women and children. They’re a bit of a ragtag group right now. I understand now what Justice Barnes has been doing. I understand why each person only knows his or her job. Anything more would screw it up. These people who are helping aren’t rich. In fact most of them are on the poor side and yet they’ve pooled the food, the clothing, the toys for the kids and don’t ask anything in return. When I got here they were down to their last box of crackers. That was it, Jack, crackers. The good news is the bus was loaded with fresh fruit, sandwiches and milk. I guess Charles’s people took care of that.

  “I’ve never driven a bus before. The last time I was even in a bus was in grade school. I need to know these people are going to be okay. I’m not coming back until I know that for sure. Are you listening to me, Jack?”

  “You can’t stay there. You don’t belong to the underground. Charles and Pearl know what they’re doing. There will be another runner who will pick up once you’re gone. Everything is fine on this end. The girls got Conlon and Hughes and they’re under Charles’s wing as we speak. Time is still crucial but it’s not quite so urgent right now. Just follow your orders.”

  “Jack…I…”

  “I know, Lizzie, I know. Suddenly those Armani suits and the three-hundred-dollar designer sunglasses don’t seem to matter anymore. You’re seeing some of the real world now. I felt the same way when I…Look, I gotta go. You did good, Lizzie. I’m proud of you. I’ll tell the others. See you when I see you.”

  Lizzie’s voice sounded choked up when she said, “Jack, tell Justice Barnes I’m at her disposal, anytime, day or night, 24/7. I mean it, Jack.”

  “I’ll pass it on, Lizzie. Take care of those women and children. Hey, maybe you can get a bus driver’s license.” Jack could hear nervous laughter on the other end of the phone when he clicked off.

  “Let’s get this show on the road. That was Lizzie. Everyone is alive and well. That was the good news. Where the hell is Maggie?”

  “Like I said, stuck in traffic. Told her to back up and head for the armory. She’ll probably get there before we do. Okay, buddy, hop on and don’t go screaming in my ear when you get excited,” Harry said.

  “You couldn’t get me excited if you tried, Harry.”

  “Wanna bet?” Harry asked, peeling away from the curb.

  Jack just knew he would be suffering from whiplash in the days to come. He clenched his teeth and gripped the seat with both hands.

  Chapter 23

  Ted Espinosa was a handsome, dark-eyed Latino. Normally he had a smile on his face, showing off perfectly aligned white teeth that gleamed like beacons. Now, though, he was scowling, his hand gestures wild and furious. “Either you’re crazy or you’re a couple of hardboiled eggs short of a picnic. If what you’re saying is true, you need to go to the FBI. I’m not hanging my ass out to dry even for you. I thought you were smart. This is not a smart thing you’re doing, Robinson.”

  “They’re not going to listen to me, Joe. I was right the last time and they screwed it up. Those women got away. I know they involved Justice Barnes. Do you have any idea how powerful that woman is? Her long-standing live-in of twenty or so years is the brother-in-law of Elias Cummings who heads up the FBI. I’m telling you, those goddamn vigilantes are standing in for the G-String Girls. Maggie gave it away. She’s one of them now, Joe.” Ted’s mouth turned into a grimace, like he’d just bitten into the sourest lemon on the tree.

  “The only thing I don’t know is why and what Barnes has to do with the vigilantes. Something, for sure. Something that could destroy her career. Nothing else makes sense. I think they came back to help her. But why? I can’t reach Conlon. Before Wong’s people snatched me, I called the think tank where the ex–son-in-law works and he’s gone. Like in gone. Just walked out and didn’t come back.”

  Espinosa was still scowling. He knew and respected Ted Robinson. He was a real newshound and he was usually right. Yeah, the guy was hung up on Maggie Spritzer, who he hated with a passion, but it was no skin off his ass if Robinson wanted to noodle around with her. “Proof. Facts. Two sources. You have zip!
Intuition is not going to cut it.”

  Ted looked at his newly appointed partner. He could see Espinosa slipping away from him. He couldn’t let that happen. He needed the guy. “Means. Motive. Opportunity. The holy trinity of law enforcement. That British guy who controls the vigilantes has help blowing out his ass. That’s the means. The motive is Barnes needs them for a reason. She’s of an age with Rutledge and de Silva. All of them are rich as hell. Rich people stick together. Opportunity…the G-String Girls. Those goddamn vigilantes have more guts than brains. Who the hell is going to question something like that? Front and center with millions of people watching them. They’re bold and brazen. And Maggie is part of it. That’s why I want to get hold of her. I need to sweat her. She’ll cave and tell me what I want to know.”

  Joe Espinosa laughed until he choked. “I’ll pay to see that! If Maggie is one of them, she’s not going to tell you anything. My paycheck against yours.”

  Ted actually thought about taking the bet for a second. “I always know when she’s lying,” he said lamely.

  Espinosa looked disgusted. “All you have right now is a theory. You need proof, facts and two sources. You’re wasting my time, Ted. And here is the clunker: How are those two old broads going to pass for two of the G-String Girls? They have to be at least seventy years old. Don’t you think someone might notice something like that? You know, drooping tits and asses. Blue veins. Yellow toenails. Wrinkles. Maybe even false teeth. You did not have an epiphany, my friend.”

  “I never said I did. Emery, Wong and that sexpot Lizzie Fox joined forces with the vigilantes. I think Judge Easter did, too. I just can’t nail it down. I’m telling you, I’m right.”

  “No, Ted, what you’re telling me is they’re smarter than you if your suspicions are right. We are not Woodward and Bernstein.”

  “You’re right but we could be if you’d get your head out of your ass and help me. Believe in me because I’m right. I feel it in every bone in my body. Call Maggie again.”

  Espinosa rolled his eyes. “She’s on my speed dial and she isn’t going to answer, the same way she didn’t answer for my last nine calls. Doesn’t that tell you she’s avoiding you? Knowing you’d get to me and that’s why I’m calling her. I’ve never, ever called her so why all of a sudden am I calling her? Two plus two equals four. You need to get with the program here.”

  “Yeah, right.” Ted looked around at the snarled traffic heading toward the armory. They were jogging, and he was already out of breath.

  “What, Ted? What are we going to do when we get to the armory? That’s assuming we can actually get within a mile of the damn place.”

  “Something will come to me when we get there. Keep your eye out for Maggie. I’m sure she’s going to be there, right out in the open.”

  Horns blared, drivers stuck their hands out the window with salutes to the drivers ahead of them. Curses could be heard up and down the street. More horns blared and not a cop in sight. Ted shrugged as he loped along, Espinosa at his side.

  Suddenly the cacophony of sound was shattered by even more noise. Ted stopped in his tracks and looked toward Joe, who was yanking at his cell phone. A chorus of “Yankee Doodle” erupted.

  Joe looked up at his jogging partner. “I’m from the South. What do you expect? It’s Maggie. At least she’s calling you back.” Ted snatched the cell phone out of Joe’s hand before he could blink, and clicked it on.

  “Maggie, it’s Ted. Thanks for calling us back. Please don’t hang up on me. If you do, I’m turning you over to the FBI. I’ll do it and you damn well know it. All I want you to do is listen to me. Will you do that? Please,” he said as an afterthought.

  “You threaten me and then you expect me to listen to you! I don’t think so!”

  “Then think again, Miss Hotshot. I’m giving you a heads-up because…well, just because we have a history. Jack Emery had Harry Wong kidnap me, but then you probably know all about that. I’m not making this up, either. I’m going to the FBI. I know it all, Maggie. I even know you’re one of them. I know the vigilantes are impersonating the real G-String Girls. I might not know what’s going on with Justice Barnes but I’m going to find out. This is your chance to get out from under. Once I talk to the FBI, there’s no taking it back. By the way, Espinosa agrees with me.”

  Maggie felt her stomach crunch into hard knots. “You know what, Ted, you’re crazy. You’ll do anything to get back at me because I dumped you. You never did a thing for me except make me miserable.” It was a lie and she knew it but she said it anyway. “Well, get over it. Another thing, stop calling me.”

  Ted was stunned at his former lover’s response. “You’d risk going to a federal prison to protect those…those vigilantes? My God, Maggie, you’re more stupid than I thought. Okay, I gave you a heads-up. You’re on your own now. My conscience is clear where you’re concerned,” Ted said, anger ringing in his voice.

  “I’ve always been on my own, Ted. Sullivan is going to fire you. There, that’s a heads-up for you. Tell Espinosa he’s just as big a jerk as you are.”

  Ted snapped the phone shut and handed it back to Espinosa. He threw his hands in the air. “I gave her a chance. You’re my witness.”

  Espinosa moved away from a gaggle of people who were trying to cross the busy road. Breathless with all his jogging, he turned to Ted. “Now what? Are you going to call the FBI and the cops?”

  Ted’s eyes narrowed. “Yeah. Yeah, that’s exactly what I’m going to do. For all of ten minutes I had Maggie’s cell phone. Not the regular Sprint one but a special one. I think that’s how those damn women stay in contact with each other. I couldn’t even figure out how to turn the crazy-looking thing on. I know in my gut it was one of those encrypted things that no one but another spook can decipher. I heisted it from her backpack at the apartment. Then those cruds took my backpack and they’ve got it now.”

  Ted’s eyes narrowed even more until they were mere slits. He squinted down at the cell phone Espinosa handed him. He dialed, said his name was Tyler Hughes and went into his spiel. Then he did the same thing with the police department, one of the local news channels, and then, disguising his voice, he called his own newspaper and said the exact same thing all over again but said his name was Grant Conlon. In every call he was careful and precise when he fingered Maggie Spritzer, Jack Emery, Harry Wong, Lizzie Fox and Judge Easter. He patiently spelled out each name for accuracy. He was blunt and to the point when he said the vigilantes were here to help Justice Barnes in some illegal activity and impersonating the G-String Girls. He stayed as vague as he could so he wouldn’t be blamed for crying “wolf” one too many times to be taken seriously.

  Ted handed the phone back to Espinosa, who stuck it in his pocket. “How come you didn’t call Emery or Wong?”

  “Because I want the both of them to be slammed from all sides. Five will get you ten right now they’re fielding calls like crazy. Serves them right,” he said petulantly. “Son of a bitch, my face feels like I shaved with sandpaper and I look like some wild creature from another planet. It hurts like hell. I don’t have any feeling in my left hand.”

  Espinosa didn’t bother to offer sympathy. Instead, he agreed with his partner’s assessment. “Now what?”

  “Now we stand back and watch the fireworks as we write the story. The minute they close in on the vigilantes, we hit SEND and the Post gets the scoop of a lifetime. But, we need to get as close to the action as possible. You know what, I think you should call Emery. Tell him you’re in on it. Tell him to check with the Fibbies and the media to show you’re on the level. You say you want to be part of this team and get half the byline, then you have to perform. This story will be front page. Above the fold. We both know it doesn’t get any better than that. That’s it, Espinosa. Your call.”

  “What if you’re wrong, Ted?”

  “I’m not wrong, goddamn it. Just do it.”

  “If we get our asses in a sling, I’m going to kill you. You know that, right?”
<
br />   “Yeah, yeah, yeah.”

  Maggie Spritzer whizzed through the door of the Post. She felt like she’d been run over by a train and then ground to a pulp. How could Ted Robinson do this to her? Eyes glazed, she rushed across the lobby, paying attention to nothing. She did turn when she heard her name being called. She whirled around. Her eyes almost bugged out of their sockets when she saw her snitch, Abner Tookus. He was dressed in creased khakis and a white button-down shirt, open at the throat, the sleeves rolled up. His hair was freshly trimmed and fashionable. He smiled. Maggie’s heart skipped a beat when he said in a voice she’d never heard from him, “I know I’m early. I didn’t want to get caught up in that mess out there,” he said, jerking his arm backward to indicate the snarled traffic and frantic drivers.

  Maggie was so stunned she had to grapple for words. “What time is it?” He told her. “I have…Listen…Do you mind going alone and I’ll meet up with you there? I have a meeting with my boss. It…It’s a last-minute thing. I can’t get out of it. I still have to change.”

  “No, I don’t mind. You look great just the way you are.” His voice was so low and husky, Maggie felt shivers run up and down her arms.

  “You…You look great yourself.” She blushed with the words. It was no lie. In a million years she could never have imagined the Abner Tookus standing in front of her as the squealing-voiced snitch she had been working with for years. “Okay, I’ll see you later.”

  “Oh, be still my heart,” she muttered over and over as she took the elevator to the newsroom. She pulled up short when she saw Liam Sullivan standing by her workstation. Her stomach started to churn at the look on his face. She did take a second to wonder why he wasn’t home with his wife getting ready to go to the concert. When his scowl deepened she thought better of asking.