Home Free

by Fern Michaels

  Annie thought about what Fergus said. She understood it and admired the man for his ethics. “This is how I see it right now, Fergus. You’re my guest. Guests don’t pay their host for living accommodations—at least my guests don’t. When and if I visit you in Scotland, I wouldn’t expect you to charge me for staying with you.”

  “Annie, there is a world of difference between your accommodations and my accommodations. I do see your point, though. Then there is the question of airfare between our two countries.”

  “I have a private jet, Fergus.”

  Fergus groaned. “I know that. That is the problem. I will not . . . I cannot . . .”

  Annie stood up to her full height, which was impressive. “You will! Money is not our issue. This is about you and me. We can make it work, but you have to cooperate with me. Otherwise, you can leave right now.”

  Fergus’s vision of driving down the road in the snow swam before his eyes again. “Can we put this on the shelf to be discussed again?”

  “We can,” Annie said happily.

  Fergus was saved from any further rebuttal when they heard the sound of a horn that announced an arrival. Annie ran to the window. “It’s Kathryn and Bert! Oh, look, it’s snowing harder. This is all so wonderful! Maybe we’ll be snowbound for the weekend! I do love snow, don’t you, Fergus?”

  Fergus hated snow, but he wouldn’t admit to any negatives at that point in time. “I do, dear lady. I dearly love snow.”

  “It’s not the same when you run through the snow with a ton of clothing on as opposed to running through the rain bare-ass naked.”

  Fergus decided to let that little comment go right past him.

  Hugs and kisses and a manly handshake between Bert and Fergus, and the greeting was over. Annie finished off the greeting by saying Fergus was taking Maggie’s seat at dinner, and wasn’t it wonderful how he gave up dinner at Camp David to come celebrate Thanksgiving with them?

  When she started to say something about trading Fergus for Maggie, Kathryn walked over and whispered in Annie’s ear, “You need to quit while you’re ahead. So, was it as good as you thought it would be?”

  Annie flushed a bright pink. “Actually, it was better. Are you telling me I need to tone it down for when the others get here?”

  “You said it, not me, but yeah. Way to go, ‘Mom’!”

  “Do you girls mind if we go into the family room to watch a pregame?”

  The minute Fergus and Bert were out of earshot, Kathryn hissed, “Tell me everything, and don’t leave one thing out.”

  “Oh, my God, I don’t know where to start. I gave my first pole recital!”

  Kathryn was so jaded she didn’t think anything could surprise her, but her eyes popped wide as saucers. “You didn’t!”

  “I did, and it was perfect. I did such a good job, I didn’t think I would be able to revive Fergus. And at my age!” Annie cackled.

  “Is this going to go somewhere, Annie?”

  “Well, if it doesn’t, it won’t be for lack of trying on my part. He has this thing about my money. It could become an issue.”

  “Only if you let it, Annie. What I’m trying to say here is, don’t be too quick to want it all your way. He’s a man. He has pride. Let’s face it, your lifestyle is one that most people can only dream about. Be open, okay?”

  “That lifestyle hasn’t gotten me a companion, now, has it? I am open. For now it is what it is, and I will not rock the boat. I wish you could have seen me on that pole. I was like greased lightning, and I didn’t make a single mistake. Fergus did say he likes my agility. And he did mention that my enthusiasm was contagious.”

  “TMI, Annie.”

  “One can never have too much information, Kathryn. It is, after all, the information age.”

  Just then, another horn sounded. Kathryn craned her neck. “It’s Jack and Nikki. While you greet them and fill Nikki in, do you want me to crack the champagne and set out the nibbles for the guys?”

  “Yes, of course. I was so caught up in my . . . Well, I was caught up.” Annie started to giggle and couldn’t stop.

  Kathryn doubled over, slapping at her sides. “I can’t wait to hear what Myra and Nellie have to say.”

  That comment took the wind out of Annie’s sails. She looked so crestfallen, Kathryn set the nibble tray on the table and hugged her. “They will be so jealous, Annie. Trust me. Plus, I know they’ll be as happy for you as I am.”

  The door flew open, and Nikki and Jack walked in. “It’s snowing harder,” Nikki said as she wrapped her arms around Annie. She held out a bottle of champagne.

  Jack waited his turn, then said, “Nothing smells as good as a Thanksgiving dinner. I sure hope you outdid yourself this year, Annie.”

  “I really did, dear, and you have no idea how tired I am right now.”

  Kathryn winked at Nikki, then raised her eyebrows. She whispered, “That lady has one hell of a story to tell you girls,” before she scampered off with her nibble tray.

  Myra, Charles, Nellie, and Elias were the next guests to arrive, followed by Yoko and Harry. Barely five minutes passed before Espinosa, Alexis, and Ted arrived. The only guests not yet accounted for were Isabelle and Pearl Barnes.

  The men clustered in the family room while the women settled themselves around the kitchen table, where women had congregated for hundreds of years. Or as Annie put it, “The kitchen table is the very essence of family life, and that’s what we’re all about.”

  “We picked up an extra guest to take Maggie’s seat,” Annie said. “You will never guess who appeared on my doorstep after midnight. Fergus Duffy! I was sitting right over there at the island, scanning all those cookbooks, and there he was! And . . . get this, he was also invited to Camp David, but when I invited him for dinner, he blew off the president of the United States.”

  “You must have been very persuasive, Annie,” Myra said.

  “Myra, you have no idea how persuasive I was. I even gave my first recital on the pole, and I want you to know I aced it!”

  “Oh, myyyy Godddd!” Myra said, her jaw dropping. The others simply looked stunned as Annie went into her spiel, adding and making up as she went along to make her encounter even more interesting.

  “And now you expect us to sit at the dinner table, across from that man, and not . . . explode into laughter?” Nellie said.

  Myra rose to the occasion and said, “Congratulations, Annie. I guess you really are a cougar.”

  “Oh, Myra, no. You’re only a cougar when the guy is younger than you. But, I will say this. I roared like a lion, I stalked him like a panther, and then I pounced like the sleek fox I am. I showed him no mercy. Not that he asked for any, mind you. That’s why I’m tired today, girls.”

  Yoko clapped her hands. “That was a wonderful story, ‘Mom.’ How much of it was true?”

  “Every last word,” Annie said gleefully. “Fergus is extending his visit. By the way, after dinner I have something to tell you all about his meeting at the White House and the invitation to Camp David. I really had to perform to get him to squeal. Aren’t you proud of me?”

  “Annie, there are no words to describe what I feel right this minute,” Myra said primly.

  “Stuff it, Myra. You are such a poop sometimes. You’re just jealous that I am having fun, and you aren’t. Stop with fingering the damn pearls. They aren’t going anywhere. Oh, I hear a car. That must be Isabelle and Pearl. Isabelle had to pick Pearl up at a secret rendezvous. That’s why they’re late.”

  There were more hugs, more kisses, and Annie told her story yet again to Pearl’s and Isabelle’s delight.

  While the girls worked in sync to get the food to the dining-room table, Annie, Myra, Pearl, and Nellie sat at the table.

  “Do you want to come upstairs and see the outfit I wore on the pole?” At Myra’s look of horror, Annie rushed on. “And Fergus thinks that tat I have on my ass is a turn-on. Imagine what he would think, say, or do if he ever saw yours, Myra?”

  Myra
’s pearls broke.

  Annie raised her eyes and said, “Thank you, God!”

  Chapter 10

  Thanksgiving at what Annie called her new digs was everything she wanted it to be. The food was wonderful; the table setting beautiful; her family’s participation beyond her wildest dreams. And then there was Fergus. Tears gathered in her eyes when she said the blessing before Charles carved the turkey. And then it was delightful comments about the food, laughter, and happiness until the last bite was eaten. Annie beamed and glowed that her first dinner in her new house had gone off according to plan. She’d taken it one step further and given full credit to Fergus, who preened like a peacock. Good-natured jokes and gibes rolled off Annie’s back with her saying, “The only important thing is that dinner was perfect, there are leftovers for everyone, and we’re all together.

  “We’re starting a new tradition,” Annie trilled. “The men clean up, and we ladies get to sit here with our second cups of coffee, at which point the men will retire to the family room for brandy and cigars and we ladies will adjourn to the kitchen for some serious girl talk. There will be no dissenters.” And there were none.

  Thirty minutes later, the women were seated around the huge plank kitchen table Isabelle had found in some ancient barn in one of her antique hunting sprees. She’d had it sanded and repaired, and it now glistened with a high shine. A red bowl of holly berries with a few sprigs of evergreen graced the center of the table on a beautiful red felt place mat.

  Myra poured brandy into exquisite snifters and handed them out. The women clinked their glasses and smiled.

  “Your first Thanksgiving, Annie, and it was wonderful. I am so glad you did this and that we’re all together. What are we doing for Christmas this year? Not that I’m rushing time, you understand,” Myra added hastily.

  “That’s a no-brainer, Myra,” Isabelle said. “Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas unless it was at your house. If you need help with the decorations, I’m your girl. None of my ongoing projects, and there aren’t that many, require my full attention until after the first of the year, and you know how I do love to decorate. Plus, I don’t think there is any scent that I love more than balsam.”

  “Absolutely! Just let me know when you want to begin,” Myra replied.

  Yoko held up her hand. “Isabelle, if you have some free time, I could use some help at the nursery. Starting tomorrow, I will be swamped. My first load of evergreens comes in, and I have to start making wreaths. We have a new garden building, and it has heat in it, so if you want to help, I would really appreciate it.”

  Within five seconds, Yoko had all the help she needed, and the girls, with the exception of Pearl Barnes, who was putting on her coat in preparation for leaving, were going on to other topics. “I’d love to stay, but I have a family of four children I have to relocate before this day is over. Thank you all for including me today. I enjoyed every minute and every bite, and the kids I am transporting will love this dinner, too.” Pearl was, of course, referring to the underground railroad, where she operated outside the law to take children and their abused mothers to safe havens.

  The good-byes were misty-eyed and poignant as Isabelle, who was playing chauffeur, slipped into her coat to drop Pearl off at a secret meeting place.

  “It’s snowing harder,” Myra said as she walked back to the table. “I am going to worry about all of you when you leave to return to the District.” Her hand went to her neck, but there were no pearls to grasp. The Sisters laughed at the look of dismay on her face.

  “We’re staying,” Nikki said. “Annie doesn’t want all those bedrooms to go to waste. She wants to officially christen this wonderful house with all her family, and I say that’s just great. The guys are okay with it. Charles even volunteered to get up early and make breakfast as long as we shovel the snow.”

  “Oh, dear, didn’t I tell you I have snowblowers? And I also have snowmobiles. Isabelle said I absolutely needed those so I could visit with Myra and Nellie. That young woman did not forget a thing. I am just so happy, I am giddy,” Annie trilled.

  “We can see that, Annie,” Myra sniped.

  “I’m going to ignore that comment, Myra, because you are just upset that you broke those damn pearls of yours.”

  Myra grimaced. “Now, let’s get down to business before the men come trooping in here.”

  “That’s not going to happen, Myra,” Kathryn said. “Their eyes are glued to the game. You couldn’t pry them away even if you tried. So, what are we discussing?”

  “This!” Annie said, waving a piece of paper she’d taken out of the kitchen drawer. “Fergus wrote this up for me this morning. It’s a list of all the guests who are at Camp David. Along with Maggie. Notice the explanation next to each name. All big-time moneymen. Secret moneymen. You know, for all those government funds the public doesn’t know about. Somehow, someway, we are going to be involved in this, so let’s get a head start right now. Having said that, I think we should keep it on the down-low for the time being.”

  “Annie, what in the world are you talking about?” Myra demanded.

  “The reason Fergus came here in the first place, along with all those other gentlemen who hired us to capture Henry ‘call me Hank’ Jellicoe. That’s one group. The other group of guests at Camp David is the money people I just mentioned. And then there is Maggie. And that person she took with her, who also just happens to be a moneyman.”

  “And this means what, Annie? I think you need to be more precise. What are you driving at?” Alexis asked.

  Annie sighed. “Am I the only one who thinks it’s strange that Maggie went to Camp David? If I recall, Alexis, it was you and Nikki who first thought it was strange and had misgivings.”

  “But that was about Jason Parker, not Camp David. It was just a . . . I don’t want to say coincidence that she took him with her, because she could have taken anyone as her guest. Just because he’s some kind of financial wizard, and that’s a term I understand he gave himself, doesn’t mean anything to me.”

  “I own the Post,” Annie said.

  “But, dear, no one knows that. Back when you bought it, you assured us all that ownership was buried so deep that no one would ever find out. Are you saying someone knows you are the owner?” Myra asked fretfully.

  “Not just someone, Myra, the president. And someone in her administration. I don’t see her digging through the maze we set up. It’s my opinion, and I’m sticking with it. I do have intuition, and my paper is all-powerful, as we all know. Everyone in Washington knows Maggie has carte blanche,” Annie sniffed.

  “It makes sense,” Kathryn said thoughtfully.

  “It does now, doesn’t it?” Nikki added, just as thoughtfully.

  Jack appeared in the doorway. He held up both hands, indicating he didn’t mean to interrupt. “Got beer, Annie?”

  She nodded.

  The girls flocked to the kitchen windows and door to watch the falling snow while Jack loaded up a tray with beer. Jack watched them out of the corner of his eye, knowing full well they were up to something. He felt a flicker of alarm, but it was gone almost as soon as it appeared. The girls would handle whatever it was they were trying to keep secret. He shouldered his way through the swinging door, holding the tray high in waiter mode.

  The girls scurried back to the table. “Where were we?” Myra demanded.

  “I was saying Maggie has carte blanche, and the paper is one to be reckoned with. Martine Connor knows that. We just have to figure out what she wants Maggie to do. Is she going to give her hints? Is she hoping Maggie will figure it out on her own and absolve her from whatever it is she’s trying to keep secret, or are we . . . you know, barking up the wrong tree, and it’s all a big nothing?”

  “It is not a big nothing, Annie, so get that idea out of your head right now. We’re all on the same page, and if we all agree, then it has to mean it is a big something. We’re women. We’re smart. We should be able to figure this out. What’s not computing for us is that
guy Maggie was hanging out with. Maybe if we take him out of the mix, it will make more sense to us. So, pffft,” Nikki said, snapping her fingers. “Jason Parker is out of the mix. Now what do we have?”

  “Obviously, we need more brandy,” Annie answered, uncorking a fresh bottle from her newly built wine rack that lined one whole wall in her kitchen. “This is just so lovely,” she said, pointing to the intricate wine rack. “You pluck out a bottle and there’s another one right behind it. Just lovely. Alexis, dear, add some more wood to the fire, please. We need to be cozy and warm while we ponder the present circumstances.”

  Yoko leaned forward. “Those financial people you say are at Camp David . . . they’re all public figures with titles, right?”

  Annie and Myra nodded.

  “If they’re public figures, and the public knows what they’re doing, they can’t be the ones in charge of secret funds. For one thing, there are too many of them. It has to be one person who oversees secret funds. And that one person is probably only accountable to one person. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be any secret—what did you call them?—slush funds?”

  “Yoko is absolutely right,” Myra said. “How on earth are we going to find out who that person is?”

  Nellie decided it was time to voice her opinion. “Maybe that’s why the president invited Maggie to Camp David. Maybe she’s going to drop a hint, hoping Maggie picks up on it. If you girls are on the right track, it leads me to believe that the other money people there might know about the mystery fund but not know who the person is who maintains it. Did that person do something illegal? Did he or she abscond with the funds? Since the funds aren’t supposed to exist, you can run with any scenario you like.

  “One other thing. Why do you think Fergus and his colleagues are there? I mean, he’s here, but he was supposed to go there, and he didn’t. To shed light on how they manage their mystery funds would be my guess. Or if those men and their countries ever had a problem similar to the one the president is experiencing. This is giving me a headache.”