Evil Genius

by Rice, Patricia

  I preferred to think EG had left the book to show she’d been here. I was counting on her being alive and well and wearing her thinking cap.

  I was torn between waiting here for Nick and Tex or ripping the house apart brick by brick. It was an old Greek Revival mansion I assumed some organization had purchased for these kinds of functions. I would more likely intrude on offices than bedrooms if I conducted a systematic search. How long would it take to locate Tex?

  If I could find EG first, we could avoid a messy scene where we accused Tex and everyone associated with him of kidnapping. Even I really didn’t believe Tex was guilty.

  If the kidnapper had left this here intentionally, why hadn’t the moron left instructions? Was I supposed to stand here eagerly clutching the book until the kidnapper arrived? Or parade through the reception waving the text in my hand until someone recognized me?

  And if EG had left it here, it had to be a cry for help.

  I hated playing twenty questions. I preferred action. With malice aforethought, I set down the book and aimed a full-blown Magda smile at the first man who looked my way.

  ~

  Working my lipsticked smile, I explored the ground floor rooms under the escort of any available male willing to risk embarrassment at being found where we didn’t belong. Men have their purposes—like following any female with hips that swing so women don’t appear alone and helpless. I wasn’t stupid enough to wander off by myself to get bonked over the head by kidnappers. I know self defense, and the first rule says don’t be stupid.

  Once I decided that EG wasn’t downstairs, I lost the escorts. My next gambit included scouting closets. I’d learned that ploy in the numerous habitats Magda had dumped us in. Closet hiding didn’t work well if I was hindered by drooling Neanderthals who thought uninhabited spaces were meant for things other than I had in mind—unless the Neanderthal was Sean. But he had conveniently not appeared yet.

  Having found the right closet, I was back in the main room by eight. Either Nick couldn’t find Tex, or he was waiting somewhere for the senator to show up. Neither of them was present. Pao was still holding court in one corner. The kidnappers hadn’t attempted to contact me.

  Rather than dither anxiously, I staked out all my suspects.

  I shouldn’t have been surprised to see Blackwell Johnson present, but I was. He looked older and grayer than I remembered. Maybe the threat of our lawsuit had finally made our plight real. Maybe the call I’d ignored this morning was an apology.

  Give the man a chance. I needed information, and I didn’t care who provided it. “Good evening, Mr. Johnson.” I appeared at his side, startling him into tomorrow from the looks of it. “Don’t you think your money would be better spent in refilling our bank account than on candidates who don’t stand a chance of winning?”

  He jerked nervously at my first words and glared anywhere but at me as I continued. “You sound just like your grandfather,” he said dismissively.

  “That’s promising. Perhaps when I have his millions, I can turn them into billions. In the meantime, have you determined who blackmailed Reggie into absconding with our funds?”

  That really shook him. I finally had his attention. I beamed sweetness and light. I don’t think he believed the innocent look anymore.

  “What are you talking about?” he demanded.

  What could he do if I made up tales? Have me arrested for storytelling? I really had learned more from Magda than I’d thought. Spinning out the few facts I had, I tried to sound knowledgeable. “Reggie was about to do time for his third drug arrest. He was desperate. Max was his wealthiest client, old and in ill health. And someone wanted to get rid of him, probably because Max had been poking around Edu-Pub. Do you know anything about Edu-Pub?”

  “Reggie’s father used to be on the board, that’s all I know,” he said stiffly.

  Ah, finally, confirmation that Reggie had access to the cartel Max was investigating.

  “Well, you’d better start preparing your statement before the police come around,” I said blithely. “I assume Reggie told his father’s associates about Max’s investigations. They decided it would be a good thing for all to dispose of Max and scoot Reggie out of the country, thereby killing two birds with one stone.”

  “You’re saying Reggie killed Max because of some textbook company?” Blackwell asked, appalled and fascinated.

  I shrugged, keeping an eye on the candidate and his entourage while I continued spinning fantasies. “Reggie killed him to get enough money to leave the country. The people behind Edu-Pub have other issues, including money-laundering. And because Tex’s office has been investigating the company, I think they’ve decided to do away with him, as well. Now, whose side would you like to take? I’ve already notified the authorities, and they’re investigating as we speak.” Wholesale lie, but it occurred to me that if Max could get killed and EG kidnapped, I was just dust in the wind to them. They could blow me away no matter what I said to whom. “Spill what you know, and you’ll probably be called hero.”

  I didn’t tell him about EG. I didn’t want to sound helpless, and I didn’t want to reveal that I was clueless. I was taking a chance that Blackwell wasn’t the kidnapper, but I was betting he wasn’t a man of action. He liked knowing things, not doing them.

  “I don’t know much,” he said gruffly, not looking at me again but searching the room with an uneasy expression. “I don’t want my name involved.”

  “That’s easy. Tell me what you know and I’ll nail the research and pass it on, but you’ll miss your opportunity to be a hero.”

  “Who the devil are you?” he demanded.

  “Max’s granddaughter,” I said simply. “I’m finishing what he started.”

  “And Graham has nothing to do with this?”

  “I think he’s doing the same thing.” I hadn’t fully realized it until now, but as I said this, I was sure of it. Graham had other agendas for him to set up that sophisticated operating room, but right now, I was certain he was helping me find out about Max, his mentor. I’d never had a partner before, but if I had to have one, a crazy one worked well.

  “And you think Max was investigating Edu-Pub?”

  “I know it. I have evidence of why he was interested as well, and the police are already investigating the tie-in with Mindy’s death. It’s either me, or the cops.”

  Blackwell rubbed his forehead and spoke while his hand covered his face. “Reggie’s father belonged to a group of men who think the country needs to be run by a more educated class of citizens. The group calls themselves Top Hats, and they own stock in companies they consider conducive to their goals. After Reginald died, Reggie tried to sell out his father’s shares. After that, he received visits from people who weren’t clients and who emerged from Reggie’s office in a state of agitation. I don’t know any more than that. You’ll need to find Reggie for answers.”

  “Oh, I know where to find Reggie. I’m just biding my time until I have all the facts,” I said with an insouciance I didn’t feel. “I’d suggest you write down everything you know and put it a in a bank vault and tell your loved ones to open the vault if anything happens to you. That’s how they do it in movies, isn’t it?” I shot him an evil smile.

  “You’re the one who is likely to end up dead.” He started to edge away as if I had cooties.

  He hadn’t helped me find EG, but he confirmed enough of my suspicions that I wasn’t letting him get away just yet. “Which of those men up there is Rose’s fundraiser?”

  That stopped him cold. “Ed O’Reilly, the one with the bald head and gray fringe.”

  I could see the wheels of his mind spinning. Presidential candidates, fundraisers, and wealthy financiers who want to change the world. Alarm crossed his face.

  Don’t ask me why I’m suspicious of money men. My mind just works that way. “Tell Ed I have something interesting he’d like to see. I’ll meet him in the library at nine.”

  “Senator Rose speaks at nine,” Johnso
n said, apparently hoping to distract me.

  I patted him on the cheek in a definite Magda-ism. “Then make it a quarter till nine.”

  Praying Magda’s tactics worked for a five-two dominatrix, I put more wiggle in my walk as I turned away. My adrenaline—aided by two glasses of wine—had reached such volcanic proportions that I’d have flung the kidnapper over my shoulder and into the punch bowl if he’d approached. Fortunately for both of us, he continued to torture me by not showing.

  Sean had yet to put in an appearance either, but he probably wouldn’t until it was time for the candidate to speak. I’ve known a few journalists over the years. Punctuality isn’t one of their finer qualities, especially if they’re Irish and there’s a bar nearby. I don’t mean to sound narrow-minded, but stereotypes exist for a reason, and I shouldn’t have to point out the basis for this one. I was quite willing to be pleasantly surprised if I was wrong.

  I had my next victim already targeted. I sidled up to a pleasant looking Korean businessman who’d spent more time than most talking to Pao. “I know a gentleman who has an interesting proposition for Sak Thai Pao,” I whispered to him. “If he’s interested, tell him to stop by the library at a quarter til nine. It won’t take long.”

  I slipped away before he could recover his tongue and ask questions. I figured I was wearing enough perfume to choke my victims into near unconsciousness, thus increasing my chances of escape.

  I made several similar stops to cover all known suspects before checking the smoke-filled bar set up in a back room. If Sean was there, I didn’t see him, which was probably a good thing. He might have noticed my evil smile when I recognized Hagan at the bar. I hadn’t thought mid-level underpaid government employees could afford black-tie affairs like this—unless skulduggery was afoot. That thought made me more mad than afraid.

  I couldn’t use the wink and a promise technique with someone who knew me, so I waited until the man Hagan was talking to left the bar and came my way. I approached him and gave him a different line than I’d given Pao. A man like Hagan would have ego wrapped up in his physique. He would heed the call of sex faster than business. My accomplice looked startled at my suggestion and hesitated long enough to let me slip out.

  To prove I wasn’t entirely insane, I’d scouted a place for my confrontational theater in my earlier search for EG. I’d discovered the library had a lovely little Macbook tucked into a fold-down desk in the bookshelves. One of the dirty little tricks the guards at the door hadn’t appropriated from my purse was my keychain thumb drive. The innocent-looking fob contained the best hacking program money—and my hacker half-brother—could buy. Tudor had his uses.

  It was half insane and half brilliant to wait until the last minute to call up Graham on the Mac after I’d hacked into it. If I’d called him earlier, he probably would have summoned the men in black to haul me out by my frivolous hairdo. Waiting until the last minute chanced his not answering, but I figured that was the lesser of two evils.

  At eight-thirty, I stopped at the computer, powered it up with my stolen password and typed, In fifteen minutes, Pao, Ed O’Reilly, Thomas Hagan, and aides from the congressmen with shares in Edu-Pub will be meeting in this room. I'’ll be watching from outside. The ball’s in your court. Have fun.”

  I IM’d Graham with my teleconference invitation. He was online. All he had to do was hit the video conference button I sent him, and he’d be hooked up to the library. I ran before he could accept with an irate reply. Or rather, in those heels and tight skirt, I minced out.

  It was past eight-thirty by the time Nick found me opening a closet door in the foyer. The party was just hitting its stride. The kidnapper still hadn’t contacted me, but that might be because I hadn’t stood still.

  “I thought you were staying at the buffet,” Nick said angrily, catching my elbow. “What the devil are you doing?”

  I turned, and recognizing the frowning senator beside him, I applied my evil ruby smile rather than explain myself. “We meet again, Tex. Did Nick tell you we have plane tickets waiting at Reagan?”

  I wanted to believe EG’s father wasn’t involved, but it would be simpler dealing with him than a group of killers. His lined face pulled into a deeper frown, and I knew he hadn’t done it.

  “If this is Magda’s idea of a joke—”

  “Magda isn’t here. I’ve looked,” I informed him coldly, just in case I could make him angry and pry his secrets out of him. “And none of her friends have approached me with ransom demands. That leaves you and yours, senator. Who else knows about EG?”

  High as I was on adrenaline and wine, I could have confronted lions without flinching. I twirled my wine glass and let Tex look stunned. I’d spent the last half hour learning what perfume and a little cleavage could do. The undergarments Nick had bought for me were excellent. Power was mine. Except Tex wasn’t buying it.

  “Ah’m not that enterprising,” he said wearily. “Ah told Magda I’d pay for the girl’s education in that pricey school in Switzerland. This isn’t my way of backing out of a promise.”

  The senator was losing his hokey drawl again. I couldn’t tell if it was out of concern for EG or for the possibility that the secret of her existence might leak to the press. Nick’s expression remained neutral.

  “EG sent me an e-mail this afternoon,” the senator continued wearily.

  That got both our attentions.

  “She wanted to meet with me, but I didn’t read the e-mail until well after school was over.” He held up his palm to hold off our questions. “Anyone in my office could have read it. She didn’t know my private e-mail address.”

  We understood instantly. Anyone in his office could have read EG’s note and passed it on. Anyone could have known she was waiting for Tex. The kidnapping field was wide open, and my terror multiplied a hundredfold. I hadn’t believed Tex was a kidnapper, but I’d wanted him to be, because EG would have been safe with her father.

  “I found her history book in the main room,” I told them, studying the senator’s reaction. He was a practiced politician trained to hide his emotions, but right now, he looked just as worried as we were. “She signed it. It’s hers. She could be in this house right now. I want a search organized.”

  Even Nick looked ready to object to this. I shook my head at him. “A quiet search. No one’s approached me. They may not be here yet. EG might not be either, but I would rather find her than confront kidnappers. How long would it take to search the rooms upstairs? I’ve already looked down here.”

  It shows how anxious they were that they took me at face value. They even seemed to think I made sense. Little did they know that I’d crossed the family line into insanity by setting up the little seminar in the library.

  “I’ll have one of my aides keep an eye on you while we search upstairs,” the senator suggested. He glanced at his watch. “Tell us where the table is with the book, and we’ll meet you there after Paul gives his speech. If the kidnapper shows up before that, send Zeke after us.” He nodded toward a lanky fellow in a tux watching us anxiously.

  Zeke was a stupid plan. I didn’t want anyone I didn’t know shadowing me. I nodded solemnly, playing the part of docile female with a vengeance. Nick shot me a suspicious look. He understood the vengeance part.

  “If EG is found safe, your secrets are safe with us, senator.” I meant that, I thought. Blackmailing Tex into doing right by EG probably wouldn’t work. “But if someone in your office is responsible for this, I’m taking them down.”

  “My wife said you know something about Mindy.” He looked scared and concerned more than threatening. And he was following my path of thought.

  “Did you know Edu-Pub may be laundering illegal campaign funds?” I asked.

  He looked uncomfortable but desperate. “I didn’t when I signed on. An influential group asked me to join the board, and I was flattered.”

  I gave him my stolid cat-eye stare. He glared right back. “That’s how politics works—networking with the
rich and famous. Mindy was the one who discovered the problems with the textbooks. She was outraged at the propaganda. I’m not much on history, but I started looking into things. You aren’t telling me that a group of men as wealthy and influential as that would kidnap a child?”

  I heard his disbelief. It’s always easier to believe drug addicts and career criminals commit crimes. White collar crime is rampant but much more subtle and difficult to discern—until it runs to murder. “If I’m right, whoever set you up to take the fall for Mindy may have murdered others. My knowledge may be the reason EG was kidnapped. I don’t want her to be the next murder.”

  “I’m calling the police.” Nick turned around and started to stalk off.

  I shouldn’t have hit him with that theory so abruptly, but I’m new to the spy and spook business. I grabbed his elbow and jerked, hard. He glared. “Let’s not alert the bad guys yet,” I told him. “Look for EG first. Quietly.”

  I could tell they didn’t like it, but they didn’t have any better ideas.

  “This is outrageous,” Tex muttered. “I ought to call the FBI.”

  “The FBI is way too obvious. The kidnappers would see them coming and haul tail, taking EG with them,” I said, hoping to stall him. “Search upstairs, then get back to me.”

  What I was actually doing, they should worry about, which was why I didn’t tell them. I didn’t think they’d take lightly to my blowing up every single suspect on my list at once.

  Nick and Tex hurried out of sight, taking the backstairs so they wouldn’t be noticed from the wide front hall where I stood. People were still arriving, although the crush at the door had reduced to a trickle as guests jockeyed for a position in the big room where Rose would speak.

  I smiled at Tex’s flunky. He tugged his tie knot and nodded.

  Then I stepped into the coat closet and closed the door.

  I probably didn’t mention the reason I chose to live in a small dark windowless apartment. I could have afforded better, but small dark closets are my idea of security. My therapists called it regression to the womb, but they didn’t really understand. My curiosity was developed as a form of self defense against Magda’s chaotic world, and closets were the best method of satisfying my curiosity.