“You drive a hard bargain, dear,” Myra said. “I do understand where you are coming from, however. I do not like people fussing and fretting over me, either.”
“Well, I just happen to love it!” Annie said. “It makes me feel important.” Annie then called Ming Su and told her that Maggie was feeling stronger and felt that she could take care of herself. Therefore, her services would no longer be needed. She thanked Ming Su for taking care of Maggie and said that even though she was being dismissed early, she would be paid for the complete length of time she had been hired for, plus a bonus. Ming Su said she would return shortly to pick up her belongings and Annie ended the call. “All right, she’s on her way back. Now tell us what you found out. That’s an order, Maggie.”
Maggie giggled. “Annie, there are orders, and then there are orders. I’ll tell you the minute she walks out the door with all her . . . her . . . stuff. Let’s have a drink, ladies!”
“You can’t drink with all the medicine you’re on,” Myra said.
“What medicine? I spit it out as soon as she turned away. I’m doing just fine without it, can’t you tell? I have a bottle of Advil under the cushions, and when she wasn’t looking, I would take a few. I absolutely do not like taking prescription medicine. Now, about that drink?”
“Give it up, Annie, you know we can’t win here. Besides, I think I’m also ready for a drink. And you look like you can use one, too,” Myra said as she rummaged in the cabinets until she found a bottle of Kentucky’s finest bourbon. “Maybe we should hold off drinking this until after Ming Su leaves.”
“Maybe we shouldn’t,” Maggie snapped. “Pour, Myra!”
Myra poured.
The ladies were on their second round when Ming Su poked her head in the kitchen to announce that she was leaving. She smiled sweetly at all three women. And then she was gone.
“Talk!” Annie roared.
“Okay, okay! I’ve been digging and digging. So have Ted and Espinosa. They sent Dennis out on a mission. He isn’t back yet, but he has checked in with what he found out. Me first. According to social media, Ms. Amy Jones Lambert’s life began when she was eighteen years old. The hall of records and every other database in the country say Amy Jones Lambert did not exist before then. That’s when she joined the world. Either she’s in the Witness Protection Program, or she’s adopted, or she was growing up under another name in foster care. Those are the only three reasons why nothing shows up before she turned eighteen. I’m going with adoption or foster care because it’s the only thing that makes sense to me. When she came of age, she must have taken off on her own and changed her name, which leads me to believe she was in foster care and not legally adopted. If she had been legally adopted and had adoptive parents, there would be some sort of paper trail.
“She got a Social Security number when she turned eighteen. She had many jobs, most part-time, as she was working her way through college. I suspect she’s smart. I couldn’t get her high-school transcripts. Abner will have to hack into the college system to get those records for us. Whatever is there has probably been dummied up somehow. If she wanted to leave her old life behind her, for whatever reason, she wouldn’t leave any footprints behind.
“I checked the college yearbooks, but didn’t find much. From what I can tell, she had two friends. I use the term loosely. That’s where Dennis is, trying to find out what, if anything, they can tell us that will help. In her junior year, the same year she met Jeffrey Lambert, she was voted the girl most likely to make her dreams come true. Her dream was to be a criminal-defense lawyer.”
“That’s very interesting,” Annie said. “I wonder what kind of story she told Jeffrey Lambert about her past. I would think he’d want to know something about her background if he was going to marry her, especially with who his father is. We should definitely call Nikki and ask her to call Mrs. Lambert senior and ask some pointed questions. She might be able to shed some light on Amy’s background.”
“Maybe not. If she was ashamed of her background, she might have made up some story about her parents’ deaths, she’s on her own, blah blah blah. They make movies and television shows about things like that all the time. I’m thinking she’d be careful, knowing exactly who she was marrying and the family he came from,” Myra said.
Maggie reached for the last egg roll on the plate. She sprinkled salt on it, then dipped it in some spicy red sauce before shoving it in her mouth. “Do you think Mrs. Speaker will give anything up?”
“Only if Nikki were to tell her that the Chessmen will go after her and savage her reputation. Then she might spill whatever she knows, if anything. But after that press conference, it seems highly unlikely that Nikki can tell her that. It seems pretty obvious that, for whatever reason, the Speaker is not about to fight the divorce.
“Anyway, her son might have kept her in the dark, for all we know. Young men are pretty protective of their mothers, especially when their fathers are like Buzz Lambert,” Myra said.
Annie called Nikki at the office and explained the situation and their thinking. Nikki said she would get back to them after she thought about it for a while. “We’ll be at Maggie’s for a little while longer. Call us back here.”
“What did Dennis find out, dear?”
“Nothing that is going to help us. At least I don’t think so. He found one of Amy’s friends and actually spoke to her in person. She works as an administrative assistant at Georgetown University Hospital. She said she was a study buddy of Amy’s in college. Not best buds or anything like that. She also said they never got personal about their backgrounds, but she had the feeling that Amy didn’t have any family. She said it was just a feeling and nothing she would want to swear to. Her name is Grace Zarata. She said Amy never attended any of the reunions after graduation. She knew she was going to go to law school. Said she was extremely smart and had a very high IQ. Mensa material. She hasn’t seen her since graduation.
“Oh, she did say she was head over heels in love with some guy whose father was a big-time politician. Once he entered the picture, Amy was done with her. Heard she married the guy, but she wasn’t invited to the wedding. That’s it. Dennis will have it all typed up and hand it over to Charles.”
“What about the other friend?” Annie asked.
“Dennis is with her now. She was Amy’s roommate up until Amy got married. Her name is Elise Moore. Dennis called about a half hour before you got here. He’s still with her because he took her to lunch. He’s on his way back now. Elise is a vice principal at a middle school in Reston, Virginia. She said that while they were roommates, they almost never saw each other. Amy worked two jobs, and when she wasn’t working, she was in class or the library. She had very few clothes. Never received mail, didn’t even have a phone or car. She worked in the cafeteria, so she could get free food. They never confided in each other. They simply shared a room.
“Then, one day, she said, Amy told her she was getting married. She said that was the longest conversation she’d ever had with her. She did say she was incredibly smart. She aced all her subjects, and that’s what allowed her to hold down two jobs.
“It’s possible Dennis might come up with something else, but right now, that’s all he had to report,” Maggie said as she nibbled on her thumbnail.
“A loner. By choice,” Myra said.
“Wait a minute. Didn’t Nikki tell us that Amy and her husband were more like brother and sister, and it was an amiable divorce?” Annie said.
“Yes, she did say that. But Grace said she was head over heels in love with the guy she met and married. Maggie, call Dennis and ask him to ask Ms. Moore if she knows anything about the marriage or the courtship that led up to the marriage. While you do that, Myra and I will clean up the kitchen. It doesn’t appear that there will be any leftovers, so you might want to have Ted bring something by on his way home,” Myra said.
“You know what, Myra, all of a sudden I’m getting a really itchy feeling between my shoulder blades. There
is something there, you know, like when something is on the tip of your tongue, and it just won’t surface. That kind of feeling. Are you sensing it, too?”
Myra sat down on one of the kitchen chairs and started to knead her hands. “Yes. What’s banging around in my head is what Nikki said when she was telling us about the civilized divorce of that young couple. She never alluded to the fact that they were head over heels in love. Granted, that was a few years ago. Young people are so different these days, but I had the impression from what Nikki said that they were just friends, from the very beginning. Friends who wanted to belong to someone. Not crazy in love.
“And Nikki said Amy cried and that the young man’s eyes were moist. It’s not computing, Annie. No one said anything about their having grown apart after being crazy in love with each other. Well, that’s not quite true. Amy said she wanted to spread her wings or something like that. Oh, look, Maggie is off the phone. Let’s see what young Dennis has to say.”
“Well?” Annie barked.
Maggie threw her arms in the air, then winced. “Ms. Moore said she personally did not know anything, but she heard, and she said to Dennis that what she was going to say was rumor only, that Ms. Moore’s boyfriend at the time, who is now her husband, belonged to the same fraternity as Jeffrey Lambert. The boyfriend/husband said Jeffrey was so in love, he couldn’t see straight. He started staying away at night, missing classes, and his grades suffered. He didn’t care. He said that the guy was the joke of the house. The guys got sick of hearing about Amy twenty-four/seven. He said he brought her by the house a few times and couldn’t keep his hands off her. She was the same way with him.
“Then his parents showed up and read him the riot act. The whole house heard it. Jeffrey moved out that same day. She thinks he and Amy got an apartment and guesses that’s when they got married. That’s it,” Maggie said. She almost started to wave her arms, but thought better of the idea. “So, are you thinking what I’m thinking, ladies?”
It was Annie’s and Myra’s turn to turn crafty. “What are you thinking, dear?” Myra asked.
“That it was all an act. A way for Amy Jones Lambert to weasel her way into Nikki’s firm. And it worked. Remember that little scene Nikki told us that she and Alexis witnessed in the parking lot. Amy and Jeffrey holding hands and kissing. If you’re going to divorce your husband, do you cry, hold hands, and plant a lip-lock on him the way Nikki described? I think the two of them played her. I don’t know why, though.”
“It must have something to do with Mr. and Mrs. Lambert senior and their divorce. What in the world could it be? I’m feeling incredibly stupid right now,” Annie said irritably.
“I feel the same way, Annie, so don’t feel bad,” Myra assured her as she fingered the pearls around her neck, her lifeline to sanity, as Annie was prone to say at least once a day.
“Where does that leave us, ladies?” Maggie asked, just as Annie’s phone rang.
“It’s Nikki.” Annie clicked on and listened, her face expressionless. When she ended the call, she had a strange expression on her face.
“What?” Myra and Maggie asked at the same moment.
“Nikki said Livinia seemed reluctant to say anything. And Nikki had no leverage to pry anything out of her. She admitted to not knowing anything about Amy’s background. She said if Jeffrey knew anything, she is certain he would have told her. She did say Amy was a sweet girl, very smart and kind and generous. She liked her. Said her husband did not like her and called her a gold digger, which just widened the gap between him and Jeffrey. She also said her son was hopelessly, and she stressed the word hopelessly, in love with Amy, and Amy appeared to love him in the same way. She said she prayed that Amy wouldn’t break his heart. She’s just sick over their divorce.”
“Did she say she saw her husband’s press conference?” Maggie asked.
“Yes, she saw it and said it was what she expected. She also said good old Buzz does not have any tear ducts, so it was all an act. She agreed to lie low, according to the plan, and not to get in touch with anyone. She did ask when Amy was going to start working at the firm, which I find a little strange. She also wanted to know if Nikki had gotten in touch with Jeffrey. Which she had. Nikki said he just listened to her, but didn’t offer up anything, which I think is a tad strange. For all intents and purposes, he appears to be okay with everything. This is giving me a headache,” Annie said as she massaged her temples.
Myra fingered her pearls as Maggie stared off into space.
The three women turned when they heard the front door open. Hero jumped off Maggie’s lap and ran to the foyer. “Hey, anyone home?” Ted Robinson called out as Hero leapt into his arms.
“In here, Ted,” Maggie called out.
“I guess we can leave now,” Myra said, relief ringing in her voice.
As Annie slipped into her jacket, she turned to Ted. “Do you know anything we don’t know?”
“It’s all a work in progress. I’ll call you later. My pack is full of printouts. Oh, my God, where’s the nurse?”
“Gone, never to return! You are now officially in charge of me, Ted Robinson.”
“Oooh, I like the way that sounds. Nice seeing you ladies. I’ll take over now,” Ted gurgled as he shooed Annie and Myra toward the front door. “I’ll call you later.”
“I have to say, that was the fastest shuffle I’ve ever seen. I feel so unwanted all of a sudden,” Annie said.
“Get over it.” Myra laughed.
Chapter 13
It took two more days of Myra’s and Annie’s acting like angry hornets before Charles finally called an emergency meeting, and that was only thanks to Fergus, who warned Charles that the two of them had exhausted the patience of their beloved partners.
The war room was full to capacity, with Avery Snowden in attendance, sitting in on the emergency meeting, something that had never happened before.
The electricity in the climate-controlled room was palpable. There was little to no conversation, just angry, surly looks. From time to time, feet shuffled, and the only sound to be heard was Espinosa cracking his knuckles, which to all of them was a clear indication that the next thing to get cracked would be Charles and Fergus if they didn’t start the meeting.
Fergus stepped down from the dais to hand out colorful yellow folders. “Sunshine yellow. I don’t see anything sunshiny about this meeting at all,” Isabelle grumbled under her breath, but still loud enough to be heard by the others.
Lizzie Fox was the only one in the crowded room who appeared relaxed and comfortable with what was going on and what was to come. Jack eyed her with suspicion until she winked at him. He looked over at his wife, who simply glared at him. Then he got flustered. Women!
“I think we’re ready now, ladies and gentlemen,” Charles said as he took his place directly behind Myra’s chair at the head of the table. “What you have in the yellow folders in front of you are the dossiers on the Chessmen, as well as the Speaker of the House. The contents of the folders are what took so long to get us to this place in time. A lot of what you will read, some of you will already know. There are quite a few things that no one is privy to, except the Chessmen themselves and Avery Snowden. As you read and absorb the contents, you will all come to appreciate the time and effort, as well as the expertise, Avery has employed to secure the information.
“I have here in my hands a set of red folders, which contain material on Livinia Lambert, her husband, the Speaker of the House, and Amy and Jeffrey Lambert, soon to be divorced, as are the senior Lamberts. There are two folders for the Speaker, just so we’re clear on that. On my desk, there are three other folders, which at the moment do not need to be discussed. That’s for later, but I will tell you the names on those folders—Jeffrey Lambert, son of Livinia and Wilson, and soon to be the ex-husband of Amy Jones Lambert. The second folder bears the name of Amy Jones Lambert. And the third folder carries the name of Starry Knight.
“Having said all that, do you want me to talk t
his through while you follow along with the reports, or do you just want to read in silence, after which we shall discuss the contents? Either way is all right with me.”
“Talk us through it, dear,” Myra said sweetly. “I left my readers upstairs, and I think Annie did, too.”
Charles waited a few moments to see if anyone was going to object. When the room remained quiet, he cleared his throat and started to talk. “The first of the Chessmen is named Maxwell Queen. He’s the leader of the pack. His name is first on all things Chessmen. He’s forty-nine years old. He wears absurdly bright blue contact lenses, has had some minor facial surgery and a few Botox injections. He’s incredibly vain. He wears a hairpiece. Of the four, he graduated with highest GPA, which, by the way, is not saying much, given the academic performance of the other three.
“According to this report, he has a bit of a Napoleon complex. Meaning he is a short man, only five feet two inches tall. He wears lifts in his shoes. He spends a fortune on custom, designer clothing. His passion in life is not the law but chess. He wants to believe he is championship material. He definitely is not. His idols are the grandmaster Magnus Carlsen, the reigning world chess champion in all three major categories; Bobby Fischer, who I am sure you have all heard of, and, of course, Judit Pol-gár, the female player generally acknowledged to be the best ever of her gender.
“Everything he does in life, in the courtroom, in private, in social settings, has to do with chess. Everything he does is likened to a chess move in one way or another. Mr. Queen is obsessed. He is very wealthy. A good portion of his wealth was inherited. He, of course, has revenue from the law firm over which he presides. And the man has a sideline, as all the Chessmen have. Mr. Queen has a chess club, which he started fifteen years ago. One four-day weekend a month, nine months a year, he runs a tournament. The entry fee is twenty-five thousand dollars. He keeps his entries to fifty players per weekend tournament. June, July, and August are blackout months. We do not know why that is, it just is. Personal reasons, I assume.
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