Conspiracy of Silence

by Gledé Browne Kabongo

  “I need to sleep over Friday night for a Saturday trip to Baltimore.”

  Charlene lived in Quincy, and from there, Nina could make it to Logan Airport in less than half an hour since Route 93 North weekend traffic was a cinch compared to weekdays. She would tell Marc she was spending the weekend with Charlene for some female bonding and retail therapy.

  “Phillip came to see me at the office. It was not a happy reunion.”

  Charlene almost choked. “Stop lying.”

  Nina gave her best friend a recap of Phillip’s visit.

  “What are you going to do?”

  “That’s where Baltimore comes in.”

  “Who’s in Baltimore?”

  “A friend with special skills.”

  “Details, girl. Don’t make me beat it out of you.”

  “Sonny Alvarez.”

  “The computer guy?”

  “He’s much more than a computer guy.”

  “Do I even want to know?”

  “Probably not.”

  “Why don’t you just tell your man the truth?”

  “That’s not an option,” Nina said stiffly.

  “How are you going to handle Phillip? Do you even have a plan besides Sonny?”

  “I’m making it up as I go.”

  Charlene rolled her eyes at Nina. “You’re asking for trouble, keeping this from Marc.”

  “How do you figure?”

  “Tell him about Phillip before it’s too late. Don’t you think you’ve been hiding long enough?”

  “You’re my best friend. You’re supposed to be helping me plot and scheme,” Nina said half-jokingly. “I’ve kept the truth from Marc this long to protect us. Whatever Phillip has planned, I have to face it head on.”

  “Secrets have a way of coming back to bite you in the ass. I’m just saying.”

  “I can’t worry about that right now. There’s too much at stake. You have no idea.”

  “Such as?” Charlene asked sharply.

  “Nothing you don’t already know.”

  Nina hated lying to her best friend but there were certain truths she couldn’t share with anyone, not even Charlene.

  CHAPTER THREE

  The Delta Airlines shuttle touched down at Baltimore-Washington International Airport a little past noon. A purposeful Nina made her way to ground transportation and jumped into the first available cab. She directed the driver to her destination and arrived twenty minutes later. She was greeted at the Havana Grill, a popular Cuban restaurant.

  “Mr. Alvarez is expecting you,” said the stout Latino man with the nose ring and a dragon tattoo on his left arm. “Follow me.”

  He led her through the restaurant filled with the chatter of lunchtime patrons. Strategically placed potted palm trees and ocean-themed artwork hugged the walls, giving the place a tropical flair. They arrived at a large booth in the far corner of the restaurant, where a beaming Sonny stood up and hugged her tightly. The maître’de said something to him in rapid Spanish then disappeared.

  “What was that about?”

  “He says I’m a lucky man.”

  “Oh,” Nina said, blushing.

  Sonny Alvarez looked like he’d just stepped off the cover of GQ Magazine. He possessed a sultry Latin charm that had women slipping him their phone numbers wherever he went. Born to a Mexican father and a Puerto Rican mother, the former Navy SEAL grew up in California and met Nina while she was a sophomore at Stanford and he was a Ph.D. candidate in Math and Computer Science. The National Security Agency came knocking and Sonny secured a position as one of their top analysts in the Cryptography Division. As far as Nina could tell, Sonny hadn’t met a code he couldn’t crack or a network he couldn’t hack.

  “So mamacita, how much trouble are you in?” he asked, as he pulled out a chair for Nina and took the one across from her.

  “I came to see you, didn’t I? That should be a clue.”

  Sonny leaned back in his chair and clasped both hands behind his head as he studied her.

  “You’re afraid. What are you running from?”

  “My past. I was just minding my own business when it showed up uninvited.”

  “With baggage?”

  “Enough to put Louis Vuitton out of business.”

  He laughed out loud as the waiter appeared to take their order. Nina ordered seafood with fried plantain chips; Sonny opted for red beans and rice with chicken.

  “Sounds like unresolved personal issues. I don’t see where I fit in.”

  Nina raked her fingers through her hair. “I wouldn’t have come if I didn’t think you could help me, Sonny.”

  Had she put all her faith in one place? What if Sonny balked at her request? He could get in serious trouble if he ever got caught helping her and frankly, she had no right to ask him to risk his freedom for her. But what choice did she have?

  “Tell me then. What’s got you so scared?”

  “I made a decision years ago that probably saved my life. Not everyone was thrilled.”

  “Are you in physical danger?” He leaned forward, his face anxious.

  “Worse.”

  “I see. What can I do?”

  “What you do best. Get in and out without a trace.” She felt vulnerable and exposed. Nina trusted Sonny but hated asking for favors.

  “Wow. I suppose being a regular girl with regular problems is out of the question?”

  “If I were, you wouldn’t give me a second thought.”

  “You cut me deep, mamacita.”

  “It’s true.”

  “You’re not even supposed to know what I do for a living. If the agency finds out you came to me for help, I could be in serious trouble.”

  She hadn’t thought her mere presence could put Sonny in jeopardy. She squeezed her eyes tightly, willing him to come to her rescue.

  “But I owe you. You had my back when no one else did. I haven’t forgotten. I’ll help you on my personal time, away from work.”

  She didn’t realize she was shaking. When she opened her eyes, Sonny’s hands were covering hers.

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “I thought I saw my life being flushed down the toilet.”

  “Not as long as I’m around.”

  She punched him playfully in the arm. “That’s for scaring me.”

  He pretended to be injured. “I would never say no to you, Nina.”

  “I couldn’t take our friendship for granted.”

  “Friendship, huh? Whose fault was that?”

  “It wouldn’t have worked between us. It was better to spare you.”

  “You didn’t invite me to your wedding.”

  “Would you have come?”

  “No.”

  * * *

  NINA READ THE NOTE FOR the third time and thought it was a trap. It had to be.

  I’ve behaved abominably. Allow me to apologize.

  There was no signature at the bottom, but she didn’t need one to know who’d sent it. She glanced at the stack of files on her neatly organized mahogany desk, and the two computers with dozens of emails and a loaded calendar all needing her attention. She was too tense to focus.

  “I see you got my note.”

  The voice startled her. She turned around to find Phillip behind her.

  “You have got to stop popping into my office unannounced,” she said, exasperated. “Make an appointment like everybody else. Eric is in so much trouble.”

  “It’s not your assistant’s fault. Your boss and I are old friends. Plus the door was unlocked.”

  This news that Phillip and Jack were friends was disconcerting. How much had Phillip told Jack about their past together? She didn’t dare ask Phillip, he would just use it as another opportunity to try and blackmail her. He was insinuating himself into her professional life and she didn’t like it one bit. On the other hand, it might give her a chance to find out what he was up to. Plus, she’d spent so many years denying his existence, it shouldn’t be too hard to deny a relationship ever existed in the fi
rst place if Jack started asking questions.

  “What are you up to?” she asked suspiciously.

  “I can admit when I’m wrong.”

  “To the best of my knowledge, hell has not yet frozen over.”

  Her screen saver caught his attention, a close-up of Nina and Marc on the beach in Mustique.

  “Where are the kids?”

  He knew damn well she didn’t have any. Phillip Copeland was nothing if not thorough. She wouldn’t be surprised if he had a dossier on her, dictionary-thick.

  “Mind your business,” she said brusquely. “You said you wanted to apologize. I’m listening. Then you can leave.”

  “Have dinner with me tonight.”

  The request caught her off guard. “Why?”

  “Sometimes it helps to sort things out over a good meal. Maybe I came on a little too strong.”

  “I can’t. I’ll be leaving here late tonight.”

  “Jack’s working you too hard. I think I’ll have a word with him.”

  “And why would Jack Kendall listen to anything you have to say regarding his staff?”

  “As I said, he and I go way back. We sit on the board together.”

  “What board?”

  “The Board of Directors of Baseline Technologies,” he said pointedly.

  “I report directly to Jack. I would have known if there was a new addition to the board.”

  “I convinced them to delay the announcement. I wanted to be the one to tell you, after the board meeting this morning.”

  “Lucky me.”

  “Oh, come on, Nina. Let’s sit down like two civilized people so I can properly apologize for my behavior. You have nothing to fear from me.”

  “I’m sure Jeffrey Dahmer said the same thing to his victims before he hacked them to pieces.”

  He chuckled. “A lesser man would be insulted, but I appreciate your sense of humor.”

  “It wasn’t meant to be funny.”

  “I don’t understand why you’re being so stubborn. You’re behaving as if I’m a criminal.”

  “Thanks for the invitation, but I have to decline.”

  “Don’t be hasty. It’s only dinner. I want you to see I’m not an ogre.”

  “Too late.”

  “You’re wrong. Just give me a chance to prove it.”

  His insistence should have been a warning, but Nina’s curiosity made the decision for her.

  “Fine. Where?”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Nina pulled up to the Four Seasons Hotel on Boylston Street and handed the keys of her Porsche SUV to the valet attendant. The Bristol Lounge was on the second floor, a restaurant known for fantastic dining and conversation with Boston’s movers and shakers. Tables offering a view of the Boston Public Gardens abutted floor-to-ceiling windows. The place was already packed for a week night and alive with the chatter and socializing of the after work crowd.

  Phillip was nursing a drink at his table a few feet from the bar. He looked relieved when he saw her. “You made it. I wasn’t sure you would come.”

  “I said I would.”

  He pulled out a chair so she could sit but she waved him off and pulled out her own chair opposite him.

  “When a gentleman holds out a seat for you, it’s polite to accept it,” he said, admonishing her.

  “You’re not a gentleman so I’m off the hook.” She could tell he was irritated, but for some reason, he needed to be on his best behavior tonight.

  “Just relax. There’s no reason we can’t have an enjoyable evening.”

  “You’re absolutely right. As soon as I order a drink, I will toast to that.”

  Nina figured she could catch more flies with honey, as the saying goes. If Phillip believed she was relaxed and ready to be an amiable companion, she might walk away having learned something.

  “I saw you on City Beat a couple of weeks ago. You missed an opportunity to talk about how the foundation ties into what you’re doing with the Developing World Economic Initiative.”

  “So you do pay attention.” Phillip looked like he had just hit the Mega Millions jackpot—not that he needed the money.

  “I was channel surfing. You happened to be on.”

  “Still, now you understand why I need your help.”

  “We’re back on that subject again?”

  “I was sincere in my offer, Nina. Jack gave me the inside story on how you helped Baseline regain lost market share, resurrected the brand, gained the respect of top business and technology analysts… how your growth plans yielded a double digit percentage increase in revenue. It’s virtually unheard of for a chief marketing officer to have that kind of impact on a company in such a short period of time. That kind of talent is rare. I want the best, and you’re it.”

  He was actually flattering her. Now she really needed her guard up. Phillip’s compliments usually came with strings attached. “Jack doesn’t get in my way. He understands marketing in a way most CEOs don’t. I proved to him marketing could be a revenue generator, not just a cost center.”

  “So that’s the secret of your success—autonomy. I get it.” He shook his head in admiration.

  “Where’s the waiter? I’m starving.” Nina needed to stay focused, unaffected.

  “Can we wait just a few more minutes?”

  She hesitated. “Um… sure, but why?”

  “I have a surprise for you.”

  “I don’t like surprises.”

  “Here she comes now.”

  He waived to a toothpick-thin woman with short red hair coiffed in the latest style. Her green linen dress was belted, emphasizing her tiny waist. As she got closer, Nina noticed striking blue eyes and flawless make-up. She greeted Phillip with a kiss on the cheek then turned her attention to Nina.

  “Gosh darling, I thought you were exaggerating when you described her. She’s a knock-out.”

  The woman had a strong British accent. Nina suddenly felt awkward and out of place. The stranger obviously knew of her.

  “Nina, I’d like you to meet my wife, Geraldine. I asked her to join us…”

  Nina didn’t hear anything past “wife.” He’s married. She tried to wrap her brain around that, tried to process how that made her feel, not that she should be feeling anything. It was just something she didn’t anticipate. He wasn’t wearing a wedding band, but if memory served her correctly, that’s the way he liked it, no indication of attachments.

  Nina regained her composure and exchanged pleasantries with Geraldine. Phillip signaled to the waiter and they finally ordered dinner.

  “I told Geraldine all about you and the Executive Insider story. She insisted I invite you to dinner to get to know you better. She’s a professor of Humanities at Tufts.”

  “That story on you was just brilliant,” the Englishwoman gushed. “I told Phillip he absolutely had to procure your services, didn’t I, darling?”

  Nina eyed Phillip with malice for trying to manipulate her by dragging this poor woman into whatever scheme he had going. Her instincts told her Geraldine was a good soul who had no idea what she was in for.

  “So this was your idea, Geraldine?” Nina asked.

  “Well, of course. Phillip kept going on and on about you. You’ve made quite an impression on my husband. You had me worried for a while.”

  The glint in Geraldine’s eyes told Nina the Brit was only kidding, but Nina couldn’t help a snarky comeback. “Surely you jest. Have you met my husband? Any day now, I may fall off that pedestal he has me on.”

  Both women burst out laughing.

  “I knew I’d like you,” Geraldine said. “I could tell from your photograph.”

  Nina became alarmed. “What photograph?”

  “The one on the magazine cover, of course. What other photograph would there be?”

  “Sorry,” Nina said, hedging on the fly. “I’m a little paranoid these days. You never know where your likeness might end up once it goes digital.”

  Phillip grinned inwardly. He had Nina
exactly where he wanted her. He knew she and Geraldine would hit it off, and why not? They were both beautiful, intelligent, sophisticated women who were successful in their respective fields, and from what he could tell, they respected each other. This phase of his plan was working out perfectly.

  “How long have you two been married?” Nina asked as the food arrived.

  “It’s been two years.”

  “You’re practically newlyweds. How did you meet?”

  “Don’t bore Nina with mundane details of our life together,” Phillip interjected.

  “I’m not bored and neither is she.”

  Geraldine removed her napkin from the salad plate and placed it on her lap. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you two knew each other before tonight.”

  Nina went into a coughing fit and reached for a glass of ice water. She took a large sip. “I don’t like to be interrupted when I’m about to hear a good story. That’s all.”

  Nina shot Phillip a look of disdain, daring him to interrupt again. Geraldine looked baffled.

  “We met at a café on Bond Street. Phillip was in the UK giving a series of lectures at Durham University. He practically spilled scalding tea all over my coat. He was so sweet I felt sorry for him. We ended up staying in that café until closing time. We couldn’t stand being apart, so after a year of ridiculous long-distance phone bills and all-too-brief visits, we decided to get married. I moved to the States and the rest is history, as you Americans say.”

  “How charming. It must be difficult being away from your family.”

  “My parents are dead and my sister lives in South Africa.”

  Dinner was served, followed by dessert, during which time Geraldine excused herself to the ladies’ room.

  “What the hell was that?” Nina spat once she and Phillip were alone. “You brought your wife to get me to change my mind?”

  “Are you upset you didn’t have me all to yourself?” he asked mischievously.

  “What? No, that’s ridiculous. You asked—no, begged—me to come to dinner. So far, I don’t hear any apologies. I walked into an ambush.”

  “Pipe down, Nina. I’m sorry I made you feel threatened. It wasn’t my intention. I wasn’t expecting you to be so hostile to the idea of helping me out. I thought a nice dinner with great food and conversation would be a do-over. Geraldine has been a great influence. I’m not the man you remember.”