Nikki ran out to the hall with her Maglite.
Myra clicked on her phone, listened, and powered down. “Avery said ten more minutes, nine if they make the next traffic light.”
A commotion ensued as the boys, in a change of plans, dumped Jason Parker on Mr. OO’s bed, then duct-taped him to the bedpost. Jack’s arms were full of files and laptops, as were everyone else’s. He dumped everything unceremoniously on the floor.
Nikki handed Jack a flashlight. “You guys stay in here until we call you, okay? How long is he going to be out for?”
“How long do you want him out?” Harry asked.
“At least twenty minutes,” Nikki responded.
“Your wish is my command,” Harry said, walking over to the sleeping man. He bent down, touched his neck, and smiled at the little group. “Done.”
“Jack, the minute Orzell reaches the top of the steps and opens the door to the apartment, you and Bert hit the hallway in case he backs out and tries to run,” Nikki said.
“Gotcha.”
Kathryn shouted from down the hall. “He’s here. At least I think it’s him. He must have made the traffic light. Yep, it’s him. Avery is right in front of him and parking farther down the street. Okay, he’s out of the car and walking toward the steps. Everyone in position now.”
No one breathed as they waited for the door to open. The minute it opened and Mr. OO stepped into the room, Annie turned on the overhead light. “Surprise! Surprise!” they all shouted.
Owen Orzell froze in place, a look of pure horror on his face. “Who are you? How did you get in here?”
“You have to guess who we are. And we came down the chimney like good old St. Nick,” Myra said.
“Oh, sweet Jesus, you’re the vigilantes. I recognize you. I don’t have a chimney or a fireplace.”
“There you go!” Kathryn said, giving him a push that sent him flying across the room.
Alexis picked him up and set him on one of the dining-room chairs they’d brought into the living room. “Sit!” she said.
Orzell sat, his face mottled with fear.
Annie moved across the room to stand in front of their captive. “Now, listen to me very carefully, Mr. Orzell, because I will repeat nothing. We’re going to ask you some questions, and if you answer them quickly and truthfully, we will not peel the skin off your face and pour vinegar on said face. We might or might not push your ugly face into a salt box. After we give you your facial peel.”
“Please don’t hurt me. I’ll tell you anything you want to know. I knew this day was coming. Span said it would never happen, but I knew he was lying.”
The Sisters stared at the man in disbelief. “I can tell, this is not going to be any fun,” Kathryn muttered.
“Talk!” Myra said.
“Promise you won’t hurt me. I can’t stand pain. Blood, either. I get sick. You were joking about . . . about peeling the skin off my face, weren’t you?”
“No promises. We do not give a good rat’s ass if you can’t stand pain or blood or if you get sick. We were more than serious about your facial skin,” Alexis said, pulling out a KA-BAR knife and a bottle of white vinegar from her red bag.
Annie looked over at Myra and hissed, “So much for going out in a blaze of glory. This looks to me like a shoo-in. I was hoping for some fireworks.”
“I know, dear, but we have to play the cards we’re dealt. The evening isn’t over yet.”
“We’re waiting,” Nikki said. “How about this for a jumping-off spot? Tell us how a dead man can be living upstairs on the third floor?”
“You know about Joel?” Orzell said.
“And the staircase leading to the third floor. We also know about Jason Parker. Actually, Mr. Parker is snoozing on your bed as we speak,” Nikki said.
Something sparked defiantly in Orzell’s eyes. “Well, if you know all that, then why are you asking me?”
“Confirmation. Do not make the mistake of lying to us, and while you’re at it, wipe that smirk off your face,” Alexis snarled as she advanced with the fighting knife.
Annie perked up. Maybe that blaze of glory was going to happen, after all. She deflated like a pricked balloon when Orzell said, “Oh, God, please don’t hurt me.”
“Talk fast,” Kathryn said as she bent over until she was a mere inch from Orzell’s face.
“It was Span. He had a gambling problem. He was really good at ferreting out other people’s weaknesses and making those weaknesses work for him. I like to gamble, too. He saw me in Las Vegas once, and that’s how it all started. He lost over two hundred thousand dollars that night. Even if I was stupid, which I’m not, that put up a red flag to me. A director of the CIA does not make the kind of money where he can lose that much money in one night and not break a sweat.
“Eight years ago, about a year after Joel died, Span came to me, since I am the guardian of the CIA fund, and gave me a pitch about God and country and how this guy Jellicoe was going to single-handedly make the world a better place. It was a crock, but I went along with it. I was pretty down at the time because of my best friend’s death, but I know that’s no excuse. Jellicoe charged outrageous sums of money for his government contracts, which were numerous, but there were caps on those contracts. Span made up the difference from the fund I control.”
“Where does Jason Parker come into all of this?” Nikki asked.
“The monies in the fund just sit there. They are never invested. It’s like a never-ending source of money flowing in from drug deals abroad, auctions. It just never stopped. Span suggested we take some of it and invest it, and the two of us would keep the earnings. He found Parker. We had a meeting, and I pretended to be Joel Jessup because, for obvious reasons, I couldn’t use my real name. I was the client. My fund’s money is what put Parker in business, but it was all a scam. He was just like that guy Bernie Madoff. But I have to say, he paid me off. The last two months the earnings went down, but not enough to alarm either Span or me. The economy,” he said, as if that explained everything.
“How much money did you two skim off?” Annie asked, a dangerous glint in her eye.
Orzell licked at his lips. “A lot.”
Alexis advanced with the KA-BAR in one hand and the vinegar bottle in the other.
“Upward of a hundred million.”
“Dollars?” Myra squawked.
“Where is it?” Nikki demanded.
“Mine is offshore, what I didn’t gamble away. I honest to God don’t know where Span’s is. He went nuts when Jellicoe was arrested, and he got fired. In case you don’t know this, Span was found dead this morning. I heard the news at the Pentagon. He was shoveling snow and keeled over. He knew better than to shovel snow after his open-heart surgery a few years ago, but he went ahead and did it, anyway. I think he had a death wish. That means he’s off the hook, and I take the fall for all of it, right?”
Annie blinked. The blaze of glory looked like nothing but smoke just then. “Right,” she said through clenched teeth.
“How much did you filter?” Myra asked.
“Millions and millions,” was the response. “It’s all in the computer.”
“Give me your password,” Nikki demanded. “If you don’t, I have a program that will crack it. But if we do that, you’ll be in pain a lot longer.”
Alexis waved the wicked-looking knife in front of Orzell’s face.
“That won’t be necessary. My password is Yenom. It’s money spelled backward.”
“How much of the fund’s money is still in Jason Parker’s hands?” Myra asked.
“Tens of millions.”
“We want it. We want yours, too.” Kathryn whistled sharply, and Bert poked his head in the door. “Showtime. Wake him up and bring him and his personal laptop in here!”
“Okay, honey.”
Kathryn blushed, and then she shrugged.
“Who else knows about all this?” Yoko asked.
“How should I know?” When the knife was a millimeter aw
ay from his hairline, Orzell said, “The president. At least I think she knows. She wanted to make a substantial transfer, but I stalled her. She wasn’t even supposed to know about this special fund so she could plead plausible deniability. When I told Span, he said she was chasing ghosts and trying to scare me, and I should just hold tight.”
“We need to huddle,” Nikki whispered to the others.
Kathryn looked down at Orzell. “You so much as twitch, and we’ll peel the skin off your ass and . . . assorted other places.”
“Please don’t hurt me. I won’t move. I swear I won’t twitch or blink.”
Kathryn laughed, a truly evil sound.
“I think he’s telling the truth,” Myra whispered. “We’ll know for sure when Nikki logs on to his and Parker’s computers.”
Bert and Harry took that moment to lead a groggy Jason Parker into the room. Jack dragged another chair from the dining room and set it next to where Owen Orzell was sitting.
Parker was a little braver than Orzell. “I know who you are, and you’re breaking the law because you were pardoned, and here you all are, up to the same old tricks. You kidnapped me. That’s against the law. I demand that you release me right now.”
“Shut up!” Alexis said.
“Don’t tell me to shut up. I’m on a first-name basis with the president of the United States.”
“A pity she doesn’t know that. Now, sit down and listen to what I am going to tell you. Either you give us the information we want, or we will simply peel the skin off your face and then pour vinegar all over it, after which we will roll that same face in a bucket of salt,” Alexis said.
Parker’s eyes rolled back in his head. Jack jerked him upright.
“Tell them what they want to know, Parker. They’re going to find out, anyway,” Orzell said.
“What did you tell them, you weasel?”
“Don’t call me a weasel, you slimeball. I told them everything. Don’t try playing innocent, because I know Span told you everything. These women are the vigilantes, and they don’t take prisoners. Everyone in the damn world knows that.”
Nikki had the two laptops open and was typing furiously. She looked up a moment later and confirmed, “He was telling the truth about his password.”
“Must be your lucky day, you piece of crap,” Alexis said, lowering the KA-BAR to her side. “Okay, Mr. Parker, you’re up. Give us your password, and I won’t peel the skin off your face. They say vinegar burns like hell.”
“No way am I giving you my password! If you’re so damn smart, figure it out.”
“Now you see, there’s a problem there. We really don’t have time for fun and games. Either you give it up now, or you both get a facial peel. Your choice,” Isabelle said.
Alexis looked over at Orzell. “This might be a good time for you to tell your buddy here that the game is over, and if he doesn’t cough up the password, you both get the peel, and he goes first.”
“Parker, give it up, for God’s sake. There’s no way either one of us can win this. Besides, you’re a damn crook, bilking people out of money just like that scum Madoff.”
“And aren’t you the lily-white little weasel.”
“No, I’m not a lily-white weasel. I’m guilty just the way you’re guilty. At least I had the good sense to own up to it. Look at them, for Christ’s sake. They have blood in their eyes. They won’t blink if they start skinning you. The president pardoned them, and here they are, doing what they did before the pardon, so that means the president knows about it. She’s looking the other way, you stupid clod.”
For the first time, Parker looked unsure of himself. “Okay, let’s cut a deal here. I tell you the password, and you let me walk out of here.”
The women doubled over laughing. “Sweetie, you aren’t going anywhere except where we send you. We closed up your office. You are officially out of business and have left the country. We’re going to give your clients back all their money, plus a little extra for being stupid enough to get involved with you,” Annie said.
Alexis walked behind Parker’s chair, grabbed a handful of hair, and yanked his head back. “On the count of three, I’m going to slice off the top of your scalp, roots, skin, and all, if you don’t give up the password. One! Two!”
“Okay, okay! It’s Rich.”
Nikki looked up. “That’s stupid. I would have guessed that right away. What’s the password for your client list?”
Alexis gave Parker’s head another jerk backward, the tip of the KA-BAR digging into his skull. “Fools. As in plural.”
“Look who’s the fool now,” Nikki said as she typed in the passwords. “Well, lookie here! This sure is a lot of money just sitting there. Let’s see, how should I divert it? I think I’m going to need more time to decide what I want to do with it. You, too, Orzell. Now tell me where that really big fund is, Mr. Orzell, and the name of it and how you work it.”
“It’s all in a file named Rose of Sharon. It was my mother’s favorite flower. Everything is in the file, the brokerage houses, the account numbers, the offshore money, all of it. You aren’t going to take my personal money, are you? My parents and my friend Joel left me an inheritance. You can’t take that!”
“Oh, you silly, silly man, of course we’re going to take it. Where you’re going, you aren’t going to need money. I’m going to print out some quitclaim deeds you’re going to sign so your properties become ours. We are going to have such a good time spending your money. Yours, too, Parker,” Nikki said.
Nikki turned to Jack and said, “Go into his office and hook up his printer. I’m going to download the deeds. Alexis is a notary, and I’m sure she has her seal in her red bag.”
“You’re thieves!” Parker spat.
“Yes, we are,” Nikki said agreeably. “Rich thieves,” she clarified.
Jason Parker sprang off his chair and lunged at Nikki. Harry moved quicker than lightning, and the next thing they knew, Jason Parker was out cold across the room.
Owen Orzell started to cry.
“Will you just shut up already? It is so unmanly to snivel like that,” Kathryn barked.
“Did you really think you were going to get away with this?” Myra asked in a tone that she would use to discuss the weather with a friend.
“At first I did. Then, when Span started gambling more and more and demanded more money, I knew it was just a matter of time. Will it do any good to say I’m sorry? It’s all drug money, anyway, from around the world that found its way into the CIA coffers.”
“Where did you lose all that money, Mr. Orzell?” Annie asked.
“Vegas. I’m a gambling addict, but not as bad as Span was. I knew when to hold and when to fold. He didn’t.”
“Which casino did you lose all that money in?” Annie asked.
“That big one, Babylon.”
“Really!” Annie trilled. “Span, too?”
“That was his favorite casino. And now he’s dead.”
“That is just too interesting. I don’t suppose you have his bank account numbers, or do you?” Annie asked, a decided gleam in her eye.
“Stop thinking I’m some dumb schmuck. Of course I have his account numbers. How else do you think he got the money? Do you think I met him in some dark alley and handed over a check? I don’t think so! I wired the money to his banks. It’s in the file under his name. If you plan on taking it, you’d better do it quick, before a couple of his ex-wives go after it.”
“Why, Mr. Orzell, thank you for that valuable information,” Nikki said. The Sisters watched as she tapped at the keys. A blizzard of numbers rushed across the screen. “It’s all ours now!”
“I cooperated. Please let me go. I’ll quit gambling. I’ll get a job working at some fast-food joint. I’ll stay on the straight and narrow. I swear, I promise never to gamble again. I helped you. Please!” Orzell wailed.
“You need to shut up, or I’m going to knock your teeth out and stuff them down your throat. You are a gutless wonder, and we are
not going to let you go. That’s the bottom line,” Yoko said sweetly.
Orzell howled his misery just as Jack returned with the quitclaim deeds. “Sign on the dotted line.” Orzell signed, his hand shaking so badly Kathryn had to threaten him again.
“You’re up, Parker! Sign here!” Kathryn said as Ted and Espinosa dragged a sputtering, kicking, panic-stricken man over to the pool of light in the living room. “Sign your name and be quick about it.”
With no other recourse available to him, Jason Parker signed his name on every piece of paper Jack handed him. Alexis squatted down and dug her notary seal out of her red bag but not before she handed the KA-BAR to Kathryn, who waved it about like a sword.
“Well, I think our work here is done,” Annie said.
“And we didn’t spill a drop of blood. We didn’t do anything violent. We acted like the civilized women we are,” Myra said. “I’m very proud of all of us tonight.”
“I really hate to bring this up, Myra, but I wanted us to go out in a blaze of glory. I really did. We didn’t even make a puff of smoke.”
Myra patted Annie’s hand. “I know, dear. Sometimes things just don’t work out the way we plan for them to. But we accomplished what we set out to do. Nikki and the girls will make all that money go where it belongs. The president will be happy that we kept our bargain.”
“I wanted that blaze of glory, Myra,” Annie said stubbornly.
“Yes, well, I want my pearls back, too, but that isn’t going to happen, since the dogs ate them. Be happy we’re all walking away in one piece, that justice is done, and we have our lives back. I have to call Mr. Snowden now to have him pick up these two men. I don’t think we should ask what’s going to happen to them. I, for one, really do not want to know.”
The Sisters agreed with that sentiment entirely.
When the downstairs door closed behind Avery Snowden and his men, the Sisters looked at one another. No one said a word as they gathered up their belongings while the boys carted all the computers out to the cars.
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