The Winner

by David Baldacci

  LuAnn let out a deep breath. She had stayed awake all night deciding how best to tell him about the man calling himself Rainbow. She had first wondered whether Jackson needed to know at all. Then she decided that since it was about the money, that he would probably find out at some point. Better it be from her.

  “A man came and talked to me yesterday.”

  “A man, you say. What about?”

  “He wanted money from me.”

  Jackson laughed. “LuAnn, my dear, everybody will want money from you.”

  “No, it’s not like that. He wanted half of my winnings.”

  “Excuse me? That’s absurd.”

  “No it ain’t. He . . . he had some information about me, things that had happened to me, that he said he would tell, if I didn’t pay him.”

  “My goodness, what sorts of things?”

  LuAnn paused and looked out the window. “Can I have something to drink?”

  “Help yourself.” A gloved finger came out of the darkness and pointed to the door built into one side of the limo. LuAnn did not look in his direction as she opened the refrigerator door and pulled out a Coke.

  She took a long drink, wiped her lips, and continued. “Something happened to me right before I called to tell you I was going to take your offer.”

  “Would that possibly be the two dead bodies in your trailer? The drugs there? The fact that the police are looking for you? Or perhaps something else you tried to hide from me?” She didn’t answer at first, nervously cradling the soda in her lap, the astonishment clear on her face.

  “I didn’t have nothing to do with those drugs. And that man was trying to kill me. I was just protecting myself.”

  “I should have realized when you wanted to leave town so quickly, change your name, all that, that there was something up.” He shook his head sadly. “My poor, poor LuAnn. I guess I would’ve left town quickly too, confronted with those circumstances. And who would have thought it of our little Duane. Drugs! How terrible. But I tell you what, out of the goodness of my heart, I won’t hold it against you. What’s past is past. However” — here Jackson’s tone became starkly forceful — “don’t ever try to hide anything from me again, LuAnn. Please don’t do that to yourself.”

  “But this man—”

  Jackson spoke impatiently. “That’s taken care of. You certainly won’t be giving any money to him.”

  She stared into the darkness, amazement again spreading across her face. “But how could you have done that?”

  “People are always saying that about me: How could I have done that?” Jackson looked amused and said in a slightly hushed voice, “I can do anything, LuAnn, don’t you know that by now? Anything. Does that frighten you? If it doesn’t, it should. It even frightens me sometimes.”

  “The man said he was sent to kill me.”

  “Indeed.”

  “But then he got called off.”

  “How terribly peculiar.”

  “Timewise, I figure he got called off right after I called you and said I’d do it.”

  “Life is chock full of coincidence, isn’t it?” Jackson’s tone had become mocking.

  Now LuAnn’s features took on their own glint of ferocity. “I get bit, I bite back, real hard. Just so we understand each other, Mr. Jackson.”

  “I think we understand each other perfectly, LuAnn.” In the darkness, she heard papers rustling. “However, this certainly complicates matters. When you wanted your name changed, I thought we could still do everything aboveboard.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Taxes, LuAnn. We do have the issue of taxes.”

  “But I thought all that money was mine to keep. The government couldn’t touch it. That’s what all the ads say.”

  “That’s not exactly true. In fact the advertising is very misleading. Funny how the government can do that. The principal is not tax-free, it’s tax-deferred. But only for the first year.”

  “What the hell does that mean?”

  “It means that for the first year the winner pays no federal or state taxes, but the amount of that tax is simply deferred until the next year. The underlying tax is still owed, it’s just the timing that’s affected. No penalties or interest will accrue of course, so long as payment is made on a timely basis during the next tax year. The law states that the tax must be paid over ten years in equal installments. On one hundred million dollars, for example, you will owe roughly fifty million dollars in state and federal income tax, or one half the total amount. You’re obviously in the highest tax bracket now. Divided by ten years the tax payment comes to five million dollars per year. In addition to that, generally speaking, any money you earn from the principal amount is taxable without any type of tax-deferred status.

  “And I must tell you, LuAnn. I have plans for that principal, rather grand plans. You will make a great deal more money in the coming years; however, it will almost all be taxable income, dividends, capital gains, interest from taxable bonds, that sort of thing. That ordinarily would not present a problem, since law-abiding citizens who are not on the run from the police under an assumed name can file their tax returns, pay their fair share of tax, and live quite nicely. You can no longer do that. If my people filed your tax return under the name LuAnn Tyler with your current address and other personal information, don’t you think the police might come knocking on your door?”

  “Well, can’t I pay tax under my new name?”

  “Ah, potentially a brilliant solution; however, the IRS tends to get quite curious when the very first tax return filed by someone barely out of her teens has so many zeros on it. They might wonder what you were doing before and why all of a sudden you’re richer than a Rockefeller. Again, the result would probably be the police, or even more likely the FBI, knocking on your door. No, that won’t really do.”

  “So what do we do?”

  When Jackson next spoke, the tone that reached LuAnn’s ears made her tighten her grip on Lisa.

  “You will do exactly as I tell you, LuAnn. You are ticketed on a flight that will take you out of the country. You will never return to the United States. This little mess in Georgia has bestowed upon you a life on the move. Forever, I’m afraid.”

  “But—”

  “There’s no but to it, LuAnn, that is the way it will be. Do you understand?”

  LuAnn sat back against the leather seat and said stubbornly, “I got enough money now to where I can handle myself okay. And I don’t like people telling me what to do.”

  “Is that right?” Jackson’s hand closed around the pistol he had lifted from his briefcase. In the darkness he could have swung it up in an instant: mother and child obliterated. “Well, then why don’t you take your chances on getting out of the country by yourself. Would you like to do that?”

  “I can take care of myself.”

  “That’s not the point. You made a deal with me, LuAnn. A deal I expect you to honor. Unless you’re a fool you will work with me and not against me. You will see that in the long run your and my interests are the same. Otherwise, I can stop the limo right here, toss you and the child out, and I’ll phone the police to come and pick you up. It’s your choice. Decide. Now!”

  Confronted with that option, LuAnn looked desperately around the interior of the limo. Her eyes finally settled on Lisa. Her daughter looked up at her with big, soft eyes; there was complete faith there. LuAnn let out a deep breath. What choice did she really have?

  “All right.”

  Jackson again rustled the papers he held. “Now, we have just enough time to go over these documents. There are a number of them for you to sign, but let me discuss the principal terms first. I will try to be as simple in my explanation as possible.

  “You have just won one hundred million dollars and change. As we speak, that money has been placed into a special escrow account set up by the Lottery Commission under your name. By the way, I have obtained a Social Security number for you, under your new name. It makes life so much easier w
hen you have one of those. Once you execute these papers my people will be able to transfer the funds out of that account and into one over which I will have complete and total control.”

  “But how do I get to the money?” LuAnn protested.

  “Patience, LuAnn, all will be explained. The money will be invested as I see fit and for my own account. However, from those investment funds you will be guaranteed a minimum return of twenty-five percent per annum, which comes to approximately twenty-five million dollars per year. Those funds will be available to you all during the course of the year. I have accountants and financial advisors who will handle all of that for you, don’t worry.” He held up a cautionary finger. “Understand that that is income from principal. The one hundred million is never touched. I will control that principal amount for a period of ten years and invest it however I choose. It will take several months or more to fully implement my plans for the money, so the ten-year period will commence approximately in the late fall of this year. I will provide you with the exact date later. Ten years from that date, you will receive the full one hundred million dollars back. Any of the yearly income you’ve earned over the ten years is of course yours to keep. We will invest that for you as well, free of charge. I’m sure you’re ignorant of this, but at that rate, your money, compounded, less even an exorbitant personal allowance, will double approximately every three years, particularly when you don’t pay any taxes. Under practically any reasonable projection, you will be worth hundreds of millions of dollars at the end of the ten-year period, risk-free.” Jackson’s eyes sparkled as he rattled off the figures. “It’s positively intoxicating, isn’t it, LuAnn? It just beats the hell out of a hundred dollars a day, doesn’t it? You’ve come a long way in less than a week, you truly have.” He laughed heartily. “To start you off, I will advance you the sum of five million dollars, interest-free. That should be sufficient to keep you until the investment earnings come rolling in.”

  LuAnn swallowed hard at the mention of the gigantic sums. “I don’t know nothing about investing, but how can you guarantee me so much money each year?”

  Jackson looked disappointed. “The same way I could guarantee that you would win the lottery. If I can perform that magic, I think I can handle Wall Street.”

  “What if something should happen to me?”

  “The contract you will be signing binds your heirs and assigns.” He nodded at Lisa. “Your daughter. However, that income would go to her and at the end of the ten-year period so would the principal amount. There’s also a power of attorney form. I took the liberty of already having filled in the notary panel. I’m a man of many talents.” He chuckled lightly. From out of the darkness, Jackson extended the packet of documents and a pen to her. “They’re clearly marked where your signature is required. I trust that you are satisfied with the terms. I told you from the start that they would be generous, didn’t I?”

  LuAnn hesitated for an instant.

  “Is there a problem, LuAnn?” Jackson asked sharply.

  She shook her head, quickly signed the documents, and handed them back. Jackson took the documents and slid open a compartment in the console of the limo.

  LuAnn heard Jackson make some tapping sounds and a loud screech ensued and then stopped.

  Jackson said, “Faxes are wonderful things especially when time is of the essence. Within ten minutes the funds will be wired into my account.” He picked the papers up as they slid out of the machine and placed them back into his briefcase.

  “Your bags are in the trunk. I have your plane tickets and hotel reservations with me. I have planned your itinerary out for the first twelve months. It will be a great deal of travel; however, I think the scenery will be pleasant enough. I have honored your request to travel to Sweden, the land of your maternal ancestors. Think of it all as an extremely long vacation. I may have you end up in Monaco. They have no personal income tax. However, out of an abundance of caution I’m putting together and thoroughly documenting an intricate cover story for you. In sum, you left the States as a very young girl. You met and married a wealthy foreign national. The money will all be his, as far as the IRS is concerned. You see? The funds will be kept only in foreign banks and offshore accounts. U.S. banks have stringent reporting requirements to the IRS. None of your money will ever, ever be kept in the United States. However, keep in mind that you will be traveling under a United States passport as a United States citizen. Some accounts of your wealth may well trickle back here. We have to be prepared for that. However, if the money is all your husband’s, who is not an American citizen, who does not reside at any time in this country, who earns no income directly in America, or from investments or business endeavors connected to this country, then, generally speaking, the IRS cannot touch you. I won’t bore you with the complex tax rules having to do with U.S. source income such as interest on bonds issued by U.S. concerns, dividends paid by U.S. corporations, other transactions and sales of property having some tangible connection to the United States that could trip up the unwary. My people will take care of all that. Believe me when I say it won’t be a problem.”

  LuAnn reached out for the tickets.

  “Not quite yet, LuAnn, we have some steps to take. The police,” he said pointedly.

  “I took care of that.”

  “Oh, did you now?” His tone was one of amusement. “Well, I would be very surprised if New York’s Finest weren’t stationing themselves at every airport, bus, and train station right this very minute. Since you’re a felon fleeing across state lines, they’ve probably called the FBI in as well. They’re sharp. It’s not like they’ll be waiting patiently at your hotel for you to show up.” He looked out the window of the limo. “We have some preparations to take care of. It’ll give the police additional time to set up their net; however, it’s a trade-off we have to make.”

  As Jackson was talking, LuAnn felt the limo slow down and then stop. Then she heard a long, slow clanking sound, as though a door were being raised. When it stopped, the limo pulled through and then stopped again.

  The limo phone rang and Jackson quickly answered it. He listened for a few moments and then hung up. “Confirmation that the hundred million dollars has been received; though it’s after regular banking hours, I’d had special arrangements in place. Omniscience is such a rewarding gift.”

  He patted the seat. “Now I need you to sit next to me. First, close your eyes and then give me your hand so I can guide you,” Jackson said, reaching for it out of the darkness.

  “Why do I have to close my eyes?”

  “Indulge me, LuAnn. I can’t resist a little drama in life, particularly since it’s so rare. I can assure you that what I’m about to do will be absolutely essential to your safely evading the police and starting your new life.”

  LuAnn started to question him again but then thought better of it. She took his hand and closed her eyes.

  He settled her down beside him. She could feel a light shine down on her features. She jerked as she felt the scissors cut into her hair. Jackson’s breath was right next to her ear. “I would advise you not to do that again. It’s hard enough to do this in such a small space with limited time and equipment. I wouldn’t want to do you serious damage.” Jackson continued cutting until her hair stopped just above her ears. He periodically stuffed the cut hair into a large trash bag. A wet substance was continually run through the remaining strands and then it quickly hardened almost like concrete. Jackson used a styling brush to manipulate the remaining strands into place.

  Jackson next clamped a portable mirror surrounded by nonheating light bulbs to the edge of the limo’s console. Ordinarily, with the nose job he was going to perform, he would employ two mirrors to test profile constantly; however, he didn’t have that luxury sitting in a limo in a Manhattan underground parking garage. He opened up his kit, a ten-tray case filled with makeup supplies and a myriad of tools with which to apply them and then set to work. She felt his nimble fingers flying over her face. He blocked
out her eyebrows with Kryolan’s eyebrow plastic, covered them with a sealer, dressed the area with a creme stick, and then powdered it. Then he created totally new ones using a small brush. He thoroughly cleansed the lower part of her face with rubbing alcohol. He applied spirit gum to her nose, and let it dry. While it did so, he applied K-Y lubricating jelly to his fingers so the putty he was going to use wouldn’t stick to them. He let the putty heat up in his hand, and then commenced applying the malleable substance to her nose, methodically kneading and pressing until a satisfactory shape was created.“Your nose is long and straight, LuAnn, classic, really. However, a little putty, a little shadowing and highlighting and, voilà, we have a thick, crooked piece of cartilage that isn’t nearly as becoming. However, it’s only temporary. Everyone, after all, is only temporary.” He chuckled lightly at this philosophical statement as he went through the process of stippling the putty with a black stipple sponge, powdering the surface, stippling in a foundation color, and adding rouge to the nares to give a natural appearance. Using subtle shadowing and highlights, he made LuAnn’s eyes seem closer together, and made her chin and jawline seem less prominent with the aid of powders and creams. Rouge was placed skillfully on the cheekbones to lessen their impact on her overall appearance.

  She felt him gently examining the wound on her jaw. “Nasty cut. Souvenir from your trailer experience?” When LuAnn didn’t answer, he said, “You know this will require some stitching. Even with that, it’s deep enough that it probably will scar. Don’t worry, after I’m done, it will be invisible. But eventually, you may want to consider plastic surgery.” He chuckled again and added, “In my professional opinion.”

  Next, Jackson carefully painted her lips. “A little thinner, I’m afraid, than the classical model, LuAnn. You may want to consider collagen at some point.”

  It was all LuAnn could do not to jump up and run screaming from him. She had no idea what she was going to look like; it was as though he were some mad scientist bringing her back from the dead.

  “I’m stippling in freckles now, along the forehead, around the nose and cheeks. If I had time, I’d do your hands as well, but I don’t. No one would notice anyway, most people are so unobservant.” He spread open the collar of her shirt and applied foundation and stippling around her neck. Then he buttoned her shirt up, repacked his equipment, and guided her back to her seat.

  “There’s a small mirror in the compartment next to you,” Jackson informed her.