I could tell by the hesitation in Quincy’s voice he didn’t like being out of the loop.
“He’s at home in New Orleans right now, but he’ll be back in the morning, so they said you can come at one tomorrow afternoon.”
“Great.”
“Fine,” Quincy huffed, “but I really want to know what’s going on.”
“We’ll tell you as soon as we can.”
Quincy was obviously agitated, but he said, “Okay. But until then, you guys be careful, all right?”
“We’ll be careful. Talk to you later.”
Jay hung up the phone and I released a sigh of relief. Was this ordeal almost over? The fact that the senator had agreed to see us meant we were on the right track. That thug Max had said that if we got the jump drive, all our problems would go away. I sure hoped so. I didn’t see the senator admitting to any wrongdoing, but he was at least going to hear us out. Now we just had to find a way to convince him that it would be in his best interest to make sure we stayed alive.
twenty-five
Everything about Bradley Bell screamed power. From his navy Armani suit to his custom-designed shoes, Bradley Bell looked like a man who could make things happen. In fact, he’d been doing just that, representing his home district for almost twenty years. For a brief moment, I understood Vonda’s attraction. If I hadn’t been caught up in the middle of a life-or-death situation I might have given him a second glance.
But I was right in the middle of a life-or-death situation, and Bradley Bell might very well hold the key to setting me free from the nightmare that had become my life.
“How may I help you?” Bradley said, a wide campaign smile across his face.
Jay eyed the tall, muscular man standing next to the senator like a pit bull guarding its master. “We need to speak to you privately,” he said, turning back to the senator as he discreetly brought out the manila folder containing the files we’d printed out the previous night.
Bradley waved in the man’s direction. “Oh, Sammy is my right hand. You never know when you might need protection from people who want to do you harm. He stays.”
The finality in his voice let everyone know the topic wasn’t open for discussion. The campaign smile was also gone, and Mr. Bradley Bell was all business as he took a seat behind his desk. He nodded toward Sammy, who stepped toward us and said, “May I temporarily hold your cell phones? The senator likes to make sure all his conversations are confidential.”
While Jay handed his phone over without flinching, I hesitated, not liking being ordered around when we were supposed to be the ones holding the cards. We needed to let Bradley Bell know we were the ones in charge. But the look on Jay’s face let me know that was a fight we didn’t want right now, so I handed Sammy the phone.
Bradley intertwined his fingers and drummed them on his desk. “So my assistant tells me you have some information that you think may be of concern to me.”
“Oh, we don’t think, we know,” I said.
Jay shot me a Let me handle this look and I shrank back. The last thing I wanted was my hotheadedness messing anything up.
“You know Vonda Howard,” Jay said, posing it more as a fact than as a question.
The senator’s eyes went to the top of his head as if he were thinking. “I can’t say that I recall that name,” he finally said. “As you can imagine, I meet a lot of people.”
I didn’t know what kind of game he was playing. If he didn’t know Vonda, we wouldn’t be here. Maybe he was trying to gauge how much we knew before he admitted to anything.
Jay dropped the manila folder down on the large mahogany desk. “Senator, I assume you are a very busy man, so let’s not play games. Neither of us has the time.”
That seemed to make the senator sit up and take notice.
“Okay, so if I do happen to know this Vonda, what does that have to do with anything?” Senator Bell asked.
“I think you know exactly what it has to do with it. Now, for the record, we had nothing to do with any illicit activities, blackmail, anything that Vonda may have been involved in. But since someone has involved us in it, we’ve discovered some things that might be unsettling,” Jay said.
“What type of things?” The senator’s aura of confidence was gone and trepidation covered his face.
Jay slid the folder across the desk. “Things that could topple some very powerful people.”
Senator Bell eyed the folder hesitantly, then picked it up and opened it. We’d made a few copies of the land acquisition spread. The senator’s reaction didn’t change as he browsed the pages. Finally, he closed the folder and set it down on the desk. “And what would it take for those things to, uh, to disappear? How much money do you want?”
“We don’t want any money. We don’t want anything from you but for you to call off the goons,” Jay said matter-of-factly. “Oh, and clear our names, since we all know we didn’t have anything to do with Vonda’s death.”
“And leave us alone,” I added. “Let us go back to our normal lives. We weren’t involved in this and we don’t want to be involved in this.”
The senator rubbed his chin. “I don’t know what you think I have the power to do,” he began, “or why you would even think I’d be involved in any illicit behavior, but let’s say hypothetically, I were able to get these purported goons called off. How would a person be sure that you would keep up your end of the bargain?”
“My wife and I are very public people,” Jay replied. “Even if we were to never go on radio again, people know us and we’d be hard-pressed to go into hiding. Neither of us has any desire to live our lives in fear that someone is out to get us.”
I added, “We just want to be left alone. We don’t care what you and Vonda—”
Bradley narrowed his eyes at me.
“Or Vonda and whomever she was involved with,” I corrected. “We don’t care what they were into. We just don’t want any part of it. I don’t know how you can do it, but I’m confident that you can assist us in letting the authorities know we had nothing to do with any of this.”
He laughed as he turned to Sammy. “They give me too much credit.”
Sammy chuckled on cue, then immediately turned serious again.
“I’m sure you know some people who know some people who can make all of this go away,” Jay said. I was actually impressed with my husband’s take-charge demeanor. Senator Bell was an imposing man, and he was known to strike fear in the hearts of most who came in contact with him. But Jay was holding his own.
The senator grinned, once again going into campaign mode. “Again, I don’t know what you think I can do, but I’d be willing to make some calls.” He lost his smile. “However, I’m sure you watch enough television to understand why I can’t simply take your word that that’s all you want. How can I be assured there aren’t any copies of this document you claim to have?”
Jay leaned forward, his knuckles resting on the senator’s desk. “And I’m sure you watch enough television to know that we won’t take your word either. There are only two copies. The master copy, which we will gladly give to you to make this nightmare go away, and an ‘insurance copy,’ tucked safely away, only to be released in the event that either my wife or I meet an untimely demise.”
The senator nodded like he’d expected that.
“Look, Senator Bell,” Jay continued, standing up in an effort to ease the tension, “I didn’t even know I had the drive and neither my wife nor I even know what all this stuff on the drive means. We just know it was enough to get Vonda killed. Now, we’re not saying you’re behind that killing—we just don’t want to be involved. As you know, we have very successful careers and don’t want to get caught up in any scandal. We don’t play these dangerous games. I messed up by bringing Vonda into our lives, but we just want to be left alone.”
Senator Bell looked like he was deep in thought as he leaned back in his chair. Finally, he said, “Well, I’ll say it again: I’m not quite sure I can help you
, but I’ll definitely see what else I can do.”
He nodded toward Sammy, who stepped toward us and gave us our phones back. “The senator will be in touch if he can assist you in your dilemma,” Sammy said as he gestured toward the door. “I’ll see you two out.”
We stood. Jay grabbed the folder and the senator reached for it. “No, sir. This isn’t yours until you get back to me.” They both held on to the folder, the senator glaring at Jay. “My wife is standing by the door and she will scream.”
The senator gave a sly smile as he released the folder. “We’ll be in touch.”
“I hope so,” Jay said.
The two of us slowly walked toward the door. I was literally shaking as thoughts of being shot in the back of the head as I walked away filled my mind. I shook the image away. We were in the middle of a congressional office. How much could really happen here?
“So how soon before someone gets in touch with us and lets us know if, um, the senator can help?” Jay asked once we reached the door.
“Go to the Four Seasons downtown. There will be a reservation for you under the name Samuel Hidenberg. Get a room and wait for our call.” Sammy didn’t say another word as he closed the senator’s door.
“Hidenberg?” Jay asked, his shoulders finally sinking in relief.
“Yes, Mr. Hidenberg,” I said. “It’s the Four Seasons—who cares what name they call you? As long as it has a bed, I’m good.”
twenty-six
I’d never thought I’d see the day when I was in a plush hotel room with my husband with a picturesque view overlooking downtown D.C.—and he would be sleeping on the sofa.
When we’d checked into the Four Seasons, I had almost asked for separate rooms. But fear of Bradley Bell and his henchmen coming to murder me in my sleep had kept me from saying anything that might attract more attention to us. Jay did have the wherewithal to ask them to move us to a different room than the one we’d been assigned just in case they were up to some funny stuff. Though since we didn’t have to show any ID as Mr. and Mrs. Hidenberg, I was sure Senator Bell could get to us no matter what room we were in.
I had offered Jay the bed, but he’d opted for the sofa, saying he wanted me to get some rest.
We both were obviously worn out after all we’d been through, so it hadn’t been hard for either of us to quickly fall asleep.
Now, as I watched Jay as he slept, a sadness crept over me and I wished that I could turn back the hands of time. Maybe I should’ve been more patient. Maybe I shouldn’t have been so bitter. How did I expect to change the rules of the game, then simply expect my husband to play along? Yes, if I could turn back time, I’d do a lot of things differently.
Jay finally stirred; then his eyes fluttered open.
“Hey,” he said, when he noticed me staring.
I grabbed the hotel menu to try to look busy. The last thing I wanted was Jay knowing I’d been sitting up pining over him.
“Hey,” I replied. “How did you rest?”
“Like a newborn.” He stretched and sat up. “I guess I really needed that sleep.”
I held up the menu. “Do you want me to order some breakfast?”
“We’ve barely eaten anything since that soup the other night, so yes, I’m starving,” he said, rising and heading toward the restroom. “Order the lox, two waffles, and double bacon and sausage for me, please,” he said before closing the bathroom door.
I flipped open the hotel menu and scanned the breakfast choices. By the time I called room service and placed an order, Jay was walking back into the bedroom.
“I’ve been thinking about all of this stuff with the senator,” I told him after I hung up the phone. “I want us to be cleared, but at the same time, I don’t want him to get away with what he’s planning to do in New Orleans.”
“I don’t either, but we can’t get caught up, Shannon,” Jay warned. “We already know these people don’t play, and if we try to double-cross him, I think Senator Bell wouldn’t hesitate to have us killed in the blink of an eye.”
“Oh, I’m not even thinking about double-crossing the man. But maybe Nicole could do something. You know she sometimes produces special projects for MSNBC. I’m sure they’d be interested in this.”
“I think we already got her curious when we called asking questions. You know she’s not going to be able to just let it die. She’s probably already digging for information.” Jay sat back down on the sofa and immediately began folding up the blanket he’d used the previous night.
“Yeah, but you know there’s only so much she can find. And I understand not messing around with the senator, but maybe if Nicole makes some calls to the White House press office, or the Army Corps of Engineers, it will put the whole levee system under scrutiny. So maybe just her digging around will be enough to scare the senator off.”
Jay shrugged, still not convinced. “I guess. I don’t want to get involved, but you’re right—if something happened to those people in the Ninth Ward, I’d never forgive myself.”
“Okay, I’m going to send Nicole a text and tell her not to do anything until we talk to her,” I said, picking up my phone. “This has to be handled delicately.”
After I finished texting Nicole, I leaned back against the headboard. An awkward silence filled the room as Jay sat on the sofa and I moved to sit on the edge of the bed.
“So what do we do now?” I finally asked.
“I guess we wait until someone from the senator’s office gets in touch with us.” He picked up the remote to turn on the television. He began flipping through channels, stopping on ESPN and becoming immediately engrossed. I watched him watch TV for a minute until a knock at the hotel door startled us both. We exchanged worried glances as Jay slowly rose and tiptoed toward the door.
“Who is it?” he called out.
“Room service, with your breakfast.”
Jay looked through the peephole; then his body relaxed. “Thanks, I’m famished,” he said, opening the door.
“You’re welcome. I think you’ll enjoy our chef’s specialties this morning,” the waiter said as he wheeled the tray inside. He removed lids, poured coffee, then had Jay sign the receipt.
“Thank you,” the waiter said, dropping the receipt on the tray. His smile faded. “Now, I believe you have something else I need to get from you. Do you have the jump drive and the folder of the stuff you printed out?”
As soon as he said that, I froze. Jay instinctively stepped over and in front of me to protect me. How had we not seen this predictable, waiter-who-was-really-a-killer move?
“If anything happens to us…” I began.
The man waved his hand, stopping me. “Nothing’s going to happen to you. I guess,” he added with a slight chuckle as he eased open his white jacket to reveal the chrome pistol in his waistband.
“We’re not going to just give you the jump drive,” Jay said. “Not until our names are cleared. If you shoot us, everything on that drive will be on the morning news.”
Jay was bluffing but I immediately thought that was an insurance plan that we needed to enact as soon as possible.
The man started toward us and I jumped as Jay balled up his fists and prepared to fight.
“Calm down,” the man said, leaning over on the table and picking up the remote. He changed the channel to the local news station, then glanced at his watch.
“What are you doing?” Jay asked.
“Tried to time this perfectly,” the man muttered, more to himself. He looked irritated but nodded as a breaking-news banner came on the TV screen.
“This just in,” the morning anchor said hurriedly. “The manhunt for celebrity relationship couple Jay and Shannon Lovejoy is officially off.” A photo of the two of us at a UNCF gala last year flashed on the screen. “Police in the Virgin Islands were preparing to issue a warrant for the couple’s arrest in connection with the murder of D.C. resident Vonda Howard. This morning, we’ve learned that Howard’s death has been ruled a suicide and all cha
rges against the Lovejoys have been dropped. The couple has been missing since Howard’s body was discovered at their sold-out relationship retreat a few days ago—”
The man flicked the TV off before the report concluded. Jay and I stood staring at the screen in disbelief.
“We’re cleared?” I asked, stunned. Just like that, we’d been exonerated?
“Yes.” The man held out his hand. “We’ve kept our end of the bargain—now I need that jump drive.”
“You got it,” Jay said, walking over to his jacket and retrieving the jump drive from the inner pocket. He took the drive and handed it to the man, then opened a drawer, pulled out the manila folder, and handed that to him as well.
“I don’t need to check this to make sure it’s legit, do I?” the man asked, waving the jump drive.
“No, trust me, we want this nightmare to be over,” Jay replied.
“So these are the only copies?”
“These and the one that’s locked away in case something happens to us,” Jay said matter-of-factly. The insurance copy was actually floating in the cloud. I’d taken photos and uploaded them because we hadn’t had time to print out a second set and copy the files to another drive.
“As long as we’re clear, nothing will happen to anyone.” The man dropped the jump drive in his pocket, tucked the folder in the back of his pants, under his white jacket, then turned and left the room.
We didn’t move for minutes after he left.
Finally, I spoke. “Is it really over?” I whispered.
Jay turned and stared at me. “It looks that way.”
“Thank you, Jesus.” I sank into my husband’s arms and cried tears of relief.
twenty-seven
Home had never felt so good. I walked across the living room, running my hand over the sofa, gently touching the lamp, relishing the sanctity and safety of my abode.
“Everything looks intact,” Jay said, coming in from the kitchen. He’d wanted me to wait in the car while he checked out the house just to make sure everything was fine. But I’d been so anxious to get inside that I’d followed him anyway.
A Little Bit of Karma Page 16