Then they were back inside and headed toward the gate, where Nikki said a private charter waited for them. "It's burning fuel as we speak. Myra said not to worry-the only thing that was important was getting aboard and heading back across the pond. We'll be back in the States in six hours, and an hour from that time, we'll be at the farm, where the others are waiting for us. Annie said we are going to partieeeee big-time. By the way, Isabelle is winging her way north from Miami. She skedaddled, too. Must be something in the air." Nikki giggled nervously.

"Nikki, what the h.e.l.l is going on?"

"I don't know. I don't think Jack knows, either. What about Bert?"

"Bert is like a clam. All those years at the FBI. Everything with him is NTK. I guess he thought I didn't need to know when I did need to know. I didn't marry him, Nikki. I kept remembering that promise I made to Alan. I just couldn't do it. I'm not sorry, either. How do you like being Mrs. Jack Emery?"

"It had its moments. There they are. Let's save anything else we want to share until we get home. I wish we'd never gotten those d.a.m.n pardons," Nikki blurted.

"Yeah. I've had nightmares over that, too."

The two women came to a stop in front of Jack and Bert. Both of their expressions were full of anger and hostility. Murphy, picking up on their mood, growled.

"Why are you looking at us like we're the enemy?" Jack said.

"Because you are!" Kathryn said.

"We can discuss all of this later. We have a plane waiting for us. I know the way, so let's just get out of here." There was no lilt in Nikki's voice, but there was grim determination as she whirled around to head toward the plane waiting on the tarmac.

Nikki and Kathryn, Murphy between them, set off, Jack and Bert directly behind them as they literally sprinted down the concourse to an EXIT sign that led them out a jetway and down a set of movable stairs to where a Gulfstream waited. They bounded up a second set of movable stairs, Murphy in the lead. He sniffed the captain, the cocaptain, and the two hostesses who were waiting to welcome them. Then he turned, the hair on the back of his neck standing on end. He let loose with a mind-bending howl that brought the foursome on the stairway to a stop.

"Something's not right." Kathryn leaned in closer to Nikki so she could hear better over the roar of the jet's whining engine. "I knew it was too good to be true. Thank G.o.d for Murphy."

Still growling, the fur on the back of his neck staying on end, Murphy tried to force his mistress back down the stairs. It wasn't a hard sell on the dog's part or Kathryn's.

"Change of plans, boys," Kathryn said as she took the steps downward, two at a time, Nikki behind her. They raced to the door they'd just exited.

Jack and Bert looked up at the confused expressions on the pilot's and hostesses' faces. "The lady called it, change of plans." Without another word, they, too, galloped down the stairway and raced to the door Nikki and Kathryn had just entered.

Inside, breathless, Jack demanded to know what was going on. "What? Ten minutes ago we were the enemy, you couldn't wait to get on that plane, then when you're almost there, you chicken out. What the h.e.l.l is it with you two?"

Not to be left out, Bert weighed in. "Yeah, what the h.e.l.l is it with you two?"

Kathryn turned, snarling as only Kathryn could snarl, and said, "I'll tell you what, Mr. ExFBI Director, Mr. ExGlobal Securities Slave, you and your buddy Jack get on that d.a.m.n plane. Nikki, Murphy, and I will find our own way home, thank you very much."

"That means put up or shut up. I G.o.dd.a.m.n well dare the two of you to get on that plane!" Nikki shouted as she headed down the concourse. Where she was going, she had no idea. Kathryn and Murphy hugged her sides.

Jack looked at Bert, and Bert looked at Jack. Both of them said, "What the h.e.l.l!" in unison.

"We going or staying?" Bert demanded. "I can't believe we're staying behind because that d.a.m.n dog pitched a fit."

Jack bristled. "That d.a.m.n dog, as you put it, has saved our a.s.ses on more than one occasion, and I'd put my money on him any day of the week. Something isn't right on that plane. For a charter flight no one but us and the flight crew should be aboard, and the crew were right there to be seen at the top of the stairway. With the way the light was shining on the window, I saw four more forms in the back of the plane. I saw them, but Murphy smelled them. Now are you getting it? It means, in case you're interested, those two women are smarter than we are on our best day, and this sure as h.e.l.l isn't our best day. I wish Harry were here."

"What? I'm chopped liver? Why the h.e.l.l didn't you say something, Jack?"

"As you constantly remind me, you're the brains of this outfit. Jellicoe went to you first. How come I'm the one that spotted the figures in the back and not you?"

"Well, you were still going to get on, Mr. Know-It-All. And you're taller than I am and blocked my view," Bert said defensively.

"Bulls.h.i.t!" Jack said as he picked up his feet and sprinted after the two women. He almost laughed when Murphy turned around, saw him, and barked, a joyous sound to Jack's ears. He felt stupid when he offered the dog a thumbs-up, but he didn't care. Murphy barked again when Bert came abreast of him.

Murphy's world was right side up, at least for the moment.

Outside in the dismal gray weather, the foursome gathered under an overhang. "We can talk about this later. Right now we have to make a plan. In order to do that, we need a new phone so we can call home. I feel like E.T. right now. I don't trust any of the phones we have," Nikki said. "I think we need to find someone who is willing to part with their phone or at least let us use theirs to make some calls. How much cash do we have among us?"

"Two thousand," Jack said as he tallied up the money being shown him. Kathryn s.n.a.t.c.hed the money in the blink of an eye. The others watched her as she approached an elderly lady huddled under a bright pink umbrella. She returned five minutes later minus a thousand dollars but plus one phone. "She said the pound is worth more than the dollar. I wasn't about to argue," Kathryn said as she scanned the cell phone in her hand. "Okay, I think I know how this one works." She started pressing numbers.

"Who are you calling?" Bert asked.

Kathryn shot him a withering look. "I'm calling the only person who has the contacts and the chutzpah to get us out of whatever mess we're standing in."

"Oh, Charles," Jack said, relief ringing in his voice.

"Not likely! I'm calling Maggie Spritzer!" Murphy barked to show his approval. Nikki was grinning from ear to ear as Jack and Bert slunk off to the side, where both men lit up cigarettes.

Kathryn snapped the phone shut and said, "She's on it. She said this is right up Abner Tookus's alley, but it's going to cost. You heard me, I told her I didn't care how much it cost, just to get us home. You're okay with that, right, Nikki?"

"Absolutely. Did she give you a time frame?"

"She just said to sit tight and she'd get back to us as soon as possible. When I pressed her, she went out on a limb and said we should be airborne within three hours. What the h.e.l.l are we going to do for three whole hours?"

An evil grin splashed across Nikki's face as she let her gaze wander to Jack and Bert. "How about we make their lives a little more miserable than they are already."

"I like that. Murphy likes it, too. See, he's grinning."

"You ever gonna marry Bert?"

"Nope."

"But you still love him?"

"Yep."

Nikki laughed. "Understood."

"G.o.d, I missed you and the others," Kathryn said, her eyes filling up.

"Not half as much as I missed you," Nikki said as she brushed at her eyes. "I can't believe we're actually going home."

"You know what I wish, Nikki? I wish we were headed back to the mountain. I know, I know. All we did was moan and groan when we were there, but we all had something back then. I was happy. So were you and the others. This...this..." Kathryn said, waving her arms about, "is not what it's cracked up to be. Can we get yesterday back, Nikki?"

Nikki draped her arm around Kathryn's shoulders. "I don't know, but we sure as h.e.l.l can try, can't we?"

"Yeah, let's try," Kathryn said so quietly that Nikki had to strain to hear the words.

Chapter 10.

A dazed expression on her face, Maggie left her office at the Post building at a fast run the minute she clicked off her cell phone. She stopped just long enough to s.n.a.t.c.h her secretary's cell phone, which was sitting on top of her desk. She put her finger to her lips to mean silence. All manner of thoughts were scurrying around inside her brain as she made her way to the busy twenty-four-hour corner deli that was always jammed to the rafters. Once inside she made her way to the kitchen and then out the door to a Dumpster-packed area. She looked upward, knowing but not really understanding the stuff about cell phone towers, satellite imagery, bouncing signals, and all that went with tracking calls and numbers. Call her a Neanderthal, but she still preferred her little tape recorder and her notebook and pencil. She absolutely detested cell phones and texting because it meant she could never hide out. With all the new technology, she always had to be available, and, in her opinion, that sucked big-time. She pressed in a number and waited to be connected. Knowing she didn't have time to finesse her friend, Maggie got right to the point. "I need you to do something for me, and I need it ten minutes ago. We can negotiate later; now is not the time. If you don't do what I want, I'm turning you in to the FBI, the CIA, and every other crazy-a.s.s initials organization in this fine city. Are we on the same page, Abner?" Abner Tookus was Maggie's one-of-a-kind hacker, bar none.

"Whatever you say, Maggie," the man responded meekly.

The hairs on the back of Maggie's neck stirred. She looked upward. Surely, they, whoever they were, hadn't gotten to Abner. "Why are you being so nice and agreeable all of a sudden?"

Maggie heard Abner's sigh. "Because you are by far my best customer, you pay on time, and I know I can't win, so I'm agreeing right off the bat. Whatcha want, friend?"

Still suspicious, Maggie sought just the right words. When none were forthcoming, she blurted out what she needed.

"Well, that takes the cake! I'm a hacker, Maggie. I do not exactly travel in the Gulfstream circles of the rich and famous. What? You think I carry a list of owners in my pocket?"

Maggie ignored him. "So, how long is it going to take you?"

Maggie heard the sigh again. "Twenty minutes if I'm lucky."

"Twenty minutes!" Maggie screeched.

"Okay, maybe seventeen. I'm hitting the keys as we speak."

"Fifteen and you get a bonus. Don't ask me what the bonus is. I have to confer with the owner of the paper. I have to hang up-I don't want anyone tracking this call. I'm calling you back in fifteen minutes, so be prepared to rattle off my instructions. You got that, Abner?"

"I do. I really do. Hang up, or you're dead meat."

Maggie snapped the cell shut and looked down at her watch. A second later she had pen and notepad in hand as she watched the digital mechanism on her watch count down the minutes.

She tapped her foot, finger-combed her unruly curls, checked the contents of her bag, kicked away some debris from where she was standing, and was dismayed to see only two minutes had gone by. A family of scrawny cats circled the Dumpster in search of food. She whipped through the door leading to the kitchen, where she demanded a mountain of food to be loaded into a cardboard container. She plopped down three ten-dollar bills and whipped back through the door. She set the food down and watched as the cats did their best to devour it all. A glance at her watch told her she'd used up six minutes. "c.r.a.p!" she said succinctly. When the last contented feline waddled off, Maggie picked up the containers and threw them into the Dumpster. She'd used up another minute and a half.

Maggie paced up and down the small enclosed area a dozen or more times as she waited for the time to pa.s.s. With nothing better to do, she did some stretches and knee bends. G.o.d, how she hated exercising. Her watch told her she had seven minutes to go. Screw the seven minutes. She yanked at the cell phone and punched in the numbers. "I want it now!"

"Ask and you shall receive," Abner said sweetly. "You got a pen?"

"Of course I have a pen, you nitwit!" Maggie scribbled furiously in her and Ted's shorthand. "Got it!"

"I want a bonus on top of the bonus for coming in seven minutes earlier than the time I quoted you."

"And you think I care what you want? Stop by the paper later, and I'll pay up. Hey, Abby, thanks."

"You got it, Sweet Cheeks. Remember now, a bonus on top of the bonus."

"Yeah, yeah," Maggie mumbled as she powered down. She raced back through the kitchen and out of the deli. She waited a full minute, then powered up again. In seconds, she had Kathryn on the line. She rattled off the information from her notes and again powered down, at which point she dropped her secretary's phone on the sidewalk and stomped on it. No one paid the slightest bit of attention to what she was doing. As she raced back to the Post, she dropped bits and pieces of the mangled phone into various trash cans along the way. She knew her secretary was going to pitch a fit, but hopefully a top-of-the-line, new whatever was on the market would appease her. Hopefully.

With the speed at which she was sprinting, Maggie ran right past the place she was looking for. She turned around and ran into the small Internet cafe, paid for time, and settled herself at the computer, then she e-mailed Charles using the special encrypted code he'd given her previously. She took a second to wonder if the code was uncrackable, for want of a better term. That done, she leaned back in the chair and let her breath out in a long sigh. Well, she'd done her best. From here on in, the others had to fend for themselves. Finally, she logged off, left the cafe, and walked sedately back to the Post.

It was pouring rain when Kathryn walked back into the terminal with Murphy, who was busily shaking the water from his coat. She marched up to the others, who were waiting, and said, "We're good to go. Maggie's friend got us a ride all the way to Washington. But there is a hitch. Maggie said our ride is a luxurious Gulfstream, privately owned by a small group of businessmen who travel this way once or twice a week. There will be three or four other pa.s.sengers on board, possibly more, presumably the owners, but they are willing to accommodate us for a sizable remuneration. She said she took care of that, compliments of the Post. For all intents and purposes, should the other pa.s.sengers ask, we're foreign correspondents. The plane is boarding as we speak. Yes or no?"

"Let's go!" Nikki said as she beelined around milling pa.s.sengers to the gate that would take them outdoors in the rain to board the plane.

Drenched to the skin, the foursome and Murphy bounded up the steps of the plane, where three hostesses handed out fluffy white towels as they personally apologized for the downpour.

"You're to sit in the front; the owners are in conference at the back, and they asked that you do not disturb them," a pert redhead said as she showed them to their seats. More fresh towels were handed out as a second hostess poured champagne.

"It's luxurious, but Annie's Gulfstream is nicer," Nikki sniffed as she sat down in a comfortable chair and buckled up.

"I could get used to this real quick," Kathryn said as she toweled her wet hair. "Ah, someone turned on some heat. This is heavenly."

Bert and Jack just sat looking like old-fashioned cigar store Indians. The women continued to jabber to each other, ignoring both men. Murphy was already asleep at Kathryn's feet.

The third hostess approached and said in a musical voice, "We'll be serving dinner when we reach a cruising alt.i.tude. Take a moment to look over the menu and check off what you would like."

"Yep, I could get used to this real quick," Kathryn said a second time.

"Did Maggie happen to mention the name of the company that owns this plane?" Bert asked.

"She just said a small group of businessmen. Why, is it important?" Kathryn asked.

"It could be."

"Pretty d.a.m.n convenient the way this worked out, if you want my opinion," Jack said. Three blank faces stared at him. "I'm just saying."

"What does that mean, Jack?" Nikki said, twirling around in her chair. Her voice was neither friendly nor unfriendly.

"What it means is, we pa.s.sed on the other plane because people were on board and yet here we are on this plane, commandeered by Maggie, with people on board. I just find it a little strange, considering our current circ.u.mstances, the way this is working out."

"We didn't get on the other plane because Murphy was letting us know something was wrong. If you noticed, he did not alert us on this one and is now sleeping peacefully here at Kathryn's feet." Nikki's voice was decidedly unfriendly.

The pert redhead approached to take their winegla.s.ses. "Buckle up," she said.

Bert wagged a finger. "Miss, who does this plane belong to? Do you know?"

The hostess in turn wagged a finger at Bert and offered up a gamine grin just as the plane started to taxi down the runway. "But of course I know. I work for the company. The owners are sitting in the back."

"And that would be...?" Bert asked, smiling. The smile didn't reach his eyes.

The redhead giggled. "HLJ Enterprises. We're based here in London."

They were in the air and climbing when Bert opened his briefcase and yanked out what looked like a small business directory. "Son of a b.i.t.c.h!"

"I knew it!" Jack growled.

"Knew what?" Kathryn and Nikki asked as one.

"HLJ stands for Henry Lawrence Jellicoe. HLJ Enterprises is a subsidiary of Global Securities." There was a bite to Bert's tone that none of them had ever heard before.