Hothouse Orchid

57

Jimmy Weathers arrived at work the following morning and had no sooner settled at his desk than Jane Grey was standing in his doorway.

“Good morning, Jimmy,” she said brightly.

“Good morning, Jane,” he replied.

“I’m going to need your car at five o’clock on Friday for maintenance; it’ll be back Monday morning.”

“What kind of maintenance? It’s pretty new.” He was now driving Bruno’s car, which had been purchased when the new chief had arrived.

“Our maintenance contract calls for periodic inspections, not always at the manufacturer’s specified times,” Jane replied smoothly. “Tell you what, I can let you have that Mustang convertible we confiscated in the drug bust a couple of weeks ago; it hasn’t come up for auction yet.”

Jimmy brightened. “Hey, good deal,” he said.

She handed him the Mustang’s key. “You can pick it up at the impound lot any time Friday before five. It’s only a short walk to impound. Just leave your keys in the car.”

“Will do,” Jimmy said, and Jane went back to her office.

Jimmy was getting a little restless, and he thought maybe the Mustang might make it easy to pick up a girl over the weekend. It was too flashy to use for the big job-it might get noticed-but it was great for just getting laid in.

Lauren sat at the breakfast table and watched Jack wolf down his scrambled eggs and sausages. He ate a lot, she reflected, but never seemed to gain any weight.

“What have you been up to?” she asked.

“Well, I cleaned out the safe, packed up my stuff and loaded it into the airplane,” he said. “Thought I’d get a head start on our move.”

“Good idea,” she said. How much stuff can I take in the airplane?”

“Take a week’s clothes, have the rest packed into boxes at a pack-and-ship place and tell them you’ll call them with a new address soon. It’s a good time to get rid of any clothes you don’t really like, and the shopping’s good in Santa Fe.”

“In that case,” she said, “I think I’ll hold myself to two suitcases and give the rest to the Salvation Army store.”

“That’s the way to think,” Teddy said. “I always travel light: if I buy a new jacket, I throw one away. How’s your case coming?”

Lauren took his hand. “I think I’m going to be free to go early next week,” she said.

“That’s good news!”

“There’s just one more arrest I want to be there for,” she said, “and then I’m all yours.”

“Want to tell me about it?”

“I’ll tell you about it when it’s over,” she said.

Holly’s phone rang late that afternoon. “Hello?”

“It’s Lance.”

“Hey. You want me to go to the secure phone?”

“No, it’s not necessary. I just called to let you know that Joshua Harmon is being offered the position he applied for.”

“Great! When?”

“Tomorrow morning,” Lance said. “I thought you might like to tell him yourself.”

“Thanks, I would. Tell me, Lance, how did this all move along so quickly?”

“Dr. Harmon has friends in high places,” Lance replied. “Goodbye.” He hung up.

Holly hung up, laughing.

She was getting dinner ready when Josh arrived, looking a little down. “Another bad day?”

“Another boring one,” Josh said, pouring them both a drink and taking a stool.

“You’re really getting tired of it here, aren’t you?”

“That and I’m not very happy about your going back and leaving me behind.”

“Are you sure you want to move to McLean?”

“I certainly want to move somewhere, and McLean is where you are, so that’s good enough for me.”

“So you would consider a job offer good news?”

“I don’t want to think about it; then if I don’t get it I’ll be less disappointed.”

“I wouldn’t want you to be disappointed,” Holly said, kissing him on the forehead.

“Well, that’s a nice thought,” Josh replied. “That makes me feel better already.” He raised his glass. “That and this Scotch whiskey.”

“Congratulations,” Holly said. “You got the job.”

He looked at her closely. “Are you serious?”

“Perfectly.”

“How could this happen so quickly?”

“You’ve got friends in high places,” Holly said.

Josh came off the stool, grabbed her and kissed her. “That’s the best news I’ve ever had,” he said.

“And you’re young yet,” she laughed.

He began helping her in the kitchen.

“I was thinking,” she said. “I’ve got to fly my new airplane back, so you could drive my Cayenne and rent one of those tow bars to pull your car behind.”

“Good idea,” he said. “And I can fill them both with my stuff.”

“How much stuff do you have?” Holly asked.

“Well, not all that much, really. I always make it a policy when I move to throw away as much stuff as I can do without.”

“That’s a relief,” Holly said. “I have only so much closet space.”

“Huh?”

“In my house,” she said. “You’re not going to turn down a free sack, are you?”

He kissed her on the neck. “Certainly not.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” she said. “It’s been nice having a roomie here, and I think it’s a good idea to continue the practice.”

“Why thank you, ma’am.”

“You’ll get a written offer from the Agency,” she said, “and they’ll ask you for a local address up there. Use mine.”

“Shall I sign up as Mr. Holly Barker?”

“Not just yet, buster; I’m a cautious woman.”

“I hadn’t noticed.”

“I’d rather have a long affair than a short marriage,” she said.

“I guess that’s one way to look at it,” he replied, nodding.

“It’s the only way to look at it,” Holly said.