The Line Between Here and Now

CHAPTER NINE

Casey spent the morning leaning over Ryan’s shoulder, then following up on anything he produced. Intermittently, she called Amanda to check on the baby’s condition. What she heard didn’t sound good. Neither did Amanda. She sounded as if she were coming apart at the seams. And who could blame her?

The clock inside Casey’s head ticked loudly.

They needed more time. They didn’t have any.

Her lips tight with frustration, Casey paced back over to Ryan, folding her arms across her chest and tapping her toe on the floor.

That did it.

“You know, I don’t work well with people breathing down my neck, boss,” Ryan flat-out stated. If he didn’t speak up, he’d lose his mind. “Not only does it drive me nuts, it also slows me down.”

Exhaling sharply, Casey walked away and began fiddling with one of Ryan’s gadgets. “Sorry. I just hear the sheer panic in Amanda’s voice and I feel helpless. I don’t do helplessness.”

“I hear you. But I’m on the verge of hacking into John Morano’s bank accounts. I want to see if he’s got the same kind of pattern going as Paul Everett did-whopping bank balances, equally whopping withdrawals. I also want to see if he’s paying the same twenty grand at the same six-week time intervals as Paul Everett was. If he is, then it’s a safe bet that the payoffs have to do with the hotel construction. If not, then Everett was in over his head about something else. Either way, we need to know.”

Casey nodded. “We also need to know if his payment methods are the same-cash, rather than bank transfers. To me, that screams organized crime. This isn’t a kidnapping, so it’s not ransom money. And big wheels who extort money do it through anonymous wire transfers to overseas accounts, to places like the Cayman Islands.”

“Yeah, all the data seems to be pointing in that direction.” Ryan’s brows knit in concentration. “Interesting. As hard as it was to break into Everett’s account, it’s harder to break into Morano’s. Anyone less talented than me would never get through.”

Despite her somber mood, Casey’s lips twitched. “You really should work on your self-esteem, Ryan. It sucks that you think so little of yourself.”

A shrug. “Just being honest. You hired me because I’m the best. And I am the best. I’m just wondering if, after Paul Everett had to be dealt with, whoever dealt with him decided to tighten the reins so it would be near impossible to get into John Morano’s… There!” Ryan exclaimed, leaning back and pumping his arms in a “yes-s-s-s” motion. “I’m in.”

“Okay, you win.” Casey was appended to his side again. “You’re a techno-god. I bow to your genius. Now let’s see what you found.”

They both peered at the screen as Ryan scanned through a list of bank entries and withdrawals. “Look.” He pointed at a series of lines. “Same pattern. Same dollar amount. Same time frame. But still ongoing.” Ryan angled his head toward Casey. “Maybe that explains why he’s still with us and Paul Everett is-in whatever capacity-gone. Maybe Amanda’s boyfriend refused to play nice anymore. And that made him a liability rather than an asset-especially if he threatened to report the blackmail to the cops.”

“What would make him do a one-eighty like that?” Casey asked. “First he’s playing ball with the bad guys and then he suddenly stops-why? You can’t tell me that love for Amanda transformed him into another man-not when it meant risking jail time. No real-life relationship is that strong.”

Ryan snorted. “This is me you’re talking to. I don’t deal in romantic crap.”

“Well, something made him stop. Something or someone.” Casey was thoughtful for a moment. “Let’s talk about Lyle Fenton. You said that he was the one holdout in terms of lining up contractors.”

“Yup. That’s true with Everett and it’s still true with Morano. He didn’t sign on with either of them. I don’t know what he wants, but I’d love to ask him. He’s clearly holding out for something.”

“Patrick is playing fly-on-the-wall during Fenton’s lunch with Congressman Mercer today. He’ll see if there’s any tie between them, beyond financial support for his political career. That’s step one toward getting inside Lyle Fenton’s head.” Casey shot Ryan a quizzical look. “You checked Fenton’s itinerary?”

A nod. “His private jet is scheduled to land at Long Island MacArthur Airport in Islip at 5:30 p.m.”

“Islip. So he’s going straight back to the Hamptons, not stopping in Manhattan.”

“Right, or he’d be flying into JFK.”

“Good. Then he’ll be home in the evening. Let’s hear what Patrick has to say. Then I’m giving Amanda a call and asking her to set up a meeting for Marc and me with her uncle-for tonight. She already told him she hired us. Given the urgency of Justin’s condition, there’ll be no question about our timing. Marc’s already out there. I’ll jump in the car and join him.”

Ryan’s brows raised. “So you’re making this all about the baby. I get that. But Fenton was already tested to see if he was a donor match. He wasn’t. So what else is there to ostensibly talk to him about that’s so urgent-unless you plan on telling Amanda the truth about our suspicions and asking for her help in fabricating a reason?”

“No way. I don’t want Amanda knowing a thing about that until and unless it becomes necessary.”

“I didn’t think so. But Fenton’s not stupid.”

“No, he’s not. Neither is Amanda. But you’re coming at this from the wrong angle, Mr. Strategist. Remember, we’re hunting down Justin’s father. And he and Fenton were business associates.”

Abruptly, comprehension lit Ryan’s eyes. “I’m with you now. Smart move. If you come at it from that angle, Fenton will think we’re interviewing him strictly to learn what we can about Paul-not the blackmailed Paul, but the colleague Paul. He’ll think we’re hoping to gain any insights that might lead us in the right direction. Naturally, he’ll think he’s controlling the conversation. The truth is, he won’t even be controlling the reason behind it-that we’re actually checking into him.”

“Bingo. Our real goal will be to figure out why Fenton’s continually holding out on the dredging contract for the new hotel-and if he has any connection to the payoffs that Paul made, and John Morano is still making.”

“That should be fun to accomplish.”

A hint of a smile curved Casey’s lips. “Have faith. I can read anyone, and Marc can get information out of people they didn’t even realize they had, much less spilled. You’ve got a double-dose of the best. How can we possibly fail?”

“You really should work on your self-esteem, Casey,” Ryan parroted her words. “It sucks that you think so little of yourself. Marc, too, for that matter.”

“Yeah.” Casey grinned. “It’s a team problem. Maybe it’s contagious.”

“Well, you know where the buck stops,” Ryan clarified cheerfully.

“With the person who puts those bucks in your pocket.” Casey arched a brow.

“Ouch.” Ryan pretended to wince. “Okay, you win. You’re the boss. And the boss is always right.”

Casey considered that. “Well, not always. Just most of the time.”

Patrick was not in a good mood.

After all his years with the Bureau, working cases that took aeons before-and if-they were solved, he still hated investing his time and coming up empty. And that’s exactly what had happened this morning.

He’d gone to that damned diner at 6:30 a.m., just in case the guy the waitress had tentatively identified as Paul Everett came in earlier than his customary seven-thirty.

Not only didn’t he come in early, he didn’t come in at all.

Great. With Patrick’s luck, the guy had scheduled his annual physical checkup for this morning.

Dragging breakfast out as long as possible, Patrick had ordered poached eggs-which took a while to make-and toast, along with three cups of coffee, lingering over each bite and each damned sip, until he was flying on caffeine. Still nothing. Finally, he’d given the waitress his name and cell phone number, plus a fifty-dollar tip, and asked her to call him ASAP if the guy in question dropped in-and not to mention to the guy that Patrick was looking for him. The unspoken message was that, should she be successful, there was more where that came from. She’d quickly agreed, dollar signs gleaming in her eyes.

From there, Patrick had shown Paul Everett’s picture around to the morning commuters. Zilch. At that point, he’d had enough time only to work off his breakfast at the hotel gym, shower and get ready for lunch. Most people would relish this kind of workday. Lots of eating. Not lots of demanding tasks. Patrick didn’t. If something didn’t materialize at lunch, he was going to punch someone.

He strode under the green-canopied entrance of the Monocle Restaurant on Capitol Hill at twelve-twenty. The restaurant was pure class, but it wasn’t huge. So he could easily scan the dining room from the waiting area. No sign of the congressman or Fenton. Which meant he’d beaten them there. Good. He wanted to be settled and inconspicuous by the time his quarry arrived.

He didn’t have long to wait.

He’d just opened his iPad in front of him and was presumably hard at work on something when Mercer walked in, closely followed by Fenton. The two men shook hands vigorously in greeting.

Patrick recognized them from the photos Ryan had given him, although he would have recognized them anyway. Mercer had been interviewed on several news shows, and Fenton’s picture had appeared in the business section of a couple of New York newspapers.

Neither man was imposing in stature, yet each of them had his individual type of commanding presence. Mercer was much younger, probably in his mid-forties, and he was an avid sportsman. So he was muscular and fit. Although Fenton looked pretty damned good for a man in his sixties. Hours of golf would do that for you. He was just stockier than Mercer, with a little more flesh on him. Still, he had a full head of salt-and-pepper hair, and a tan that looked year-round. Yup. Money and power definitely agreed with him. And Mercer probably couldn’t allow himself the luxury of a December tan. His constituents might think he was slacking off, spending time at the tanning salon.

Patrick cut his evaluation short as the waiter handed him his menu and filled up his water glass. Simultaneously, the maître d’ was showing Mercer and Fenton to their table. Patrick kept his head down, his eyes on the screen of his iPad. He murmured a “thanks” to the waiter and shifted his attention to the menu, scanning it and waiting until the two men had passed by. He almost had to laugh aloud when he saw where they were being seated-at the table diagonally to the right of his. Ryan was a friggin’ magician.

Well, it was time for Patrick to call on an enviable skill of his own. He had a rare ability to totally shut out all surrounding noise and activity, and focus just on the one thing that interested him-whether it was a conversation, an interesting article on the internet or a football game. When he was singularly-and intentionally-focused like that, there could be an earthquake around him and he wouldn’t notice.

He called this ability a gift. His wife called it something else-especially when she’d asked him the same question five times and he still hadn’t answered her.

Before he could start his tune-in process, the waiter reappeared at his side. “What can I get you, sir?”

“An Angus burger, extra peppers.” Quick and easy.

“How would you like that cooked?”

“Medium.”

“And to drink?”

Patrick indicated his glass. “Water’s fine for now. Maybe coffee later.” He handed over his menu. “Thanks.”

“Very good, sir.” The waiter was well trained. He sensed when a patron wanted his or her space. So he didn’t dawdle. He simply took the menu and left to place the order.

From his ideal seating location, Patrick had no trouble following Fenton and Mercer’s conversation. And, clearly, he hadn’t missed very much, because the two men were still exchanging niceties.

“You look great, Cliff,” Fenton said, settling himself in his chair. “A little tired maybe. But that’ll be remedied soon enough. Congress is almost out of session and you’ll be free to come home and enjoy the holidays with your family. How is Mary Jane?”

“She’s great.” Mercer’s smile was practiced, whether from force of habit or because Fenton made him uncomfortable, Patrick wasn’t sure. “Looking forward to having me home.” A chuckle. “Looking more forward to having the kids home. Finals are over next week, and the twins will be flying in right afterward.”

Fenton’s brows drew together as he searched his memory. “Tom’s at Caltech, right?”

A nod. “And Lisa’s at Northwestern. I can’t believe they’re finished with the first semester of their freshman year. To me, it flew by. To Mary Jane, it lasted an eternity. I actually think she’s looking forward to doing laundry-mass quantities of it. Lord only knows what those two are bringing home with them.”

“Straight As, I’d imagine,” Fenton commented.

“They’re doing well.” Mercer sounded like a proud father. “Most of all, they’re enjoying what they’ll later learn is the happiest stage of life.”

“They’re successful. They take after their father. Good genes clearly go a long way. You’re doing a fine job. I’m very impressed.”

“I appreciate that.” Mercer cleared his throat. “Your support during the campaign made all the difference. But I think you know that.”

“I do.” Fenton paused as the waiter approached their table, holding up his palm. “I don’t need a menu. I’ll have the crab cakes and a glass of sauvignon blanc.” He glanced at Mercer. “Do you know what you want?”

“I do indeed.” Mercer gave the waiter a pleasant smile. “I’ll have a chicken club and some sparkling water. I’ve got meetings all afternoon,” he explained to Fenton. “So no wine for me.”

“Understood.”

There was a moment of awkward silence at their table after the waiter left, which seemed to be on Mercer’s part. Clearly, there was an elephant in the room. Patrick just didn’t know what it was, or if Mercer was going to address it.

Leaning forward, Patrick propped his iPad in the upright position. He fired up the FaceTime app and switched to the back camera to record Fenton and Mercer in action. Simultaneously, he listened intently, watching their expressions over the top of the iPad.

Unfortunately, the waiter chose that exact minute to deliver his lunch. It wasn’t the poor guy’s fault that Patrick was on a mission that had nothing to do with food. Nevertheless, the interruption was a pain in the ass.

“Your lunch, sir,” the waiter announced.

“Thanks.” Patrick accepted his Angus burger with a courteous nod at the waiter, hoping the guy wasn’t going to hang around. Once again picking up on his customer’s vibes, the waiter took his cue. He paused only long enough to tell Patrick to let him know if he needed anything else, then turned and left.

“Any news about those maritime contracts?” Fenton was asking in a low tone.

Ah. Business. Finally.

Patrick picked up his burger one-handed and took a bite, watching Mercer’s reaction.

To his surprise, the congressman appeared almost relieved at Fenton’s choice of subjects. Whatever it was that Mercer was reluctant to address, this clearly wasn’t it.

“No worries on that score,” he assured Fenton. “I already spoke to the Army Corp of Engineers. Your company will get its government maritime contracts.”

“Excellent.” Fenton looked pleased, but not surprised. Obviously, he was accustomed to Mercer coming through for him. “I’m glad to hear it. When will it be official?”

“Soon. But, trust me, you can relax. Fenton Dredging’s got a strong reputation and a wide regional presence. It didn’t take any arm-twisting to get my recommendation unanimously approved.”

Okay, so Fenton was seeking U.S. government maritime contracts. Made sense. His company was a maritime construction company, and landing government contracts would mean big money-money that Mercer was helping him achieve. One hand washing the other. More evidence that Fenton had used his leverage to get Mercer elected.

The arrangement might be sketchy, but it was an everyday occurrence in politics. Unless there was more to it. How deep in Fenton’s pocket was Mercer?

As if to answer Patrick’s question, Mercer continued.

“Where do things stand on the Southampton hotel? I’m getting pressure from both sides-the ayes and the nays.”

“Which side is exerting more of that pressure?” Fenton inquired. He didn’t sound too concerned.

“It’s pretty damned close to fifty-fifty. And both sides have solid reasons to back them up. The financial gain versus the intrusion to their way of life. Hey, I’d love to see the profits and the job opportunities for my constituency. But I’m a local myself. I get it. No matter how I position myself, this is going to cause a major outcry-one it’ll be up to me to keep a lid on. I need to know which side you want me to come out in favor of. Are you signing onto this project or not?”

“You know the answer to that. I’m a businessman. To me, profit trumps resistance to change.”

“Then why the hesitation, first with Everett, now with Morano?”

“I had my reasons.” Fenton sidestepped the question, blatantly stating that he planned to keep those reasons to himself. “But all that’s about to be resolved. My plans are to sign the contracts and take on the dredging project. That hotel is going to rake in millions. And if I let another dredging company do what mine can do better, I’ll lose out big-time.”

Mercer blew out a resigned breath, although he showed no sign of surprise. “So Morano’s ferries and chartered yachts will have a direct route to a newly constructed hotel dock.”

“Yes, they will. And a professionally dug channel to get them there.” Fenton shot Mercer a purposeful look as their food arrived. “So, if I were you, I’d start preparing my district for an influx of capital-and people.”

“Don’t worry. Strategies are already in place for whichever way you go. I wasn’t about to put myself behind the eight ball and have to improvise at the last minute. Although I guessed which way you’d turn.”

“Good. Then we’re on the same page.”

“Yeah.” Mercer paused again, toying with his silverware as the waiter arranged their plates, then placed Fenton’s glass of wine in front of him and opened a bottle of sparkling water.

Patrick studied the congressman as the waiter filled his glass. He could be waiting for privacy. But Patrick didn’t think so. That elephant was back in the room. Was that elephant more about the hotel contracts, or was Mercer pulling other strings for Fenton, as well?

Taking another bite of his Angus burger, Patrick enjoyed a bit of his lunch as the waiter finished his work at Mercer’s table, asking the usual hospitable questions, and then disappeared with his empty tray.

A few silent moments passed, during which Patrick waited with curious anticipation. Fenton was sipping his wine. Mercer was staring into his glass of sparkling water.

At last, he looked up, swallowing as if he’d steeled himself to broach a very difficult topic.

What came next was the last thing Patrick had expected.

“Your niece-Amanda-how is her baby doing?”

Fenton set down his wineglass. For the first time in this conversation, he showed a strong emotional reaction. “Not well.” A muscle twitched at his jaw. “Amanda’s son is losing this battle a little more every day. I’m not sure he can hang on much longer.”

There was steel in his tone. Clearly, he was furious-whether at the situation, the doctors, or his own inability to fix things, Patrick wasn’t sure.

“I’m very sorry to hear that,” Mercer replied-carefully, as if he were walking a very fine tightrope.

“Sorry doesn’t cut it, Cliff. I need more.”

The almost-military command made the congressman do a double take. “More? What more can I offer you? You don’t need my money…”

“No, I don’t.” Fenton stopped him in his tracks. “I need a donor match. And I need one now.” He leaned forward, interlacing his fingers tightly in front of him. “Amanda’s hired some investigative firm to find out if Paul Everett is alive and to hunt him down. We both know I can’t wait for that to happen. I need you to be tested. Immediately.”

Mercer did another double take. “Why? To sidetrack Amanda from searching for Everett?”

“You know damned well why-and why you could quite possibly be a match. Besides, my reasons aren’t in question. The bottom line is, my great-nephew is my last shot to hand my business empire over to blood. I’m not going to lose it. So just do what I say.”

“And how will I justify my sudden involvement-not only to the world, but to Mary Jane?”

“Easily. It’s not as if I’m a stranger. I’ve had dinner in your house, been a strong supporter of your career since the beginning. Your wife is very fond of me. She knows the crisis my niece is going through. Tell her how desperate Amanda is. Tell the same thing to your constituents. Hell, make a public announcement. Remember, Amanda is a local herself. The fact that her congressman would care enough to extend himself in such a personal and meaningful way would earn you a shitload of votes for the next election. And, for God’s sake, we’re only talking about a blood test. I’m not asking you to donate an organ.”

A long pause as Mercer considered Fenton’s words.

“I’m not asking you, Cliff. I’m telling you. Consider the scenario I’ve just conjured up for you to be a bonus gift. But the testing itself is a given. You’ll have it done at Southampton Hospital, where you can get maximum exposure for your act of compassion. You’ll be flying back with me tonight and tested tomorrow in plenty of time for the evening news cycle. That’ll give your Chief of Staff all of today and tonight to get the word out. I also want the twins to be tested. They can do that at their respective schools. There’ll be goodwill stretching from Long Island to California.”

“The twins?” Mercer sounded ill. “How do I explain that?”

“There’s nothing to explain. You’ve got an altruistic family. Mary Jane included. Let her go with you and be tested herself. She’s a loving mother. She’s devoted eighteen years to raising your kids. She’ll probably race you to the hospital tomorrow. Think how compelling the front page of the Southampton newspapers will look with your photos front and center.”

“God.” Mercer pressed his fingers to his temples. “How am I going to pull this off? No matter how you spin it, there are going to be questions.”

“Field them. That’s what you have a staff for. Say you became aware of the urgency of the situation when we had our business meeting today.” A quick glance around. “We’re having lunch on Capitol Hill, Cliff. Half of Washington probably already knows we’re together, and wondering what we’re discussing. Now they’ll know. We discussed your support for Fenton Dredging Company’s commitment to the Hamptons communities. After that, you asked about Justin. I told you. You immediately contacted your family and took action.” Fenton gave an impatient wave of his hand. “I might as well be your campaign manager at this point. I’ve just written the whole script for you. Now do it.”

Mercer’s mind was visibly racing. “I’ve got meetings tomorrow morning.”

“Move them to late afternoon. You’ll be back in plenty of time. My jet will get you here.” Fenton took a bite of his crab cake. “Now eat your lunch. Make your phone calls. We can talk business on the plane.”

“Sir?”

Patrick’s concentration was broken as he realized the waiter was talking to him, and apparently had been for the past minute or two. “Is everything all right?”

With a swift glance at his barely eaten burger, Patrick nodded. “Excellent. I was just absorbed in my work. But now I have all the important aspects of it under control. So I can sit back and enjoy my lunch.”

He did just that, texting Casey as he ate. The phone call would come later, when he was back at his hotel and had some privacy.

But, damn, it felt good to finally make some headway.

And major headway at that.