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Once he’d stepped inside his condo, the first thing he did was call the credit card company. It was a Saturday and for whatever reason, credit card companies didn’t have enough staffing over the weekend. Isn’t that when most people shop? he mused. As long as they had your money, they were able to charge double digits on unpaid balances. So why would they care when you shopped? It was a scam, and he was able to justify his own misdeeds by comparing them to even bigger ones. As far as he was concerned, the system was rigged. Therefore, why shouldn’t he rig it for his own benefit?
Malcolm spent what felt like an interminable amount of time on hold, listening to insipid music on a loop. Finally, a woman who could barely speak English got on the line. By then, steam was coming out of his ears and he laid into her like a punching bag. It was no surprise that she disconnected the call. He dialed again, this time screaming into dead air as the same tune played on and on. He was infuriated, but resisted the temptation to throw his phone across the room. He didn’t have time to buy a new phone on this particular day, a day that was moving much too fast. His guests were arriving in four hours. He poured a shot of tequila and sat staring out at the Miami skyline, trying to calm his nerves. He told himself it would all be okay. He’d bring a check for the caterer and deal with the customer service nitwits on Monday.
As the Casamigos Reposado began to flow through his veins, his mood improved. No wonder it was a very popular tequila. It proved that its founder George Clooney was not just a pretty face. Fielder made up his mind to focus on the present and prepare for the party. But as hard as he tried, he couldn’t escape the feeling of trepidation that was beginning to deflate his earlier exhilaration.
To Nashville
The government freight and cargo inspectors were efficient, polite, and expedient in processing Kathryn’s paperwork. If only the rest of the government performed the same way, she thought to herself. Drug trafficking was a huge problem, so the inspectors had to be on top of things. But in her case, it was claims for subpar concrete and not fentanyl. Easy-peasy for the authorities. It was also helpful that they had already been informed by some people at the top.
After Kathryn finished up she got a little shut-eye in the sleeper compartment of her semi. By noon she was ready for the seven-hour drive to Music City. Annie had made a reservation for Kathryn at the Vanderbilt Hotel, where she would stay until Monday. Then she would be relegated to the no-tell-motel where Walsh also had a reservation. Even though she was accustomed to sleeping in her truck, a real bed with clean sheets was always a luxury. The Vanderbilt was an indulgence. Annie and Myra always looked out for the Sisters, especially when they were putting their own safety at risk. Whenever possible, they were remunerated with some niceties, and for Kathryn this was bliss.
She took a long, hot shower and climbed between the sheets to finish the sleep she desperately needed. She had asked for a wake-up call at five P.M. Her plan was to go to Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint and then on to the famous Bluebird Café. Garth Brooks and his wife, Trisha Yearwood, had been known to show up there unannounced and sing a few duets. Kathryn was looking forward to an evening of anything but diner food with a diverse group of people, some good music, and then winding down in a soft, comfortable bed.
Chapter Fourteen
Sunday
Brooklyn
Donald Walsh checked all the drawers in his dresser. Empty. The two duffel bags were stuffed. Whatever he wasn’t going to bring with him, he was dropping off at Goodwill. After all, they’d provided most of his amenities, if you could call them that. He planned on leaving a note for the landlord that read: You can rent this as a furnished apartment. He then checked around to be sure there was no paperwork or anything that could reveal his trail. He didn’t know who might come looking for him, but he wanted to take no chances. He even planned on bringing his garbage with him and tossing it in some strip mall dumpster along the way.
He realized he was being a bit paranoid, but he had good reason. It was just a matter of time before the hammer fell on REBAR. Someone somewhere would figure out they’d been shorted on the quality of their goods. Heaven forbid it became an incident where lives were at risk. But wasn’t that the case all along? He hadn’t given it much thought before that Danfield woman started sniffing around. He knew the blocks were solid enough. Enough to last maybe twenty years. It would take an earthquake, or a flood, or a hurricane, or a lot of stress for anything to come tumbling down. But that was the problem. There were too many earthquakes, floods, and hurricanes of late. Fielder had assured him that no one would be put in harm’s way, but Donald had grown skeptical, especially after Fielder halted Donald’s trips to Santo Domingo. He was sure Fielder had even more to hide than he let on. Donald couldn’t wait until he crossed the Delaware Memorial Bridge on Monday afternoon. He would be on his way to a new location. A new life. He wondered what had taken him so long.
Cayman Islands
Annie and Myra were packed and rip-roaring-ready to get to Miami and finish off this nasty business of Malcolm Fielder. They sat on the terrace and enjoyed a last cup of tea before they boarded Annie’s jet to Florida. Before they checked out, Myra phoned the front desk and made another reservation for the end of the week. “I’ll be back on Wednesday,” she said to the desk agent.
“I am so very happy you and Charles are going to spend some quality time together. It’s not like you don’t spend quality time together, but here, in such a tranquil, peaceful place . . . it will refresh your souls,” said Annie.
“You’re right about that. All of us have been in high gear with one mission after another. It’s time Charles and I pampered ourselves.” Myra giggled. “And each other.”
Annie cackled. “Glad I won’t be around for all the moaning and groaning.”
“Don’t be fresh.” Myra giggled again. “Young lovers on the beach. Well, young in heart and in spirit.”
“If I had a glass of champagne, I’d drink to that!” Annie smiled. The phone in the suite rang. It was the concierge telling them the car was waiting and he would send up a bellman to get Annie’s bags. Myra was leaving hers with the bell captain. No sense in lugging luggage. She wondered if that was where the word came from.
“Okay, my friend. Off to spank Mr. Fielder and slap Mr. Walsh,” said Annie.
“From what you told me, your plan is to do much worse.”
“Of course. I was downplaying.”
The flight to Miami took an hour and a half. While aboard the jet, Annie checked in with Fergus via phone.
“How are things coming along?” she asked.
“Splendid. Sasha planted the GPS on Walsh’s car so we’ll be able to track his moves as soon as he leaves. Your appointment at the dealership is at eleven, the same time Fielder is due there to sign the paperwork. When he arrives the dealership will tell him they were informed by the bank that his account has been frozen by the IRS. His check is rubbish. While he is on hold with his bank, he will get a phone call from his office saying the contractor at Riverwood Elementary wants to know why there is a trailer of rotting cabbage at the job site.”
Annie could not help but howl in delight.
“Ten minutes afterward he will get another hysterical phone call from the New York office saying the U.S. Marshals service is confiscating all of their computers.” Fergus paused to take in some air. “Approximately five minutes later he will receive a similar phone call from the REBAR plant in Santo Domingo. That phone call will be interrupted by the condominium association in South Beach informing him the U.S. Marshals have installed a padlock on his condo. If everything runs according to plan, his world will unravel within the timeframe of twenty minutes.”
“And that’s when I step in to save the day,” Annie hooted.
“You’ll invite him for a drink and offer to fly him to New York.”
Annie jumped in. “Where I will slip something in his drink to make him go nighty-night. Once we arrive in Nashville, Kathryn will meet us at the airport and we will shuttle Mr. Fielder to the motel where she will locate Mr. Walsh.”
