Desperado

Desperado, why don't you come to your senses?
Come down from your fences, open the gate
It may be rainin', but there's a rainbow above you
You better let somebody love you (let somebody love you)
You better let somebody love you before it's too late

 

“Wait a minute, take a deep breath,” Charlie pushed a hand through his hair. It was five o’clock in the morning, and while he was an early riser, he’d been working flat out since opening his own firm. It shouldn’t have been a surprise to Mitsy that she woke him up with the phone call, but she was clearly agitated, or perhaps excited. It was hard to tell.

“You need a lawyer right now?” He spoke again. “Do you know what time it is?”

“Right now, Charlie. Please. I wouldn’t ask if it weren’t important, and you’re the only lawyer that I trust outside of Control and Venture. You know I can’t call any of them.”

“Why do you need a lawyer?”

“Mike King promoted me to acting President and CEO of the Kingston Corporation. I’m on trial for ninety days to see if I can save Kingston from bankruptcy and if I’m going to do it then I need to start now, today, this morning.”

The words finally registered. “Listen Mitsy, just stop by my office around six-thirty. I’ll meet you there then, but you better have coffee and doughnuts with you.”

“I can do that,” she agreed.

“Mitsy—let me be clear—I mean large cups of coffee, trenta size, with mocha.”

“No problem ---”

“And the chocolate doughnuts from the Donut Pub.”

“But that’s all the way down by The Village,” she protested. “It will take me over an hour to make that trip and then meet you at your office.”

“That’s right. If you want my help, then bring the doughnuts.”

He hung up and sighed. If she brings the damn doughnuts, I’m going to propose to her. Sooner, not later.

 

 

“It’s not like you to want to meet this early,” Margaret Gaitley slid into the booth across from her only child. “You’ve never been much of a morning person.”

“People change,” he replied. “But yeah, I’m still more of a night owl. “

“Like your father,” she said without emotion.

“Like Dad,” he agreed. “Mother...” he drummed his fingers along the edge of the table, doing nothing to hide his nervousness from her. “There’s something you need to know. “

“Are you getting married?” she asked.

“No, nothing like that.” He stopped drumming and gripped the edge of the table, leaning forward. “I promoted Mitsy Thornhill to President and CEO of Kingston. Later this morning she’s going to fire both Tim and Tinsley from their positions. I thought you should know before it happened.”

Margaret leaned back, clearly taken aback by the news. “What brought this on? You’ve never cared about the business before.”

“Mitsy said that if we don’t do something now there won’t be a business to care about.”

Margaret nodded slowly, her eyes not meeting his. Instead, she gazed around the small cafe, seeming to focus on the waitresses and kitchen staff. The silence stretched out until she finally spoke. “It would be a good idea if you were to fire me as well.”

“Mother—” He stopped as she held up a hand, her eyes finally meeting his with a look he hadn’t seen in many years. His mother used that look on rare occasions, and he could count on his fingers the few times in his life it was summoned. But when it was, he knew, she was going to get her way.

“Mike, you need to let me go as well. In fact, you should fire me. Call it for cause -- insubordination or some such reason. It’s the only way you can turn Kingston around and it’s the only way for me to get Tim and Tinsley out of my life, once and for all.”

“Mother ...” He hesitated, not expecting this response. He’d been prepared for tears, anger or almost any kind of scene, but not this—calm acceptance and agreement. “Why?”

As she contemplated his question, one of her hands played aimlessly with the napkin-wrapped flatware, rotating it aimlessly in front of her. Finally, she raised her eyes and met his stare. “It was my fault,” she said in a matter-of-fact tone. “The situation with your dad and Elizabeth Patterson was entirely my fault. I knew it wasn’t what it looked like, and I let you believe ...” Her voice caught. It took a few moments for her to regain her composure and continue her story.

“Tim and I had been having an affair for almost a year when you and Eliza announced your engagement.” She saw the look on his face and stopped, cocking her head to the left as she studied him. “You’re not surprised.”

He shook his head. “I’ve known since right after Dad died. Tim told me. He thought I should know he planned to run Kingston, he asked me to stay out of the way.”

“You know? You've known all this time?”

He nodded.

She straightened in the booth and placed both hands on the table. “I’m sorry, Mike.” Her tone was apologetic. “I was wrong, on so many fronts. Don’t ask me why I cheated on your father, because even after all this time I still don’t know why. It was the stupidest thing I've ever done in my entire life. If your Dad had been cheating, that would’ve been my out, my excuse for leaving. Then he died, and ....”

“You let me believe that you’d seen them,” he said. “Eliza tried to explain, but you ...”

“I know,” she interrupted. “I let you think that they were together because I wanted out of my life with your father. I never stopped to think how much it would hurt you. How much, in the end, it would hurt me.”

He leaned back and stared at his mother. “Do you want to explain how it hurt you? Because I’m having a really hard time seeing you as the injured party.”

She blinked and lowered her eyes. “Tim knew it was a lie, and he used it against me. He’s still using it against me for his job, for our marriage, for everything in my life. He let me think you didn't know about us. He seemed to think your Dad had some kind of technology and he wanted it for some reason. But it wasn’t in any of Mickey’s papers. We couldn’t find a trace of it, trust me we’ve looked for a long time. He was wrong, but by that time ...”

There was no point in finishing. He knew what had happened to the papers. He had found them first, and he and Jim had used his Dad’s notes to help solve their security dilemma. But now Kingston was spiraling into financial disaster. His own mother had just verified everything Eliza had told him. By checking out of his family and his life, he’d brought his Dad’s company to the brink of a financial disaster. Not to mention, the government would probably take control of his software. He sighed.

“Mom,” he said carefully. “We have to stop this; we can’t keep lying to each other. Its cost us both far more than it should. If you want to resign then I’ll accept your resignation. Mitsy Thornhill swears she can save Kingston. If she turns it around, I’m going to sell it to Maggie and Richard, and let the two companies merge back into one. We may need you to make that happen.”

Margaret sniffed and squared her shoulders. “At this point, son, it’s going to be whatever you want. Anything you want. But one thing you can be sure of -- somewhere in all that is going on, I’m going to include filing for divorce from Tim Gaitley.”

He gave a faint nod. Maybe there was hope for them to restore some kind of relationship. “At this point, Mom, I can promise you that would not be a deal breaker.”

 

 

“Coffee,” Honey mumbled in her less than normal state of alertness. “Please say you have coffee.”

Trixie handed her the large Café Mocha cappuccino that she’d purchased on her way to the office. “I thought you were a tea girl.”

“I will be after this is gone, but tea isn’t going to cut it this early.”

Trixie nodded in understanding. “Do you have it?”

Honey handed her the PDA she’d swiped from Ben’s desk. Trixie recognized it instantly. It was the same model that she and her team were using, the latest technology from the Bureau. How in the world did Ben Riker get a government-issue hand-held smart device?

There would be a risk in turning it on. Just like most devices that relied on the technology, it could be tracked if turned on, just by pinging cell towers or satellites. In minutes, whoever had given it to him would be able to detect the location of the unit within just a few feet. Where could they open it safely?

She glanced at the clock, surprised that Honey was actually early. It was no wonder Barnes and Freeman had yet to arrive at the office. “We’re going to have to be careful with this,” she told Honey. “You were right. It’s just like my unit, a government-only model. I’m surprised Ben hasn’t missed it.”

Honey shook her head. “If he has, he’ll eventually figure out that it went missing after I was in his office, but honestly Trixie, it wasn’t secured at all. He just buried it under some folders on his desk. If it was really important to him, why didn’t he have it on him?”

That same question bothered Trixie. If someone inside the Bureau was using Ben, they’d want access to him all the time. Maybe she and Honey could find a local bar or hotel far enough from Ben’s residence that it would be worth the risk to turn the unit on.

“What are you going to do?” Honey asked.

“Figure out a place where we can turn this on that won’t be suspicious.”

“What about the lobby of Ben’s apartment?” Honey suggested. “Or we could go to the lobby of his office at Connors, Ford and Newman. Neither of those locations would arouse suspicion.”

Trixie frowned. Honey’s suggestion made perfect sense, but… “There’s a chance he could walk in on us.”

“Not at this time of the morning,” Honey challenged. “Face it Trixie, at this time of the morning, only the most eager associates will be showing up for work. The partners won’t be there before eight at the earliest and most likely nine. That gives us two good hours. Besides, they don’t take up the entire building. Who else is in that building with them?”

Trixie stopped. The outside office door to Charlie's side of the suite was opening. She held up a hand and smiled as he walked in the room. “I don’t know,” she admitted to Honey. “But this guy will know exactly who the other tenants are in the building.”

Charlie was surprised to see the two of them. “Good morning, Beatrix,” he said.

Trixie waved a hand at Honey. “Have you met my partner, Madeleine Wheeler?”

Charlie nodded and extended a hand. “Yes, more than once as I recall. How are you doing?”

“I’ll be better as soon as I can start my caffeine IV,” Honey quipped. “Mornings are not my strong suit.”

“The good news is there should be donuts here soon,” he replied. “I can’t promise enough coffee to go around, but if I know Mitsy, there’ll be plenty of donuts.”

It was if she was answering a cue, that Mitsy pushed the door, juggling a molded cardboard beverage tray with two huge cups of coffee and a box of donuts.

“Donut Pub donuts,” Honey breathed. “You didn’t say Donut Pub.”

Mitsy gave her a confused smile. “I’m sorry; I would’ve brought more coffee if I’d known you would be here.”

Trixie shook her head. “More is coming and one of these days I swear we’re going to get our own coffee maker.”

“No kidding!” Charlie nodded. “It can’t be that hard. I’ll ask Ellie to look into it.”

Trixie nodded. “Do you have time for a quick question?”

Charlie glanced at Mitsy, who seemed to give him the go ahead. “Sure, what is it?”

“We need to know who else is in the building with your old firm and how likely is it we could get into one of the offices there without anyone from your firm noticing our presence.”

“CF&N are only on the top five floors,” he replied. “They own the building though, and rent to the rest of the firms. How much room do you need?”

“Just enough for the two of us to stand there and pretend to be on the phone,” Trixie replied. “Seriously, we just need to be in an area where it wouldn’t be suspicious for anyone working at the firm to see us hanging out.”

“The lobby is a pretty good size, and there are plenty of places to sit and wait. No one will give you two a second look. Everyone comes through the lobby to access the elevators to the top floors. You’ll be golden” He paused and looked back and forth between the two of them. “I almost hate to ask, but is this anything you’re going to need a lawyer for later?”

“Nothing like that,” Trixie assured him and jerked a thumb toward Honey. “Besides, I'm taking my lawyer with me.”

“The lobby will work perfectly, I doubt the security guard will even question you since you look like professionals, and the lobby is generally open and unmonitored to a certain extent. But if someone asks, just give them Andrea Newman’s name. She took over most of my accounts.”

“Got it!” Trixie grinned. “Thanks. Now about those donuts ...”

“They’re all chocolate,” Mitsy offered as she held out the box. “There’s plenty.”

“Chocolate,” Honey sighed. “Perfectly perfect!”

 

 

“Hell, Jim I don't know what you need at this point,” Matthew Wheeler pushed a hand through his hair. He'd hoped by coming to Sleepyside he could avoid problems until the evening of the fundraiser. Despite Grace's assurances that everything would work out, Honey's behavior at the board meeting had rattled him. He wasn't sure if he needed to have a talk with Brian Belden or keep out of it. For now, at great inner turmoil, he was staying out of it. “You need a lawyer with experience dealing with the federal government, and the only lawyer I know with that kind of experience is --”

“Uncle Steven.”

Matthew grimaced and nodded. It was no secret he had never bonded with his brother-in-law. “Yeah, good old Steve. I guess I could call him for a recommendation, but to tell you the truth, that's the last thing in the world I want to do right now. Hell, he's just the type to turn you into the feds himself.”

“Yeah, I always thought it was me until Honey told me she thought he was a jerk. Do you know she calls him --”

“Uncle Sir,” he snorted. “Yeah, I know. Hell, she probably overheard me call him that, the pompous ass.” He pitched his voice to cultured, highbrow tones. “It's Steven, not Steve. Steven Isaiah Riker the third. But please call me Steven.” He shook his head. “Never did like him, but then I guess you're not supposed to like your brother-in-law.”

“I like my potential brother-in-law,” Jim pointed out. “Although right now, I'm not so sure I shouldn't be doing something about that situation as well.”

Matthew nodded as he continued to keep an eye on Jupiter. “Your mother says we're to stay out of it. She talked to Honey and I have my orders.”

“Yeah, Honey pretty much told me the same thing,” he admitted. “Still ...”

After a momentary silence, Matthew started back. “Look, Sir is a world-class jerk. I don't like him and I sure don't like how he handled Ben. Although some people might say we were just as bad with Honey for a while. But enough, we agree we're not calling him.” He paused as Regan led the horse out for him to ride. Few words were exchanged as he ran his hands over the horse's neck and tugged the girth on Jupiter's saddle just to check for himself that it was right. As it always was, everything was just the way he liked it. He turned back to Jim and their discussion.

“Let me call George, make some calls. I'd rather try some other avenues.” He turned and placed his hand on his hips. “You going riding with me or staying here?”

Jim grinned. Despite the two dozen or more last minute calls he needed to make, no way was he retreating to Manor House to start making them. Not when a beautiful spring morning beckoned and he had the chance for a rare ride with his father.

“Are you kidding? I’m going riding. Just give me a minute to grab my boots.”

 

 

“She wants us to find pictures of Ben Riker,” Sean frowned as he read the text message from his boss. He looked up at Amy. “She suspects Ben Riker now?”

Amy shook her head as she pulled the keyboard toward her. “Nope, but she suspects Ben doesn’t know what he knows.”

“What in the hell does that mean?” he asked.

“By all accounts, Ben Riker is playing a dangerous game. He wasn’t her contact, he has a government issued PDA in his possession, and he thinks he’s in the middle of some great big prank. He doesn’t know he’s a patsy for a plot, a terrorist plot. Don’t you see?” Amy’s fingers flew across the keyboard and she peered at the results of her query. “Crap! There are over a thousand photos just this year. Walt can be overzealous.”

“Nope, remember it’s part of his job to escort women to social functions,” Sean reminded her. “Eliminate the ones where he’s alone.”

“That’s almost none of them,” she muttered. “He only cares about who Ben Riker is with, not Ben on his own.”

“He’s the son of the former Assistant Attorney General,” Sean reminded her. “Isn’t that enough for him to be fodder for gossip rags?”

She shook her head for the second time that morning. “Nope. Assistant makes it meaningless. Maybe if Steven Riker had been the Attorney General it would make a difference.”

Sean rolled his eyes. “Second place is first loser yet again,” he muttered. “Women!”

She shot him a fulminating glare. “It’s not women; it’s just how people are. You’ve seen The Squawker, how they treated the boss, the gossip rags. In fact—” She stopped suddenly and reached for the phone.

“What? Who are you calling?”

She punched the numbers furiously. “Who does the boss call when she wants gossip and she wants it fast?”

“I don’t know, her sister-in-law, Diana Belden?” He racked his brain and gave a haphazard guess.

“David Steward,” she finished for him. “The florist.”

“What are you going to ask him?”

“Who Ben Riker has been seen with the most in the last few months,” she replied. “But any gossip about Riker will do.”

 

 

Trixie surveyed the quiet lobby. It was still much too early by most standards for the city to be bustling with workers. The traffic was steady, but Charlie had been right, not a soul gave them so much as a second look. It was time, and she pushed the button to power up the device.

Honey stepped closer, staring at the screen. It wasn't your typical smart device, that much was certain. “Does it make sense to you?” she asked Trixie.

Trixie nodded. “It's just like mine, or like mine was. We need Ben's thumb.”

Honey gave a nervous giggle. “Just his thumb, or all of him?”

Trixie sighed. “We're not going to cut off his thumb, if that's what you're asking. However tempting that might be at this point.”

“Isn't there any way you can hack into it?”

“Yeah, but not quickly. What time is it?”

“It's barely seven,” Honey replied. “How much time do you need?”

“Guess we're going to find out.” Trixie started pushing buttons. It had been too long since she'd done any real work, and she found herself wishing Amy or Sean were there with them. It would go much quicker if ---”

She stopped and almost dropped the phone. The device let her in on the first try. Her blood ran cold. “Honey?” she whispered. “I'm in.”

“Already? Wow, that was quick.”

“His password is ridiculous,” she mumbled. “This can't be on the government network, they'd never allow him to have a password that simple.”

“What do we do next?” she asked.

Trixie's fingers flew. Familiarity with the unit allowed her to check the various pieces and parts as a matter of routine. There was email, text, apps, even a calendar. That's when she stopped and looked up at Honey.

“We need to leave,” she said quietly. “Act normal, but let's get out of here.”

Following instructions to the letter, Honey turned and picked up her slim attaché and threw her handbag over her shoulder. “Coffee?” she suggested.

Trixie nodded and shut down the unit while pretending she was simply finished with her task. She walked normally towards the doors. “Ben's not working today,” she said. “According to his calendar he has the day off.”

“Great,” Honey muttered. “That's just great. Now what?”

 

 

“What in the hell is going on?” Tim Gaitley demanded. “Why are all the phones out of order, the network is down, nothing is working?”

Tinsley stood to one side, looking completely bored with the situation. It had been bad enough that Mike had called and demanded that she attend a mandatory company meeting that morning at nine. Now that she'd arrived it appeared to be more than a typical company meeting.

“Effective immediately, Kingston is restructuring its business operations,” Mitsy said, drawing on her most professional demeanor. Inside she was shaking, but she'd learned from the best. Outwardly, she displayed not a single sign of the nerves she was feeling. She'd had to let people go before, but never like this. Never had she been the one in the chair, doing the explaining, the talking. “As a result, both your positions have been eliminated. We have some papers to review with you, and once we've processed the necessary paperwork you'll be escorted from the premises by security. All company property, and files are to be untouched.”

“You can't fire me!” Tim roared. “Where's Margaret? Where's Mike?”

“Mike is meeting with Margaret right now,” Mitsy replied. “He is handling her termination.”

“Oh, that's rich. Are you saying he's firing his own mother?” Tinsley asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Ms. Thornhill is here to terminate your employment,” Charlie interjected. “She has a package of information for you explaining your rights for unemployment, portability of benefits, and other details. Since Kingston has no severance policy --”

“What do you mean no severance policy?” Tim demanded. “I have a contract! A package!”

“No, you don't,” Charlie informed him. He'd already decided he didn't like the man, and realized he must have some hold over Margaret King. There was no way a woman that smart couldn't see through a jerk like that. “You drafted such a policy, but your position here did not give you that authority without the concurrence of the majority of the board. Mike King holds the majority of the voting shares, so if you can show me his concurrence ...” He gave him a pointed look. The other man glared back, but was silent, and Charlie continued. “Exactly as I suspected. We have security here to watch you pack your office,”

“I don't have anything in my office,” Tinsley said, standing up. “May I leave?”

“Certainly.” Mitsy nodded at the security guard, who motioned for the young woman to accompany him.

“Mr. Gaitley, do you wish to pack up your office?” she asked.

“Damn straight I do. I demand to talk to Mike and Margaret. She's my wife and he's my stepson, and you can't keep me from talking to them.”

“No, I can't,” Mitsy agreed, standing up. “But I can keep you from talking to them here at our offices. Your request is denied. Now our security guard will accompany you to your office or you can leave and we'll pack your belongings.”

“You're not touching my stuff,” he snarled and made a move toward her.

The second guard swiftly stepped in front of him. “Come with me, Mr. Gaitley. We have boxes available.”

Giving him a swift shove, Tim started to lunge for Mitsy, but Charlie had expected that very move. After a satisfactory punch to his gut and some heave-handed shoving, Tim Gaitley was physically removed from the building, leaving a shaking Mitsy behind. She was still rattled when Charlie returned. He pulled her into his arms, rubbing her back. “Are you okay?”

“Yes,” she replied with a nod. “I knew he wouldn't take it well, but I didn't expect that.”

“Yeah,” Charlie looked towards the door with a frown. “That was more than an overreaction. Say what you want, but there could be more amiss here than you think, Mitsy. You're going to need to arrange security for the next few days.”

“Kingston can't afford ...” she started to protest.

“Then you're staying with me, and I'll bring you back and forth to work,” he said staunchly. “But no way are you going anywhere alone until I'm satisfied that this character is taken care of.”

 

 

“Who do you trust more than anyone?” Trixie asked as she stirred her coffee.

“You,” Honey replied instantly. She took a sip of her tea and leaned back. “And Miss Trask.”

Trixie gave her a puzzled look. “Not Brian?”

Honey looked down. “Not yet,” she said softly. “Not with my secrets. That's pretty much my problem, Trix. I do trust Brian, but I won't tell him everything.” She looked up, her eyes meeting and holding Trixie's gaze. “I never told him what happened with me and Jed,” she whispered. “I just couldn't do it.”

Trixie stopped stirring the coffee and stared. “Seriously?”

Honey nodded.

“For goodness sake, Honey, why on earth not? I mean, it's not like you did anything wrong or illegal or --”

“It feels like I did,” she whispered. “It feels like it was my fault.”

Trixie reached across the tiny table and grabbed her friend's hand. “Is this what's wrong?”

“Mostly,” she sniffed as she wasn't quite able to stop the welling of tears. “But I didn't tell you all of it, no one knows all of it except Miss Trask.”

“I see,” Trixie said slowly. She gave the slender hand another squeeze. “Do you want to tell me now? I mean, to listen and not judge or give advice or anything.”

“No, I most definitely do not!” Honey straightened in her seat and pulled back her hand. “I want to figure out what is up with Ben.”

“Honey, don’t use me and this case to hide from talking to Brian. Both of you, Jim and Dan too, all of you make great listeners. But you don’t always talk when you should. Especially you and Brian. In fact, based on what I saw back in January, I’m going to guess the two of you never even talked about living together. I’d bet a week’s paycheck that it just gradually happened over time and you finally told him it was silly to keep paying rent.”

Honey gave a small smile as she dabbed her watery eyes with a napkin. “You know me too well. I promise, I want to help you and I’m not hiding from Brian. We did talk last night and … well, I am quitting my job and moving to Chicago to defend Jed against his murder charge.” She paused, not at all surprised that Trixie said nothing. She had a feeling her best friend had figured it out. “Me, my stuff, my problems —” she gave an airy wave of her hand. “They're nothing compared to what you're dealing with. Let's take care of this case. After all …” She glanced at her watch. “Don't you have a final dress fitting at one today?”

Trixie grimaced. “Yes and tomorrow we are completely booked -- hair, nails, spa -- the works. I’m going to let the Jed thing go for now, but only until this situation is wrapped up. After all, it looks like we've got less than four hours to figure out what we're going to do before Jim’s fundraiser is the number one priority for both of us.”

“Piece of cake,” Honey smiled. “Why don't we go to Ben's apartment? Let's just ask him directly what he's up to. Give him his phone thingie back.”

“Phone thingie?” Trixie grinned. “You couldn't possibly be referring to this Broadband Long-range Internet Secure System, also known as a BLISS unit, could you?”

“Yes, that!” Honey smiled. “Why not?”

“Why not, indeed!”