The Dance

And now I'm glad I didn't know
The way it all would end
The way it all would go
Our lives are better left to chance
I could have missed the pain
But I'd have had to miss the dance

 

The volatile spring-like weather in New York City mirrored the emotions of the Bobwhites, their families, and their friends. On the beautiful, chamber of commerce day of the fundraiser, everything had seemed almost postcard perfect. By the following morning, severe thunderstorms lashed the city as they waited to make sure their brother, their cousin, and their colleagues would be okay. During the next the three days, dismal gray skies and cold drizzle matched the mood of those who mourned a loss.

It was a good day if you made it through it without breaking down into tears. It was an okay day if made it without blaming yourself and questioning what you could have done differently. And it was a day to stay in bed with the covers over your head when you felt you couldn’t face another look from a loved one who was distraught with grief and loss.

Mart was the one who suggested they wait until after the funerals for everyone to tell their part of the events that happened the night of the fundraiser. Harold Langham’s memorial service had been hard. Although his recovery had seemed certain, his heart proved to be too weakened. He had been able to name his shooter before he died, clearing Elizabeth Patterson, but it hadn’t mattered in the end. Beth provided Trixie with a copy of the video from Harold’s yacht that proved Jared Somer had fired the shots.

It would be wrong to say that Kitty Buchanan wasn’t mourned. Her uncle was in broken with grief, in complete and total denial about her involvement with a terrorist organization. Despite her abrasive personality, there were others who had a hard time accepting her death. Many influential people pressured the mayor to order the arrest of Beatrix Alicia Belden and charge her with something. But the facts remained the facts. There were witnesses to the shooting as well as video that proved Trixie’s innocence.

As for Trixie, it was her first time to take a human life. All of her emotions were in turmoil; no matter that she had killed Kitty Buchanan in self-defense, the black dog of depression was already a familiar accompaniment to her days and nights. The perfidy of her boss, a man she had trusted and respected, was almost as bad.

But the worst, the hardest, the most difficult for Trixie to handle were the ramifications for Benjamin Thomas Riker. His injuries had been grave, and if Brian had broken the door down only minutes later there would have been another funeral service to attend. Ben’s recovery would be long and tedious. The fact that he took the blame squarely upon himself seemed to hurt Trixie more than it helped her to cope.

“You tried to tell me, Belden. Get over it. It’s my fault,” he told her from his hospital bed.

“I should have warned you not to be alone with her,” Trixie said as she fluffed a pillow and placed it behind his head. She was no nurse, but the guilt she felt made it hard for her to leave Ben’s room. “When are the doctor’s going to spring you from this joint?”

“Not until after,” he said. He didn’t have to explain what “after” meant. After Kitty’s funeral, after he’d been fired, after he was given a court date for charges of espionage and treason – charges Ben’s own father pressured the attorney general to bring. She tried and failed to imagine her father turning his back upon her that way.

“Where are you going to go? Honey said you were going to need some rehab and –”

“Stop it, Belden. We’ve worked it out. Me and Honey.” Trixie turned and looked at Ben’s cousin in surprise.

“Worked what out?” she asked them both.

“Ben’s going to do his rehab in Chicago,” Honey said. “Brian knows a colorectal doctor there who specializes in situations like Ben’s. He has a lot of experience working with veterans and the best success rate in the country for colostomy reversals.”

“Miss Trask agreed to come and help us both out until I learn how to take care of myself,” Ben added. “Apparently she has some experience with this, helping her sister.”

“That’s right,” Honey agreed. “After Ben and I get the little matter of Jed’s murder taken care of, then I’ll be back to New York. Maybe by the end of the year, if we’re lucky.”

“We don’t have to be lucky,” Ben reminded her. “We just have to be good.”

“What will you do after that?” Trixie asked Ben. Everyone seemed to be moving forward, but she wondered if it would be that easy for Ben. It wouldn’t be that easy for her, either.

“All I can tell you is that I’m not coming back to New York,” Ben said. “Let me figure it out, Trixie. I promise, I’ll do my best to be okay, not matter what happens down the road.”

It would have to be enough for all of them for now.

 

 

After didn’t seem to help. There was simply too much pain, too much blame, too much devastation. It extended beyond loss of life, into betrayal and for once the band of Bobwhites could not handle all the emotions. It extended beyond their inner circle into other friends and acquaintances.

“Let’s just get back to our lives and deal as best we can,” Mart suggested. “Honey has some place to be, Brian needs to go back to Boston. Trixie needs some time off. As for me, I don’t blame anyone for anything. But let’s all meet in six months and see how things are.”

No one had a better suggestion, and despite the unanswered questions, the grief and sense of failure, it was the best they could do.

Now it was almost Halloween. Jim was the one to propose a Bobwhite meeting on All Souls Day, the first of November. Hopefully, he told Trixie, they could review what had happened and move forward.

The beloved Bobwhite clubhouse was hosting its first meeting in over a year. The former gatehouse was crowded with Bobwhites and honorary Bobwhites who had been invited; seating was barely adequate. As people arrived there were the requisite tears, but after they caught up on what had transpired since they last saw each other they managed to settle into a certain zone of comfort.

Charlie Prescott tackled the elephant in the room.

“If you want me to shut up and go away, just say so,” he said. “But since half the people in this room could be considered my clients in some form or fashion I feel like I can ask. Who knows the whole story?”

Trixie remained silent, but she gave Jim a look that she hoped he’d be able to interpret as permission to speak. Her fiancé cleared his throat and started.

“I think it’s easy enough, really,” he offered. “Mike and I had a grad school project to develop software for an education facility. What we didn’t realize, or at least I didn’t realize how serious it was at the time, was the need for an impenetrable security system. It never crossed my mind that enemies of the state would be interested in our software. Of course they weren’t, they just wanted the security code.” He waved a hand toward Mike King who sat in the corner with his wife, the former Beth Patterson.

“Dad left me his journal,” Mike offered. “It was his special hobby. The terrorist group wasn’t sure who had the ability to solve the mathematical paradigm of n equals np, but narrowed it down to three groups – my father and mother, Reid Beckhart’s technical team, or Maggie and Richard Hoffman’s company.”

Beth Patterson-King picked up the story. “Of course we didn’t know it at the time, but IRMA was blackmailing Allison Beckhart to force her to find the code and share it with them. She used her friends and acquaintances to set up a trap, a “honey pot” is what the spies call it. Where men or women use sex to trap their targets and get what they want. Unfortunately, it backfired on them. The one person who actually was closest to solving the equation, was so upset by the trap, he had a heart attack.” She looked at Mike and gave his hand a squeeze. “Fortunately, we were able to work through it and after we explained that part of things to Mike’s cousin, Maggie, she and her husband were able to reconcile.”

“Not to mention, we’ve agreed to a settlement to recombine the family companies,” Mike added. “Kingston and FireKing will be one company again in a few months.”

Mitsy protested vehemently. “Mike! I’ve told you and told you, you don’t talk about pending acquisitions. It’s business 101.”

Mike grinned. He’d shared with Trixie and Jim that Mitsy Thornhill had been the best thing to happen to Kingston since his father died. “I understand, but right now it’s just us and everyone here knows that’s what said in the clubhouse, stays in the clubhouse. Right?” As he glanced around the crowded room, Trixie saw that everyone was nodding in agreement.

“So you inherited your Dad’s work and finally figured it out.” Charlie seemed anxious that the assembled group understand the full picture. “But while you were doing that, Allison was being blackmailed and pressured to find the technology.”

“That’s right,” Trixie finally said. “Kitty Buchanan knew that Allison’s father had been one of the early financial backers of B3 Software. Matthew Wheeler and Dee Steward invested with him, but Grayson Rockefeller always insisted his identity be kept secret.”

“Yeah, if there was one weak spot with Reid, that would be it,” Charlie offered. “Reid and his father-in-law did not see eye-to-eye. In fact, they’ll never see eye-to-eye, but okay, why did Kitty kill Allison?”

“Because Allison couldn’t take it anymore,” Trixie explained. “My team was able to track down the intrusion at FireKing to B3. We’d just completed a security analysis of B3 and closed the security holes. The intrusion happened after we completed that job for Reid. That meant someone at the highest level of the company changed the security settings we'd put in place. Reid knew right away who did it, and he worked with Chris to hide it. They were able to obliterate any proof of Allison’s malfeasance.”

“Malfeasance?” Mart quirked an eyebrow. “Now who swallowed a dictionary?” he teased.

The group laughed and Trixie wrinkled her nose at her almost-twin brother before continuing. “Reid did confront Allison with the proof. They had a huge fight, and of course Allison called Kitty. That’s when Kitty knew that Allison not only knew too much, she was going to bring them all down. So she killed her.” Trixie shook her head, remembering the day in the coffee shop when Kitty had sobbed like her heart was broken over Allison’s death. “After that it was just a matter of finding proof of who did what to whom.”

“And that’s where I come in,” Beth said. “I was working with the CIB, I had been since before I met Mike. He had no idea, of course—that was the point of being undercover—but I had figured out enough to know that I needed to go to Paris. That’s where I broke the code on Jared Somer and realized that Tinsley Gaitley and Tiffany Eaton were getting payoffs—I just didn’t know for what. However, Jared was the one that let it slip that he admired what I had done at Kingston. One thing led to another and I found myself engaged to him in order to infiltrate IRMA. In fact, I was the one who helped him steal from Langham Industries by using the computer on Harold’s yacht.”

Trixie nodded. “Sean figured that out, he just couldn’t figure out where you were doing it until Harold told Honey.”

Beth nodded. “Harold was the second innocent victim. When Jared arrived in New York at the same time as Allison’s funeral, I realized he was there to clean up the other loose end —Harold’s money. I saw him outside the cathedral that day and went to get Harold’s computer off the yacht, but I was too late. Jared was there with Harold and shot him. It was a real dilemma,” she admitted. “I needed to maintain my cover, but Harold was bleeding. Fortunately for me, Harold had a gun and used it. It was enough to scare Jared and he ran. I was able to call 9-1-1. I just wish it had all ended differently.”

If any man in the room felt indifferent about the demise of Harold Langham, they kept their private thoughts to themselves.

“Harold woke up long enough to let the police know that Jared shot him,” Dan reminded her. “You could have maintained your cover.”

Beth shook her head and smiled. “Harold was good man despite his uh, proclivity to a wandering eye.” She squeezed her husband's hand. “But after all of this, I realized some things are more important. That's really why I resigned from the CIB. Besides, for now I'm enjoying being a full-time wife …” she paused for a moment and blushed before adding. “And in a few months, a full-time mother.”

After the outburst of congratulations, Charlie prodded the story along again. “Okay, so was Tim Gaitley just a boob in all this?”

Mike rolled his eyes and let Trixie answer. “Yes, he was. He married Mike’s mother for the software, before he realized she didn't have it. The real damage was being done by blackmail. Tim and Tinsley threatened Mrs. Gaitley from the beginning, even before her husband died. She's cooperated with the investigation.”

“So, I’m not sure why he’s not here – but how did Riker fit into all this?” Charlie asked.

“Ben was a convenient cover for me,” Beth replied. Trixie shot her a grateful look, and an almost imperceptible smile gave her all the answer she needed. Elizabeth Ann Patterson had changed from a bitter enemy in February to a reliable and trustworthy friend in November. “Ben was expected to show up at charity events for the firm, just like you were, Charlie. Only, he didn't ask questions if I ditched him for an hour, he never came looking for me. He made it easy for me to sneak around and be nosy, but what I didn’t realize was that Kitty Buchanan was doing the same thing, for different reasons. I used him, or had Daddy use him, whenever I wanted to snoop at Connors, Ford, and Newman. Apparently Kitty was doing the same thing. But what none of us knew, at least not until Trixie figured it out, was that Ben was also being used by Chief Walker.”

Trixie nodded. “I had no idea when Ben gave me the secret code that he wasn't working undercover for CIB. A few things seemed off, but he had the code. Fortunately, Chief Walker gave himself away later by telling me that Ben wasn't my operative. He’d forgotten I gave him Ben’s name earlier.” She rolled her eyes and shook her head.

“Walker couldn’t explain how Ben got the code. He planned to blame me or Trixie,” Beth added.

“But that didn't make any sense to me.” Trixie picked up the story. “First of all, one of the things we all love about Ben is his ability to plan and carry out his pranks. He’s the master. But not even Ben is going to prank me over working for the CIB for three months. Second, Ben’s not a snoop. Not like me, anyway. If he’d used Beth’s phone he would’ve returned it without ever looking at anything. He’s a gentleman. Finally, Beth’s a good agent. She did what we all do. Read the code, and deleted it. To me, that meant Walker’s story didn’t work.” She paused and took a deep breath before shooting an apologetic look at Beth. “Once I worked through that Beth wasn’t a double-agent I realized there was only person it could be. The same person who sent the real team tracking IRMA to California on a wild-goose chase after Jared Somer. That was Chief Walker.”

“How did you know Jared Somer wasn’t in California?” Sean wanted to know.

Trixie shrugged. “He’s dead.”

“How do you know?” Amy asked. “He’s still on the most wanted list.”

“He’ll probably stay there for the next twenty years,” Trixie answered. “I can’t prove he’s dead, but he is. I think when he left the boat that night after Harold got off a shot, he was hurt more than Beth realized. He just didn’t realize it at first because of the small caliber of Harold's gun.”

“Wouldn’t his body have been discovered?” Diana asked.

“Not if he went to see Kitty for help,” Trixie said. “She would make sure of that. Unfortunately, there’s no way we’ll be able to find that out. That’s why I maintain he’s dead.”

“Is anything going to happen to Tim and Tinsley?” Mitsy asked.

Trixie shrugged. “Mike’s mother has worked with the local law enforcement to file blackmail charges against them, but right now she’s told the feds everything she knows. It’s not much, but it's enough for them to cut her a deal. She can’t confirm Jared Somer’s whereabouts either.”

“Why did Kitty try to kill Ben?”

“I didn’t realize until it was too late, but at first Ben thought Kitty was working for the CIB. She thought he was a good resource for information because as Beth, and later Sean and Amy learned, Connors, Ford, and Newman were the attorneys for all of the businesses that were capable of having the technology they wanted. Once she found out he was one of the good guys and he was onto her about Allison’s death, she realized she’d have to burn him.”

“No you weren’t too late,” Beth corrected. “You were set up. And you figured it out in just enough time to keep her from getting me, and from getting you. It’s not your fault.”

Trixie said nothing. Beth was not the one who could give her that reassurance.

“So how exactly did Mart manage to get shot?” Mitsy asked.

Diana shuddered and picked up the story while Trixie contemplated the fallout of death and destruction, for which she still felt largely responsible despite a successful outcome of the case. After Diana finished with her side of what happened in the reading room of the Guggenheim, Sean and Amy the assembled group what went down in the cloakroom. Brian and Honey finished the story of that fateful evening with an account of finding the victims, and rest was known to all.

Honey had to speak twice before Trixie realized she was talking to her.

“It’s not your fault,” she repeated. “It’s mine. I overreacted, I should’ve never insisted that –”

“Honey. Stop.” Charlie held up a hand. “It’s not your fault any more than it’s Beatrix’s fault. First of all, nothing any of you did made Kitty realize Ben was on to her for Allison’s murder. She was a cold-blooded murdered and Ben knew it. Second, he was shot because he discovered Kitty was also an agent for IRMA. There was no way she was going to let him live to tell those particular facts. He knew what he was in for, and he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“How did you find out those things?” Honey asked.

Charlie looked embarrassed and Mitsy smiled and nodded at him to go ahead. “After a certain someone persuaded me to take on Mike King as a client, at least to the extent that there was no professional conflict of interest with FireKing, I needed some help. Apparently, Mike decided pretty quickly he needed a prenup.”

At this point both Beth and Mike giggled and exchanged smiles that were worthy of the smushiest romantic comedy ever filmed. “That's not true,” Mike protested. “Beth is the one who insisted on the prenup.”

“You silly man!” She lovingly punched his shoulder. “You know the only thing I wanted in that prenup is that you had to call me Beth!”

Charlie smiled. “Either way, it generated enough publicity that suddenly everyone was coming to me with legal work, and I needed help. So I went back to Connors, Ford, and Newman for some assistance. That's how I was able to figure out exactly what happened.”

As if realizing the discussion on Ben had put a damper on the entire meeting, he injected a trace of levity with his next remark. “But it really helped me much more than that,” he offered. “All of Mike and Beth's arguments over prenups helped me to convince Mitsy to marry me.”

“Wait!” Trixie leaned forward with a grin. “Are you telling us you're engaged?”

Mitsy nodded. “The announcement will be in the papers before the weekend. Mummy is beside herself.”

“Actually, both of our mothers are pretty jazzed about planning a wedding. So as soon as my beloved here decides on a date ...” He quirked a questioning brow at Mitsy.

She shook her head in response. “You'll know as soon as they find a venue they can agree on that will take a wedding of our size.”

“Yep, well … they better hurry or everyone will be coming to our wedding in Jamaica,” he informed her.

“Soon,” Mitsy nodded patting his head. “Very soon, my love.” She glanced over at Honey. “Are we the only ones still waiting to set a date?”

Brian and Honey exchanged looks. He lifted a questioning brow and she nodded.

“Honey and I have some news on that front as well,” he said quietly.

“You set a date!” Diana squealed clapping her hands together.

Brian shook his head. “Not exactly,” he said. “It's actually quite the opposite. Honey and I have decided –”

“Mutually decided,” she interrupted.

“Right,” he said. “We agreed – we’re not getting married.” He held up a hand. “We decided that we were engaged for all the wrong reasons and that we make much better friends than we do a couple.”

“Now wait just a minute ...” Jim stood up, a look of consternation on his face.

“Sit down, Jim,” Honey said quietly. “This is what we want. What we both want. Brian and I are still best friends, we’re just not ready to be husband and wife.”

“It had better not be friends with benefits,” Dan muttered shooting a dark look at Brian.

“Stop it!” Honey said more forcefully. “I don’t know what it takes to get through to all of you. This is what we want. We’re friends – good friends plus whatever kind of friends we decide we want to be – but we’re not getting married.”

“We’re not getting married either,” Trixie said, interrupting the babel of comments.

“What?”

“What did you say?”

“Wait just a minute, now …”

Jim squeezed her hand and smiled. He nodded his head, indicating she should speak.

“We’re already married. We got married this morning.”