Stuart Woods - Hothouse Orchid

Hurd told him.

Holly and Lauren Cade met for lunch at the Ocean Grill, as was becoming their habit.

“Hurd has requisitioned the equipment we need for the operation,” Lauren said. “Now would be a good time for you to call Jane Grey and get her cooperation.”

“When will you need Jimmy’s car?” Holly asked.

“If she can get it Friday night and return it Monday morning, that would be ideal.”

Holly produced her cell phone, looked up Jane’s direct line and called.

“Orchid Beach Police Department, Jane Grey.”

“Hi, Jane, it’s Holly.”

“How you doing, Holly?”

“Real well, but I need your help on something.”

“Anything I can do, sure.”

“First I have to tell you some things that have to remain with you and no one else.”

“Gotcha.”

“Jimmy Weathers has become a suspect in the rapes and murders.”

“It wasn’t Bruno?”

“Maybe. We’re not sure, but in order to find out, we’re going to have to place some equipment in Jimmy’s car, and we’ll need the weekend to do that.”

“I see,” Jane replied.

“Can you get him to use another car from Friday afternoon until Monday morning while his car is worked on?”

“I think I can manage that,” Jane said.

“Thank you, Jane. Would you call me back when that’s all set up?”

“I will. Anything else?”

“That’s all.”

“I’ll call you later.” Jane hung up.

“Jane is with us,” Holly said to Lauren. “I had to tell her those things, but she’s completely trustworthy.”

“That’s all right,” Lauren said.

“Anything else new in the case?”

“Well, I’ve had all sorts of thoughts about it.”

“What thoughts?”

“Whether Jimmy and Bruno were in it together, and if they were, did Jimmy kill Bruno.”

Holly thought about that. “I’m inclined to think that Bruno would want to work alone, but I certainly can’t discount your theory of their working together. I think it’s entirely possible, maybe even likely, that Jimmy killed Bruno, simply because the combination of drugs and alcohol found in Bruno’s system would have made it nearly impossible to wake him up. Anybody could have stuck a gun in his mouth and written a suicide note.”

“That’s what I think,” Lauren said, “but I think Jimmy’s only motive for doing that would be the involvement of both of them in the rapes and murders.”

“Jimmy would have Bruno’s job as a motive. Maybe when he went to wake Bruno, he couldn’t rouse him and took the opportunity to remove Bruno as an obstacle to his career.”

“That makes sense. Bruno was about to start interviewing for a deputy chief’s slot, and Jimmy had no assurance that he’d get the job.”

“When do you make the run at Jimmy?” Holly asked.

“Monday, if the work on the car goes okay,” Lauren replied.

“Like I said, I want to be in a chase car.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Lauren said.

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.”