David Baldacci - True Blue

“Actually, I prefer to let things just play out. It’ll be more fun.”

Mace stopped with her hand on the doorknob. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I can bag two Perrys for the price of one. Beth tries to get you reinstated. I show she crossed the line. She gets dumped from her job and you never wear the uniform again. It’s the Christmas that keeps on giving.”

Mace slammed the door behind her.

WHEN MACE returned to the table Roy obviously sensed something was wrong. “You okay?”

“Yeah, there was just something really disgusting in the ladies’ room.”

As she finished her Coke in one gulp Roy said, “The cops came and got the key.”

“Yeah, I know. Messed up there.”

“I did?”

“No, I did. I forgot how smart my sister is.”

“She knew you’d taken the key?”

Mace nodded. “And if it happens again my butt will be right back in prison.”

“Your sister is not going to arrest you.”

“You don’t know Beth then.”

“Mace-”

“Drop it, Roy!”

“Okay.” He fiddled with his drink. “I’ve been thinking about Abe Altman.”

Mace said absently, “What about him? Want to renegotiate my deal?”

“I was thinking that there is no way he got a research grant that would pay an assistant six figures.”

Now Mace looked curious. “I was wondering that too. What do you think?”

“That he’s not taking a salary and he’s giving those dollars to you. I mean, it’s not like he needs the cash.”

“Still nice of him, though,” she pointed out.

“Well, it sounds like he wouldn’t be here except for you.”

“He was exaggerating.”

“Why do I think that’s bullshit?”

Mace shrugged. “Think what you want.”

“I heard a snippet on the news that a DA was found murdered.”

“Jamie Meldon. Did you know him?”

“No, you?”

She shook her head.

“I guess your sister has her hands full. That’s a high-profile case.”

“Actually, she’s not working it.”

“Why not? He was found in D.C.”

“Above everybody’s pay grades, apparently.”

Mace sat there staring off, mulling Mona’s words. She finally looked over at Roy. “Did you have time to do any snooping around your firm?”

“I did.”

“And?”

“Ackerman’s office was clean. In fact, I’m not sure the guy does anything.”

“What do you reckon he makes for doing nothing?”

“Seven figures, easy.”

“I hate lawyers.”

“But he’s a rainmaker. The biggest in the firm. He brings major deals in like clockwork. The worker bees like me get paid well. But the rainmakers get the gold.”

“Good for him. What else?”

Roy brought her up to speed on the rest of what he learned, including his inspection of the fourth-floor construction site and his conversation with the construction supervisor and later discussion with the building’s day porter.

Mace jumped to her feet. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me that before?”

“Tell you what before? I just talked to the guy this afternoon.”

“That was the day porter. You said you talked to the supervisor a lot earlier.”

“Okay, so?”

Mace dropped some cash on the table for the drinks.

“Where are you going?”

“ We’re going to your office building. Right now.”

He stood and grabbed his windbreaker. “My office? Why?”

“Not your office, your office building , and hopefully you’ll get to see why.”

“You want to follow me on your bike?”

“No, I need to hide in the floorboard of your car.”

“What? Why?”

“Because I’m apparently being hovered!”

THEY RODE up in the elevator to the front lobby from the garage.

“What exactly are we looking for here?” he asked as he followed Mace across the lobby to the office elevators.

“A case I worked about five years ago.”

God, if it could only be. Nail the bastard. Get back on the force. To hell with Mona. And they couldn’t touch Beth. It would be all me.

“What?”

“Just hang tight. I don’t like questions while I’m on the hunt.” She slipped her hand into her jacket pocket.

“Are you carrying a gun?”

“No, but a girl can protect herself, right?”

They got in the elevator. When Roy moved to hit the floor button for Shilling & Murdoch, Mace grabbed his arm.

“I said office building. We might do your office later.”

“Do what in it?”

“You’re a real funny guy, Roy.”

She pushed the button for the third floor. Moments later they both peered out into the semi-darkened space.

“Now what?” Roy said in a confused voice. “Do we push all the floor buttons and then go running from the building laughing hysterically and look for a car to teepee?”

“Which way are the fire exit stairs?”

He led her down the hall past darkened offices and pointed to a door near the end of the corridor. Mace yanked it open with Roy right behind. She pointed to a door set into the wall by the fire exit door. She opened it. It was a broom closet.

“Are there more of these?”

“There’s one on the first floor too.”

“Boy, this place has great security,” Mace said. “You arm the front doors, hire a security guard, albeit a loser one, and then secure the office elevators and the office suites and you don’t secure the garage elevators? And then you have a perfect hiding place for some scumball right in the building?”

“The original building developer declared bankruptcy and the people who took it over finished construction on the cheap, and that didn’t include secure garage elevators. No one wanted to pay for a retrofit.”

“Well, I bet they will now. Okay, even if you come in through the garage you have to pass by the security desk to get to the fire exit stairs. You said the construction crew checks out at five-thirty and they don’t work weekends. Ned comes on at six and exits at six. Exterior doors, office elevator, and your office suite all go secure at eight p.m. and go off at eight a.m. That leaves a huge window.”

“Window for what?”

“Oh come on. Did you hit your head on the basketball rim one too many times?”

They continued up the stairs and the next door she opened was to the fourth floor. It revealed almost total darkness. Mace scooted forward and crouched down behind some building materials. Roy knelt next to her. “What are we looking for?” he whispered.

“Know it when I see it.”

They crept forward with Mace in the lead. Roy noted that she moved like a cat, no noise, no unnecessary movement. He tried as best he could to mimic her. He did find that his hands were growing sweaty, and his pulse banged in his eardrums.

A minute later she stopped and pointed. Roy saw the dim wash of light coming from a far corner of the space where it wouldn’t be directly seen from the windows.

Mace reached in her pocket and pulled something out. Roy couldn’t see exactly what it was.

“Now what?” he murmured.

“You stay here. If somebody other than me comes flying past, trip them and then bash them on the head with like a two-by-four or something.”

“Bash them on the head? That’s a felony assault. And what if he has a gun?”

“Okay, sissy boy, let him kill you and then your survivors can file a civil suit against the bastard for wrongful death. I’ll leave it up to you.”

She headed on while he took cover behind a large toolbox on wheels. He looked around the floor and picked up a block of wood. His fingers gripped the chunk tightly and he mumbled a prayer that no one would come running by.