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Today was not one of those days. He was neither offered a drink, nor was he asked to sit down.
Junior looked over at him. “Just in case Campbell smartens up, we need to have this scholarship program on the level. Everyone knows we just gave big bucks to the old folks. Now we gotta take care of the little ones. You figure out the details. Find nine other outstanding kids from the area, all of’em the age of Campbell ’s kid. We think it would be very nice of us to give them scholarships too.”
They’ve got to be kidding, Charlie thought. Hesitantly, he suggested, “I think it would be wise if at least some of the children are older. How can you explain to the media that you want to give ten college scholarships to first-graders when there are high school boys and girls who need them now?”
“We don’t wa
“Marissa’s marks are good and she’s a nifty little ice-skater,” Junior remarked offhandedly as he bit the end off a cigar. “Go find us other talented kiddies like her.”
Charlie felt one more turn of the winch that twisted his digestive system. Nifty little ice-skater. How does Junior know so much about Marissa Campbell? he wondered bleakly.
“Of course, if you can’t persuade Billy Campbell to retract anything he might have said about our little joke, there won’t be any need for a fund,” Junior said quietly. “Don’t let us keep you, Charlie. I know how busy you are.”
Back in his own office, Charlie tried to reassure himself that, bad as they were, people like Junior and Eddie never went after the children of their enemies.
But those two… He could not pursue the thought. Instead he found himself praying that Billy Campbell would wise up and accept the scholarship.
Shaking his head, he reached for a folder with the information about the car dealership the Badgetts wanted to buy. He had intended to spend his whole day on it, but had been too distracted to concentrate.
At 6:30 he closed the file and got up. He had his coat on and his briefcase in his hand when the phone rang. Reluctantly he picked it up.
A low, husky voice that he did not recognize said, “Charlie, the boss told me to pass the word that Billy Campbell almost took a dive in front of a subway train, but I managed to save him.”
Before Charlie could answer, the co
He replaced the receiver and stood at his desk for a long minute. In all the years he’d worked for the Badgetts, the worst he’d done was to speak to potential witnesses as he had spoken to Billy Campbell, and later arrange laundered payments to them. It had never gone beyond that. He could get the book thrown at him for tampering with witnesses, but this was different, and much more serious. They want me to be involved in whatever happens to Billy Campbell and Nor Kelly if I can’t convince them to keep their mouths shut, he thought. I’ve never seen Junior and Eddie as foul tempered as they were today, and I know it’s because they’re worried.
He closed the door to his office and walked to the elevator. Even if Billy Campbell and Nor Kelly agreed to forget what they had overheard, would that be enough to ensure their safety?
Charlie doubted it.
Nor’s Place was bustling when Billy and Sterling returned at eight o’clock. The di
“How did it go?”
Billy gri
He does a pretty good imitation of Chip Holmes, Sterling thought. He captures that nasal quality.
Nor threw her arms around him. “Oh, Billy, that’s fantastic.” She signaled to a nearby waiter. “Nick, we’re celebrating. Bring us a bottle of Dom Perignon.”
I wouldn’t mind a glass of that, Sterling thought. As he took his usual seat at Nor’s table, a host of memories rushed through his mind.
His mother and father opening a bottle of “Dom” on his twenty-first birthday…
Another “bit of the bubbly” shared with them when he passed the bar exam…
That wonderful crisp October day when he and A
After I finished mine, I drank half of hers, he thought. Oh, A
Sterling swallowed over a lump in his throat and realized he hadn’t been paying attention to Billy and Nor. Obviously Billy had told her about the meeting, because she was saying, “Billy, that’s wonderful! You’re on your way.”
None of them noticed that Sean O’Brien had come into the restaurant. They all looked up, surprised, when he joined them.
“Sorry I didn’t get back to you earlier, Nor,” he apologized. “Next time call me on my cell phone. Has anything else happened?”
“Tell Sean about the call from Badgett Enterprises, Billy,” Nor said.
Sterling watched Sean O’Brien’s expression darken as Billy related the scholarship offer.
When Billy shrugged his shoulders and said, “So that’s it,” Sean’s first question was to ask if he had told the FBI about the call.
Billy nodded. “Rich Meyers wasn’t in his office. I left a message.”
“He called back here at about five o’clock,”Nor said quietly. “My impression is that he thinks it was an iron fist in a velvet glove kind of warning.”
O’Brien looked grim. “Listen, after being a detective for nearly thirty years, I know too much about these people. The iron fist will be front and center if you don’t fall in line.”
Billy, tell O’Brien about what happened in the subway, Sterling pleaded silently. You need protection.
“I guess we have no choice but to wait it out,” Nor said. “Look, here’s the champagne. On a happier note, we’re drinking to Billy’s future.” She turned to him. “You’d better sip that fast. We have to go on pretty soon.”
Billy got up. “I’ll take it upstairs with me. I have to change, and I want to give Marissa a call. You know her. She wanted me to give her the scoop as soon as I got back.”
I’ll just wait here and keep Nor company, Sterling decided, when De
“I wanted to congratulate Billy, but he’s disappeared already.”
“He went upstairs to change,” Nor said.
Sterling listened as Nor happily filled the men in on Billy’s meeting with the recording executives. Then she said, “The news about the contract is wonderful, but I can’t tell you guys how tense I’ve been all day. Ever since Billy got that phone call, I’ve been so afraid of what the Badgetts might do next… And right now I’d better get ready myself,” Nor concluded. “We’re on in fifteen minutes. Can you stay, Sean?”
“For a while. Kate’s on duty tonight.”
De
As the group broke up, they all spotted Billy ru
“Mom, your car is on fire,” he snapped. “I called 911.”
Word of the fire spread through the dining room. De
Nor came out of the restaurant, surrounded by several diners whom she had been trying to calm.
Fire trucks came roaring into the parking lot, and immediately the firefighters ordered people to stand back.
It took only a few minutes for the fire to be extinguished. Nor’s car had been in its usual spot near the kitchen entrance, well away from the general parking area.