The Winner (19 page)

LuAnn sat back against the leather seat and said stubbornly, “I got enough money now to where I can handle myself okay. And I don’t like people telling me what to do.”

“Is that right?” Jackson’s hand closed around the pistol he had lifted from his briefcase. In the darkness he could have swung it up in an instant: mother and child obliterated. “Well, then why don’t you take your chances on getting out of the country by yourself. Would you like to do that?”

“I can take care of myself.”

“That’s not the point. You made a deal with me, LuAnn. A deal I expect you to honor. Unless you’re a fool you will work with me and not against me. You will see that in the long run your and my interests are the same. Otherwise, I can stop the limo right here, toss you and the child out, and I’ll phone the police to come and pick you up. It’s your choice. Decide. Now!”

Confronted with that option, LuAnn looked desperately around the interior of the limo. Her eyes finally settled on Lisa. Her daughter looked up at her with big, soft eyes; there was complete faith there. LuAnn let out a deep breath. What choice did she really have?

“All right.”

Jackson again rustled the papers he held. “Now, we have just enough time to go over these documents. There are a number of them for you to sign, but let me discuss the principal terms first. I will try to be as simple in my explanation as possible.

“You have just won one hundred million dollars and change. As we speak, that money has been placed into a special escrow account set up by the Lottery Commission under your name. By the way, I have obtained a Social Security number for you, under your
new
name. It makes life so much easier when you have one of those. Once you execute these papers my people will be able to transfer the funds out of that account and into one over which I will have complete and total control.”

“But how do
I
get to the money?” LuAnn protested.

“Patience, LuAnn, all will be explained. The money will be invested as I see fit and for my own account. However, from those investment funds you will be guaranteed a minimum return of twenty-five percent per annum, which comes to approximately twenty-five million dollars per year. Those funds will be available to you all during the course of the year. I have accountants and financial advisors who will handle all of that for you, don’t worry.” He held up a cautionary finger. “Understand that that is income from principal. The one hundred million is never touched. I will control that principal amount for a period of ten years and invest it however I choose. It will take several months or more to fully implement my plans for the money, so the ten-year period will commence approximately in the late fall of this year. I will provide you with the exact date later. Ten years from that date, you will receive the full one hundred million dollars back. Any of the yearly income you’ve earned over the ten years is of course yours to keep. We will invest that for you as well, free of charge. I’m sure you’re ignorant of this, but at that rate, your money, compounded, less even an exorbitant personal allowance, will double approximately every three years, particularly when you don’t pay any taxes. Under practically any reasonable projection, you will be worth hundreds of millions of dollars at the end of the ten-year period, risk-free.” Jackson’s eyes sparkled as he rattled off the figures. “It’s positively intoxicating, isn’t it, LuAnn? It just beats the hell out of a hundred dollars a day, doesn’t it? You’ve come a long way in less than a week, you truly have.” He laughed heartily. “To start you off, I will advance you the sum of five million dollars, interest-free. That should be sufficient to keep you until the investment earnings come rolling in.”

LuAnn swallowed hard at the mention of the gigantic sums. “I don’t know nothing about investing, but how can you guarantee me so much money each year?”

Jackson looked disappointed. “The same way I could
guarantee
that you would win the lottery. If I can perform that magic, I think I can handle Wall Street.”

“What if something should happen to me?”

“The contract you will be signing binds your heirs and assigns.” He nodded at Lisa. “Your daughter. However, that income would go to her and at the end of the ten-year period so would the principal amount. There’s also a power of attorney form. I took the liberty of already having filled in the notary panel. I’m a man of many talents.” He chuckled lightly. From out of the darkness, Jackson extended the packet of documents and a pen to her. “They’re clearly marked where your signature is required. I trust that you are satisfied with the terms. I told you from the start that they would be generous, didn’t I?”

LuAnn hesitated for an instant.

“Is there a problem, LuAnn?” Jackson asked sharply.

She shook her head, quickly signed the documents, and handed them back. Jackson took the documents and slid open a compartment in the console of the limo.

LuAnn heard Jackson make some tapping sounds and a loud screech ensued and then stopped.

Jackson said, “Faxes are wonderful things especially when time is of the essence. Within ten minutes the funds will be wired into my account.” He picked the papers up as they slid out of the machine and placed them back into his briefcase.

“Your bags are in the trunk. I have your plane tickets and hotel reservations with me. I have planned your itinerary out for the first twelve months. It will be a great deal of travel; however, I think the scenery will be pleasant enough. I have honored your request to travel to Sweden, the land of your maternal ancestors. Think of it all as an extremely long vacation. I may have you end up in Monaco. They have no personal income tax. However, out of an abundance of caution I’m putting together and thoroughly documenting an intricate cover story for you. In sum, you left the States as a very young girl. You met and married a wealthy foreign national. The money will all be his, as far as the IRS is concerned. You see? The funds will be kept only in foreign banks and offshore accounts. U.S. banks have stringent reporting requirements to the IRS. None of your money will ever, ever be kept in the United States. However, keep in mind that you will be traveling under a United States passport as a United States citizen. Some accounts of your wealth may well trickle back here. We have to be prepared for that. However, if the money is all your husband’s, who is not an American citizen, who does not reside at any time in this country, who earns no income directly in America, or from investments or business endeavors connected to this country, then, generally speaking, the IRS cannot touch you. I won’t bore you with the complex tax rules having to do with U.S. source income such as interest on bonds issued by U.S. concerns, dividends paid by U.S. corporations, other transactions and sales of property having some tangible connection to the United States that could trip up the unwary. My people will take care of all that. Believe me when I say it won’t be a problem.”

LuAnn reached out for the tickets.

“Not quite yet, LuAnn, we have some steps to take. The police,” he said pointedly.

“I took care of that.”

“Oh, did you now?” His tone was one of amusement. “Well, I would be very surprised if New York’s Finest weren’t stationing themselves at every airport, bus, and train station right this very minute. Since you’re a felon fleeing across state lines, they’ve probably called the FBI in as well. They’re sharp. It’s not like they’ll be waiting patiently at your hotel for you to show up.” He looked out the window of the limo. “We have some preparations to take care of. It’ll give the police additional time to set up their net; however, it’s a trade-off we have to make.”

As Jackson was talking, LuAnn felt the limo slow down and then stop. Then she heard a long, slow clanking sound, as though a door were being raised. When it stopped, the limo pulled through and then stopped again.

The limo phone rang and Jackson quickly answered it. He listened for a few moments and then hung up. “Confirmation that the hundred million dollars has been received; though it’s after regular banking hours, I’d had special arrangements in place. Omniscience is such a rewarding gift.”

He patted the seat. “Now I need you to sit next to me. First, close your eyes and then give me your hand so I can guide you,” Jackson said, reaching for it out of the darkness.

“Why do I have to close my eyes?”

“Indulge me, LuAnn. I can’t resist a little drama in life, particularly since it’s so rare. I can assure you that what I’m about to do will be absolutely essential to your safely evading the police and starting your new life.”

LuAnn started to question him again but then thought better of it. She took his hand and closed her eyes.

He settled her down beside him. She could feel a light shine down on her features. She jerked as she felt the scissors cut into her hair. Jackson’s breath was right next to her ear. “I would advise you not to do that again. It’s hard enough to do this in such a small space with limited time and equipment. I wouldn’t want to do you serious damage.” Jackson continued cutting until her hair stopped just above her ears. He periodically stuffed the cut hair into a large trash bag. A wet substance was continually run through the remaining strands and then it quickly hardened almost like concrete. Jackson used a styling brush to manipulate the remaining strands into place.

Jackson next clamped a portable mirror surrounded by nonheating light bulbs to the edge of the limo’s console. Ordinarily, with the nose job he was going to perform, he would employ two mirrors to test profile constantly; however, he didn’t have that luxury sitting in a limo in a Manhattan underground parking garage. He opened up his kit, a ten-tray case filled with makeup supplies and a myriad of tools with which to apply them and then set to work. She felt his nimble fingers flying over her face. He blocked out her eyebrows with Kryolan’s eyebrow plastic, covered them with a sealer, dressed the area with a creme stick, and then powdered it. Then he created totally new ones using a small brush. He thoroughly cleansed the lower part of her face with rubbing alcohol. He applied spirit gum to her nose, and let it dry. While it did so, he applied K-Y lubricating jelly to his fingers so the putty he was going to use wouldn’t stick to them. He let the putty heat up in his hand, and then commenced applying the malleable substance to her nose, methodically kneading and pressing until a satisfactory shape was created.“Your nose is long and straight, LuAnn, classic, really. However, a little putty, a little shadowing and highlighting and,
voilà,
we have a thick, crooked piece of cartilage that isn’t nearly as becoming. However, it’s only temporary. Everyone, after all, is only temporary.” He chuckled lightly at this philosophical statement as he went through the process of stippling the putty with a black stipple sponge, powdering the surface, stippling in a foundation color, and adding rouge to the nares to give a natural appearance. Using subtle shadowing and highlights, he made LuAnn’s eyes seem closer together, and made her chin and jawline seem less prominent with the aid of powders and creams. Rouge was placed skillfully on the cheekbones to lessen their impact on her overall appearance.

She felt him gently examining the wound on her jaw. “Nasty cut. Souvenir from your trailer experience?” When LuAnn didn’t answer, he said, “You know this will require some stitching. Even with that, it’s deep enough that it probably will scar. Don’t worry, after I’m done, it will be invisible. But eventually, you may want to consider plastic surgery.” He chuckled again and added, “In my professional opinion.”

Next, Jackson carefully painted her lips. “A little thinner, I’m afraid, than the classical model, LuAnn. You may want to consider collagen at some point.”

It was all LuAnn could do not to jump up and run screaming from him. She had no idea what she was going to look like; it was as though he were some mad scientist bringing her back from the dead.

“I’m stippling in freckles now, along the forehead, around the nose and cheeks. If I had time, I’d do your hands as well, but I don’t. No one would notice anyway, most people are so unobservant.” He spread open the collar of her shirt and applied foundation and stippling around her neck. Then he buttoned her shirt up, repacked his equipment, and guided her back to her seat.

“There’s a small mirror in the compartment next to you,” Jackson informed her.

LuAnn slowly pulled out the mirror and held it up in front of her face. She gasped. Looking back at her was a redheaded woman with short, spiky hair, a very light, almost albino complexion, and an abundance of freckles. Her eyes were smaller and closer together, her chin and jawline less prominent, the cheeks flat and oval. Her lips were a deep red and made her mouth look huge. Her nose was much broader and bore a distinctive curve to the right. Her dark eyebrows were now tinted a much lighter color. She was completely unrecognizable to herself.

Jackson tossed something on her lap. She looked down. It was a passport. She opened it. The photo staring back at her was the same woman whom she had looked at in the mirror.

“Wonderful work, wouldn’t you say?” Jackson said.

As LuAnn looked up, Jackson hit a switch and a light illuminated him. Or her, rather, as LuAnn received a second jolt. Sitting across from her was her double, or the double of the woman she had just become. The same short red hair, facial complexion, crooked nose, everything—it was as though she had suddenly discovered a twin. The only difference was she was wearing jeans and her twin was wearing a dress.

LuAnn was too amazed to speak.

Jackson quietly clapped his hands together. “I’ve impersonated women before, but I believe this is the first time I’ve impersonated an impersonation. That photo is of me, by the way. Taken this morning. I think I hit it rather well, although I don’t think I did your bust justice. Well, even ‘twins’ needn’t be identical in every respect.” He smiled at her shocked look. “No need to applaud, however I do think that considering the working conditions, it does deserve some degree of acclaim.”

The limo started moving again. They exited the garage and a little more than half an hour later, they arrived at JFK.