Where's Hansel and Gretel's Gingerbread House?: A Gabby Grimm Fairy Tale Mystery #2 (10 page)

“You don’t think the defense attorneys will
bring that up on the stand? Or that Rita Maloney, the Assistant
United States Attorney will keep that quiet if you don’t give her
what she wants? We need to control the damage on this, Nettie. That
was part of the sheriff’s reason for getting some legal advice from
Ronny Glieb, the defense attorney. Rufus doesn’t want your
reputation smeared all over Manhattan, and mine with it.”

The death glare my cousin shot me would have
been really scary had I been a civilian, but I’ve worked in law
enforcement circles a long time. I know that sharks are born
swimming, they have really sharp teeth, and if you don’t keep up,
you become chum. I wasn’t about to leave my cousin dangling on that
federal fish hook. I was going to reel her back in the boat in once
and for all. We were going to march into that office with the
evidence in hand and present it like we had no idea that Joe
Fortuna and Will Jondahl were one and the same man. And then, if we
were lucky, the FBI would arrange for my cousin to work with their
inside guy.

The drive was quiet, thanks to the wet
blanket sulking in the passenger seat. I put my foot on the
accelerator once we were on I-87 and never let up. Annette slouched
down lower than a teenager who’s grounded for the big dance, so I
waited until she thawed out a bit before I explained about Will.
She took it about the way I expected, calling him every name in the
book and likening his morals to those of Jack the Ripper. I let her
get it out of her system before I laid out the plan.

“We want the FBI to suggest that you help him
build the case.”

“But that means I have to go back to
Manhattan!”

“Yes, Annette, it does. I’m really sorry.” I
kept my tone even and my eyes on the road. “It also means you have
to act surprised when you find out that he’s not Joe Fortuna, Frist
employee, but actually an FBI agent.”

“I hate that bastard!” she growled. “Wait
until I get my hands on him! I will lay him out in lavender.”

“For God’s sake, restrain yourself from
threatening to kill the guy. Must I remind you that assault on a
federal agent is a serious crime? You do not want to display any
hostility to Will, Nettie. That’s a sure giveaway that you two were
more than just co-workers at Frist. This is going to take some
serious acting skills.”

“I still want to....”

“You really are dumb when it comes to men,” I
declared, hoping to distract her away from Will Jondahl’s lesser
qualities.

“Excuse me? This from the woman who has never
been married? Who are you to give me advice on men? At least I was
married to one!”

“Ouch! I stand corrected. You’re a real
expert on the male species. That’s why you shed your panties faster
than a co-ed on spring break in Cozumel. What’s next? A wet tee
shirt contest at the local grocery store? Boinking against the
bookshelves at the New York Public Library? Mimicking Rodin’s
lovers statue in the sculpture gallery at the Metropolitan?”

“You,” she sniffed with an air of great
disdain, “are a real stinker, Gabriella!”

“Do you want to know a secret, or are you
going to spend the entire ride being your obstinate self?”

“What secret could you have that I would
possibly be interested in?” she scoffed. There she went, picking
that imaginary lint off her lap again. She was like a porcupine,
all her quills ruffled and ready to inflict some serious pain if I
got too close.

“Will is sweet on you.”

“What? How can you possibly say that after
what that bastard did to me? Are you defending him?”

“Heavens, no!” That made me laugh. “He
doesn’t even know it, but he is. Do you know why he disappeared? He
was afraid that if you would wind up as an FBI informant. He wanted
you to run to me for help. Will knew the FBI wanted to flip you,
kiddo. He said several times that you were a decent woman. That’s
cop speak for someone who deserves protection.”

“You’re just saying that to get me to do what
you want me to do!” There it was. Annette convinced herself that I
was playing her as a deputy, to get her to do what I wanted her to
do to make my case. Time for an attitude adjustment.

“You know what? I’ve had enough of this. You
want to handle this on your own, that’s fine with me. We’ll go back
to Latimer Falls and you can surrender to those FBI agents when
they come to collect the gingerbread house. And you and Will can
both self-destruct from your bad behavior. Knock yourselves out.” I
put my blinker on, as if I were going to take the next exit. I was
just about to turn off when she stopped me.

“Wait.” It was just one word, but I took it
as a hopeful sign. I drove past the exit, waiting for her to make a
commitment to the plan. I let the silence go on, putting the onus
on her to speak. “How do you know he’s sincere?”

“Honestly? He doesn’t even know that he’s
broadcasting his feelings for you in every word he says. He feels
really guilty that he compromised your virtue by sleeping with you.
And he’s been doing things for you ever since he met you. He got
your purse back after you were robbed. He transferred the photos of
Paul from your cell phone. He even shot at those thugs at the Mobil
station.”

“That was Will?”

“That was him, Nettie. He was following us to
make sure we were safe. He said you talked about me and Sam a lot,
so he knew I would help you. Does that sound like a cold, heartless
bastard?”

“I suppose not.” Her voice was calmer now.
She was rolling the idea of Will’s affection for her around in her
mind. I wondered if that ball would remain in play or go out of
bounds.

“Look, Nettie, I know this has been a really,
really hard year for you. Paul was sick for a long time before he
died. You’re a healthy woman with needs. I get that. But you’ve
been out of circulation for a long time. You’re out of practice
with dating. You have to be a little more cautious. You don’t just
sleep with a guy because you’re horny, not unless that’s all you
want to have. Look at the guy’s character. Check him out
thoroughly. Test the waters before you dive in. No guy is ever
going to replace Paul. But that doesn’t mean that when you’re
ready, down the road, you can’t find a new love, someone who will
adore you for you.”

“I don’t even know how to date any more,
Gabby. I thought that’s what men want in a woman.”

“What, sex?” I laughed as she nodded. “Of
course they want sex. They’re men. But they also want to have fun.
The good ones want someone to talk to, to share with, to trust.
Let’s be honest. Paul liked sex, didn’t he?”

“And then some. I miss all that lust,
Gabby.”

“Of course you do. But you didn’t just dive
into that bed, did you? It took time for you and Paul to find your
rhythm, to mesh as a couple. You waited to have sex, until you were
sure there was more than just that spark, right?”

“He pestered me for three months, day and
night. I used to call him ‘Octopus Hands’. And then one day we were
talking about the future. He started telling me what he was seeking
out of life and I suddenly realized he wanted me.” A small, wistful
smile crossed her face as she fondly remembered the old days with
Paul, and then it disappeared quickly, as the new reality of her
life returned to her conscious mind.

“A good relationship takes time to develop,”
I reminded her. “You have to test each other. You have to really
know the other person. Otherwise, you’ll get blindsided, and when
the going gets tough, you might find your partner takes a
powder.”

“I thought Will already did,” she
admitted.

“In a way. But he really did it to protect
you, Nettie. He knows that when the FBI spends that much of its
budget and uses that many resources to make a case, the Department
of Justice expects the prosecution to be successful. That makes the
attorneys involved rather ruthless. Will didn’t want you to be
coerced into cooperating.”

“And how is what you are doing now any
different? Aren’t you expecting me to cooperate with the FBI?”

Chapter Eleven --

“Yes, but on a more solid footing. You’re
going to go in and explain how you can read blueprints, how that
gingerbread house was constructed according to the specs the
engineers recommended, that the architects planned for, and you’re
going to tell the FBI that it’s possible shortcuts were taken.” I
held off on the theory that Frist wanted to use the faulty gas
lines to blow Phase One up to get the insurance money. “Tell them
about the concrete bids and your concerns that things aren’t right.
That’s true, isn’t it?”

“Well, yes.”

“Stick to the truth, Annette. Let people ask
you questions. Don’t volunteer any information or speculate on
what’s happening. Let me do that. You just tell them what you’ve
actually observed, heard, or noticed. Things at the office that
didn’t make sense. Things at the construction site that weren’t
normal. If this is an organized crime thing, the FBI will make the
connections. If this is some kind of insurance fraud, the agents
will find the evidence.”

“Gabby, there was something the other
day.”

“What?”

“A man called for Mr. Frist. He didn’t want
to talk to him. He just wanted me to give him a message.”

“And?” I looked over at her expectantly.

“He said his name was Tony and the fuel
delivery for 1423 would take place as scheduled.”

“Why is that unusual?” I wanted to know.

“We don’t have fuel delivered there, Gabby.
The natural gas lines are already operational.”

“Hmm...I wonder what that means.”

“Me, too.”

We took the exit for Central Avenue ten
minutes later, pulling into the Mobil station and parking far
enough away from the convenience store and the pumps that we
wouldn’t be mistaken for customers. I had already pulled up the
directions for the FBI office. It was just a matter of collecting
the gingerbread house and finding McCarty Avenue.

Will pulled in a few minutes later. He parked
his Ford Explorer a few spots down from us. When he recognized us
in the cheese van, he gave us a quick nod before climbing out. I
knew my cousin was nervous when she put a cold, clammy hand on
mine.

“What should I say to him, Gabby? You know.
About the sex.”

“Maybe you could just leave that alone for
now. Focus on the case. You two can pick up that piece of string
when you get through this mess.”

“Right.”

I opened the driver’s door and stepped out.
There was a bitter wind blowing in. We’d probably have another snow
storm in the next day or two. Even as I wondered about the weather,
Nettie and Will were locking eyes across the parking lot. I turned
my attention to the van’s back door. Fumbling with the remote, I
popped the automatic door button and watched the hatchback lift
with a little whirl of gears.

“Gabby, would you give us a minute?” Will
asked. I saw the curiosity in Annette’s eyes. He wanted to talk to
her alone. She seemed to take that as a good sign. So did I.

“I’ll just go use the ladies room,” I
promised. I strolled into the convenience store and kept myself
busy for the next five minutes, between the bathroom and gazing out
the window. The clerk looked up at me with concern, until I flashed
a cheerful smile, pointed to the pair talking in the parking lot,
and announced, “Lovers’ tiff. I wish they’d just kiss and make up.
It’s cold out there.”

Even as I turned my attention back to the
window, I saw Will’s hand take Annette’s. It wasn’t a big gesture.
It was an intimate one. It was one lover trying to soothe another.
Even as her head fell forward towards his chest, the emotions
seemed raw. Maybe there really was something between them, but I
couldn’t afford to have Annette get all mopey over Will. I pushed
open the door and went back out into the cold.

“Are we ready?” I asked cheerfully. The two
lovebirds seemed less than ready to part. Too bad. It was time to
get this thing done. I didn’t want to find myself surrounded by a
bunch of federal agents here at the Mobil station, and I sure
didn’t want Will to be shoved into sacrificing my cousin to save
his career. “Let’s go, before that window of opportunity shuts and
we lose our options.”

“Oh,” Annette sighed forlornly.

“You should go,” Will agreed, his heart
plainly on his sleeve.

“Buck up. You two will hopefully be working
together on this case.”

“I just explained to Annette that we won’t be
able to have a personal relationship for the duration of the case
and the subsequent trial,” the FBI agent informed me.

“Then you two should get busy,” I reminded
them. “The sooner you wrap this up, the better. Chop, chop. Let’s
shake a leg.”

Will put the gingerbread house in the back of
the cheese van and gently shut the door. He seemed to pause,
hesitant to walk away. I climbed into the driver’s seat to wait.
Sure enough, I caught a sly, furtive kiss between the lovers
through the side mirror before they parted. Did this mean they
would blow the game plan? The last thing I needed was the FBI
breathing down my neck about bad information. I sure didn’t want
anyone asking me what I knew about the relationship between Nettie
and Will.

My cousin opened the door and crawled up into
the seat. Her chin seemed to quiver as she fought back the tears. I
was about to give her another speech when I realized it might
actually be okay for her to show up at the field office feeling
conflicted. After all, she was turning on her boss, and it would be
normal for her to have doubts about what she was doing. That would
give me the chance to suggest that she was being used by her boss
and that she didn’t really understand the whole concern about fraud
and organized crime.

The start of the meeting was a little bumpy.
The agents seemed to doubt Annette’s story, convinced she was deep
into Frist’s fraud, helping her boss to cover the trail of
deception.