that?”
“By assuming I wouldn’t be smart enough to figure it all out.”
“You still have nothing.”
Lanier looked at Beth and then nodded at one of his men. “Bring her in.”
A cuffed Mary Bard, her head bandaged, walked in with an armed escort.
“Mary Bard,” said Lanier. “Recruited to this country to work with the FBI until you stole her from us, Sam. When I learned how Reiger and Hope died, the surgically precise cuts in the throat, it got me remembering about a little joint op she did with CIA last year.”
Bard said bitterly, “The director told me the people tonight were traitors and had killed innocent people. That their terminations had been authorized by your government.”
“Shut the hell up!” screamed Donnelly.
“She killed them. She killed them,” cried Burns. “Not us.”
Beth glanced at Lanier. “Can you please get them out of my sight before I shoot all three of them?”
Later that night Beth Perry strode into the hospital and saw her sister standing at the end of the hall. When Mace looked up and spied Beth she walked toward her. The two sisters met in the middle, flinging their arms around each other.
“God, you were great tonight, Mace.”
“We both came up with the plan, sis.”
“Yeah, but you were in the line of fire executing it, not me. You could have died.”
“You’re the chief. I’m expendable.”
The two women stepped apart and Beth looked at the bandage on Mace’s face and the bulge under her thigh. “Are you okay?”
“I got hurt worse than this falling out of bed.”
“Liar. How’s Kingman?”
“Out of surgery. They said I could see him for a couple of minutes. Do you want to come?”
Roy was still heavily sedated but his eyes opened when he heard Mace’s voice. She wrapped her hand around his.
He said weakly, “Everything okay?”
“Everything is great,” said Mace. “Beth is here.”
Roy slowly turned his head to look at the chief. She reached down and touched his face gently.
“Hey, Roy, I need to tell you something.”
“What’s that?” he mouthed.
Beth glanced over at Mace before answering. “If you want to keep hanging around Mace, it’s okay with me.” She leaned down and kissed him on the cheek.
As the sisters walked down the hall to the waiting room Mace said, “You know, you finally called him Roy.”
“Yeah. That’s because he earned it.”
CHAPTER 112
SO AS I SAID, I’m thrilled to be here today to announce that all charges against my client, Louis Dockery, have been dropped. He has been released from custody and the Veterans Administration has taken it upon itself to see that such a decorated soldier will no longer be living on the streets.”
This time Roy was having no problem handling the siege of reporters in front of the steps to D.C. Superior Court. His shoulder and side bandaged, he had just finished his remarks. Standing a few feet from him, a look of absolute revulsion on her face, was Mona Danforth. The only reason she was here was because the mayor and the head of the Justice Department had “requested” that she be present.
One reporter called out, “Mr. Kingman, how did you injure yourself?”
Roy smiled. “During the course of the litigation I accidentally impaled myself on one of Ms. Danforth’s legendary stilettos.”
The roar of laughter lasted so long that Mona finally stalked off, her face nearly as red as her lipstick. As she made her way inside the court building she bumped into someone.
“Hey, Mona,” said Mace. “Isn’t it a great day when justice finally triumphs?”
“Go to hell!”
“Nah, it’ll be way too crowded with both of us there.”
“I’m still going to press assault charges against you for attacking me in the ladies’ room. You chipped one of my teeth.”
“God, I’m really sorry, Mona. But there’s somebody here who wants to give you something.”
They turned to see Beth walking up to them with an envelope in hand.
“Here you go, Ms. Interim.” She thrust the envelope in Mona’s hands.
“What the hell is this?”
“Affidavits from my two detectives you coerced into working with you. They are prepared to testify that you initiated contact with Lou Dockery without benefit of his counsel being there, breaking numerous ethical canons and also the law. Since the U.S. Attorney’s Office will be conflicted out over this one, the Justice Department will be prosecuting you.”
Now Mona’s face turned as white as the envelope she was holding. “Prosecuting me?”
“Yeah,” said Mace. “You know, that whole court thing that ends in the bars being slammed behind your ass? If you want I can give you some tips on