Truth and Justice - Fern Michaels Page 0,28
iPhones came out, were turned to record, and placed in front of each sister.
It was Annie’s signal to say, “Listen up, girls!” It was the way she started every meeting. “We’re going to do a quick rehash of what we know. Then we are going to parcel out assignments. I just want to know if everyone’s decks are cleared before we commit one hundred percent to Bella and her mission. I’m thinking, and this is not based on anything in particular, that this case could go seven to ten days. Bare minimum, a week. What say you all?”
Nikki and Alexis both said their court calendar was clear for the next two weeks. “What has to be done at the office can be done by our paralegals. That means we’re good,” Nikki said. She quickly added, “I see five to seven days.”
“The nursery is in good shape. We did our fall decorating last week for the Harvest Ball and Halloween. My pumpkins, according to Kathryn, are on the way. At least some of them,” she corrected her statement. “The college boys that work for me have it all under control. Annie was right when she told me that if I paid extra, the boys could and would assume more control. Any of the four can run the nursery in my absence, and the best part is they’re all honest, really nice young men. That means I’m good, too. I agree with Nikki, I see five to seven days,” Yoko said.
“I’m kind of stuck,” Kathryn said. “I don’t know what happened, but Mr. Hanover’s pumpkins aren’t ready to ship yet. I was supposed to pick up and deliver them two days ago, but he didn’t have enough help to pick and load them. What that means is I am on call where he and his pumpkins and his butternut squash are concerned. I might have to leave you all if things get back on track again sooner rather than later. I’m thinking a week, but that could change if I have to bail out on you all and leave you shorthanded.”
“If that happens, we’ll just have to manage to work around you,” Annie said. “That leaves Maggie, Isabelle, Myra, and me. We’re good. Maggie?”
“Ted is due back tomorrow, so he can take over. I’m all yours and looking forward to this mission,” Maggie said, as she tapped furiously on her laptop. Then she snorted. “If my opinion counts, I’m going to go out on a limb here and say ten days even with Avery Snowden doing most of the heavy lifting. But I could be wrong, which, as you all know, rarely if ever happens.”
“I only have two active clients at the moment, and everything is running on schedule. I’m good, too,” Isabelle said. “I am working on . . . um . . . the Pentagon. I’m thinking a week of round-the-clock dedication. I’d say five days if Abner were here doing the hacking, but with me . . . I’m not that confident.”
Maggie held up her hand, her expression one of confusion. “Who is doing what, and how are we going to go about all of this?” She looked around at the Sisters, her hands fluttering in the air. “I don’t even know where to start. What’s with this case, why is it giving us all this angst? I’m not getting it.” She looked as befuddled as the others felt. Maggie was never befuddled.
“I don’t think any of us are getting it, dear,” Myra said soothingly. “That’s why we’re here. We are going to figure out how best to handle this mission just the way we’ve done in the past. I think part of it is that Bella was here, here where we conduct our business. This special place we’re in right now has always been sacrosanct. Our private place. For want of a better word or phrase, we all see it now as if it’s been invaded. It doesn’t matter if Bella can be trusted or not, she was here. We broke our own rule. That is not good. We weren’t prepared for Bella because it never happened before, and I’m not blaming Alexis, we all agreed to bringing Bella down here. I think we’re back in the groove now and recognize what has to be done. Technically, we are starting all over again with the information we have on hand—information Bella gave us, which is not all that much, sad to say.”
“Let’s get to it then,” Nikki called