the Raintree Inn on Veterans Boulevard in Metairie. There’s a grill that’s open all night. How long will it take?”
“Give me forty-five minutes.”
“The sooner you get here, the sooner you’ll get the body.”
“Can I bring someone with me?”
“Who?”
“K. O. Lewis.”
“He’s in town?”
“Yeah. We knew you were here, so Mr. Lewis flew in a few hours ago.”
There was hesitation on her end. “How’d you know I was here?”
“We have ways.”
“Who have you wired, Trumann? Talk to me. I want a straight answer.” Her voice was firm, yet with a trace of panic.
“Can I explain it when we meet?” he asked, kicking himself in the ass for opening this can of worms.
“Explain it now,” she commanded.
“I’ll be happy to explain when—“
“Listen, asshole. I’m canceling the meeting unless you tell me right now who’s been wired. Talk, Trumann.”
“Okay. We bugged the kid’s mother’s room at the hospital. It was a mistake. I didn’t do it, okay. Memphis did it.”
“Not much. Your man Clint called yesterday afternoon and told her you guys were in New Orleans. That’s all, I swear.”
“Would you lie to me, Trumann?” she asked, thinking of the tape from their first encounter.
“I’m not lying, Reggie,” Trumann insisted, thinking of the same damned tape.
There was a long pause in which he heard nothing but her breathing. “Just you and K. O. Lewis,” she said. “No one else. If Foltrigg shows up, all deals are off.”
“I swear.”
She hung up. Trumann immediately called K. O. Lewis at the Hilton. Then he called McThune in Memphis.
EXACTLY FORTY-FIVE MINUTES LATER, TRUMANN AND Lewis walked nervously into the near empty grill at the Raintree Inn. Reggie waited at a table in the corner, far away from anyone. Her hair was wet and she wore no makeup. A bulky tee shirt with LSU TIGERS in purple letters was tucked into a pair of faded jeans. She sipped black coffee, and neither stood nor smiled as they approached and sat opposite her.
“Good morning, Ms. Love,” Lewis said in an attempt to be nice.
“It’s Reggie, okay, and it’s too early for pleasantries. Are we alone?”
“Of course,” Lewis said. At that moment eight FBI agents were guarding the parking lot, and more were on the way.
“No bugs, wire, body mikes, salt shakers, or ketchup bottles?”
“None.”
A waiter appeared, and they ordered coffee.
“Where’s the kid?” Trumann asked.
“He’s around. You’ll see him soon enough.”
“Is he safe?”
“Of course he’s safe. You boys couldn’t catch him if he was on the streets begging for food.”
She handed Lewis a piece of paper. “These are the names of three psychiatric hospitals that specialize in children. Battenwood in Rockford, Illinois. Ridge-wood in Tallahassee. And Grant’s Clinic in Phoenix. Any one of the three will do.”
Their eyes went slowly.from her face to the list. They focused and studied it. “But we’ve already checked with the clinic in Portland,” Lewis said, puzzled.
“I don’t care where you’ve checked, Mr. Lewis. Take this list, and check again. I suggest you do it quickly. Call Washington, get them out of bed, and get it done.”
He folded the list and placed it under his elbow. “You, uh, you say you’ve seen the body,” he asked, trying to sound authoritative but failing miserably.
She smiled. “I have. Less than three hours ago. Muldanno’s men were trying to get it, but we scared them off.”
“We?”
“Mark and I.”
They both studied her intently, and waited for the precious details of this wild, impossible little story. The coffee arrived, and they ignored both it and the waiter.
“We’re not eating,” Reggie said rudely, and the waiter left.
“Here’s the deal,” she said. “There are a few provisions, none of which are in the least bit negotiable. Do it my way, do it now, and you might get the body before Muldanno carries it away and drops it in the
ocean. If you blow it, gentlemen, I doubt you’ll ever get this close again.”
They nodded furiously.
“Did you fly here on a private jet?” she asked Lewis.
“Yes. It’s the director’s.”
“How many does it seat?”
“Twenty or so.”
“Gobd. Send it back to Memphis right now. I want you to pick up Dianne and Ricky Sway, along with his doctor and Clint. Fly them here immediately. McThune is welcome to come. We’ll meet them at the airport, and when Mark is safely on board and the plane is gone, I’ll tell you where the body is. How about it so far?”
“No problem,” Lewis said. Trumann was speechless.
“The entire family enters the witness protection plan. First, they pick the hospital, and when Ricky is able to move, they’ll pick the