Devlin's Defiance: Book Two of the Devlin Quatrology (25 page)

“
Thanks,
Dallas; I will.”

As Dallas
headed out to the lot, Rosemary said, “Gordy, you
know
I'd rather be with you in DC than up in Chicago with Kevin.”

“
I know,
Ro, but he needs your help with that closing.”

“
Yeah.
What a mess. Damn those unions and the politicians.”

“
And not
only in Chicago. Look at all that 'fiscal cliff' nonsense in DC.
Two weeks to go before the sequester and those idiots – all of
'em, both sides, in Congress AND in the White House – are more
concerned with bashing the other party than solving
the country's problems.”

“
Too bad
Donne was only fictional. His policies probably woulda worked.”

“
Yeah, I
think so. But with you and Kevin, anything I can do to help?”

“
You keep
asking that, but I think I can get it all worked out.”

“
Well,
anytime you want anything from me, just call, okay?”

“
Okay,
and thanks. But for now, I just want to lie back and soak up some
more sun.”

“
Okay.
Me be quiet.”

- 60 -

December
15, 2012
9:17
p.m. local time

Aboard
Defiance

In the Gulf of Aden

“
Hey,
Amber. What's up? Really? Another? Where are they all coming
from? I know, I know. Nobody? Okay, okay, yeah. Who's the target?
Really? Geez. And who's the client? No kidding? He's a tough
sonofabitch. Where and when? Really? The 18th? No, I can make it;
the monsoon's let up. But I'll have to leave early tomorrow; another
one's on the way. So have the helo – oh, I'll check with Pam,
see if she wants to come along; I think she's ready for a second one.
In either case, we'll use one of the small jets; no need for a big
one. Eight o'clock? Great. Talk with you in the morning.”

- 61 -

December
18, 2012
11:27
a.m. local time

A Senate Hearing Room

In the Hart Senate
Office Building

Washington,
DC

“
You understand,
sir, that you are under oath?”

“
I do, Mr.
Chairman.”

“
Please state
your name for the record.”

“
Yes, Mr.
Chairman. Gordon O'Hickenfrankenofskiopoulostein.”

“
Have you ever
been known by any other name or names?”

“
I have. I
shortened my original last name.”

“
Which was?”

“
O'Hickenfrankenofskiopoulosteinerossovitch,
which was far too GermanoRussian for my taste, so when I turned 18, I
legally changed it.”

“
Any other
names?”

“
I write under a
pseudonym, Jake Devlin.”

“
And that's why
you're here, sir.

“
Any other names,
any at all?”

“
Well, Mr.
Chairman, there's one guy I know that calls me 'schlub,' and
sometimes 'asshole,' but I don't think either of those would qualify
as a name.”

The two reporters and
five other people in the gallery snickered, but only until the
Chairman gavelled them to silence.

“
Mr. O'Hicken- –
sir, this hearing is not a place or time for levity.”

“
I understand,
Mr. Chairman.”

“
Any other name
or names?”

“
Not that I can
remember.”

“
Very well.

“
Now, sir, you
understand that this Committee has called you to testify before us as
to the anti-democratic, un-American and possibly treasonous book you
have written.”

“
I understand
that, Mr. Chairman, but before I begin, I do have one question. Have
any of you actually read the book?”

The Chairman looked
around at the other Senators, all of whom shook their heads.

“
It appears not,
sir.”

“
Thank you, Mr.
Chairman.

“
Now I have a
brief statement, as well as several documents I wish to provide to
the members of the Committee before I read from them. Would you ask
the bailiff to distribute these, please?”

The Chairman nodded and
the bailiff approached the witness, who handed him several large,
thin envelopes and said quietly, “Please be sure each of these
goes to the person whose name is on the outside.” The bailiff
nodded.

“
While the
bailiff is distributing those, Mr. Chairman, may I begin with my
statement?”

“
You may, sir.”

“
It's quite
brief, Mr. Chairman; in fact, it's only six words: Free Speech,
First Amendment and It's Fiction.

“
I'll pause now
while the bailiff finishes the distribution and you each have a
chance to review the documents before I go on to read from them.”

The silence that
followed was broken only by the bailiff's footsteps, the opening of
envelopes and then a series of splutters, gasps and
groans
from each and every one of the reddening senators at the front of the
room.

Smiling and opening a
folder in front of him, Gordy said, “Now, Mr. Chairman, if I
may, I'll begin with the document which you're currently reviewing.”

“
You may not,
sir. You are excused and this hearing is adjourned.”

“
Thank you, Mr.
Chairman. Oh, if I may, you and your fellow Senators may keep those
documents. We have copies and lots more of the same kind of
information.” Gordy stuffed the papers into his briefcase and
headed toward the back of the hearing room.

The Chairman, rising
from his chair and gathering his papers, glared angrily yet anxiously
at Gordy's receding back as he strolled to the doors at the back of
the hearing room, pulling off his necktie and stuffing it in the
pocket of his suit coat. Then he turned back, caught the Chairman's
eyes, smiled broadly, gave him a quick, jaunty salute, spun around
and left the room.

- 62 -

December
18, 2012
1:27
a.m. local time

A Casino Floor

Monte
Carlo, Monaco

When Carlo Mozzarello
collapsed over the roulette wheel, his arm sent the ball flying into
the cleavage of a buxom brunette leaning over the table, hands
clenched for luck.

A round-faced,
mustachioed man in a tuxedo next to her tapped his cufflink, set his
vodka martini (stirred, not shaken) down and offered to help retrieve
it. The brunette shook her head and reached down, digging about
until her hand emerged victorious.

The croupier nodded to
the security man standing nearby, who strode over, checked the old
man's pulse, shook his head and removed the Mafia don's body from the
table, carrying it away to a nearly invisible doorway hidden behind
the closest of the columns encircling the room.

The croupier took the
ball from the brunette, spun the wheel again and threw the ball into
the rim.

“
Yes, yes, yes!”
the brunette cried when the ball landed on her number and the
croupier passed her several stacks of chips, which brought her
winnings to a little over 143,000 euros.

The man in the tuxedo
patted the brunette's bottom, swilled down the last of his martini
and headed through the front door and outside, smiling to himself the
whole time. He gave the valet the claim check for his car and
waited.

A few minutes later,
the brunette joined him, her bag bulging with large-denomination
notes, and they got into the luxurious coupe that the valet had
driven up, happily accepting Tuxedo Man's hundred- euro tip.

- 63 -

December
18, 2012
11:36
a.m. local time

Outside a Senate
Hearing Room

In the Hart Senate
Office Building

Washington, DC

When the doors from the
hearing room closed behind him, Gordy took a deep breath of the
minimally fresher hallway air and pulled out a satellite phone, but
before he could dial, one of the reporters caught up with him.

“
Sir, sir, excuse
me. How do you spell your last name?”

“
And you are?”
he asked, returning the sat phone to his pocket.

“
Sondra ______,
______ News, S-o-n-d-r-a” she replied, brushing her auburn hair
away from her face and fumbling in her bag, finally managing to
withdraw a business card, which she handed to him.

“
And you were
assigned to this? Slow news day or low man on the totem pole?
Sorry; low woman, I mean,” he said, smiling.

She blushed and said,
“Both, I guess; I'm the pool girl this week.”

“
'Pool girl'?
Jargon?”

“
Jargon. I know,
I know. But it's my first job, and I want to keep it.

“
So how do you
spell your last name?”

“
Why?”

“
So I get it
right in my article.”

“
What ar- –
you're gonna write about THAT? That little nothing?”

“
Wasn't nothing
from where I was sitting. What was in all those envelopes? And what
was that about a book you wrote?”

“
Sorry, can't
tell you anything about the envelopes. But the book, that I can talk
about.”

“
Why can't you
say anything about the envelopes?”

“
Sorry, can't
even tell you that.”

“
But why? Or
then you'd have to kill me?”

He chuckled. “Ah,
that's just an old movie cliché.”

“
I know.”

“
Of course, it's
true,” he deadpanned.

Sondra stopped in her
tracks, her eyes widening.

“
Gotcha,”
he said, smiling again.

She brushed her hair
back from her face and sighed in relief.

“
But sometimes it
IS true,” he said, then, seeing her eyes start to widen again,
he added, “but I'm not one of those guys.”

She relaxed again.

“
At least not
recently.”

“
Wait, wait”
--

“
Just kidding,
Sondra. Relax. C'mon.”

She stated walking
again, caught up with him.

“
You're just out
of J school, aren't you?”

“
It's that
obvious?”

“
Yup. You're
what, 23, 24?”

“
24.”