Game Over (15 page)

“That's a pretty gutsy attitude, even if you are the president.”

Martine Connor shrugged. “So, how do you feel about taking the bench on the Supreme Court? I know you know, Lizzie.”

Lizzie smiled. “It's true, I do know, but Cosmo didn't tell me. He enlisted the aid of a few friends, and word got back to Maggie Spritzer, who in turn told me. At first I thought it was a dream come true. As you know, every lawyer worth his or her salt aspires to sit on that particular court, and I'm no exception. I was stunned, ecstatic, over the moon, all of the above. Just to be nominated was enough. I don't think I got as far in my thinking that it might actually happen. The vetting process is a killer. Everyone knows that.”

“What is it you're trying to say, Lizzie?”

“What I'm saying is, no thanks!”

“Lizzie, it's a sure shot. We can get you the appointment. Is it your husband? Why? I don't understand.”

“It is a dream come true, and I do thank you, but I can't accept. I'm pregnant, Marti. My doctor just called this morning to tell me my test came back positive. You're the first to know. I haven't even told Cosmo yet. I can't believe it. Me! I'm going to be a mother! Me, of all people. Cosmo is…God, I don't know what Cosmo is going to do or say.”

“Oh, Lizzie, how wonderful! You are going to be such a good mother. I'm sure your husband is going to…to go over the moon.” Tears filled the president's eyes. “I am so happy for you and Cosmo. I understand completely. The Supreme Court wanes in light of motherhood.”

“It does, doesn't it?” Lizzie giggled. “I want you to be my baby's godmother, Marti.”

Tears rolled down the president's cheeks. “Even after…?”

Lizzie nodded. “I'm going to pack up and take the red-eye tonight. This is something I want to tell Cosmo face-to-face, not over the phone. I'll be back in a few days.”

Martine was suddenly all business. “So, I want to be sure I understand what we've said here. It's okay for the vigilantes to attend the patriotic party and pick up their pardons in person?”

Lizzie laughed. “The only thing you have to decide is this. Do you want to see them invade the White House, which is what they threatened to do, and you said would never happen, or do you want to pave the way for them and make it easy?”

“I think I'll flip a coin. Call it, Lizzie.” The president picked up a quarter from the table. “Heads, the vigilantes invade the White House under their own power. Tails, I pave the way for it to happen.”

Lizzie laughed. “Heads!”

After Martine flipped the coin, it rolled around for what seemed an eternity, finally coming to a stop in front of Lizzie, with the American eagle grinning up at her.

“Tails,” Lizzie said, sounding disappointed. “Too bad. I guess you get to help in the invasion of the White House.”

Martine leaned close and hugged her old friend. “I'll start looking for your replacement. I want you to enjoy every moment of your pregnancy. Truly, Lizzie, I am so happy for you. Can I plan a baby shower here at the White House?”

“Well, yeah, Marti. I want my baby to have that memory. Are you sure you want to do that?”

“Oh, Lizzie, I do. We could have it this summer in the Rose Garden.” The president looked at her watch. “Oh, God, I'm late. I have to go, Lizzie.”

Arms linked, the two women walked to the door. They hugged one last time before the president opened the door. She shed her personal persona like a chameleon and turned into the president of the United States. She winked at Lizzie and said, “Fly safe.”

“You know it, Madam President.”

Lizzie tripped down the hall behind the Secret Service agent. Her eyes sparkled as she started to hum under her breath.

She was pregnant.

She was going to be a mother.

How awesome was that?

Pretty damn awesome,
she thought.

C
osmo Cricket shifted in the oversize bed and sniffed Elizabeth's scent on the pillow. He rolled over, the huge custom bed shaking with his weight. He could still smell her perfume, more so now. Was he dreaming? If he was dreaming, then how could he be aware of his wife's perfume? He sniffed again, savoring the sweet, musky scent of her. He cracked one eye to see the red numerals on the digital clock. Way too early to get up. He sensed movement on the floor. He didn't have a dog or a cat, so what was moving?

He reached out to snap on the bedside light as both eyes snapped open. “Elizabeth! What are you doing here? Why are you sitting on the floor? How long have you been sitting there?”

Lizzie smiled. “I came to see you. I'm sitting here because I didn't want to wake you. I've been here for more than an hour. I like watching you sleep. You look so peaceful.”

Cosmo's mind raced. Then his heart started to pound. She knew. He felt fear then, fear unlike anything he'd ever known. She knew about the possible nomination and that he'd kept it from her. She'd come here to ax him, to tell him she couldn't abide a liar. They'd promised each other there would be no secrets between them. But…her tone of voice was light…truthful sounding. She looked so…ethereal sitting there on the floor. He shook his big head like a wet, shaggy dog getting a bath to try and clear his thoughts.

“Are you hungry?” he asked. He shook his head again. Of all the stupid things to have said, that had to be the stupidest.

“Only for you,” Lizzie said.

Cosmo's heart continued to pound. Well, that didn't sound like she was there to give him the kiss of death. Throwing caution to the winds, he leaned over and reached for her hand. Leaning over the way he was, he could see her beautiful face more clearly. She looked, for want of a better word, dreamy. Her eyes, which usually sparkled, appeared glazed to him. He could feel panic start to rise in him. In the time it took his heart to beat twice, he was out of the bed and sitting in front of her, his long legs outstretched. He reached for her and tried to pull her close. She resisted. Then she stiff-armed him. The panic was engulfing him now as he stared at the woman he loved more than life itself.

“Cricket, I have something to tell you.”

Lizzie called him Cricket when things were right and Cosmo when she meant business. His panic did not subside.

“Look at me, Cricket.” Like he could do anything but look at her. “I'm pregnant. I just found out this morning. That's why I'm here. We're going to have a baby! We're going to be parents.”

“We're having a baby?” Cosmo said as his eyes rolled back in his head.

“Well, technically, we made a baby, and I'm the one who is going to have it, but, yeah, we're having a baby.”

Cosmo felt his eyeballs settle back into place. “I feel like you just gave me the whole world with a big red bow on it. A baby! I'm going to be a father! A real honest-to-God father! Jesus, Elizabeth, why are you sitting on the floor?” Without waiting for her answer, he somehow managed to get to his knees, then his feet. He scooped her up in his arms and set her gingerly on the side of the bed. Now he was on his knees as he stared up at her. “You're okay, right? We'll get a nurse to follow you around, a housekeeper to wait on you. We'll even get a dog to keep you company. I'll quit my job and we'll—”

“Do none of the above. I'm fine. I don't want a nurse or a housekeeper, and no, you will not quit your job. I'll go for the dog, but that's it.”

“But—”

“No buts, Cricket. I want your promise.”

Like he could deny her anything. He promised. “Pickles, ice cream, watermelon. I'll make sure we never run out, okay?”

“Okay.” Lizzie giggled.

“I thought…Christ, I thought all kinds of things when I woke and saw you sitting there on the floor. I was so sure you—”

“Found out about the Supreme Court nomination? I did. I understand, Cricket. I had lunch with the president today. I turned it down. Not that it was actually offered, but I told her thanks but no thanks. I did tell her I was pregnant. I'm sorry she was the first to know, but I had no other choice. She cried, Cricket. It's such a long story, and I don't want to go down that road right now. But she did say she would start looking for a replacement, because she knew I'd want to spend these months with you. You know what, Cricket? I am hungry. I think I'll take you up on your offer of breakfast.”

Once again, Lizzie found herself scooped up and trundled out to the kitchen, where Cosmo settled her into one of the padded chairs.

“This is it, you know. From here on in you do not get to carry me around like a baby doll.”

Hands on his hips, Cosmo glared at his wife. “What if you trip and fall? We should get you one of those button things to wear around your neck that will summon the paramedics. I'll do that at nine o'clock, when business opens. Absolutely I am going to do that.”

“Okay, this is where we have our first fight,
Cosmo.
No button! I am not going to trip and fall. I am not going to gain a ton of weight. That means I will not be top heavy. Honey, millions of women have babies every day. Somehow or other, they make it through the nine months, carrying on normal lives. I appreciate your concern, truly I do, but I do not want to be smothered. Are you listening,
Cosmo?
”

The use of his given name convinced Cosmo that Lizzie meant business. He hung his big head and nodded. “What would you like for breakfast?”

“Everything. Eggs, pancakes, waffles, bacon, sausage, juice, coffee, the works. Today we celebrate. Tomorrow I will start to eat healthy. Try not to use every pot and pan in the house, okay?”

Cosmo's laugh shook the house as he lumbered from the refrigerator to the stove and back to the table. “Are you going to have that test that will tell us if it's a boy or a girl?”

“We have to discuss it, Cricket. That's not a decision I want to make on my own. We have six months to decide.” Lizzie giggled then. “It's not like we can give him or her back.”

Cosmo was smiling like a lunatic as he rattled his pots and pans. The heady aroma of frying bacon spitting on the grill almost made Lizzie swoon. She was sooo hungry.

“Anything else new in the nation's capital?” Cosmo asked.

“Hank Jellicoe is having an affair with the president. But something went awry this morning. Maggie and Ted are getting engaged. I'm saving the best for last. I'll tell you all about it when we watch the sun come up. I love sitting out on the deck, all bundled up, with you. I think about it all the time, Cricket. I don't know what I like most, watching the sun come up or watching the sun set. For some reason, watching the sun come up or set in Washington does nothing for me.”

One eye on the grill and one eye on his wife, Cosmo said, “Who told you? I thought I could trust those guys. I needed input, Elizabeth. I wanted to do the right thing by you.”

“The boys didn't tell me. Somehow Maggie wormed it out of Ted, and she told me. Swore me to secrecy, of course. It really isn't important, Cricket. You all did what you did for the right reasons.”

“What about the house? Are you upset over that?”

“What house?”

“Crap! I just assumed they would have told you about that. I bought a house in Old Town in Alexandria. I had it gutted and redone. I didn't decorate it, though,” he added hastily, a look of pure panic on his face. “We can sell it if you don't like it. I need more space, more room to move around, Elizabeth. I don't expect you to sell your little house. I know how much you love it. I want to always keep this one, too. I thought I would surprise you. The guys loved the house, but they all warned me not even to think about decorating. It has a fenced-in yard, Elizabeth. Beautifully landscaped. A really nice place, to my way of thinking, for raising a family. We could even get a dog or a cat. It was supposed to be a surprise.”

“Well, it worked, honey. I am surprised. I like Old Town. Do you have any pictures you can show me?”

“I have before and after. The contractor was good about that. It's like a brand-new house in an old neighborhood. You know, the kind where there are big trees, green grass yards, and in the fall you rake the leaves and jump in them. We'll have neighbors to be friendly with. We'll be parents soon—God, how easy those words just rolled off my lips—so we'll meet other parents.”

“Do you think we'll make good parents, Cricket?” Lizzie asked anxiously.

“I
know
we will.”

“So what do you think about Hank and the president?”

“Is it serious? I got a memo yesterday that Hank will be in town the day after tomorrow. The casino owners have a proposition to present to him and asked me to sit in. I haven't seen him in a while. Are you going to ask me to fish around for details on his romance?”

“Cricket!” Lizzie said indignantly. “Of course.” She grinned.

Cosmo laughed. “So Maggie and Ted are going to take the plunge. I'm happy for them.”

“Well, I'm not sure about the plunge, but Ted did get a ring. No wedding date has been set. Maggie says she's in no hurry. At first she said she was going to get artificial nails, because she's a nail biter. You know, to show off the ring. Then she said she's going to let her nails grow, and when they do grow and she gets her first manicure is when she's going to okay that walk down the aisle. She hasn't explained all of that yet to Ted. You aren't getting it, are you, honey?”

Cosmo stared at his wife as he tried to comprehend what she was saying. Finally, he said, “All you wanted was a pair of rhinestone cowgirl boots for someone else and a plain gold wedding band. Whatever.” He threw his hands in the air. “I'd rather talk about Hank.”

Lizzie just laughed.

 

A few days before the scheduled liberation of the pardons was to take place, Hank Jellicoe pulled his SUV to the curb in front of the Hoover Building just as Bert Navarro exited the Federal Bureau of Investigation and walked to the waiting SUV. He climbed in, and the truck shot away from the curb almost before the door was closed and the director could buckle up.

“You want to share what this cloak-and-dagger is all about, Hank?”

“Do you think you can wait for my pearls of wisdom until we have a big, juicy steak in front of us?”

“I guess that's your way of telling me you aren't talking until you eat. How's business?”

“Ah, now, that's something I can talk about. In a word, booming.”

“Too many bad guys out there, eh?” Bert chuckled.

“Being in the same business, guess you know they never slow down. You lock them up, and a new crop pops up without missing a beat. I wasn't sure you'd agree to meet with me, since I just snagged three of your best agents.”

“We both know money talks and bullshit walks. The Bureau can't match the kind of money you pay your people. I understand the cost of college is going up. The economy sucks. Who can blame a guy, no matter how good he is, if he's struggling to take care of his family and wants to make more money? It's called taking care of business, Hank.”

“So, no hard feelings, kid?”

Kid?
Compared to Jellicoe, maybe he was a kid. “No, Hank, no hard feelings. Where are we going?”

“Benito's. I got a voice mail last night from Benny himself, who said he got a shipment of Kobe beef, and a dozen steaks have my name on them. I'm a sharing kind of guy, so I thought to myself, who better to share them with than the director of the FBI?”

Even the skimpiest of Kobe steaks at Benito's started out at a thousand bucks, or so Bert had heard. Benito's was definitely out of his league. “You are so full of shit, Hank, your eyes are turning brown.” Bert laughed.

“Tell me that again after you sink your teeth into one of those steaks. Ah, we're here! Loosen your belt so you don't embarrass me when you start chowing down on that melt-in-your-mouth beef.”

Bert climbed out of the SUV and looked around. There was absolutely nothing about Benito's that might lead anyone to think he was going someplace special. There were no neon signs. The parking lot was run of the mill. Regulation. The front door was just a heavy-duty front door, with credit-card stickers, which alerted diners Benny took every credit card known to man.

Inside, Bert looked around again. Again, nothing to make him think he was anywhere special. It was clean, though. And it had tablecloths, and they probably used cloth napkins. The tables and chairs were wood. The bar was small, with only eight stools. The mirrors sparkled. Polished wood floor. Windows that looked out over a courtyard barren of trees and shrubbery. He supposed the place could be called intimate, with only twelve tables, none occupied at the moment.

A man appeared out of nowhere. Bert assumed it was Benny himself by the way he hugged Jellicoe and quickly ushered them to a table. Within seconds a bottle of Japanese beer was set in front of Hank. Benny was introduced, and the men shook hands. Bert winced at the man's grip.

“What'll it be, Mr. Director?” Benny asked.

“Tonic water,” said Bert.

“That's the only thing you get to order, Bert. You come here for steak, you get steak. Benny doesn't mess around with medium rare, well done, or fried. He does it one way, and it's his way. He's been known to throw people out of here just for asking for something. You get a salad that no one eats and a five-times baked potato. That's all there is.”

All Bert could think of to say was, “Uh-huh.”

Hank cut right to the chase the moment Bert's tonic water was set in front of him. “Listen, kid, I asked you here for two reasons, the first being to share the steak with you and to offer you a job. In case you don't know this, things are coming to a boil. The vigilantes will have their presidential pardons in a matter of days.