I don’t know if Lee slept at all that night.
I woke at four-thirty a.m., alone in bed. I tested my various damaged areas, expecting the usual day-two increase in pain. But they actually felt improved. Could sex be the ultimate painkiller? It certainly beat Celebrex.
At a little after five, showered, shaved, suited, and lured by the smell of fried bacon, I found Lee in the restaurant kitchen. She’d prepared breakfast for us. Scrambled eggs and coffee to go with the bacon. It looked lovely. But as they say, there are no free meals.
I’d barely nibbled a forkful of egg when Lee said, “It is not just a question of saving Goyal’s life. I do not want that bitch to slip away where she can kill more of my clients. I want her nailed tight to the prison floor. I think we can do that.”
“‘We’?” I said.
“My plan requires your participation.”
“Why? You’ve got a whole army of agents, Lee.”
“You are part of this, chef,” she said. “You have a more personal reason than I.”
“Yeah?”
“Self-preservation. Felix gave you a warning that you foolishly ignored. Besides, I’m not asking you to do anything you aren’t capable of handling.”
“Whoa. Flip that over and serve it up again.”
“I need you to do the interview with Goyal Aharon.”
I ate a piece of crisp, dry bacon, took a sip of coffee, and mulled that over.
“Assuming you could somehow derail Trina Lomax’s plan to interview him, there are quite a few people next in line, including Lance Tuttle and our news anchor, Tori Dillard. I’d be in that line somewhere after the entertainment guy.”
“You’re wherever Gretchen Di Voss wants you to be. And I don’t think it will take much to convince her you’re the man for the job.”
“But I’m not,” I disagreed. “I know my limitations. To begin, my knowledge of international politics comes mainly from James Bond movies. I don’t know anything about Aharon, except that he talks too much for his own good. And I haven’t even read his book.”
“As if any of your associates bother to read the books of the authors they interview. These things are of no importance.”
With that she stopped talking and concentrated on devouring her breakfast. I, on the other hand, had lost my appetite. I picked at the egg and sipped a little more coffee and wondered what one said to an ex–Mossad agent. “Hey, how are things in the Holy Land?” “How about that Hezbollah?”
There was a noise just outside the kitchen door.
If Lee heard it, she seemed to ignore it as she continued consuming the remains of her breakfast. I turned to see the door swing inward as A.W. stepped into the kitchen. “About time to hit the road,” he said.
“Give us a minute, A.W.,” Lee said.
“Sure. I’ll be out in the car, Billy.”
“I’d better be going,” I said. I started to rise, but Lee placed a hand on my wrist, indicating I should remain seated.
“Goyal’s flight arrives at a little after eleven. We’ll give him a while to shake off the jet lag, then get you two together.”
“I don’t understand where you’re going with this. What’s the plan?”
“I thought you could figure that one out,” Lee said. She stood, picked up our plates, and carried them to the sink. “Goyal may be Felix’s primary target, but she has her own reasons, whatever they may be, for wishing you harm, too. Putting both of you together in a seemingly accessible location—like Goyal’s hotel suite—should be an opportunity she’ll be unable to resist.”
“In other words,” I said, joining her at the sink with the glasses and coffee cups, “for you to get the hard evidence you need, Felix will have to make a self-incriminating move. Pull a gun. Set fire to the room. Stab one of us in the chest. Something like that.”
“I’ll be near enough to ensure your safety,” she said, taking the glasses and cups from my hands. “Don’t worry about the dishes. I’ll put them in the machine and lock up after I’m through. You just get to work on time, chef dear.”
“This is no little thing, Lee,” I said.
“You and Goyal will be safe as houses,” Lee said. “Trust me. At the first hint of trouble, we’ll close Trina down.”
Outside, a car horn sounded.
“You should go,” she said. “And don’t worry. Tonight we will celebrate.”
She stepped into my arms and we kissed. It was very nice, but it didn’t stop me from worrying.