Cassy and Donni stopped for the light at Maiden Lane, just a couple of blocks down from BP. The streets weren’t as narrow here as they were south of Wall, and traffic was heavy both on Nassau as well as on the sidewalks.
Cassy took out her phone and dialed the NYSE main number. She was frightened now, and her hand shook.
“Are you okay?” Donni asked.
She glanced at him as the number rang. His eyes were wide, and he acted as strung out as she was. “Look back and see if Hardy’s got someone following us,” she said.
He turned around. “Not that I can see.”
The NYSE operator answered, and Cassy asked to speak with Betty Ladd.
“Who is calling, please?”
Cassy gave her name.
“One moment, please.”
The light changed, and for some reason Cassy’s eye was drawn to a white Cadillac Escalade with New York plates. The side windows were so deeply tinted that she could hardly see inside, and she only caught a glimpse of the driver and maybe one person on the passenger side when it passed them heading south.
Betty came on almost immediately. “Good afternoon,” she said.
“I’m on my lunch hour, and I need to talk to you about something.”
“Is it about work?” Betty asked, her voice suddenly sharp.
“I think so, but I’m a little confused. And scared.”
“Okay. Where are you right now?”
“A couple blocks south of the office. I could be at the exchange in just a few minutes, if you have the time for us.”
“Who’s with you?”
“One of my friends in the DCCS.”
“Okay, listen, stay right where you are, and I’ll send a car for you. Okay?”
“I don’t want to make a fuss; anyway, no one is following us, and we can be there faster than you could send a car to us.”
Pedestrians were surging around them. Donni took her arm and as they started across the street the traffic light counted down from eight seconds.
“I’ll leave word at security out front and have Jennifer waiting inside to take you upstairs,” Betty said. “But for goodness sake, can you at least give me a hint?”
“I’m bringing something for you to see. It’s important.”
“Okay. I’ll be here, but calm down, okay?”
“Okay,” Cassy said, her heart racing.