Graham sniffed once and pursed his lips, offering Jake a look of profound wisdom. “I really meant it when I said that the measure of a man isn’t what he has, but what he gives.”
Jake paused dramatically, looking into the rich man’s eyes. “Yeah, that was perfect. Just perfect.”
Jake looked back at Dora. “Wrap?”
“Nice work,” she said.
Jake nodded. “They’re gonna love this in New York. Thanks.”
“It’s just who I am,” Graham said with a somber expression.
Jake removed the tiny microphone from his lapel and stood to shake Graham’s hand.
“Hey, could I get your card?” Graham asked. “I’m in New York from time to time and I’d love to buy you dinner sometime, or just a drink.”
“Sure,” Jake said, removing the wallet from his back pocket and handing over a card. “That’s got my cell on it.”
Despite his receptionist’s continual presence and a reminder that he had a one-thirty call, it took nearly ten minutes for Graham to say his good-byes. Amid the tumult, Jake sat back down in his interview chair to tie his shoe. Secretly, he stuffed the battery pack for his microphone down in behind the chair’s leather cushion and fed the thin black cable around the edge, leaving only the tiny head of the microphone protruding from the front of the chair. When he stood up, Jake cast a quick glance at the chair and saw nothing anyone might notice.
When the audio tech asked Jake for his mic, Jake winked at him and motioned with his head toward the door. Jake picked up a light tripod and carried it out, the audio technician trailing him with his shoulder bag full of equipment.
When they reached the elevator, the tech asked, “So what the hell’s up?”
Jake put a finger to his lips and flicked his eyes at the camera. When they got to the parking lot, Jake waited for one of the cameramen to head back inside for more gear before he spoke.
“I need my mic,” Jake said, “and I’d like the audio deck, too. Can I keep it with me? I’ll bring it back to New York myself.”
“What for, Jake? Peter Brennan’s gonna want to know why I don’t have my stuff.”
“Tell him I wanted to listen to the tracks,” Jake said.
“But why?”
“I don’t know. Tell him I’m trying something with my intonation when I ask serious questions. Tell him anything. Can I have it?” Jake asked, holding out his hand.
The tech looked at his shoulder pack, shrugged, and handed it over. Jake glanced around and quickly popped the trunk of his Cadillac, dumping the equipment in before clapping the tech on the back and returning to the office to help with the rest of the stuff.
“Between us, okay?” he said.
The tech nodded.
They went back inside and said one final good-bye to Robert Graham as he sat down behind his big desk, looked at his watch, and scooped up the phone.
The crew carted the last of the equipment out the door, and Jake walked beside Dora.
“Another happy customer,” she said as they left Graham’s office. “Hey, what was the dummy routine all about?”
Jake raised his eyebrows and pointed to himself.
“I thought you didn’t like this guy,” Dora said, lowering her voice to a whisper as they passed the receptionist’s desk.
“Dazzled by his personality,” Jake said, getting into the elevator, “and all the money.”
“You wouldn’t know it looking at him,” Dora said, “the money, I mean.”
“Part of the charm. Oh, he’s special,” Jake said, stepping out of the elevator and into the small entryway. “A humble soul.”
“You feeling okay?” Dora asked, tilting her head.
“Sure,” Jake said, holding open the door.
“Can I ride with you to the airport?” Dora asked.
Jake said, “Sorry, I’m not going, Dora. Can you ride with the crew?”
Dora’s face fell. “We’ve got everything we need and more.”
“Actually,” Jake said, loosening his tie and giving her a wink as he strode toward his rental car, “there’s a lot more.”
18
JAKE RACED OUT of the parking lot and took a left, away from the airport. He checked his rearview mirror before taking a sharp right into the shopping center across the street and circling through the parking lot until he sat up on a rise facing Graham’s office building from across the street. He jumped out and retrieved the audio pack from the trunk. Back in the front seat, he positioned the headphones on his ears and flicked on the power button that would let him hear the broadcast of the little microphone he’d left in Graham’s office.
“-because people don’t talk to me like that, that’s why!”
Jake’s eyes lost their focus as he concentrated hard on Robert Graham’s voice. Its tone was indignant but also tainted by a dash of fear.
“I understand the position we’re all in,” Graham said, quieting to almost a whine. “I’m in it, too, and I’m working on it as we speak.”
There was a pause.
“You think I don’t know that?” Graham said. “I’m more exposed than anyone, you know that.”
Jake heard what sounded like papers being stuffed into a briefcase.
“What?” Graham said. “It has nothing to do with that. Listen, Massimo, if they’d taken care of her when I asked, the way I asked, we wouldn’t be ‘fucking around with this charade,’ as you call it, but I was told to fix it and if anyone has a better idea how, you just let me know.”
Another pause.
“No, Massimo. I’m not talking to you like that,” Graham said, “but do I really have to? I mean, can’t he just pick up the phone? We’re in the twenty-first century.
“I’m just saying,” Graham said, his voice lowering so that Jake could barely hear it. “Yes, I’ll be there. Let me finish this first and I’ll leave right away. No, I don’t have an attitude, Massimo. I’m sorry. Yes. Good-bye.”
Jake waited and watched the building, expecting Graham any second. Nothing happened. Finally, to ease the tension by sharing the excitement, he dialed Casey’s cell phone.
“Everything okay?” he asked her, wriggling out of his suit coat.
She told him how it went with the judge, sounding pleased.
“Good,” Jake said, his eyes still glued to the front door of Graham’s offices. “Sounds like you put the judge’s cojones in a vise.”
“That’s not what you meant, is it? When you asked if everything was okay,” Casey said. “You meant something else.”
Jake told her about the conversation he overheard Graham having on the phone without telling her how he heard it, then said, “When he talked about a charade I was thinking maybe this whole thing with your killer and the Freedom Project-I don’t know. It was as much the tone of Graham’s voice as the things he said. The man sounded scared, and when he said ‘if they’d taken care of her when I asked, the way I asked,’ I could only think of you.”
“It could be anyone, though,” Casey said thoughtfully.
“Right, me just being paranoid,” Jake said, nodding to himself. “I hope that’s true, but I like to play things safe, so in the meantime, I want you to watch your back.”
“And you?”
“I’m going to see if I can follow him,” Jake said. “Obviously, he’s being summoned by someone who makes him pee down his leg, and I’m going to find out who.”
“Be careful,” Casey said.
“Touching,” Jake said, allowing himself a smile. “I didn’t know you cared.”
“I care,” Casey said. “Don’t act like an idiot.”
“It’s tough,” Jake said, “but I’ll try.”
Jake hung up and waited. It was almost three when the billionaire came out of the offices and got into a silver Range Rover. Jake started his engine and followed. As they headed west on the Thruway, Jake figured Graham was heading for the airport. He called a contact at the FAA in Washington and used a favor to track down the location and flight plan of Graham’s private jet.