Chapter 22

Chapter 22—Allison prepares for 

meeting two

11:16 a.m., Thursday, December 15

As Allison, who was actually dressed as Bernadette for the first meeting, headed back to her apartment, she contemplated what had transpired during the previous forty minutes. As she walked along, she repeated audibly what each person had said, as best she could recall.
Ever since her days at Yale she had done that when she wanted to commit something to memory. She would repeat lists, dates, facts of any type, and court rulings. She had become a walking encyclopedia. To a large extent, she credited her academic success to this ability. Unfortunately, over the course of the past few years she found this ability to be diminishing.
When it came to the content of these meetings, Allison was adamant about creating a clear recollection of everything that was said, and who said it.
“Then Reg complained about sitting in the middle. His legs were too long. So he had Jerry slide into the middle. I am pretty sure it was because he did not want to sit next to Steve. Of course, when he closed the door, he gripped the handle with a sanitized towel. He has always had such a powerful aversion to germs. That was Reg.”
And so she went on, repeating everything that occurred during that meeting, and in the order it occurred. Even though she might not have been as good at this as she once was, it is likely that no one could have done a better job at making the most of self-talk.  As she walked along, she fired off a non-stop regurgitation of the events of the past hour. She did not miss a point, or a nuance.
As she walked, she recalled how this practice used to garner negative attention on the Yale campus. She would start repeating what she had read as she walked down the steps of the law library. As she passed other students, she sensed their glares. She assumed most thought she was just a little eccentric, talking out loud to herself as she turned up York Street. Now, however, such behavior did not warrant a glance. Passersby simply assumed she was talking on her cell.
Once she had satisfied herself that she had verbalized the entire meeting, she ceased speaking aloud. She then contemplated the best time and location for the next meeting. “We need to get back together within a couple days, I do not want to waste this momentum. Tuesday, we’ll meet Tuesday. And we have to find a better venue. The Escalade was okay, but it was altogether too close.”
She was confident that no one would recognize her, if she were alone. But when the other four were present, it could put her disguise in jeopardy. Anyone who watched cable news would easily recognize James and Steve—especially Steve. Then, once those two were identified, it was only a matter of time until someone concluded who she was. “I have to find a better, more private venue. And it should not be in a car, not even an Escalade. And it must not be totally as Bernadette. We must meet in a place where I can be Allison, at least in part. The Bernadette disguise is just too distracting for the others.”
Bernadette had reached her building. She smiled at the doorman as she passed him, and took the
“Bernadette elevator” up to her apartment.
“I wonder if Jerry still has that cottage in the Catskills? That would be perfect, at least for one of the meetings. I could pick up a key from Jerry, and have James go up early and do a sweep. If I remember correctly, cells don’t work there, and he has no telephone line. Still uses a generator for power, I bet.”
That was it. She would break the news to Jerry later that evening. He liked Allison as much as she liked him, perhaps more. During all their years working together, he never denied any request she had ever made of him. “He would be happy to comply,” she concluded.
And he did. He told her later that evening that he would gladly permit the group to use his little cottage. “Al, of course I don’t mind. What’s mine is yours—you know that. But keep in mind no one has been up there in nearly a year. My new bride is not fond of roughing it. It can’t be very clean, and it probably doesn’t even smell very well right now. Shall I run up there and clean it up?” He asked her.
“Definitely not! You simply pick up Reg and Steve. I will have James go up a few hours early, and make sure there are no active bugs. If he detects anything, we will postpone the meeting. But if all is well, and I strongly suspect it will be, then I will drive up there by myself. I still remember where it is. And so does James. He never forgets anything.”
“That works for me. When is the next meeting?”
“Tuesday at 6 p.m.”
“Next Tuesday? Why so soon?”
“Jerry, don’t give me lip. It will be Tuesday, without an argument, and that’s it. If I said we were meeting yet tonight, you would be ready. And so would everyone else. You know that.”
“Tuesday it is. Should I call the other two to set up a pickup?”
“No, I’ll call and let them know where and when.”
“Sounds fine. I’ll tell you where the key is. There is a large oak tree on the south side of the cottage—less than fifteen feet from the cottage itself. At the trunk, there is a rotten plank. Under the plank is a zip lock bag. It has the key to the front door.”
“I’ll pass that information on to James.”
“That’s not all. I have an alarm system. The code is 7-6-8-9-1. The 7689 is the combo, and the 1 is the off key.”
“7689, followed by the number 1.”
“That’s right. There is a thirty second delay on the front door.”
“What the hell do you have an alarm system for, you don’t have a telephone or power? What good can that do?”
“I guess it just makes me feel better. I have a big battery, and a solar cell. I should probably put up a wind driven generator. But the solar cell works well enough to power the alarm.”
“I will pass that information on to James.”
“Al, can I ask you one question relating to the meeting tonight?”
“Hell no. We’re not going to get that started. What goes on during our meetings, stays there. There will be no conversation relating to it outside everyone being present.”
“I understand that, but did you see the way Steve and Reg glared at each other? I don’t think ...”
“No Jerry, sometimes you don’t think. And sometimes you think too much. And right now you’re talking too much. Did I not make myself clear? There will be no conversation about any of this. None. Do you understand me?  I really like you Jerry, and I know you respect me. But you’re gonna do what I tell you to do. I am in charge here. Do you understand me?”
“I sure do. It won’t happen again.”
“That’s right.”
As soon as she ended the call to Jerry, she retrieved a small electronic recording device from her bedroom, along with a thumb drive, and verbalized into the microphone all the events of the first meeting as she had remembered them earlier on her walk back to her apartment. She kept the thumb drive in a small jewelry safe behind the thermostat in her (Bernadette’s) bedroom.
She was pleased with herself about that safe, because she had installed it herself. After she had the apartment renovated, she requested a functioning wireless thermostat in her bedroom. After some objections from the contractor, he complied with her wishes. She then procured the small wall safe, removed the thermostat from the wall, and attached it to the cover of the safe. It was just large enough to accommodate a few pieces of jewelry, and half a dozen thumb drives.
Once she had finished the recording, she removed the thumb drive and put it in the secret safe. She then replaced the device in her bedroom. She felt safe leaving the recording device simply lying on her dresser, because it had no hard drive, so no information would be stored on it—therefore, if found, it could not compromise her or her plans.
Bernadette then re-assumed the identity of Allison, double checking every aspect of her metamorphosis until she was confident that all was perfect before opening the door to the secret closet, and beginning the descent to her other identity.