Chapter 43

Chapter 43—The third meeting

5:49 p.m., Tuesday December 27

Just as at the second meeting, James arrived first, opened up the cottage, and aired it out. And, of course, he swept the entire area for bugs and transmitters.
Again, Allison was the second to arrive. Initially she started to remove the battery from her cell, then reconsidered, and just left it in her vehicle. Just as at previous meetings, James thoroughly wanded Allison. And, she in turn passed the wand over James entire torso, without a peep from the equipment in both cases.
“Jerry’s not going to be coming tonight,” he informed Allison.
“What!” she exclaimed, more angry than surprised. “What’s the deal with him?”
“He had a medical emergency,” James said. “His implant is acting up. Apparently he developed an infection, and had to be hospitalized.”
“When did he call you?” Allison asked, trying to determine whether or not she should be angry with James for not notifying her.
“Thirty minutes ago. He was at the hospital,” James replied. “It was weird. My phone rang, and it did not sound as though anyone was at the other end. Then, finally, Jerry answered. He said that he could not hear a thing, and that he was at the hospital having his equipment worked on. He apologized several times. He said something about an infection, and that he was running a high temperature. He asked me to go over business with him later, maybe tomorrow, if he gets out. Then he apologized one more time, and disconnected. He sounded very distressed, as though it might be serious.”
“Damn,” Allison said. “We have some very important business to conduct tonight. Jerry should be here.”
“Al,” James tried to console her, “Jerry’s on the same page with us. I know he is. And I promise I will stay on top of this. I will meet with him as soon as he is able, and feel him out. I will not provide him any information that I do not think he is ready for, just in case he balks. But I know Jerry, and I know he is good with it.”
“You and I will meet with him, when he is able. I just wish he could be here tonight. He is the only one that Steve really likes. Steve tolerates Reg, and he respects you and me. But he genuinely likes Jerry.” Allison paused for a moment, as she gathered her thoughts. “I agree with you that Jerry is into this thing with both feet. And that he is very loyal. But I’m going to miss him tonight, with Steve.”
“I know what you mean. I will make every effort be at the top of my game. Maybe I can take up the slack, when it comes to Steve.”
“We sure as hell cannot expect too much from Reg in that regard. I really think he hates Steve.”
“Not so much that, but Reg has a problem with gays. He’s always been that way.”
“Christ, Steve isn’t gay. He’s just not the sort of guy that Reg likes,” Allison said. “This is the deal with Steve and Reg. Steve is a media guy—the consummate talking head. Steve is masterful in his ability to spin. He can spin both sides of the same story, and be totally convincing. Reg, on the other hand, is Reg. When he locks is teeth into something, he is tenaciously myopic. He refuses to see the other side of anything. He just doesn’t trust Steve, and it makes his distrust and dislike more palatable if he blames it on Steve being gay. Steve sees through this, and he genuinely hates Reg. And I don’t think hate is too strong a word. We need Jerry to add a little levity to the whole thing. I don’t think you or I can do that. At least not like Jerry can.”
“I completely agree with you. I think I will surprise you tonight. I can be one hell of a funny guy.”
“Just pay some serious attention to whatever Steve contributes. And try to be a buffer between him and Reg.”
“I will do my best,” James responded. “I think you might be forgetting something here. Reg got paid earlier today. Right? He’s going to be on his best behavior tonight. That is one hell of a lot of money he’s going to have at his disposal. I’m sure a lot of it will work its way right into his pocket. He might surprise you a bit tonight.”
“Not exactly. He took delivery earlier today. But I think the net effect will not be just as you suggest. He’s got a lot on his mind—a lot of responsibility. Not to mention, a lot of my money. A hell of a lot. He is smart. He knows that he needs Steve to pull the whole plan off. He is well aware of Steve’s immense talent in that area. … But we might just see a different side of Reg tonight. I sure hope so.”
“It’ll work—I’ll make sure of it. … I’m pretty confident that we’re good—both with Jerry, and with Steve.”
“We’ll soon know, won’t we?”
Just then there was a knock on the door. “James, it’s Reg. And I’ve brought a friend.”
James looked over at the door, then back at Allison. “What is going on,” he said in Allison’s direction. She did not utter a word. Dumbfounded would have been an understatement.