Daredevil Riders

46

Mirabel smiled and pulled up a chair, motioning Reuben to stay where he was. She sat down and said, “We’re looking to buy a dozen cypress and were told that your place had some excellent specimens. I work for a landscaping firm in Delaware,” she explained. All of this was spoken in rapid Spanish and seemed to put the men at ease.

The first man told Mirabel that they indeed had such trees, but she could not get them.

“Why not?” she asked.

He explained about what had happened.

“Oh my God,” she exclaimed. “That’s awful. I read about it in the paper, of course, but they didn’t say the name of the tree farm, so I never associated it with yours. I hope they caught who did it.”

The men shook their heads.

“And was this John Kravitz a friend of yours? His name was the one I was actually given when I was coming up here.”

Kravitz had not been a close friend, and the men seemed stunned to learn that he had been involved with the bombing in Washington.

“That’s really a shame,” said Mirabel.

One of the men said that he believed John Kravitz to be innocent.

“But I heard on the news that they found bomb-making material at his home. That’s pretty serious.”

Whether the man had heard this too wasn’t clear. He insisted that Kravitz was innocent.

“And were you all there when the people were killed?”

They nodded.

“That must have been horrible. I guess you’re lucky you weren’t killed too.”

They had been out in the fields, they told her. They had heard and seen nothing.

“I guess the police have questioned you,” said Mirabel.

The surly looks on the men’s faces confirmed that.

“Well, it looks like whoever did it might get away. Too bad,” she said. Mirabel left that comment hanging out there to see what reaction it might inspire. One of the men whispered something to the first. He looked at Mirabel.

“The police didn’t ask about the basketball hoop,” he said.

“Basketball hoop?” Mirabel feigned ignorance even though Herbert had told her about the missing hoop.

“We had a basketball hoop up at one of the outbuildings. We would play ball there at lunch. John played too sometimes. He was good.”

“And what happened to the hoop?”

The first man glanced over at his companion who’d whispered to him.

“What’s up?” Mirabel asked innocently.

“Miguel saw something that night.”

“What night?”

“The night before the people were killed. He came back to pick up his sweater he left there.”

“What did he see?”

“He saw someone taking down the basketball hoop.”

“Taking down the hoop? Did he see who it was?”

“No. But it wasn’t John. It was a smaller man. And older. Then another man came. Another stranger. They talked.”

“Miguel, did you hear what they said?”

Miguel shook his head. “They spoke a funny language. I didn’t understand it.”

“Did you try and talk to them?”

“No. I was afraid. I was hiding behind another building.”

“Did you tell the police this?”

“They didn’t ask.”

“Okay,” said Mirabel. “Well, I guess we’ll have to look somewhere else for the trees. Thanks.”

She returned to the table with Reuben and filled him in on the parts he hadn’t overheard.

“Taking down a basketball hoop. And speaking a funny language, huh?”

“Well, it obviously wasn’t Spanish.”

When they left the bar a man who had been sitting near the jukebox sipping on a beer followed them. When their car pulled out, so did his. And then he clicked a number on his phone and spoke into it. A half mile away another vehicle started up and sped toward the direction Mirabel and Reuben were traveling.

Herbert WAS SITTING AT A DESK in Anthony’s room at the British embassy listening to the sound of the shower running. A minute later Anthony walked out of the bathroom wrapped in a white terrycloth robe, her feet bare. She was drying her hair with a towel.

“Getting a b****y night’s sleep and bathing with regularity is a little tough around you lot,” she said.

“I’m sure it’s the time difference,” he said. Herbert was going over some documents on the table and occasionally glancing at the laptop computer set up on the desk. He paused to look around the room.

“MI6 takes good care of its agents.”

“The British embassy is known for its first-class accommodations,” noted Anthony as she sat on the couch. “And a hotel just doesn’t cut it when one is examining classified documents and carrying a laptop with highly secret data.” She rose. “Give me a sec to dress and we’ll have a spot of tea.”

She left the room and Herbert could hear drawers and doors opening and closing. A few minutes later she came out dressed in a skirt, blouse, no hose and no shoes. She was just finishing buttoning her blouse. He glanced away when she looked up at him.

“Feel better?” he said casually.

“Loads, thanks. I’m famished.” She picked up the phone, ordered tea and some food and joined Herbert at the desk.

“Any word from your friends, the Camel Club?”

“Caleb called during his lunch hour. He faxed the list over of upcoming events at the park.” Herbert picked up two sheets of paper. “Here they are. There are lots of potential targets on there, unfortunately.”

Anthony ran her eye down the list. “I see what you mean. Any of them stand out among the others?”

“A few. Two that the president was going to be attending. Other heads of state, congressmen, celebrities. But narrowing it down will be difficult.”

“But my PM isn’t in the mix.” She put down the papers and looked thoughtful. “You know, chances are very good that I’ll be pulled off this little caper.”

“Because of no proven threat against the PM?”