Jack, are you so dense you can’t figure it out?” Maggie asked as she drained the last of her coffee. “The madam wants the johns to be punished. It’s as obvious as the nose on your face. She’s the one who, in the end, will hang by her toenails. She’ll be rotting in jail, and the politicians will be dining at the Jockey Club. Eventually they will all weasel their way back into some political arena. Think back to the D.C. Madam. She ended up dead, and you know there were some who said she did not take her own life. Did even one thing happen to her clients? I think not. Every single one of them is going on with his life, and she’s dead. D-E-A-D, Jack.”
“Cosmo said his client made mention of that, and those on her side of the fence said they do not believe she took her own life. But right now the D.C. Madam is not our problem. So, Jack, to answer your question, Cosmo’s client wants the johns to be brought up on charges, and she wants jail time for them. Or, she wants them…taken care of. She has no intention of going to jail herself. She provided a service, the johns paid. That’s her bottom line.”
“And as women you agree?” Jack asked tightly.
“Well, yeah,” Maggie drawled. “Guys who think they’re above the law need to get brought down a peg or two. If justice was doled out equally, I’m sure the madam, whoever she is, would take her punishment like any woman would. Favoritism will not work in a case like this.”
“And you don’t think losing a job, maybe his family, and his reputation is enough punishment for the john?”
Maggie got up, reached for the last cinnamon bun, and smashed it in Jack’s face. “Does that answer your question?” she snarled.
“You’re vicious,” Jack snarled in return as he licked at the frosting smeared across his lips. He then dunked his head under the kitchen faucet and dried off with a length of paper towels. “All I did was ask a question.”
“Yeah, well, it was the wrong question,” Maggie snarled a second time.
Maggie turned to Lizzie, and said, “I’m on it. When can you get me the names in the black books?”
“Hold on here, ladies. Isn’t that violating the attorney-client privilege?”
Lizzie smiled. Jack cringed. “She gave it up, Jack. We have permission to run with this. Cosmo said she’s one tough lady, and she ‘is not going to roll over and play dead for a bunch of dick-dead men.’ Those are her words, in writing. She okayed, in writing, for Cosmo to do whatever he had to do.”
“Okay, okay,” Jack mumbled. “What’s the plan? Just so you know, if the girls jump on this, I’m not budging without a plan. I know I’m speaking for Harry when I say we need a plan.”
Lizzie and Maggie both nodded. “I think a meeting is called for,” Lizzie said. “I have plans to fly to Vegas this weekend. If you all want to arrange a meeting on the mountain, I can attend via webcam. If there’s any way I can arrange for a meeting with our new client, I want to jump on it. The only problem with that is that we have no way to contact her. Cosmo said she’s gone to ground and will call in from time to time. I’m thinking she’s already out of the country since Cosmo said her money is offshore. That’s where she’ll head. Always follow the money. You know that’s the first rule. Maggie?”
“Hey, I’m on it. The minute you get me those names, we’ll start raising some hell. This city will tremble. I can see the headlines now!”
“Guess my work here is done, then,” Lizzie said. “You’ll bring Harry up-to-date, Jack?” Not bothering to wait for a response, she moved on to Maggie. “Stay in touch, and I’ll call the mountain and clue everyone in. Still no word on Charles, I guess?”
Both Maggie and Jack shook their heads.
All three left Jack’s house, and waited while Jack locked his door. Maggie headed toward her house, where her car was parked. Jack said his was parked on the next block and started to jog toward it before Lizzie could offer him a ride.
It was raining, a steady, heavy rain that would flood the roads in Georgetown within a few hours.
Lizzie slid into her Porsche and was at the end of the street before Jack reached his car. She gave a light tap on the horn. She could see Jack raise his hand to show he heard her good-bye.
Thirty minutes later, Jack breezed into Harry Wong’s dojo just as his early-morning class was disbanding. He screwed up his face so Harry would know something was up before he decked him for being late. Harry Wong was a pain in his ass.
The love-hate relationship between Harry and Jack boiled up, as it always did.
“I hope you’re going to tell me you have a raging case of shingles and a huge boil on your ass, and that’s why you’re late.”
“Sorry, my little buttered muffin, but the only thing I can complain about this morning is a hangnail. Listen, something has come up. Let’s have some of that shitty green tea you think has miraculous powers, and I’ll tell you all about it.” Sensing a smart-ass comeback, Jack said, “Yoko said to tell you she loves you.” Any time Jack wanted to bring Harry to his knees, he would throw Yoko into the mix. Yoko was the only person who could put the fear of God into one Harry Wong. Jack delighted in seeing his best friend in the whole world crumble at his feet.
“Eat shit, Jack. And I’m not afraid of Yoko. I love her,” Harry blustered weakly.
“Tsk-tsk,” Jack said, clucking his tongue. “Listen up, and don’t say a damn word until I’m finished. Your reward at the end will be me telling you we’re going to head for the mountain tomorrow afternoon. You ready, you miserable excuse for a human being?”
When Jack finished regaling the martial arts expert, Harry looked at him like he was crazy. “Tell me you’re jerking my chain! Please, Jack.”
“Nah, it’s for real. I tried protesting, but the two of them,” he said, referring to Lizzie and Maggie, “damn near castrated me right there in the kitchen. The knife block was close to Maggie. My blood ran cold, I can tell you that,” Jack said dramatically.
Harry was so into blood and guts and dismemberment, especially when he thought it could be Jack’s, that he actually looked mellow at the moment.
“You know the girls are going to be on this like white on rice.”
“Yeah, I know,” Harry mumbled. He slurped from his tiny cup of green tea as he waited for whatever else was going to tumble from Jack’s lips.
“There’s no plan. As yet,” Jack added hastily.
“No plan!” Harry screeched.
“Easy, Harry. I’m not even sure the girls know about it yet. Lizzie is calling them. We’re going up tomorrow so that means we’ll be there to uh…uh…help with the plan. Read my lips, Harry. We-will-have-a-plan!”
“That’s what you said the last time, Jack,” Harry said ominously. “Your cockamamie plan was a truckload of pumpkins.”
“It worked, didn’t it?”
“Just shut the hell up, Jack. I need to think about this. I hate guys who can only get it by paying for it,” Harry muttered as he paced. That is, Harry thought he was pacing, but he was actually stomping around in his bare feet, powerful feet
