of pure panic on his face.
“Don’t listen to Jack. He has no decorating experience at all. Were you going to call in a professional decorator?” Harry asked.
“I didn’t get that far in my thinking, Harry. I got the certificate of occupancy yesterday. As you can see, the house is ready to be moved into. The minute I had that paper in my hand, I realized that maybe I had overstepped my bounds a bit.” Cosmo looked around the kitchen and muttered, “This is not cozy and intimate.”
“But it could be,” Ted said. “Maggie says a kitchen should reflect the owner. She likes green plants, lots and lots of green plants. Bright colors, the right furniture, and copper pots are where it’s at. Lizzie has a good decorating eye. I like her little house and have always felt comfortable when I’m there. You know, you can take your shoes off and feel at home. Then again, maybe it’s Lizzie herself who makes you feel at home. Shit, I don’t know,” he finished lamely.
The others pondered this startling bit of information and nodded sagely.
“Yeah, well, that isn’t all you need. You need coordinated place mats and napkins, and the candles have to match. Then when they get stubby looking, you have to replace them. It’s all about scent and ambience.” Suddenly Jack saw something in Cosmo Cricket’s expression that he couldn’t define. “This isn’t about the house at all, is it, Cricket?”
Cosmo lumbered to his feet. He turned around to look out the bay window at the falling snow. “You’re pretty astute, Emery. You’re right. It isn’t about the house. Well, it is, but it isn’t. You know what I mean.”
Suddenly he had everyone’s attention, their antennas fully extended. They waited for the Vegas attorney to enlighten them.
Cosmo cleared his throat. “No one knows what I’m about to tell you yet. It won’t make the news till tomorrow, maybe the day after. Then again, they might hold back on it until later. People sometimes have a tendency to boast that they have friends in high places, and for the most part, it’s probably true. I have a few myself, as I’m sure you all do, too. This one friend…is very high in the pecking order. She called me late last night and shared what she knew with me.”
“How high is high?” Ted asked, the reporter in him on high alert.
“The top. There’s no place else to go from that particular slot,” said Cosmo.
This is like pulling teeth, Jack thought. A chill ran down his spine. “And does Lizzie know about that call?”
“No, Jack, she doesn’t. She was sound asleep when the call came in. I was scheduled to go back to Vegas today but changed my plans. Elizabeth thinks I’m on my way back. I didn’t exactly lie to her. I am leaving, weather permitting, this evening.”
Bert’s eyes narrowed. “Are you telling us someone so high up on the totem pole called you, I’m assuming in the middle of the night, and the FBI doesn’t know about it? Who is that person?”
Cosmo held up hands that were as big as catchers’ mitts and shook his head. “Actually, Bert, there were two calls last night. I guess I should have said that in the beginning. The first call involves the person and a personal decision he decided to make. He wanted me to know before anyone else.”
“And…?” Jack said, prodding.
Cosmo took a deep breath. To the others, it seemed like all the oxygen in the room was suddenly sucked out. “Justice Douglas Leonard called and said he’s resigning in June, when the Supreme Court session ends. His wife, Florence, has a terminal illness, and he wants to spend his time with her. But the more I think about that call, the more I think…it just didn’t ring true somehow. He said he was going to call President Connor at five o’clock this morning to tell her. President Connor called me at five thirty and told me she already had a short list ready should a vacancy crop up. Elizabeth is at the top of the short list. Elizabeth knows nothing about this. The president called to give me a heads-up, and I guess to see if I would give her any opposition, which I didn’t, because I was in a state of shock.”
Cosmo sat back down, his shoulders quaking.
“Holy shit!” was all Jack could think of to say.
“Lizzie Fox Cricket a Supreme Court justice! Man, it doesn’t get any better than that!” Ted said.
“Do you think Lizzie will want the position?” Jack asked carefully as he watched for Cosmo’s reaction.
“I don’t know. I know I’d certainly give it some serious thought if I were under consideration. I’m afraid for Elizabeth. My position in the gambling mecca of Las Vegas may not help her. She would make a top-notch justice. There was something about that call, though, that is bothering me. Maybe I’m too jaded, but the thought that maybe it was a setup of some kind did cross my mind.”
“Jesus, I can see the headlines now,” Bert said.
Ted whirled around, a snarl in his voice. “I hope you aren’t referring to the Post, Bert. Maggie will be front and center, and you have to admit, she has a way with words. The Post will be on Lizzie’s side, and woe to those who oppose her.”
They all started to talk at once as they extolled Lizzie’s virtues and how criminal they all thought the vetting process was. The final summary was that Elizabeth Fox Cricket was a legend in her own time, and only a bunch of fools would even consider rejecting her nomination. Cosmo sighed as he heaved himself to his feet.
“So, what’s the game plan, Cosmo? What do you want us to do? That’s why you called us all here, right? Do you want the Post to get on it? Are we supposed to keep quiet? Do you want us to call the mountain? We need a plan here, big guy!” Jack said.
Cosmo threw his hands in the air. “I don’t know. That’s why I came to you five. I thought you might have some advice.”
Ted Robinson stood tall, squared his shoulders. “The best advice I can give you is to let Maggie and the vigilantes handle this. We can stand in the wings, but this is right up their alley. If you want it to happen for Lizzie, turn it over to them. That’s a big if.”
The others murmured among themselves and ended up agreeing with Ted.
“I think the big question is, do you want this for Lizzie? You personally?” Jack asked.
“It’s going to change our lives if it happens,” Cosmo replied. “I will support Elizabeth one hundred percent if it’s what she wants. Listen, thanks for taking time out of your day to come out here and talk to me. I’ll let you know if I hear anything, and I’d appreciate it if you’d all do the same.”
The guys agreed as they trooped to the door. It was still snowing lightly.
Bert turned around as Cosmo locked the front door. “I think this magnificent house is befitting a justice of the Supreme Court.” He clapped Cosmo on the back and said, “Fly safe.”
The others made their way to their respective cars.
“That was a mindblower, wasn’t it, Harry?” Jack said as soon as they were settled and back on the road.
“If it happens, I don’t think Lizzie will take it, Jack.”
“Don’t be so sure, Harry. It’s what every lawyer aspires to, the highest
