deck chairs. She winced, then squirmed till she got comfortable. “My hips are telling me it’s going to rain before the end of the day.”
Myra and Annie looked upward at the clear blue sky. According to Nellie, her new hips were never wrong.
“So, what brings you over here in the middle of the day?” Myra asked as she poured ice tea into a frosty glass she pulled out of the minicooler at her feet. “The sandwiches are tuna or salmon. Help yourself.”
“Elias. Elias is what brought me over here.”
Myra risked a glance at Annie, who rolled her eyes and looked smug.
“He’s been acting very secretive the past few days. And this morning he said he had to go into town. We all know Elias does not go into town unless it is to go to someone’s funeral, and there are no funerals going on. I checked. He even took that crazy phone he uses into the bathroom when he took a shower. But I outfoxed him. I turned the hot water up and steamed up the bathroom and sneaked in. I checked his phone, and he’s been getting calls from blocked numbers. Quite a few of them, and one of them came from the White House. He’s done with all that. Or he said he was. Now I’m not so sure. I think we should have someone follow him when he leaves the farm. Do you think Maggie could arrange … a … tail?”
Annie’s expression clearly said it all as far as Myra could see. “Funny you should mention that, Nellie. Annie and I were just talking about how strange we think things are at the moment. Annie’s got herself convinced her date tomorrow evening with Fergus … for some reason neither of us can remember his last name, is about more than dinner.”
“Duffy. His last name is Duffy,” Nellie volunteered. “You can’t go out to dinner with someone whose last name you don’t know. It just isn’t done, Annie. Remember now, his name is Duffy. I also think Myra is right, Annie, and I mean no offense. Why were you singled out, and what is he doing here in the States anyway? He’s from Scotland Yard.”
“You sure know how to make a girl feel good about herself, Nellie,” Annie grumbled.
“The president was sick, the flu or something like the flu, according to the paper, and I am thinking she had about ten days to sit up there in the presidential quarters. I bet she did a lot of thinking while she was recuperating. And time to think about Hank Jellicoe and that crazy engagement she had going on back when she granted our pardons. I think Annie is right; something is going on or will be soon. Now that you tell us Elias as former director of the FBI is getting calls from the White House, I think Annie’s instincts are right. Something is about to happen,” Myra said.
“But the big question is … is it any of our business? Does it involve us? We aren’t the vigilantes anymore,” Annie said. “We’ve been reduced to planning birthday parties for entertainment.”
“We will always be the vigilantes. If not physically, at least in spirit,” Myra said, her tone haughty and defiant.
Annie sighed happily. “I love it when you talk like that, Myra. It gives me hope. Of what, I have no clue. So where does all of that leave us?”
“Right where we were before Nellie arrived, except you have to call Maggie to put a tail on Elias.”
Myra turned to Nellie, and asked, “How alert is Elias these days?”
“I don’t think he thinks I know anything. He’s been retired from the FBI for quite a while now. I don’t think he’s on high alert, if that’s what you mean. I don’t think it will occur to him that someone might be following him. I haven’t done anything out of the ordinary to make him suspicious. I always go riding around this time of day if I’m up to it. I can tell you this, though, I know Elias, and he was not happy with whatever it is he’s going to be doing at four o’clock. What really made him unhappy is that he has to wear a suit and tie. I saw his outfit hanging on the bedroom door, his best suit. He also polished his wing tips. And he washed his car this morning. That alone tells me he’s going to the White House. You know, spit and polish. Look your best, that kind of thing.”
“So, what you’re saying is, this is something new. Elias doesn’t get called on for consultations or anything like that?” Annie asked.
“Not since we’ve been married. At least that I know of. Elias shares most things, and the fact that he didn’t share what this is about really does concern me. I don’t want the administration dragging him into something he doesn’t want any part of. And trust me, he was like a wet hornet when all this went down. He does not want to be part of it.”
“I’ll call Maggie and alert her now. I left my phone in the house. Now, don’t you two talk about me while I’m gone,” Annie called over her shoulder.
“I hate to tell you this, but you aren’t that interesting, dear,” Myra said.
“Oh, yeah, well, chew on this one. Who is it that has a dinner date with Fergus Duffy? Aha! Beat it to death, Myra.”
“She does have a point, Myra,” Nellie said. “By the way, I hate ice tea. Don’t you have anything stronger, like maybe bourbon?”
“I do, but you’re driving and the sun is hot and, no, I’m not going to be responsible for your falling off your horse on the way home. Drink the ice tea and pretend it’s bourbon,” Myra shot back.
Nellie sighed and leaned back in her deck chair. “I heard yesterday that the Needleman estate is putting the farm up for sale. I hope we like the new owners, whoever they may turn out to be. We certainly wouldn’t want strangers knowing our business, Myra. Maybe you should make an offer, or perhaps Annie would be interested. That way, we’d have a lock on the two-thousand-plus acres and all the privacy we could ever want.”
Myra’s mind raced. The perfect solution for Annie. “Do you know the asking price?”
“Actually I do know. They lowered it from thirty-seven million to thirty-six million. I didn’t even know it was for sale until Elias came home from the barbershop and told me. In this economy, according to Elias’s barber, thirty-five million should do it. The estate is eager to sell.”
“Annieeeee!” Myra bellowed, excitement ringing in her voice. Annie came on the run.
“What? My God, Myra, that scream would wake the dead! What’s wrong?”
Myra told her. She wound down with, “You said you wanted roots. Well, the soil on that farm is about as rich as you can get to put down some good, strong, healthy roots. The house itself is a real hot mess and will need a lot of work, but that’s a job for Isabelle. It’s been sitting empty for about seven years now, so that should tell you something. We’ll be neighbors. The three of us. It doesn’t get any better than that. Buy it, Annie. Please.”
“Okay,” Annie said agreeably, “but what exactly am I buying, ladies?”
“Three hundred and fifty acres of prime Virginia real estate. That’s how many acres are on the Needleman parcel. The layout is pretty much the same as my place here and Nellie’s farm, though mine is considerably larger. It will need a lot of work, but like I said, Isabelle is your girl. Oh, Annie, this is your chance to put down those roots and still be close to me and Nellie, not to mention all the girls. It’s the perfect solution. But you have to be happy with the purchase. I know you’re into bright lights and glitz and glamour, but this could be your nest to come home to when you’re … you know … burned out from that busy life.”
“Okay,
