“If you don’t mind me asking, what is it you do at the White House?”

“They call on me from time to time to…ask my opinions. I like to do what I can for the administration.”

“I find that very commendable. How do you like Marti?”

Bell continued to squirm in his chair. “I met her only once, and we shook hands,” he was forced to admit. “She seems more than capable. For a woman.”

Lizzie sat up a little straighter. Bell couldn’t help but see the dangerous glint in her eyes. He realized his mistake and started to babble about the South Lawn, Air Force One, and something about his upcoming Christmas party. Lizzie ignored him as she opened her ostrich-skin briefcase. Bell leaned forward.

“I suppose you’ve been wondering why I made this appointment. I represent two of your old clients. Actually four people. The Evans family, Beth and John, and the Dawsons, Rachel and Thomas. There’s no sense beating around the bush. They want their money back. They paid you for brokering baby deals that went sour.”

Whatever Baron Bell was expecting, this wasn’t it. Lizzie thought he was going to turn into a rocket and explode upward. His face turned red, and his eyes looked wild. “You what?”

“I represent the Evanses and the Dawsons. They want their money back since they no longer have the babies. I had Adel Newsom served this morning, along with the two surrogates.”

“What are you trying to say here, Miss Fox? I was just a legal intermediary. Are you out of your mind?” Clearly he thought so.

Lizzie tried not to laugh. “I’m not trying to say anything. I am saying it. My clients want you to return the monies they paid you. If we can come to terms, going to court won’t be necessary. If not, we’ll be appearing in front of a judge. My…uh…nonpaying new employer has graciously consented for me to handle certain clients on my free time, so that won’t pose a problem for me. For you, with all your little in-and-out visits to Sixteen Hundred Pennsylvania Avenue, it might be a problem. Then again, the exposure might be something you want. I really don’t have the time today to debate the issue. I wanted to give you the courtesy of a personal visit, as opposed to sending a nasty process server. Things like that get around at the speed of light, as we both know. As you also know, things like this get ugly very quickly.”