"That's because we touched them," Yoko said. "If we had worn gloves, our scent wouldn't have been on them. I gathered two buckets yesterday and I saw this morning that they're all gone. Did you know that in the winter squirrels only find about ten percent of the nuts they have stashed during the autumn?"

Annie slid her chair back from the table. "Enough with the squirrels and pinecones. We have a mission to plan, and I'm in a hurry to get to Las Vegas. Look," she said, holding out her hands, "my palms are itching. That means I'm going to win some money."

The others laughed, but they, too, were just as anxious as Annie was to get down to business.

Within minutes the sideboard was cleared, the table was wiped clean, and the dishwasher was humming in the kitchen.

All eyes turned to Charles. He smiled. There were times when the Sisters allowed him to tease them, but their expressions told him this wasn't one of those times. "This is what I know at the moment. As usual, everything is ongoing and subject to change.

"As we speak, Elias Cummings and Nellie are winging their way to Las Vegas.

"Lizzie and Ted Robinson checked into the Babylon hotel and casino, then they checked out. Rena Gold has relocated them. Robinson has made contact with two of the local newspapers and struck up an alliance with a couple of very seasoned reporters.

"I received a call at four thirty this morning while you were all still sleeping. The call was to tell me that Bert Navarro's nomination will definitely be confirmed. The president will make the announcement at ten o'clock this morning." Charles fixed his gaze on Kathryn, and said, "Bert will be sitting this mission out. For his own welfare. Having said that, he can still work behind the scenes, and that's exactly what he's doing. Communication with Bert for the moment is iffy at best and will also have to be circuitous in nature.

"I am cautioning you very strongly, Kathryn, not to try to contact Bert. If you do, you could cause irreparable harm to him and to us. Do you understand what I just said?" Charles asked in a tone none of the Sisters had ever heard before.

Kathryn nodded as she looked around at her Sisters. She winced at their collective sigh of relief. The fine hairs on the back of her neck moved.

Murphy stirred, sensing distress in his mistress. "I can't believe any of you would think. . .You don't have to worry about me. All of you, relax. It's not like I'm joined at Bert's hip. We're. . .just friends," she lied, knowing they all knew she was lying. "I'm concerned for him just like I'm concerned about Jack and Harry. Like I said, you don't have to worry about me."