“What is it you want? Name it.” He was sweating. Beads were sprouting across his forehead. Ted had never imagined he would ever see Judge Cornelius Fitzmaurice break a sweat.

“Mostly to be left in peace.”

“That’s all?”

“No.” Ted almost laughed at the eagerness of the Judge. “I want Lester to get his money.”

“Done.”

“I want to know that Barbara Miller is all right.”

“You will see her.”

“I think I’ll let Lester make that trip.”

“As you wish.”

“I want a green card.”

“Certainly not for yourself.”

The Judge patted his brow with his napkin. He was becoming comfortable again, no longer negotiating with a madman. Ted prepared himself for pushback.

“I’ll get you the name,” Ted said.

“As long as this person is not on a terror watch list, I don’t see any reason why we can’t make this happen.”

“I want your guarantee that McKenzie Zielinski is safe and will remain that way.”

“Her position seems to put her at odds with powerful people,” the Judge said, relaxing back into his seat. He was smiling again, believing that with these small concessions, he had retaken the high ground. “I can’t control them all.”

“I think you may need to be more proactive. If anything happens to her—ever—then there is no deal.”

“That may take some arranging.”

“You’re good at making arrangements.”

He looked away. Processing. Ted could now read him so easily. Finally, he nodded. “What else? What do you want?”

“I want Richie Rubiano’s killer.”

-70-

-70-

“Who?” The Judge’s eyes widened. For the briefest second, he looked thoroughly confused. “Richie Rubiano?” He recovered quickly. The mask of the all wise, all knowing returned. His voice registered moderately hidden scorn. “Is he connected to your friend in the hospital?”

Ted was thrown. He could not unsee that moment of nakedness on the Judge’s face. Either the puppet master had not been told of Richie’s murder, or something in the storyline Ted had devised was terribly wrong. Was it all wrong? No. The Judge had not so much as blinked when presented with charges of fraud, bribery, assault, and the attempted murder of Kenzie. But mention of Richie’s murder had taken him by surprise. Impossible. The tectonic plates of Ted’s world were in motion. He put his faith in what he knew to be true.

“Richie Rubiano worked for me,” Ted said. “He was married to Cheryl. Someone killed him. I believe because he was investigating, in his own clumsy manner, Barbara Miller’s surplus money. Jackie’s little rainy-day fund. Her fraud led directly to Richie’s death.”