Home Free - Fern Michaels [66]
Nikki sipped at her coffee. “Uh-huh.”
“I had this dream last night.” Maggie went on to relate the dream in detail. “You guys need to ask Abner Tookus to figure it out or run one of his many programs to find out who JJ is. I know it sounds kind of like trying to find a needle in a haystack. There are probably thousands of politicians, aides, staff, and the like who have the initials JJ. But if anyone can find it, Abner can. As you know, I can’t ask him. You said he took the assignment, right?”
“He did, and Isabelle is in charge. She and Abner hit it off. They even had dinner one night and lunch yesterday. This is just a wild guess on my part, but remembering how you said Abner worked at the speed of light, it’s surprising he hasn’t wrapped it up. We all think it’s because of Isabelle. You aren’t upset over that, are you?”
“Heck no. You know what? They are a perfect match. I can see them as a couple. That’s really great. Abner is not . . . He’s not a geek. Well, he was back in the day, with the long hair, baggy clothes, the glasses, etcetera. That was just a front. He thought that’s the way a geek was supposed to look. I don’t have the words to tell you how smart that man is. Plus, he’s one of the nicest guys to walk the planet. If anyone can find JJ, it will be Abner.”
“I liked him. I had a bet with Kathryn that he wouldn’t take the job. Kathryn didn’t want to take the bet until Isabelle stepped forward. Then it was a whole new ball game. It only took him a day and a half to get back to us. The plan is to meet out at the farm when he submits his report. I’ll pass this on to Isabelle as soon as I get to the office. Now, about Gus. Do you want some advice, or are you comfortable winging it?”
“Talk to me.”
“Well, your Christmas tree is up and decorated. Don’t you want to show it off? Of course you do, so why don’t you invite Gus to dinner? You said he’s allowed to leave the hospital if he has somewhere to go. Give him somewhere to go. In fact, send the Post car for him. No point in having a perk like that car if you don’t abuse it once in awhile. That’s another way of saying Annie will approve. So what if he brings his nurse or aide, or whatever he calls the people who surround him? Let them watch television or eat in the kitchen, and you two eat in the dining room. Be sure to use scented candles and a pretty tablecloth. That’s how I hooked Jack.
“Be up front. It’s pretty much all a matter of public record, anyway. The world knows the Post came down on the side of the vigilantes. You don’t have to protect us anymore, Maggie. And you are one of us. Tell him right up front. Then I would show him that gold shield. It’s when you try to hide stuff that problems surface. So, how many messages and texts did Gus leave?”
Maggie grinned. “Twenty-one.”
Nikki laughed. “Then I would say you have that boy hooked. Don’t call him, though. Send him a text. I like seeing the words as opposed to hearing them. I suspect Gus is the same. Just a gut feeling, Maggie.”
“Okay. Hey, thanks for talking to me. I didn’t mean to intrude this early in the day. Talk soon, okay?”
Maggie trudged home just as the dark turned to light. She stood on her little porch and looked across the street as lights started to peek out of the windows. The barren tree branches shivered in the wind just the way she was shivering. She scooted through the door, ran to the kitchen, made coffee, then headed for the stairs and her room, where she dressed for the day. Downstairs again in her kitchen, she poured herself a cup of coffee. She sat at the table and realized again how alone she was. That was when she finally realized it was Saturday, and she didn’t have to go to the paper. Here she was, dressed for the day with nowhere to go. “Crap,” she said succinctly.
As she sipped her coffee,