The Tenth Justice - Brad Meltzer [61]
“Did you get the taping equipment?” Lisa asked Nathan.
Nathan pulled the small blue duffel bag onto his lap and unzipped it. “Here’s our wireless microphone. And just so you know, it’s equipment like this that makes the United States the enduring superpower of our time.”
“That’s great, Colonel,” Ben said. “Who’d you get it from?”
“This friend of mine who works down in security. I was hoping he could get us the state-of-the-art stuff, but this was the best he could do. Without authorization, the best equipment never leaves the security room.”
“Does he have those microphones that are built into your cuff links?” Ober asked.
“Those are fantastic,” Nathan agreed. “I was hoping for the poison darts that shoot out of your watch, but this was the best he could do.” Rising from his chair, he pulled the various wires from the bag. Looking over at Ben, he said, “Stand up and take off your shirt.”
“Woooooooo!” Lisa howled as Ben unbuttoned his dress shirt.
“Wait until you see his bod,” Ober said. “The man has no chest hair.”
“Hey, at least I don’t have the Isle of Capri on my chest,” Ben said as he stood topless in the living room. Looking at Lisa, he explained, “Ober is hairless except for a great island right in the middle of his chest.”
“Wrong,” Ober said.
“Take off your shirt,” Ben challenged.
“There’s no need for that,” Ober smiled. “But, trust me, it’s not shaped like the Isle of Capri.”
“Let me figure out how this works,” Nathan said, struggling to untangle the wires.
“I hate to admit it,” Lisa said, “but you have a sexy bod.” As Ben tried to fight back a blush, she continued, “I’m serious. I didn’t think you had one, but you have a great chest.” Looking at Ober, she said, “I think I’m actually turned on.”
“Well, I have that effect on people,” Ober said.
“Here we go,” Nathan said, looking over at Ben. “Why are you blushing?” he asked.
“Just show me how this thing works,” Ben said.
“Okay. You take this Velcro strap and you wrap it around your chest. The microphones are built into this,” Nathan explained, pointing to two tiny bumps in the wide strap. “This is your battery source,” he said, tapping a larger protrusion on the back of the strap. “It should last at least eight hours and I just put that battery in, so it’ll be fine.” He pulled a thick black box from the bag. “This is the receiver. It has a cassette deck in it, so we can tape the whole conversation.”
“Is it on?” Ben asked.
“It should be.” Nathan raised the antennae on the box and flipped a few knobs. “Go in the other room and say something.”
As Ben walked toward Lisa’s bedroom, the three friends waited in silence, staring at the black box. Suddenly they heard, “Here I am in Lisa’s bedroom. The satin sheets come as no surprise, but I am shocked to see a picture of myself right next to her bed.”
“DON’T TOUCH MY BED!” she yelled.
“And wait…what’s this? There are remnants of lipstick marks around my face. Oh, Lisa, you are so very, very sad.”
“GET OUT OF MY ROOM!”
“Wait, is this her underwear drawer? Yes, I think it is, boys!”
As Lisa jumped from the sofa, Ben turned the corner and entered the living room. Hitting rewind, Nathan waited a moment and hit play. “…bedroom. The satin sheets come as no surprise, but—”
“It works,” Nathan said.
Ben took off the microphone and put on his shirt. “So all I have to do is talk normally, and everything should come through?”
“Yep.”
“Maybe you should stuff it into your underwear just in case Rick decides to pat you down,” Ober suggested.
“I don’t know if that’s such a good idea,” Nathan said. “If you do that, I think we’ll lose a lot of clarity.” Shutting off the receiver, he added, “The only other thing I should tell you is that since it’s cordless, it has only about a hundred-yard radius.”
“That should be fine,” Ben said, buttoning his shirt. “We’re meeting at Two Quail, a tiny restaurant on Massachusetts Avenue. I went there today during lunch just to scope it out. It’s a small