Dempsey’s phone rang, and he ignored it.
“You might want to get that,” Covington suggested.
Dempsey was having none of it. “They can wait.”
The phone was silent for a few seconds before ringing again.
Turco nodded toward the phone.
Dempsey picked it up and answered. “Dempsey.” After a moment, his face dropped.
A smile formed on Covington’s face.
“Yes, sir,” Dempsey said into the phone. “No, sir. Of course we don’t want that…” His shoulders slumped. “Yes, sir, we were just discussing that… No, sir… I’ll relay the message… Yes, sir. I’m sure I’ll be back to you by then.” He glared at Steven before hanging up.
“Trouble at the office?” Turco asked. She’d obviously enjoyed seeing the man squirm.
Dempsey turned to her. “That was the director. We need to talk.”
Turco’s glee disappeared as she got up to follow Dempsey a few booths away.
“This should be good,” Covington said.
“Shhh,” I told him, so I could listen in.
“The director said to finalize this deal with full immunity,” Dempsey whispered.
Turco shook her head. “It’s not up to him.”
“He said if I don’t call him back in fifteen minutes saying it’s done, he’ll call the attorney general… And Denise, he doesn’t bluff.”
Turco shot an accusing glare at the lawyer next to me. “Who the hell are these people?” she mumbled.
I smiled.
Dempsey grabbed Turco’s attention with a hand on her arm. “His family has friends in higher places than either of us. This is now above our pay grade. Do you really want to make a stink over this?”
She huffed. “I hate it, but I’m not an idiot.”
“Who did you call?” I asked Covington under my breath as they walked back.
He turned toward my ear. “My uncle Garth knows people.”
The pair returned to the booth.
“We’d like to avoid another shooting in case they have something planned in the near future,” Turco announced. “So, in exchange for the assistance and testimony offered here…” She tapped the paper Covington had given her. “…I’ve decided to offer full immunity.”
“Call her over, so we can get this signed,” Dempsey said as he checked his watch.
“You sign first,” I told Turco.
“That’s not the way we do it,” she complained.
“It is this time,” Dempsey told her as he tapped his watch.
She shook her head in obvious disgust, pulled out a pen, and signed both copies of Steven’s paper.
Once again, I’d seen up close the advantage the rich had in dealing with the system. Last time, my sister and I had been on the losing end of the way money and influence distorted things. This time, I was glad a wealthy ally had helped my Debbie get the equitable outcome she deserved. I wasn’t about to complain.
Chapter 41
Debbie
Waiting a half mile down the road from the diner, I checked my phone for the hundredth time. As a mark of leaving my old life behind, I wore the black Harley Davidson T-shirt Luke had gotten me when he’d deemed me an adequate enough bike rider to wear it. He’d only let me drive the little Honda so far, but I knew the big Harley was in my future.
The forecast had noted a possibility of scattered rain showers, and what had been a bright morning now shifted to dreary as the sun went behind clouds that threatened to turn possible into likely. At least if it rained, it would rinse the dust off my poor car.
What was taking them so long?
Maybe the people from Washington had been late. Streets in DC were numbered and lettered, and places were easy to locate. Maybe they weren’t ready for Virginia country roads that twisted and crossed at odd angles with unpredictable names. That was the best reason I could come up with for the delay, and it was a pretty lame one in this day of GPS navigation.
The other option—that they weren’t agreeing to a deal—was too terrible to contemplate. It had to be something else, some other delay.
I considered checking for accidents on the traffic app, but decided against it.
At least Nell hadn’t called to tell me to run. That would be even worse. But Luke had thought to plan for it, at least.
I closed my eyes. I will not check the time again.
I hadn’t yet met Steven Covington, the lawyer Josh said he would trust with his life—a “close family friend,” he’d called him.
I was trusting him with my life, or at least my freedom. In the end, though, it was Luke at the meeting I had to trust. He’d fight for me, for my cause. That was the one and only truth that remained in my life. Everything else had been a lie, even my name.
Josh had promised I’d meet my real family as soon as my deal was finalized. Anticipation of that moment meant I hadn’t slept a wink last night. I couldn’t wait to be rid of this life as Debbie Armstrong and become Debbie Benson again.
I cheated and opened my eyes. It had only been three minutes since I’d last checked the time.
Slow, deep breaths, I told myself. Take slow, deep breaths. I needed something to concentrate on besides the seconds ticking away, so I visualized my first picnic in the mountains with Luke. We’d looked up at the clouds for a long time. It had been so peaceful there, a day full of hope.
I’d gotten a look at the true measure of Luke’s goodness when he’d stopped and rushed to help the fire crew. Every day since had been another lesson in how good a man he was. Luke was exactly like the eagle tattoos on his shoulders—protective to a fault and someone to rely on when the chips were down, as they were for me today.
The ring of my phone startled me.
I blinked at the sun now streaming in the windshield and squinted to focus on the phone.
Luke—the name on the screen portended good news.
“Come on over,” he said as soon as I picked up. “It’s ready.”
My leg shook as I started the car. “On the way.”
Moments later, my heart pounded as I turned into the parking lot and drove past two black SUVs, which had probably held the stormtroopers.
Inside, I passed one of Luke’s friends from Pete’s, sitting with two others I didn’t recognize. After a moment I saw Luke and another man facing me in my booth at the back. I assumed it was my lawyer, Steven Covington.
Luke slid out of his seat and waved me over.
Opposite them in the booth sat a man and a lady. They both turned to look.
I was introduced to Special Agent in Charge Dempsey, and AUSA Turco. I didn’t stop to ask what AUSA stood for, but I’d been correct that the man next to Luke was my lawyer.
Luke urged me to sit, and I ended up between him and Mr. Covington.
“We need you to sign this,” Dempsey said, tapping some papers on the table.
The stern Turco lady slid a pen across the table.
“It’s all in order,” Mr. Covington assured me. “Complete immunity.”
I let out a sigh that was louder than I intended.
“Assuming you fulfill your end of the bargain,” sourpuss Turco said.
I glanced at Luke.
He nodded. “It’s good.”