“He didn’t want to watch ‘Malificent’ with us, so he adjourned upstairs.”
Jean sat down with them instantly. “I’ll watch that one again.”
“I’ll keep Gus company. Has Deke been out lately?”
“He’s been in and out a few times,” Rachel answered.
“Good. C’mon Deke. I’ll spring for a beer. You were a-”
Before Nick could finish the sentence, Deke was staring down at him from the stair landing. “That’s a very unique way of finishing my sentence, Deke.”
*
Tina gulped some wine down, and motioned for Rachel to wait a moment while she went to pour another portion from the bottle on the living room serving stand. “I sure stepped in it for a moment there.”
She sat down again. “You two could have giggled a little to take the edge off the silence.”
Jean hugged Tina. “Don’t worry, Aunt Tina, Dad would never hurt you… unless he had to.”
Tina frowned at the smiling Jean. “Not funny. You’re getting to be a scary little girl, Miss Wednesday Addams.”
“I hope so. It’s the only way to survive in this family, Cousin Itt.”
“Wednesday’s right,” Rachel agreed. “The good part - it’s never boring. The bad part – it’s never boring. Take for instance this book tour to Washington with the added ingredients of serial killers, and terrorists.”
“I have to keep in mind, Cousin Itt was a visiting character, and sometimes disappeared for long periods. Someone throw Cousin Itt a lifeline if you see her heading for the quicksand.”
“We will,” Rachel said, patting Tina’s hand.
“Give us a chance though,” Jean advised. “Don’t dive into it before we can throw.”
*
Gus was laughing as Nick and Deke came out on the deck. “Planting that bug in the living room was pure genius, Muerto. Tina’s worried she’ll get a quick burial at sea if she doesn’t watch her mouth.”
Nick sat down with a shot and beer after pouring Deke one. “I thought to record a few insights from my surprise visitors like Sergeant Dickerson. I see you’ve found a dangerous form of entertainment. If Tina ever finds out you’re spying on her, it’s the doghouse for you, Payaso.”
“Duly noted. I heard about your visit with the Salvatores. That sounded a bit ominous. I see you’ve brought the satellite notebook on deck. Does that mean you’re going on a fishing expedition?”
“It seems like the right thing to do. Paul gave me unfettered access to the CIA infrastructure. I may as well use it.”
“The Salvatores’ arrival from D.C. does seem too much of a coincidence while Formsby’s empire is getting smashed, especially with the people we know he’s been paying off.”
“That’s my take on it too.” A moment later, Nick cursed under his breath, downed his shot, and chased it with half the beer. “Guess who worked under Nancy Pettinger for a few years at the DOJ, before being promoted to the State Department. He also ran across Ken Schilling more than a few times while in his liaison position.”
“Oh boy.” Gus filled his shot glass. “You’re turning our hometown into a hotbed of government minions who seem to be pursuing a course unfavorable to our survival, Muerto.”
“It gets worse. He’s the head of the liaison office at State which deals directly with the CIA. I’m not certain I’m the only one fishing in these waters. Would they move a State Department Chief into a West Coast town without an agenda, or a job cover of some kind? You would think they’d figure out something other than sending him here with his family in tow. There’s a note in here about Phil being on assignment. Maybe that’s the clue we need to follow. I’m alerting Paul first, so if there’s a plan in the works to screw his Formsby moves, he’ll at least know where it originated.”
“Nick?”
“Yep. I have a guy out here slipping into my personal life with a wife and son, named Phil Salvatore. He worked with Nancy Pettinger, and brushed shoulders with your traitorous buddy, Ken Schilling. I see in his file he’s listed as on assignment. His last job title was Chief at State’s CIA liaison office.”
“He’s in Pacific Grove?” Gilbrech’s surprised tone worried Nick.
“Yeah, right in my backyard.”