Hedging (A Smith and Wetzon Mystery)

Lee became somber. “How are you about Bill Veeder?”
    “When I first heard, I didn’t remember—you know I had amnesia?”
    “Blue told me you were fakin’ it.”
    “I wasn’t. I’m not. It’s a long scary story and pieces are just starting to come back, like coming to the airport in the limo. McLaughlin was leaving the country and taking us all with him.”
    “Yes. The shit had finally hit the fan. Jason said he couldn’t leave till a delivery came—I knew he was waitin’ on the diamonds—but I should get on the plane. You and I’d made up to take off in the limo so I was intent on slinkin’ out of his line of sight.”
    “I remember that crazy Natalie, poor thing, grabbing the attachés and screaming at me that I wasn’t going with them. I got out of the limo to divert them so you could hop in.”
    “Yes, and Jason stood there with that stupid black coat screamin’ for us to get on the plane. Then up comes Bill Veeder. I swear to God I almost lost it when I saw him standin’ behind you. I’m not sure he saw me, but Jason began yellin’ at him to give over the box. You turned around to see who he was talkin’ to. I’ll never forget the look on Bill’s face when he saw you.”
    “The look?”
    “Shock, fear, despair—that’s all I saw ‘cause Jason dragged me to the limo and told Dantey to take us to Newark Airport. We were driving off when the plane exploded. He was pissed as hell because he’d lost the diamonds and that stupid black coat. The son of a bitch murderer.”
    “Bill grabbed that stupid black coat and dropped it over me, picked me up and threw me. He probably saved my life.” She choked up, pressed her lips together.
    Laura Lee put her arms around Wetzon. “You had something with him. You couldn’t not feel it. And we must be forever grateful to him for savin’ you.”
    Banging on the door. “Come on out of there, you two.”
    “Can’t a girl even tinkle in peace?” Laura Lee called.
    “I remember Bill had wanted me to go to the Coast with him and I wouldn’t. We were disconnecting, I think. Then I went out for a weekend and came right back. Something must have happened. I just can’t remember what it was.”
    “I can tell you—”
    Banging. “All right, ladies, that’s it. If you don’t come out now, I’m going to call someone to take the hinges off the door.”
    “Hold your horses. We’re finishin’ up. There are two of us, you know, and only one toilet.” Laura Lee flushed for verisimilitude.
    “Laura Lee, do you know they’ve arrested Uncle Weaver?”
    “What?” She was stunned. “How could they do that? He’s a victim in this fraud.”
    “They think he’s up to his ears in it, that he’s not Jason’s patsy at all. They arrested him and an elderly monsignor as they were leaving the country.”
    Laura Lee sank down on the closed toilet seat. “No. It can’t be. Why didn’t they tell me? There has to be an explanation. He was leavin’ the country? Oh, God, this will kill Aunt Bren.”
    “I think they’re telling us as little as possible—” Banging on the door again. “I guess we’d better get out.”
    Laura Lee opened the door. “Gracious,” she said. “We were just havin’ a little pee.”
    A scowling Agent Blue pushed papers across the table. “Here, signed and delivered.”
    Silvestri was sitting at the head of the conference table, closest to the door, enjoying himself. He reached for the documents. After giving them a thorough read-through, he folded the papers and tucked them into his inside pocket.
    “Record, Gelber,” Judy Blue said.
    “Wetzon was just tellin’ me that she had amnesia after the explosion. So she doesn’t remember much.”
    “I still have some questions,” Wetzon said, looking to Agent Blue.
    “Jump in,” she responded.
    “Laura Lee, you called me as if I’d placed some kind of ad in the Village Voice .”
    “That’s how Jason got women. He had a whole harem, mostly skinny feral types from the former Soviet Republics, all vying for his attention. He gave them cars, jewelry, clothes.”
    “I don’t get it. You’re my friend and you were recruiting me for his harem? Were you part of the harem?”
    “No, darlin’ Wetzon, I wouldn’t do that to either of us. I told Jason I was an accountant. He needed me. His books were a mess. Well, actually, there were no books. I’d been able to get out to make some calls to Agent Judy, but all of a sudden Jason got crazy. He wanted me with him