Minnie Chase Makes a Mistake (28 page)

Greene finally sat up, he then reached for the decanter but Minnie intervened. ‘We need to talk business before I catch my flight back to London.’

‘I don’t want to talk about business,’ snapped Greene. ‘I’m done.’

‘Well, I’m not,’ said Minnie. ‘Please could I have some paper and a pen?’

Greene grunted and nodded in the direction of a desk at the back of the room. Minnie found what she was looking for and started scribbling down figures and equations.

‘I dropped a glass of wine at a fundraiser about a year ago,’ said Greene, unexpectedly filling the silence while Minnie worked. ‘Just a twitch of the hand but I knew at that moment; I
knew
it was more than a slip-up. It’s hard to explain – it wasn’t like I immediately realised that I had Parkinson’s but, damn, I knew it was trouble. The rest of the room dismissed it as an accident but, for me, the second the glass hit the floor, I knew
nothing
would be the same again.’

Minnie stopped writing and looked at him. He reached the decanter this time and poured a large measure. He knocked back the drink and said, ‘Did you know that by the time you’ve got the symptoms, it’s game over?’

‘But it’s not over, is it?’ said Minnie.  

‘I thought I had it under control. I was doing a good job of hiding it until you came along.’

Minnie lowered her head. ‘I’m sorry.’

‘So am I,’ responded Greene bitterly. 

‘I don’t think you should hide though,’ added Minnie. ‘Isn’t it easier to live with the truth?’

Greene laughed bitterly and refilled his glass. Minnie tutted audibly. She turned to Wilson. ‘Could you find out what’s happened to the tea?’ The Dragonet didn’t respond.

‘Easier to live with the truth?’ rasped Greene. ‘I don’t know. You tell me.’

‘What do you mean?’ asked Minnie confused, turning her attention back to Greene.

‘The truth wasn’t good to you, Miranda, was it?’ 

He was beginning to slur his words a little now, Minnie could pick up the additional sibilance.

‘You’ve had enough to drink,’ said Minnie.

Greene continued. ‘Did the truth make life easier when you arrived home one night to find your boyfriend in bed with another woman?’

Minnie gasped. ‘How do you know about that?’ 

‘I make it my business to know everyone’s business.’

Minnie struggled to keep her voice even. She was furious. ‘Well, my private life is none of your business.’

Greene raised his glass and smiled. ‘Oh, I’m quite discreet. After all, it’s not as though the whole world is listening in.’

Touché,
conceded Minnie. Greene, as ever, was always one chess move ahead. She had walked right into that one.  

‘While we’re on the subject of the truth,’ said Greene, the alcohol loosening his tongue, ‘would you even be here if you weren’t running away from personal problems back home?’

‘Yes,’ said Minnie, although she didn’t sound entirely convincing.

‘Don’t pretend you care,’ Greene said disappointed. 

‘I would have apologised and done
everything
to help your company continue with the natural gas deal,’ replied Minnie evenly. 

‘But would you have caught a flight to San Francisco and pursued me with such absolute determination?’ Greene persisted.

‘You’re asking the wrong person,’ said Minnie.

Greene’s eyes narrowed. His expression said, ‘I’m not in the mood to play games’.

‘I mean,’ said Minnie, choosing her words carefully, ‘the person I am now is different to the one you met in London. I’m less afraid of, well, everything.’

‘Answer the question,’ demanded Greene.

‘You
want
to hear me – the old Minnie – confess that I should have hidden in London and written you off as a lost cause, another one of my great mistakes. You want me to tell you that you’re not worth the effort.’ Minnie shrugged. ‘I won’t do it. I can’t. That Minnie doesn’t exist anymore. She’s gone.’

‘What brought about this great change?’ Greene asked mockingly.

Minnie closed her eyes, desolate, and pictured James George in bed with someone else. ‘I know more now than I did back then.’

‘And now?’

‘I have nothing to lose.’

‘I had everything to lose,’ whispered Greene with furious precision. ‘
Everything
.’ He looked alone and haunted as though he were watching his own shadow desert him. 

Minnie felt helpless. ‘You need your family around you,’ she urged. ‘People you can trust.’

Greene looked at her, a steeliness behind the bloodshot stare. ‘Great idea. Bring me the Ouija board and we’ll start a seance.’

Minnie looked startled.

Greene threw his arms in the air and shouted maniacally. ‘Let’s contact the dead! But, wait, I’m not sure we’ll get much sense out of my mother.’ He laughed hysterically, reaching out for his glass to take another huge gulp. He spoke fiercely, ‘Did you know that she drank herself to death? I was just a kid at the time – and obviously not a good enough son to make her want to hang around.’ 

Then the alcohol caught in his throat and he succumbed to a violent coughing fit while Minnie looked down at her shoes, mortified. There was an awful silence except for the sound of the crystal ringing out, clattering against Greene’s teeth as he repeatedly mistimed his drink. 

Miraculously the glass didn’t smash but Minnie could see that the strong, handsome man opposite her was breaking into pieces. 

‘Ah, the truth,’ Greene spluttered in between coughs. ‘I’m supposed to come clean to the world but you’re allowed to keep secrets?’

The alcohol was really taking hold of Greene now, his words were dragging and his movements were taking on an exaggerated concentration. Minnie stared at him as he struggled off the sofa and staggered over to his desk. He practically fell onto the computer’s key board as he jabbed his finger around looking for the right command button. 

‘What are you talking about?’ asked Minnie losing patience. She wanted to leave now. 

Greene hit the return button and Levchin’s voice filled the room.

20

The only easy day was yesterday

Minnie was dumbfounded. She had relived the terror she experienced on the bus a thousand times in her head but she never thought she would have to listen to his words again, not out loud like this.

Levchin’s threatening voice boomed out from the speakers on the desk. ‘You are “freak radicals” – individuals who cause untold damage when allowed to get out of control.’

Minnie buried her head in her hands. ‘Stop,’ she gasped. ‘Make it stop.’ She was back on Bachmann’s campaign bus and could practically feel Levchin’s hands closing over her throat. 

‘I have zero tolerance for stupid people,’ shouted Levchin’s voice.

‘STOP!’ screamed Minnie. ‘TURN IT OFF!’

Greene cut the audio but Minnie could still hear her own screams. She clamped her hands over her ears and rocked back and forth. Her reaction had an immediate effect on Greene. He seemed to sober up fast, aware of the distress he had caused.

‘Oh, Miranda, I’m so sorry. I really wasn’t thinking.’ He sounded genuinely appalled.

Minnie raised her head. Greene was kneeling beside her chair.

‘I don’t understand what’s going on,’ whispered Minnie.  

‘Someone had bugged Bachmann’s bus. Covert listening device – common procedure in politics,’ explained Greene.

‘How did you know?’

‘I didn’t. I guessed. My team located the transmitter after you’d gone.’

‘Why?’

‘I saw Levchin leaving the bus. I found you on the floor. You didn’t want to talk about it but I wanted to find out the truth. You should have told me. He can’t be allowed to get away with something like this.’

‘I can’t talk about it.’

‘I know the feeling.’

Minnie slammed her hands down on the arms of the leather chair. This made a surprisingly loud smacking sound. She had never properly lost her temper in her life and it took her as much by surprise as it did Greene.

‘You’ve made your point,’ she shouted. ‘Well done. But it doesn’t change the fact that you still have Parkinson’s.’

Greene quickly stood up and backed off. 

Minnie started pacing the room furiously. ‘Turn the audio back on. I don’t care now. I’m not walking out. I’m going to finish writing this algorithm. You’re going to sober up. Do you understand?’

‘I think you should leave,’ said Greene.

‘I’m not walking out,’ screamed Minnie. ‘I’m finishing this algorithm and you’re going to use it. You are going to finish this deal.’

Greene sat down heavily on the sofa. ‘Stop it, Miranda. Go back to your motel.’

‘No, I’m not going to stop,’ said Minnie defiantly. ‘You’ll have to throw me out kicking and screaming because I’m
not
going to walk out that door until it’s time to go.’  

Greene stared at her, astonished. Minnie struggled to control her breathing.

He went to pour himself another drink. Minnie marched over to him and snatched the glass. ‘You’ve had enough. You need to sober up. Now!’

‘I want a drink,’ roared Greene.

Minnie didn’t flinch. ‘You can’t blame someone else for your mistakes – trust me on that one. Neither can you pretend that someone else’s mistakes are your own.’ 

Greene stared at Minnie but she refused to back down. ‘Drink as much as you like but you’ll still have Parkinson’s when you sober up.’

‘Leave. Right. Now.’

‘No.’

The Dragonet stepped forward. Minnie spun around to face him and pointed at his dogtags. ‘Tell him,’ she shouted. She reached out and grabbed the tags. ‘Read out the message,’ she instructed, shaking the chain under the man’s nose. ‘Read out your motto, not the other one.’

There was a silence. 

‘The message,’ shouted Minnie. Her voice cracked, hoarsely, still suffering the effects of Levchin’s manic grip. She was just about to read it herself when the Dragonet spoke. ‘The only easy day was yesterday, sir!’ he barked, staring straight ahead.

Minnie turned to Greene. ‘The only easy day was yesterday. Did you hear what he said?’

Greene stared stonily at her. ‘I’m not deaf. It’s the motto of the USA Navy SEALs. We all know that. Everyone in my security team is an ex-SEAL.’

‘Good,’ said Minnie, lowering her voice. ‘Then you’ll also know that your team has gone through the most physically and mentally demanding military training in existence.’

‘I
do
know that,’ came the icy reply.

‘It’s not going to get easier,’ said Minnie, dropping her voice to a whisper. ‘It’s going to get harder. It’s time to fight back. Your life is going to become physically and mentally demanding.’

Greene’s face tightened but he didn’t contradict Minnie. Or ask her to leave.

Minnie moved closer to him. ‘You can hire the best security in the world. Men who are trained in combat, who have gone to parachute school, who can use any number of weapons. You can surround yourself by warriors who are paid to protect you but this doesn’t mean you’re not going to get hurt.
You
need to protect yourself.’

‘What do you suggest, Miranda? I’m guessing you didn’t have martial arts in mind.’

His careless tone infuriated Minnie. ‘Fight back,’ she shouted in his face. ‘You can never stop fighting this. Do you hear me?’ At this point, two more Dragonets burst through the door.  

Minnie was unmoved. ‘I don’t care if I get Tasered or arrested or, hell, even throttled at the hands of some insane doctor who thinks it is okay to treat people like a pair of disposable surgical gloves, I’m not the one who is scared any more. I’m going to tell you what you need to hear.’ Her voice cracked. ‘You’re going to get up each day, even when it’s physically and mentally draining. You’re going to take the medication and you are going to
control
this disease, not the other way round.’

There was a stunned silence as the Dragonets looked to Greene for instruction.

Greene didn’t speak, so Minnie had the last word. ‘I’ll leave now,’ she said, composure restored. ‘I haven’t finished writing out this algorithm.’ She handed the piece of paper over to him. ‘Bring this to my motel later or whenever and I’ll talk you through it. You have until tomorrow night. I’ve booked a flight back to London.’

21

Goodbye, Jackson

Bachmann’s driver picked Minnie up at Greene’s house and drove her back to the motel. Bachmann was straight on the phone to find out how it had gone. Minnie had to break the news – Greene was not good. Bachmann brazenly suggested that Minnie might like to turn around and go back to Greene’s house and have another go. This time Minnie made sure Bachmann fully grasped the meaning of the word ‘no’. Furthermore, no means of powerful persuasion was going to make Minnie change her mind. She emphatically told Bachmann: No. Never. Ever. What needed to be said had been said.

What’s more, Minnie was bone-achingly tired. She had been up half the night and her perception of time was skewed. It seemed like a lifetime ago that she had sat underneath the Golden Gate Bridge talking to Bob Dotti and yet it wasn’t even 10 in the morning. 

She went to the diner and stared at her phone while she ate her breakfast. She was downhearted that there was still no contact from James George. There was nothing from Greene either. On the upside, Angie had sent her a delighted Skype message earlier; ecstatic that Minnie was coming home and over the moon that Minnie had delivered a heartfelt speech instead of a blackmailed one. Optimistic Angie was not going to let someone like Levchin get the better of her. Minnie hadn’t breathed a word about what Levchin had done to her on the campaign bus. She almost felt responsible; that she had riled him and deliberately unleashed his rage. Minnie was still concerned that Greene would follow through on the threat to take down Angie’s and James George’s businesses. She suspected, though, that if Greene couldn’t get his head round his own business it was unlikely that he would concern himself with others.