Price of a Bounty (Reliance on Citizens Makes Us Great!) (8 page)

The
meeting had been a complete success – far better than we had
dared to hope.

After
the room cleared, I put my arms around Danielle and smiled at her. I
leaned down until our foreheads touched. “How shall we
celebrate?”

-Guy-

Can
I Borrow the Car?

On
Monday, Keira knocked on my front door just as I pocketed my
transceiver and keys. She wore red exercise pants and a light
jacket. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and her forehead
glistened with sweat. She flopped down on my sofa and grinned.

“I
thought about all you’ve said, and I’m in.”

“Now’s
not really a good time. Can you come back tonight?”

“This
is important. I have business to discuss with you, but it shouldn’t
take long.” She eyed my business suit. “How in the
world did you find time to work undercover as Mrs. Ramsey’s gardener
and still make an appearance at your father’s firm?”

“I
have a somewhat flexible schedule. Are you certain this can’t wait
until evening?”

“Elaine
Ramsey knows my real name, and she closed my bank account.”

“Don’t
say another word.” I pulled my transceiver from my pocket and
placed a call to work, then turned so Keira wouldn’t be in range of
the vidscreen.

The
image of Ellie, my secretary, appeared on the screen. “Mr.
Burke, how may I help you?”

“If
you would, please let the others know I’ll be arriving late. They
should begin the board meeting without me.”

Ellie
lowered her voice. “That’s probably not the best idea.
Your father is beginning to notice your absences.”

I
looked at Keira as I replied, “You know what’s at stake.
Do your best to cover for me. I’ll be in as soon as possible.”

I
shut off the transceiver and gave Keira my full attention. “You’re
certain about Ramsey?”

“She
called me by my real name and told me to keep in touch. She said she
may need my services in the future, and my bank account was
definitely closed. Security was even called when I asked for more
details.”

“Has
Elaine learned anything about the Resistance? Does she know Oren
Johnson isn’t really dead?”

She
shook her head. “I don’t think so. I think it’s just me and
Scott by default, but…”

“What
is it?”

“Well,
Scott already has to take orders from her because he’s military…he
said I can trust you.”

“And
you can.”

She
studied me for a minute, clearly worried. “I’ve been thinking
about this all weekend, from every angle. I’ve been trying to
figure out why. And I think Elaine Ramsey is tying up loose ends.
We both know she hired me, and probably Rose, to get her money back,
but I don’t think she ever had any intention of paying either of us.”

“What
exactly are you saying, Keira?”

“The
clerk wouldn’t tell me who closed my account, but I think it’s too
much of a coincidence. Elaine Ramsey must have closed it. She’s
the only one I can think of who has both the power and a motive to do
that. I also suspect that she ordered a hit and run on Rose.”

She
paused and carefully monitored my expression. It was difficult, but
I kept my gaze steady and gave no reaction. I wanted to hear it all.

Keira
took a breath and continued, “Rose was a somebody, and she knew
too much, so Ramsey had to remove her. Because Rose was Elite,
Ramsey had to make certain that it looked like an accident. But
Rick…I’m a nobody, plus she knows my real identity, so rather than
kill me, she’s sending a clear message that she’s going to
control me. I’m worried that closing my account is just the
beginning.”

“You’re
not a nobody. Do you need some money?”

“No.”
She shook her head vehemently. “I earn my own money.”

Independent,
Scott had said. He wasn’t joking. “I can order false
documentation if you need a new identity,” I offered.

“No.”
She waved her hand. “I have connections for that too.”

“Then
how can I help?”

“I’d
like to borrow your car and driver next Thursday.”

I
sat down next to her. “Why?”

“Mrs.
Ramsey is throwing a dinner party at her Galt estate next Thursday.
I need to be there.”

“To
do what exactly?”

“The
party is my way in. I’ll get the money back. Hopefully the amount
you stole plus enough to make up for my closed account.”

“So
it’s just about the money?” I didn’t believe she’d stop there,
not when her cover had been compromised.

“I’ll
stick around,” she confessed, “and after the
party…that’s when I’ll do it.”

I
shook my head. “I think we should put someone else on the job,
someone she won’t suspect. We have people who are skilled at
breaking and entering. They can get the money and send a strong
warning.”

I
realized I was beginning to care for Keira, as Scott’s sister and as
an ally. And I wanted to protect her. Oh, I knew she could take
care of herself, but killing takes its toll. I was beginning to
worry about how Keira’s choices would affect her, how they
would impact who she would become.

“She’ll
suspect me no matter who you send in. I have to do this, or she’ll
own me. She knows too much, and she’ll use that information to make
me do whatever she wants. Anyway, you shouldn’t risk someone
else for me.”

I
sat quietly and tried to think of an alternative Keira might accept.
“Let me send in Eberhardt as backup.”

“No,
I’ll need him to drive, but I work alone. This is what I do. This
is who I am. If you want me to work for your cause, don’t ask me to
change who I am.”

I
sighed. I couldn’t change her mind this time, but maybe I could
still help. “Be careful around her butler and chauffeur.
They’re trained bodyguards. The safe is in the master bedroom behind
a Degas. The code is…”

“Behind
a day-what?”

“Ballet
dancers, painted by the artist Degas.”

Keira
stared at me blankly.

“You’re
not familiar with Edgar Degas?”

She
shook her head. “What type of dancers?”

“Weren’t
you paying attention in school? What did you learn in your art
classes?”

Keira
gave me a strange look. “Working Class kids aren’t allowed to
take art or music classes past the third level, not unless they’ve
already demonstrated talent.”

“Really?
Are you sure?”

“A
friend of mine continued on as a painter, but that doesn’t happen
very often. I know nothing about art, and all I know about music I
learned from my mother.”

Even
with as much as I’d learned since I’d met Scott, it was clear there
were still gaps. I wondered if Keira would be willing to talk with
me some more about her past, but now wasn’t the time to ask.

“I’ll
take you to the theater and to a museum,” I offered, “if
you’d like. For now, I suggest that you take a moment to appreciate
the painting before you remove it from the wall. I believe the one
Mrs. Ramsey owns is an original.”

“How
do you know so much about her Galt residence? I thought you worked
at her estate here in town.”

“I
was hired to landscape new garden arrangements at both, and I took
some time to look around when she was out. I’ll send Eberhardt over
to pick you up next Thursday.” I handed Keira a slip of paper
on which I’d written down the code to the safe. “Here.
There’s a good chance she hasn’t changed it since I
didn’t actually take anything from that estate. I wish you’d
reconsider taking backup. I know someone who is skilled at breaking
into high tech security. He would be invaluable if the code has been
changed.”

She
reached for the piece of paper and our fingers touched. “Thank
you, but I’ll be fine on my own.”

-Keira-

Ramsey’s
Dinner Party

Thursday
finally arrived. I dressed as part of the catering staff, wearing
the traditional short black skirt over black nylons and a pressed
short-sleeved light blue shirt. I tucked my hair up under a blond
wig. Although I didn’t think she’d look too closely at the catering
staff, I didn’t want Mrs. Ramsey or her butler to recognize me while
I was at the party.

As
agreed, Eberhardt drove me to the town of Galt. Along the way, he
described the layout of the mansion – more information,
courtesy of Rick. The most difficult challenge would be climbing the
main staircase in the front hall unnoticed. Eberhardt dropped me off
a few blocks away from the estate.

As
I walked along the main drive, I spotted Ramsey’s chauffeur. I
didn’t slow my pace, and he didn’t pay any attention to me as I
walked around to the servants’ entrance in back. I entered the
kitchen and picked up a tray of hors d’oeuvres before anyone had the
chance to notice that I didn’t belong. As I walked through the
kitchen toward the party, I palmed a paring knife and slipped it into
a pocket of my skirt. I was ever watchful for Elaine Ramsey and her
butler.

Some
guests had already arrived. They chatted, drank and danced in the
ballroom. Many wore military uniforms. Others had the look of Gov
officials and other Elite.

I
carried a platter of stuffed mushrooms as I made my way through the
festive crowd. A few of the men patted my behind with one hand while
choosing a mushroom with the other. I imagined Rick would say it was
yet another way to keep the Divide strong – a way to degrade
the Working Class and keep us in our place.

I
noticed the main staircase through an ornate arched doorway and began
to meander in that direction but stopped when I felt a hand on my
shoulder. Startled, I turned. A man in uniform stared at me. His
eyes were the exact same shade as mine, a perfect reflection of my
own.

“Scott,
what are you doing here?” I asked.

“I’m
attending a party. You?”

“I’m
working.”

“Oh,
no you don’t.”

“She
didn’t hold up her end of the bargain,” I whispered.

“Keira,”
Scott said quietly, shaking his head. “I can’t let you do
this.”

“Yes,
you can, Scott. If you knew the whole truth, you’d let me.”

Scott
pulled me into a side room. No one noticed or cared. At parties
like this, it was not uncommon for guests to sneak off with the help.
Scott turned on a small lamp, leaned against the desk and folded his
arms across his chest. I set down the tray and looked around. We
were in a small library.

“You
have five minutes. Convince me.”

“Elaine
Ramsey is not to be trusted,” I began.

“Few
are. Continue.”

“She
knows my real name. She knows we’re related. You could be in danger
too.”

“I’m
always in danger. Is that why you wanted to see me? Because of what
she knows?”

I
nodded.

“She’s
too influential, and you have other options. You should be avoiding
her. You know how to disappear. It’s time to take your losses with
this one.”

“No,
that’s not how it works. I can’t disappear forever, and with
the information she has, I’ll have to do whatever she tells me to.
And by threatening my safety, she’ll control you too. I can’t allow
that!”

“You
know better than that. She already controls me, to some degree.
She’s as close to the head-of-command any corporate leader can
be.”

“Wait,
there’s more. I’m sure you’ve been wondering how Rick and I met.
Elaine Ramsey ordered a hit on him, only she didn’t know him by that
name.” Now I had Scott’s attention. “She hired me
through you to kill one of your friends. Doesn’t that bother you?
Then she double-crossed me. That bothers me. Fortunately for all of
us, things went wrong. I also called the other day because I wanted
to talk with you about the Resistance but not here.”

“No,”
he agreed, “not here and not tonight. Rick told you?”

I
nodded again. “A little.”

“Does
Elaine know anything about that?”

“I
don’t think so, but Scott, Elaine Ramsey also murdered Rose
Brackaby.”

“Rose
Brackaby died in a car accident.”

“A
planned accident.”

Scott
was pacing now, clearly agitated. “Are you sure about all of
this?”

“Absolutely,”
I lied.

“What’s
your plan?”

“To
take her out, of course. She knows too much.”

“Wait.
Rick authorized that?”

“Authorized?
Not exactly, but he knows I’m here.”

“Just
one minute.” Scott pulled out his transceiver and placed a
call. I noticed that he kept the vidscreen turned off and didn’t
use any names or mention specific places. Rick was likely doing the
same on the other end. All Scott said was, “I’m here. What
can you tell me about tonight?” He listened intently. “All
right.” He disconnected and looked at me. “Get back to
work. I’ll distract Ramsey.”

“No
Scott, I don’t want you to get involved. I never wanted you to get
involved in this.” I shook my head sadly.

“Keira,
I was already involved. Now do as I say.”

I
wrapped my arms around him and gave him a kiss on the cheek just as
another guest entered with a pretty girl. Scott hurried back to the
party, and I slipped down a side corridor. The front hall was mostly
deserted, except for the butler who was relaxing in a chair now that
most of the guests had arrived. My talk with Scott had taken too
long. I waited patiently for a distraction. Soon enough, one of the
kitchen staff brought over a plate of food. While they were talking,
I began to climb the stairs with my head down. This wasn’t the best
opportunity, but unless another guest arrived, it was probably the
best I would get.

“Hey!”
I heard a voice call. Just then the doorbell rang. Damn, I should
have waited, but how was I to know someone would arrive so late? I
practically ran up the rest of the stairs, quickly located Elaine
Ramsey’s bedroom and turned on a small flashlight.