Orchid Blues (Holly Barker 2)

"Oh, Harry, I almost forgot. You got a call from Chip Beckham from the Secret Service?"

"Yeah? Does he want me to call him back?"

"He said that wouldn't be necessary, and anyway, he'll be traveling. He said he was going to be in Miami tonight, and he's calling in your debt. He said you'd know what he meant. He gave me a cell phone number for you to get him on in Miami."

Harry jotted down the number. "Thanks, Mark." A second after he hung up, he realized what Chip's phone call meant. "Holy shit!" he yelled.

"What?" Eddie asked.

"Check the White House website and get the president's published schedule for today and tomorrow."

"Just take a sec," Eddie said, tapping some computer keys. "Here we are. Nothing for today or tomorrow."

Then what was Chip going to be doing in Miami?

The young man brought Ham lunch and dinner, too. "Be ready to leave here at six-thirty," he said. "John says wear the blue suit, shirt and tie and carry your shaving stuff and a change of clothes. Oh, and wear the disguise," he said, then left Ham alone.

Ham checked his watch. He had just enough time to eat and dress, but no opportunity to get at his cell phone, which was still taped under the dash of the jeep, unless someone had found it.

He was worried. He had expected to leave the compound on Monday morning and to have plenty of time to call Harry or Holly. He didn't like this at all.

He finished his dinner, then dressed in the suit and stuck the mustache and eyebrows on, the way Dave had taught him. He put the glasses in his pocket and tried on the hat. He looked like any salesman in the state of Florida, he thought.

He heard a vehicle stop outside, and Peck came to the door. "You ready?" he asked.

"Yep." He grabbed his bag and walked out the door. John was waiting in the jeep.

"You look great, Ham," John said.

"Thanks. I'll drive, if you like." He had to get near that cell phone.

"Nah, I'll drive," Peck replied.

Ham wanted to hit him.

55

Holly, with Daisy, arrived breathlessly at the airport and found Harry waiting for her in the Sun Jet Aviation lounge. "I couldn't get anybody to stay with Daisy on such short notice. What's up?" she asked. "Where are we going?"

Harry took her suitcase and gave Daisy a pat. "They're on the move," he said, "and I think Ham is with them." He headed out of the building and across the ramp toward a King Air.

"But it wasn't supposed to go down until Monday."

"As far as we know, it still might. John has a hotel reservation until Tuesday morning, under the name Owen, but that's the only name we've got."

"What hotel?"

"We don't know. We just picked this up on the smoke detector bug." He stowed her luggage on the airplane, and they got in and buckled up. Doug was already aboard. Daisy settled into the seat next to Holly as if she flew every day.

"So do we have any idea of who the target is yet?"

"No, we don't. John has filed a flight plan for Opa-Locka airport.

We're going to beat him there and keep him under surveillance until we know what's happening. I thought you'd like to be there."

"You're right," she replied. "Thanks. Is somebody listening in on the bug?"

"Eddie's still at the house, and the NSA is recording everything."