Iron Orchid (Holly Barker 5)

“Five minutes ago.”

“How’s the Lowell?”

“Very nice; better than I’m used to. Can I buy you lunch?”

“No, but I’ll take you, Pick you up in fifteen minutes?”

“We’ll meet you in the lobby.”

Holly phone

d La Goulue, a restaurant at 65th and Madison she passed every day while walking Daisy, and made a reservation. She walked Daisy, played with her for a bit, gave her a cookie and told her to be a good girl, then she went to meet Ham.

THE RESTAURANT was warm and cozy, and they were given a nice corner table. Ginny, Ham’s girlfriend, was a good-looking woman with bright red hair who had taught Holly to fly the year before, and this was her first time in New York.

They ordered, then Ham spoke up. “So, how’s the work going?”

“Not so hot,” Holly said.

“Can’t you find Teddy?”

Holly’s eyebrows went up.

“It wasn’t so hard to figure out,” Ham said. “There’ve been three or four murders around the U.N. the past few weeks, and I don’t believe the Agency is committing them. I always thought he might have gotten out of that airplane.”

“He did,” Holly said. “Ginny, you can’t hear this, and if you do, you have to keep it to yourself.”

“Don’t worry, Holly, my lips are sealed,” Ginny replied.

“She knows how to zip up,” Ham said. “Now, why haven’t you found this guy?”

“Because he’s very, very smart,” Holly said. “I figured he might be using the Lexington Avenue subway to get up and downtown, so we staked it out and photographed every likely candidate, but I swear to God, I think he spotted me and got out of there, instead of onto the train.”

“You? Why would he know you?”

“Because I met him at the opera, and he invited me to use a spare ticket. He was beautifully disguised, though, and I never tumbled to him until I saw him later, ignoring what he said was a bad hip or knee or something and running like a jackrabbit for a cab.”

“Isn’t there some way to lure him out from his cover?” Ham asked.

“Maybe me. I think he lives in my neighborhood, so we’ve had a team following me, in case I see him.”

“That would explain the guy across the street who keeps changing places with a woman,” Ham said, nodding toward the window.

“Damn,” Holly said, looking out the window, “he’s one of ours, all right. I asked Lance to pull off the team while you’re here, but I guess he didn’t.”

“Why do you think Teddy would be interested in you?” Ham said.

“I don’t know that he would, but he’s obviously figured out that I’m Agency or Bureau, and he has the advantage of recognizing me when I can’t recognize him.”

Ham sat quietly for a moment.

“What are you thinking?”

“I’m trying to think of a way to make you better bait.”

“Thanks a lot, Ham. Should I go naked in the street?”

“That might do it, but you’d freeze to death in these temperatures.”