Orchid Blues (Holly Barker 2)

Holly woke early, and when she sat up, she had to lie down again. She hadn't drunk that much in a long time, or been as hung over. Finally, she managed to stand and get to the bathroom, where she was desperate to find her toothbrush.

Suddenly, she was ravenously hungry. She phoned room service for a big breakfast, then got into a shower and finished it off by standing under cold water until she was fully conscious. She toweled her hair dry, and stood looking at herself in the mirror. It made her feel better that she was in better shape than a lot of women ten years younger than she. The doorbell rang, disturbing her reverie.

She got into a robe and directed the waiter to a table by the window, overlooking the beach and the sea. She signed, leaving a very generous tip from the FBI, and, after feeding Daisy, sat down to eat. Halfway through the waffles and sausage she had so craved a few minutes before, she felt ill and had to stop eating. She was paying for her pleasures.

The evening had ended well, with Chip not getting pushy. She had given him her number at home, knowing that he would never get to Orchid Beach, and she had gotten the information Harry needed from him without trading her virtue for it. Harry could never have done that, she thought smugly.

The phone rang, and she snatched it from its cradle. "Hello?"

"It's Harry."

"What's happening?"

"We think that Ham is registered in a hotel under the name of Owen, so I've got half a dozen agents phoning every hotel near the beach and checking on that name. We ought to have something by noon."

"What am I supposed to do until noon?" she asked.

"Anything you like, just keep that scrambled cell phone handy. If you hear from Ham, find out where he is and who the target is and call me back."

"You have no idea who the target might be?"

"None. Not one of the official schedules-governor, senators, congressmen-shows anything in the city today. I almost wish the target were the president, because that would be easier to handle in a lot of ways. I'll call you if I hear from Ham first." He punched out.

Well, the hell with sitting around here all morning, Holly thought. "I'm going to the beach." She started rummaging in her bag for a swimsuit. Harry had told her to be ready to dress for anything, and she was, with a bikini. She clipped the little cell phone onto her watchband, so she'd be sure to feel it if it went off, grabbed a tote and a towel and headed for the pool, Daisy in tow.

Ham and John were having breakfast together, and John seemed a little off his feed, Ham thought. John had ordered a Bloody Mary with his breakfast, and he looked as though he needed a refill.

"So, tell me more about The Elect," Ham said, casually, chewing on a piece of toast.

"What do you want to know?" John asked.

"The works: who are we, where are we, how many are we-anything you'd care to tell me."

"We're a tightly knit organization with a couple of dozen branches in nearly as many states-three here in Florida."

"Oh? Where?"

"Well, you know Lake Winachobee, then there's Tampa and Fort Lauderdale."

"H

ow many members nationwide?"

"Nearly three thousand."

"Wow, it's amazing that you could get so much done with so few people."

"If you have the right three thousand, you can move the earth."

"I guess we're going to move it a little today, huh?"

"You are, Ham. You're going to do it all by yourself."

"I won't disappoint you, John. By the way, Peck told me about the bank job in Orchid Beach." This was a lie, but it was worth trying. "Wasn't that a little close to home?"

"You're damn right it was," John said, angrily. "One of Peck's people killed somebody, and for his trouble, he got a bullet in the brain."

"Why did Peck let that happen?"