Iron Orchid (Holly Barker 5)

“Oh, I’ll wring out the whole place, everybody but myself.”

“They’ll polygraph you before it’s over. Can you handle it?”

She nodded. “I have some pills that will do the trick.”

“Good. Let me give you a code: if you ever learn that I’m about to be busted and I should run, call the number I gave you and say, ”Is this Bloomingdale’s?“ then hang up. If I hear that, I’ll drop everything and go.”

“Got it.”

“Shall I find a hotel room?”

“Can’t this trip; we’re too busy. Hugh thinks I’m running an errand for him, so I’ve got to get back.”

“Thanks for the new codes, Babe. I’ll talk to you soon.”

“Bye-bye.” She got up and left.

Teddy sat on the bench, feeling greatly relieved. He was glad he wasn’t going to have to leave New York, after all the trouble he’d gone to to set himself up here. He was sorry about the opera, though.

THIRTY-SIX

HOLLY CLE

ANED OUT her room and, with the help of the two security men in the lobby, loaded everything into her Cayenne Turbo and drove over to 868 Park Avenue. With the help of the doormen there, she got everything unloaded and upstairs into her new apartment, then she went back downstairs. The Cayenne was gone.

The super approached and introduced himself. “I’m Danny,” he said. “I put your car in our garage. Just call the doorman when you want it, and someone will bring it around for you. They need about fifteen minutes’ notice.”

Holly thanked him and went back upstairs to her apartment. She unpacked and put everything away, then she sat down on the living room sofa and called her father on her cell phone.

“Ham?”

“Hey, Baby, how are you? I haven’t heard from you for a couple of weeks, and I thought maybe they killed you during training.”

“I’m just fine,” she said. “I’m in New York.”

“You finished at the Farm already?”

“They cut the training short so that my class could join the New York team for a special project.”

“And what is the project?”

“If I told you I’d have to dispatch somebody down there to dispatch you. How’s Ginny?”

“She’s just great; she’s hired two more instructors for her flight school, and business is humming.”

“Ham, I bought an apartment in New York.”

“Yeah, where?”

“On Park Avenue. Can you believe it?”

“Well, you’re a woman of some means,” Ham said. “It’s probably a good investment.”

“I think it is. And you and Ginny can come visit. There’s only one bedroom, but I’ll get a pullout sofa.”

“Thanks, but I can afford a hotel. We’re not bunking in with you; we screw too much, and Ginny is noisy.”

“Oh, Ham, stop it. You’d be perfectly welcome.”