While Justice Sleeps(9)
“He didn’t say the words, but I’m willing to bet that he knows more than we realized.” Nigel’s soft southern drawl did little to soften the blow. “The swing vote on the Supreme Court went batshit crazy and then fell into a coma. Assuming he was our ace in the hole, we are now potentially fucked.”
Indira forced her mind to play through the odds. “Was it a stroke? An aneurysm?”
“What does it matter?”
“We need to know if he’ll wake up and how soon.”
“I’ll find out.”
“Good. My board is becoming restless.”
Nigel cautioned, “Tell them to hold still. The end of the term is in a few days, but he could be in the hospital for months. The Court doesn’t have to rule this term. If they wait until the fall, we buy ourselves more time to ratchet up the pressure on President Stokes. Every month there’s a poor jobs report, I put out some statement about the number of jobs that could have been created with our merger. November is a long time to survive Chinese water torture.”
“My board has no faith in your judicial system at this point,” Indira retorted bitterly. “Tigris is not going away, Nigel. The board wants their money out of this fiasco as quickly as possible. Besides, your bankers are getting worried, too.”
“Yes, but I’ve kept them calm. We would make a mountain of billionaires with this deal. Do whatever you have to, but we can’t fold yet.”
“My board reads Bloomberg News too. Only you and I continue to believe this merger will happen.”
“Money men always think the sky is falling.”
“Perhaps this time, they’re not wrong.” She shut her eyes, her head leaning against leather. “They’ve told me to break the agreement if we do not have an answer when the Court adjourns.”
“You pull out, and we won’t get another shot! GenWorks is ruined if I don’t get access to your tech, Indira. Not to mention what it could mean for you personally.”
“GenWorks has nothing that will help my medical condition.”
“Not yet, but in time.” Nigel punched the emergency stop button on the treadmill. “We can’t give in now. Maybe we go to President Stokes. Threaten to expose him if he doesn’t change his mind.”
“Are you mad? We will do no such thing!”
“Think about it. He’s got to be as worried as we are. His four votes are no more certain than ours. Justice Wynn living or dying is no guarantee. Either way, President Stokes could still lose and cost himself the election.” Leaning heavily against the rails, he reasoned, “If Americans learned the truth about this, they’d crucify him.”
“And us along with him.” She rubbed at a knot of tension forming at her nape. “It is too great a risk, Nigel. They would say I am as culpable.”
“Not by a long shot. No actual harm done.”
Her hesitation was brief, imperceptible. Personal. “We’ve had this discussion before. If we admit we know the truth, the president will destroy us. Right now, he can only suspect what we know, and we have no proof.”
“We know it’s out there. We simply have to find it.”
“We’ve tried,” she reminded him, frustration growing in her voice. “The records show what was invested, not the source. And the officials who know the truth will never admit it.”
“Then we force his hand.”
“Or let the case play out. It would help if you didn’t insist on antagonizing him at every opportunity.” Despite years in American schools, she still barely understood the deep divisions between the Left and the Right in a country with so little to argue over. “This merger should not have required an international incident.”
“Money and power make people irrational. You know that better than most.”
She stared out the window, wondering if Tigris would ever stop punishing her. “What do you want me to do?”
“Nothing for now.”
“What are you planning?” A woman didn’t sleep with a man for as long as she had without learning the nuance to his voice. Cunning, shot through with guile. “No secrets.”
“I’ll keep my ears and my options open. There’s always an angle, Indira. You keep your board in line. Fortunes and principalities are at stake, my dear.”
“I am well aware of the consequences.” Indira’s hand trembled, reminding her of why she’d allowed Tigris to live and die. “Keep me informed.”
Nigel Cooper disconnected and pulled up the next number. When the call connected, he said, “Sorry to wake you, Mr. Leader, but we’ve got a situation. I’ll be in DC in five hours. Have the Speaker join you and meet me at the St. Regis. Be discreet.”
THREE
Monday, June 19
In an apartment tucked into Tacoma Park, Maryland, early-morning sunlight filtered through blinds she’d drawn weeks ago. Jamie Lewis was curled on the sofa watching an old black-and-white movie, hoping it would lull her to sleep. A cup of chamomile tea cooled on the coffee table in front of the couch, beside the boarding pass for her flight to New Mexico. In eight hours, she’d be on her way, leaving behind Justice Wynn and the last few months.
Exhaustion dragged at her, but sleep remained elusive. Soon, she’d see her husband and tell him of their plans. He could stop hiding at his cousin’s place and meet her at the airport.