A Piece of the Action

Chapter 4: The Corbomite Maneuver

Ellington Mansion. Sunday, February 24, 2008.

"No, I'm not giving DeLuca $50,000," Neal insisted. "Not even temporarily."

Sara assumed that was the case, but she was relieved to hear his confirmation. She didn't relish breaking into her piggy bank for that scumbag. Once DeLuca dropped Neal off, Jones and Peter took the surveillance van to Peter's house. From there they participated in a briefing via a conference call. Aidan, Richard, Keiko, and Travis joined in from Travis's office at Root32.

Neal had gotten DeLuca to believe that yesterday evening's gathering was a strategy session for Thursday night—a true statement, as it turned out. But it might appear suspicious to have a second gathering so soon afterward, and they were working on the assumption they were being monitored by members of DeLuca's crew.

"You're relying on Aidan for the earnest money instead," Travis suggested.

"That's right," Aidan confirmed. "Neal will tell DeLuca he's wiring him the money, and I'll work some razzle dazzle to convince DeLuca it occurred."

"Aidan's maneuver will allow Jones and me to access DeLuca's bank account," Peter said. "Best of all is DeLuca's agreement to let Jones and me view his books."

"Travis, do you have a way for us to photograph the books without DeLuca's knowledge?" Jones asked.

"Not a problem," Travis assured him. "The CIA had requested a device that should fit your needs and it's ready for beta testing."

"Is this a variant of your snooper pen?" Sara asked.

"Something even more inobtrusive," Travis said. "A camera is embedded in a pair of eyeglasses. A miniature switch is activated by nudging the glasses higher on your nose, a common gesture eyeglass wearers make. A camera within the frame then records whatever you're looking at. I'd like both Peter and Jones to wear them. You'll need to make room in your schedule to practice the technique."

"Just give us the word and we'll be there," Peter said. "Any chance we'll be able to use the glasses afterward on other cases?"

"The CIA already knows we work with the Bureau and Win-Win," Aidan said. "It won't be an issue."

Aidan reminded Sara of Neal. Both of them straddled two worlds. Neal had found a way to balance art with investigations. Aidan divided his time between the cybersecurity world of Root32 and game programming at Scima Workshop.

"Neal, you mentioned that you'd arrange for DeLuca to observe one of your celebrity clients," Richard said. "Who's the lucky person?"

Neal turned to Sara. "Which client are you taking out to lunch?"

"Diana already volunteered. She can't wait to be transformed into Beyoncé. Richard, she offered to make herself available whenever you can fit her in."

Upper East Side. The following Wednesday.

Diana gazed around the luxurious surroundings of Le Cirque and sighed expansively. "I feel like I should send DeLuca a thank you card and sign it with Beyoncé's signature. Did I mention Christie has volunteered to play a celebrity too?"

Sara chuckled. "We may have to limit the number before Richard cries 'Tilt.'" Diana's impersonation of Beyoncé was perfection. Janet had acquired a magnificent wig to complement Richard's prosthetics. Sara could easily fantasize she really was lunching with the famous entertainer.

DeLuca had entered the restaurant with one of his henchmen shortly after they arrived. They were sitting in another section of the large dining space. Sara had picked a table where the nearby tables were all taken so they wouldn't have to worry about being overheard.