LITMIR.BIZ

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they may turn out to be. We certainly wouldn’t want strangers knowing our business, Myra. Maybe you should make an offer, or perhaps Annie would be interested. That way, we’d have a lock on the two-thousand-plus acres and all the privacy we could ever want.”

      Myra’s mind raced. The perfect solution for Annie. “Do you know the asking price?”

      “Actually I do know. They lowered it from thirty-seven million to thirty-six million. I didn’t even know it was for sale until Elias came home from the barbershop and told me. In this economy, according to Elias’s barber, thirty-five million should do it. The estate is eager to sell.”

      “Annieeeee!” Myra bellowed, excitement ringing in her voice. Annie came on the run.

      “What? My God, Myra, that scream would wake the dead! What’s wrong?”

      Myra told her. She wound down with, “You said you wanted roots. Well, the soil on that farm is about as rich as you can get to put down some good, strong, healthy roots. The house itself is a real hot mess and will need a lot of work, but that’s a job for Isabelle. It’s been sitting empty for about seven years now, so that should tell you something. We’ll be neighbors. The three of us. It doesn’t get any better than that. Buy it, Annie. Please.”

      “Okay,” Annie said agreeably, “but what exactly am I buying, ladies?”

      “Three hundred and fifty acres of prime Virginia real estate. That’s how many acres are on the Needleman parcel. The layout is pretty much the same as my place here and Nellie’s farm, though mine is considerably larger. It will need a lot of work, but like I said, Isabelle is your girl. Oh, Annie, this is your chance to put down those roots and still be close to me and Nellie, not to mention all the girls. It’s the perfect solution. But you have to be happy with the purchase. I know you’re into bright lights and glitz and glamour, but this could be your nest to come home to when you’re … you know … burned out from that busy life.”

      “Okay, I’ll call Conrad and tell him to do it. He’s my business manager,” Annie said for Nellie’s benefit. “Do you know the name of the Realtor?”

      “Alice Orman, Adventure Travel. It’s right on Main Street in town.”

      “Okay, I’m going to do it. By the way, how much is it?”

      “Well the barber said it was reduced from thirty-seven million to thirty-six but he, the barber, thinks you can get it for thirty-five. I’d offer thirty-four five and offer a cash deal, no mortgage. The barber said the estate is eager to sell, and in this economy they might jump at a cash sale.”

      “I’ll have to buy it through one of my holding companies. If they find out I’m the buyer, the price will double or triple. People think I’m made of money and stupid at the same time.”

      “That should work,” Myra said happily. “You might want to stop by the barbershop and offer the barber a finder’s fee or whatever it is they give someone who turns you on to a property.”

      “I do love the way you spend my money, Myra.” As she punched in her business manager’s phone number, Annie said, “Maggie’s on it. A tail will pick up Elias at the gas station. She’s going to have Joseph do it. She said he is exceptional at tailing cars. She’s going to have Ted positioned somewhere farther on to pick him up the closer he gets to town. She’s on that, too, and that’s all we have to worry about.” Annie turned her back and spoke quickly to the person on the other end of her cell phone. She was beaming when she hung up.

      “I do think, ladies, I may very well be your new neighbor very shortly.”

      Myra and Nellie jumped right in with suggestions.

      “A sunroom for the morning sun where you can have your coffee.”

      “The library has to be redone, and I think mahogany would be great.”

      “Super-duper state-of-the-art kitchen that will make Charles drool.”

      “One of those really modern bathrooms with thirty-seven jets to pound your body!”

      “A real veranda with a lot of Southern rocking chairs.”

      And on and on it went until Annie’s cell rang. She was grinning from ear to ear when she said, “The estate accepted my offer for thirty-four five. In thirty days, I will be your new neighbor!”

      “All rightttt! Myra, what does this call for?” Nellie asked.

      “Mr. Kentucky himself. Coming right up,” Myra said as she headed for the kitchen and the bourbon. “Should we include Charles in this little celebration?”

      “Let’s not,” Nellie said cheerfully.

      “Okay,” Myra said just as cheerfully.

      Within minutes the celebration party was on.

      When all three cell phones rang, one after the other, four hours later, there was no one coherent or who cared enough to answer them except Charles, who had just come out to the terrace to ask what the ladies would like for dinner. Lady and her pups were lying on the deck, whimpering and whining at these strange goings-on. Charles picked up the phone, clicked it on, and heard Maggie giving him a breathless update. He listened, frowned, and told her to keep calling with updates, as Myra, Annie, and Nellie were indisposed.

      “You mean they’re snookered? What are they celebrating?”

      “God alone knows. Do you want to tell me why you’re tailing Elias? No, this is not need to know, Maggie. I do need to know, and I need to know now!”

       Chapter 4

      Maggie Spritzer slowly took the skin off a banana, then leaned back in her comfortable chair. She was wearing what she called her granny glasses. She peered over the top of them as she glared at her star reporter, a.k.a. her fiancé, and his partner, her star photographer. She chomped down on the banana and motioned for the duo to take a seat.

      “I’m not going to like this, am I?” Ted grumbled.

      “Probably not, but ask me if I care. A job is a job, you take the good with the bad. Actually, I’m going to give you a choice, so think carefully before you answer me. That goes for you, too, Espinosa.”

      “I live to serve you, Mighty EIC,” Espinosa said, waving his arm to indicate he was totally at her disposal.

      “Suck up!” Ted hissed.

      Maggie waited as she worked on the banana. When she was satisfied she had both men’s complete attention, she said, “This is your choice. Saint Anthony’s is having their Christmas-in-July bazaar this afternoon. They expect a tremendous turnout. They have a lady attending who makes purses out of candy wrappers. The newest rage, I’m told. She’s donating over five hundred of the purses to the bazaar. The church is going to use the proceeds from the affair to send the inner-city kids to camp next summer. A profile of the donor would be great. Now, if you two don’t want to cover the bazaar, I understand, so that’s why I’m giving you a choice here. Your second choice is to tail Elias Cummings. He should be leaving the farm around two-thirty if Nellie’s intel is on the money, and I see no reason it wouldn’t be since she’s married to the man. Espinosa, you pick him up as soon as he hits the highway after he leaves the farm. Ted, you pick him up as soon as he hits the District.”

      Maggie tossed the banana skin into her trash basket and broke open a package of Oreos. “So, what’s it going to be, the bazaar or the tail job?”

      “That’s a no-brainer, Maggie. You gonna tell us why we’re tailing one of our own? Don’t try pulling that NTK on us because if it was need to know, you wouldn’t be sending us out to do this job. What the hell is going on?” Ted demanded.

      Maggie pretended to think about the question. She shrugged. Annie hadn’t said she couldn’t clue in her people, and besides,

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