Vanishing Act. Fern Michaels

the house. Lizzie felt smug, it didn’t get any better than cinnamon, garlic, and onions. Comfort food, and that was what Lizzie was trying to convey to her guests. From the sounds of their voices earlier, they all needed it.

      There was a camaraderie, a genuine fondness for each other as they all hugged and babbled about how good it was to meet in a semisocial situation.

      Lizzie served wine and beer as they all gathered around her dining room table. She started off by saying there would be no business conducted until their meal was finished, just the way the Sisters did things on the mountain.

      The dinner was family style, everything in the middle of the table so that everyone could help themselves. Conversation was lively and at times boisterous when Ted and Maggie discussed the nude beach they’d visited on their trip north. Lizzie’s impressive winnings in Las Vegas were discussed in great detail.

      “Then, before we left the casino I decided to play twenty more dollars and guess what? I won a hundred dollars! Twice I got three cherries. Do you believe that? Cosmo said I had the makings of a gambler. I think he was joking, but I was sooo excited. Maybe he was serious. Do you suppose I could shut down the law practice and spend my days making the rounds of the casinos?” She giggled.

      Her guests were in awe. None of them had ever heard Lizzie Fox giggle. Ever.

      “What did you do with your winnings?” Maggie asked as she cut herself a second slice of pie.

      “I was going to buy Cosmo a drink, but he said no. He doesn’t believe in the woman paying for anything, so I donated all my winnings to the SPCA for a free neutering program they have going on. Cosmo matched my donation, so it was a win-win.” She giggled again, to everyone’s delight.

      Out of the corner of her eye, Lizzie could see that Harry Wong was starting to get fidgety. It was time to get down to business. She was surprised when Ted and Joe Espinosa got up and volunteered to clean up.

      When both men were in the kitchen, Lizzie whispered to Maggie, “How hard was it to train Ted to take care of kitchen duties?”

      Maggie finished her pie, wiped her mouth, and whispered back. “It was so easy, Lizzie. ‘No sex unless you do your share.’ Hey, I cook, he has to clean up. That’s fair. Wow, I am stuffed. I never thought meatless spaghetti could be so good. How about giving me the recipe?”

      Lizzie giggled again. “No can do, old family recipe.”

      Ted carried in the coffeepot, and Espinosa had the cups and saucers. The table was clear, the signal that pads, pens, and briefcases were ready to be brought out to play.

      “Talk to me, Harry, and do not leave anything out. I want you to go back to the beginning of the year and tell me everything you can remember. I don’t care if you think it’s pertinent or not to this case. I’ll decide what’s important and what isn’t.”

      Harry talked and talked, from time to time choking up at the injustice of what he was being forced to go through.

      When Harry wound down, Jack took the floor and talked about Harry’s box of unopened mail. “There were notices of nonpayment on the home equity and second mortgage that Harry had never opened because, like he said, he paid ahead for a year. He had no idea there was an equity loan or second mortgage. There were also credit card bills for all the bogus accounts some person had opened up. When Harry saw the envelopes, he figured they were probably just offers for him to open new accounts. In that sense Harry is not blameless. He should have opened his mail. As you can see by the two legitimate credit cards he carries, he only uses them once in a while, and he pays the outstanding balances in full in the months that he charges something.

      “But regardless of whether he opens his mail or not, no one has the right to steal and ruin a person’s life.”

      “You don’t have to tell me that, Jack. I’m on your side,” Lizzie said.

      “Lizzie, how much is this going to cost? All my money is gone. Will you take an IOU?” Harry’s voice was fretful.

      Lizzie looked Harry in the eye and winced. “Harry, I can’t believe you asked me that. I know it wasn’t your intention to offend me, but you did. We’re family here. Family doesn’t charge family. We will not ever talk about this again, do we understand each other, Harry?”

      Harry turned docile, something Jack never thought he would live to see. He was further astounded when Harry meekly said, “Yes, ma’am.”

      Lizzie moved on. “Maggie?”

      “I put a hacker friend of mine on it early this morning. He should be getting back to me sometime this evening unless he’s hit a snag.”

      Lizzie looked puzzled for a moment. “Isn’t that Charles’s job?”

      Maggie shrugged. “Possibly. If Charles or the girls don’t want my information, assuming I get any, I can use it for the next series I plan on doing. Being in the newspaper business, it’s a given that you can never have too much information. Abner Tookus is the best hacker in the world. The FBI and the CIA use him. He even writes software for them and always makes sure there’s a back door where he can get in and out without their knowing. It’s like being a painter and signing your name on your work. If there is information to be gotten, Abner is the one to get it.

      “I had to pay him an exorbitant fee, and I also had to spring for his honeymoon. That’s how sure I am he can get us what we need. He knows all bets are off if he can’t deliver.

      “I spent the day going through the series we ran on identity theft victims. Ted and Joe will be revisiting those same people again to see what if anything will come up. Now that we know Harry’s mail habits, we have something more to go on. If he pays all his bills at the beginning of the year, then it falls right into place with the other victims we interviewed, which leads me to think it’s a ring of people, as opposed to one person, because that’s around the time someone stole all their identities. The major difference is that the other victims were immediately made aware of what was happening when they opened their mail to see their credit card statements and notices from their banks. All the victims were cleaned out like Harry was. Ergo, my reasoning for thinking it’s a ring. It’s a pattern, and it took a lot of effort on the part of a lot of people to bring it off in a short period of time.”

      “Definitely makes sense,” Lizzie said thoughtfully as she scribbled notes on the pad in front of her. “Did you send copies of the profiles to the mountain?”

      “I sent them out midmorning today. I suppose it’s possible they might pick up on something, but I doubt it. First thing tomorrow morning, after Ted and Joe visit the other victims again, they’ll visit their credit card companies. Depending on what Abner comes up with, I might have to engage his services for phase two. It’s a crapshoot, Lizzie.”

      Jack weighed in. “I find myself wondering if the perp, or perps, is someone all these people know. How were they chosen by the perp? Do they know him or her? Is it someone involved in their daily lives? With Harry it could be anyone. He has private classes. He works with the local police, and he works with the FBI and the CIA. The list is almost endless. A disgruntled class member or parent of one of the kids or some hyped-up kid who thinks he’s smarter than the law.”

      Maggie shrugged. “All of the above. We’re blind at the moment, but with Abner, Ted, and Joe on it, not to mention Charles and the girls, we should come up with someone or some group that will pique our interest. We have to start somewhere.”

      They talked for another hour and a half, with Lizzie making copious notes. When they finally said good night at eleven o’clock, Lizzie knew what she had to do. She gave Harry a quick hug and told him not to worry. Harry just nodded as he followed Jack out to his car.

      Maggie stayed on a few moments longer, chatting with Lizzie about her new married life. “It must be hard with you here and Cosmo in Vegas. I know you probably talk throughout the day, but it isn’t the same as being together. But”—she winked at Lizzie—“I bet the reunions are spectacular.”

      Lizzie laughed.