Page 101 of Tightrope

It was Matthias who answered.

“We know that Jasper Calloway operated out here on the West Coast and that he most likely used Hollywood as his base,” he said. “Odds are good that if he did leave some unfinished plan behind, it was slated to take place out here, not back east.”

“The West Coast is our territory,” Luther said. “We know it. The Accounting Department doesn’t. I should add that there is one other reason why I think it would be a good idea to keep quiet about this notebook, at least for now.”

“What’s that?” Raina asked.

Luther’s eyes darkened with cold fire. “I’ve got the same question about Smith’s career in Hollywood that Amalie has. How was he able to operate undetected for so long?”

Matthias looked at him. “You’re thinking he may have had some assistance from someone buried deep within one of the intelligence agencies. Maybe someone inside the Accounting Department.”

“I think there is a high probability of that, yes,” Luther said.

Amalie looked at the faces of the others. None of them appeared shocked or even mildly stunned.

“I guess I’m the naïve one here,” she said. She looked at Luther. “Let me get this straight. You’re wondering if the head of the Accounting Department can be trusted?”

“The double agent, if there is one, is more likely to be someone working for him, an individual he believes is trustworthy,” Luther said. “There is also the possibility I’m wrong about all of this. But I don’t think we can afford to take any chances with the notebook. So, for now, it stays in my safe here at the Paradise, and we will agree that none of us will speak about it to anyone who is not in this room.”

There was a quiet chorus of yeses.

The four of them had sworn an oath, Amalie thought. For now, Calloway’s notebook was their secret.

Chapter 54

Irene Ward’s story about the arrest of Lorraine Pierce and the recovery of a top secret cipher machine was splashed across the front page of the morning edition of theHerald. Amalie and Matthias were drinking coffee with Hazel and Willa in the kitchen of the Hidden Beach Inn when the paper was delivered.

Willa read the headlines aloud.“Famed Gossip Columnist Arrested for Murder of Robot Inventor.Top Secret Invention Recovered.”

An entire paragraph was devoted to glowing praise of the brave, professional work of Detective Brandon and the officers of the Burning Cove Police Department.

Matthias picked up his coffee mug. “A special agent from the FBI is probably yelling at Brandon and the chief of police at this very moment, but there’s no putting the cat back in the bag, and everyone knows it. The only thing the Feds can do is go along with Irene’s version of events and pretend to be grateful to the Burning Cove Police Department.”

Hazel got an anxious look. “Do you think the FBI might arrest Irene Ward because she ran the story?”

“The Bureau will be annoyed with Irene but there’s nothing they can do about her, either,” Matthias said. “It’s not as if she released classified information. She’s just a reporter who covered a red-hot story about a Hollywood gossip columnist and a stolen invention. They’ll play along. After all, they got the Ares and they’ve taken a suspected killer and gunrunner into custody. It will be interesting to see if they can hang on to both.”

Chapter 55

The editor saved the other big story of the day for the afternoon edition of theHerald. Amalie was at the front desk when it arrived. She read it immediately, searching for mention of the Hidden Beach Inn.

ACTORVINCENTHYDEATTACKEDBYCHAUFFEUR

Early this morning a dramatic encounter took place in the Paradise Club. Events began to unfold shortly after closing when Mr. Vincent Hyde, the well-known actor who played the lead in the Mad Doctor X films, was brutally attacked and left unconscious by his chauffeur, Mr. Jasper Calloway.

Following the assault on his employer, Calloway took a local innkeeper, Miss Amalie Vaughn, proprietor of the Hidden Beach Inn, hostage inside the nightclub. He threatened to release poison gas into the atmosphere, killing everyone in the club.

The tense standoff inside ended when Mr. Luther Pell and a business associate, Mr. Matthias Jones, succeeded in overcoming the crazed killer. Jasper Calloway died in a hail of bullets. According to those on the scene the nature of his demands was never made clear. Mr. Hyde described the chauffeur as “clearly mad.”

Readers will recall seeing Mr. Hyde’s chauffeur around town. Jasper Calloway made a decidedly chilling sight with his shaved head, tattoos, metal earring, and leather attire.

Calloway’s hostage, Miss Amalie Vaughn, is a former trapeze artist who was able to escape from Calloway’s clutches by employing the daring skills she learned while working in a circus. Witnesses told this reporter that she literally flew over a balcony railing to escape the clutches of Mr. Calloway. Miss Vaughn landed in the arms of Mr. Jones.

Dubbed the “Psychic Curse Mansion” due to a string of mysterious events connected to it, the Hidden Beach Inn has appeared frequently in the press. Miss Vaughn noted that henceforth the popular tours of the Psychic Curse Mansion will include a view of Calloway’s room at the inn.

Mr. Vincent Hyde, the star of the Mad Doctor X films, is currently a guest at the inn. He told this reporter that he was shocked by the chauffeur’s attack. “I gave Calloway a job when he was down on his luck,” Mr. Hyde said. “He repaid me by attempting to murder me. Clearly, Calloway was unstable, a human monster. I should have known that he would turn on me one day.”

Matthias walked through the front door, a copy of theHeraldunder one arm.

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