“Well, son of a gun.” Charlie sat back, trying hard to appear calm.
“Still, he’s an exceptional builder. He’ll do good work for you.” Pemberton laughed. “Just so long as he doesn’t start snooping around. You know if he was a spy, those habits probably die hard. I’ve led a pretty squeaky clean life, but everybody has skeletons in their closet, don’t you think?”
Charlie cleared his throat before answering. “Some more than others.”
Charlie leaned forward again, his hands clasped in front of him on the table; he was quite eager to change the subject and had the vehicle to do so. “John,” Charlie’s voice dipped low, “John, I’ve got a small favor to ask of you.”
Pemberton’s smile broadened. “Just ask it, Charlie. And consider it done.”
“A man came by the house the other day asking for a donation to a charitable foundation he said he headed.”
Pemberton looked startled. “What was his name?”
“He wasn’t local,” Charlie said quickly. “He gave me a name but I’m not sure it was his real one. It all seemed suspicious, you understand what I’m saying.”
“Absolutely.”
“Someone in Ms. Savage’s position has to be careful. There are a lot of scams out there.”
“Don’t I know it. How upsetting.”
“Right. Well, anyway, the guy said he was staying in the area for a while. Asked for a follow-up meeting with Ms. Savage.”
“I hope you’re not going to agree to that.”
“I haven’t yet. The guy left a phone number, but it’s not a local one. I called it. It was an answering service.”
“What was the name of the foundation?”
“I don’t remember exactly, but it had something to do with medical research of some kind.”
“That’s so easy to concoct,” Pemberton said knowingly. “Of course I have no personal experience with frauds like that,” he added huffily, “but I understand that there is a proliferation of them.”
“That was exactly my read. Well, to make a long story short, since the guy said he was going to be around awhile, I thought it probable that he was renting someplace hereabouts, instead of sacking out at a hotel. That gets to be expensive after a while, especially if you’re living scam to scam.”
“And you want to know if I can find out where he might be staying?”
“Exactly. I wouldn’t ask it if it weren’t real important. With things like this I’m never too careful. I want to know who I’m dealing with in case he shows up again.”
“Of course, of course.” Pemberton let out a shallow breath and sipped at his tea. “I’ll certainly look into it for you. My sympathies lie with you and Ms. Savage.”
“And we will be very grateful for any assistance you can give us. I’ve mentioned several of the other charities you head up to Ms. Savage and she spoke very positively about all of them and your work with them.”
Pemberton was glowing now. “Why don’t you give me a description of the man? I have the morning free and I can start my own little investigation. If he’s within fifty miles of here, with my connections, I’m certain I can find him.”
Charlie described the man, laid some cash on the table for the meal, and stood up. “We really appreciate it, John.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Thomas Donovan scanned the city streets for a parking spot. Georgetown was not known for its abundance of places to leave one’s vehicle. He was driving a new rental car, a late model Chrysler. He turned right from M Street onto Wisconsin Avenue, and finally managed to snag a spot on a side street not too far from where he was heading. A light rain began to fall as he walked down the street. The quiet area he soon found himself in harbored an elite neighborhood of towering brick and clapboard residences which were home to high-ranking businessmen and political types. He eyed some of the homes as he walked along. In the lights visible through intricately designed windows Donovan could make out well-dressed owners settling down in front of warm fires, coddling drinks and exchanging light kisses as they went through their rituals of relaxation after another day of perhaps changing the world, or merely adding to their already hefty investment portfolios.