The Whisper Box by Roger Olivieri Read Free Book Online Page A

the young clerk knew. Michael was in his first year of law school, and Mac would give anything for his youth and exuberance. Michael's work habits were fantastic. He was a perfectionist; exactly what Mac needed in his office. He told her that he was honest, and therefore trusted. However, he continued, the level of responsibility that was about to be bestowed upon the young attorney-to-be scared Mac slightly. Mac had no choice. He really had no one else to do this work for him. Michael's age was a positive attribute, if anything. Mac knew younger people did not fear danger as much. Laura agreed. Young people would take the risks if given enough praise, or in this case, enough money.
    The plan Mac and Laura devised was simple. G-Mac would drive to Poughkeepsie, a rural town in upstate New York that was only about an hour away. This location was far enough away to pull all the government secret agents out of their foxholes for an hour or two, yet close enough for Mac to make a phone call from a public phone and get back to Laura's apartment before the agents did. He would wait until about five o'clock in the afternoon to leave. By the time he got back it would be around seven at night and dark, creating the perfect setting for his first attempt at burglary. He would slide into Laura's apartment in all black clothing, a black mask and all, ease under the bed to the hole in the floor, grab the manila folders and whatever tapes he found, and get back to the office. They planned to stay up all night, reviewing the evidence before calling a press conference. At least they had hoped to call a press conference in the morning. Mac’s sign would hang in the background as he spoke. Hart and Hart would be known across America by tomorrow afternoon. Mac and Laura disagreed on one subject. He had no intentions of leaving the country. He was going to milk this sucker. The law protected him. He would be safe. After he uncovered what he was about to uncover he would be loved, not hated. He told Laura that it would be Farnsworth who would have to go into hiding, not him.
    First, he had to get the tapes and documents and review them.
    **********************
    Mac jumped in his 2000 Corvette, his pride and joy. As far as he was concerned, he went to law school for this car and this car only. He drove up the Taconic Parkway at blinding speed. The radar detector never made a sound. He was in Poughkeepsie in forty-five minutes, fifteen minutes ahead of schedule. The Parkway Cafe was just off the Poughkeepsie exit. From there, he called the Daily Reporter from a pay phone outside. When the receptionist answered, Mac did not even let her finish her greeting.
    “I'm sorry to interrupt ma'am, but I'm in a bit of a hurry. I need to speak to someone in the news. I'm callin' 'bout that Laura Green woman. I've seen her, hell, I'm lookin' at her now.” Mac was trying to sound convincing while disguising his voice.
    She put him on hold. It seemed like less than a second before Owen Randolph answered. He knew the voice from seeing him on The Morning Show several times. Owen Randolph was the most respected newspaper columnist in the New York Metro area. Mac knew that it was not just chance or luck that Randolph, a man almost sixty years old with forty years of experience in the newspaper business, took the call himself. They wanted Laura and they wanted her bad.
    In the same fake Southern drawl Mac slowly stated, “Hey, that Laura woman y'all been lookin' fer is here in the cafe off the Taconic. I know it's her man. I seen her on the television about two minutes ago and then she comes walkin' in here to order food, man. She got a hat on like a disguise or somthin', but I ain't dumb man, I read the paper, I watch the news.”
    Randolph took the bait and asked how to get there. Mac gave him directions. He knew Randolph would alert everyone. Randolph was very good at getting the television cameras to follow him. As a matter of fact, he was the best. Mac hung up