I felt tears burning at the back of my eyes. “If Dave’s up there watching,” I said, trying to laugh, “I bet he’s thinking, Man, I sure could’ve used that particular bit of wisdom a few days earlier.”

Frank grunted a laugh, too. “That was always the rap on me – big ideas, shit timing. But I’ve left things okay. For your mother. And you, too, Ned.”

“We’re going to get this guy, Pop.” I squeezed him back. Now I was crying.

“Yeah, son, you get him good.” Our eyes met in a wordless, glistening embrace. And Sol was right. I forgave him there. For everything. I didn’t even have to say a word.

“I gotta go, Pop.” I squeezed his bony fingers. “You may not see me for a while.”

“I definitely hope not, son,” he chuckled. “Not where I’m going, at least.” He let go of my hand.

I took a step back down the cell row. “Hey, Pop,” I said, and turned, my voice catching.

Frank was still standing at the bars.

“Tell me something. Mom’s fur coat. The one you brought home that day. It was stolen, right?”

He fixed on me a second, the sunken eyes suddenly hardening, like, How can you ask me something like that? Then a smile creased his lips. “Course it was stolen, kid.”

I backed down the corridor and smiled at my father for the last time.

Chapter 99

THE FBI MAN fitted a wire around me.

“You’ll be miked at all times,” Ellie said. We were at Sol’s, which we’d been using as a sort of base. “Our people will be all around. All you have to do is say the word, Ned, and we’ll be all over Dennis Stratton.”

There was a whole team of agents now. Moretti’s replacement was a thin-lipped guy with slick, dark hair and horn-rimmed glasses who was calling the shots. Special Agent in Charge Ficke.

“Here are the ground rules,” Ficke said. “First, you don’t make a move without Stratton. No intermediaries. You don’t bring up Moretti’s name. I don’t want him to think there’s a chance he divulged anything. Don’t forget, Stratton probably never met Anson. He never met your father. Get him talking about the heist if you can. Who set it up? Ask to see the check. The check is enough to get him. Are you up to doing this?”

“I’m up to it, Agent Ficke. How do we handle the painting?”

“Here… Check it out.”

A female agent brought out a bundled, heavily taped package. “What’s in it?” I asked.

“A lot of trouble for you if they get to open it,” Ficke replied. “So, ask to see the check before they do. If they give you a hard time, we’re coming in to get you.”

I looked at Ellie. “You’ll be there?”

“Of course I’ll be there.”

“There’ll be backup on every level,” Ficke said. “Once you get what we need, or they open the goods, we’ll break down the door. You’ll be okay.”

I’ll be okay. I eyed him. Like some expendable private being waved out to test a minefield. Go ahead, you’ll be okay. One thing everyone in the room knew: Stratton had no intention of letting me leave that hotel room alive.

“I want to talk to Ellie,” I said.

“She’s not running this show,” Ficke said rather sharply. “Any questions, address them to me.”

“I don’t have any questions. I need to talk with Ellie. And not here. Alone. Outside.”

Chapter 100

WE WENT OUT on the pool deck. I saw Ficke watching us through the blinds, so I led her down the steps to the beach, my office, as far away from him as possible.

Ellie rolled up her pants and left her shoes on the stairs. Then we walked out onto the sand. The sun was starting to set. It was going on six.

I took Ellie by the hand. “Nice out here, huh? Kind of makes me miss my old lifeguard days. Didn’t know how good I had it then.”

I held her by the shoulders, and brushed a wisp of hair out of her eyes. “You trust me, Ellie, don’t you?”

“You don’t think it’s a little late to be asking me that question, Ned? I didn’t arrest you when I had the chance. We stole a car. Withheld information, kidnapped a material witness… In my book, that goes as trust.”

I smiled. “You should’ve gotten out of that car when I told you to. Things would be a whole lot different.”

“Yeah, you’d probably be in jail, or dead. And I’d still have pretty good job security. Anyway, as I recall, I didn’t have much choice at the time. You did have a gun.”

“And as I recall, the safety was on.”

I pulled her close and I could feel her heart beating forcefully against my chest. Neither of us knew what was going to happen tonight. And afterward, the whole world would be different. I had felony charges waiting for me. I’d have to do time. Afterward, I’d be a felon and she’d still be an FBI agent.

“What I’m asking, Ellie, is for you to keep trusting me. Just for a while longer now.”

She eased away from me and tried to read what was in my eyes. “You’re scaring me, Ned. We can nab him. This whole thing’ll be over. Please, just for once, play this one by the book.”

I smiled. “You gonna be there for me, Ellie?”

“I told you,” she said, looking at me with resolve in her eyes, “I’ll be right outside. I wouldn’t let you go in there alone.”

I know you wouldn’t. I pulled her against me again and looked beyond her at the setting sun.

I didn’t have the heart to tell her I meant afterward.

Chapter 101

JUST TURNING ONTO the long drive leading up to the Breakers took you back to another world.

The twin majestic towers awash in glowing light, probably Palm Beach ’s best-known sight. The stately loggia of arches welcoming visitors to the lobby, the rows of light-kissed palms. Once, Flaglers and Mellons and Rockefellers went there in lavish private rail cars. Now it was people who were trying to act like them.

Tonight I was going to crash it for a while.

I pulled Ellie’s Crown Vic behind a Mercedes SL 500 and a Rolls in the redbrick circle leading to the lobby doors. Couples stepped out in tuxes and fancy gowns, adorned with glittering jewels. I was in a pair of jeans and a green Lacoste shirt, which was hanging out. Even the parking attendant gave me a look as if I didn’t belong.

I’d heard about these society galas, even waited at a couple when I first came down. They were near the center of the Old Guard social life down there. For this and that charity, the invitations read. More like so a few doyennes could show off their jewels and parade around in stylish gowns, eating caviar and sipping champagne. Who knows how much actually made it to the “cause” being celebrated? I remembered hearing somewhere that a woman whose husband died suddenly kept him on ice for weeks until the party season ended.

Here goes nothing, Ned…

I tucked the thick wrapped bundle the feds had given me under my arm and went inside the lobby. Lots of people were milling about, some in formal attire, others in the red jackets of hotel personnel, a few in casual wear. I figured any of them could be Stratton’s men watching me. Or FBI.

The FBI was probably freaking out about now, wondering what the hell was going on.

I glanced at my watch – 8:40. I was twenty minutes ahead of schedule.

I headed straight to the front desk. An attractive desk clerk named Jennifer greeted me. “I think there’s a message for me,” I said, “under Stratton.”

“Mr. Kelly,” she said with a smile, as if expecting me. She came back with a sealed hotel envelope. I showed her ID and ripped open the flap. Written on a hotel notecard were just two words: Room 601.

Okay, Ned. Let’s get it done. I held my breath for a second and tried to calm my nerves.

I asked Jennifer where the Make-A-Wish dinner was being held, and she pointed toward the Circle Ballroom, down the ornate lobby corridor and to the left.