I think of that? Yes, honey, itâs serious, but not for us, so donât start worrying about things. Itâs late, go back to bed, and Iâll go down to the boat.â
Nellie bent to kiss the top of her fatherâs head. âWear your slicker,â she admonished him.
âYes, maâam,â Daniel drawled. How nice it was to know she cared about him. He took an extra moment to hug his daughter and tell her he loved her. He beamed his pleasure when she echoed his response.
Daniel slogged his way through the driving rain to the pier and climbed aboard his cabin cruiser, the Sugar Baby . When he had his thoughts under control and a cigarette in hand, he began to wonder if he was wrong about the identity of Philippe Bouchet. Should he call Reuben? No, why upset his friendâs world with wild assumptions? First he had to deal with Mickeyâs request.
There was no doubt in his mind that he would do all in his power to help Mickey. He owed everything he had in life to two people: Reuben and Mickey. Without their help and encouragement, their love and support, he shuddered to think what might have happened to him. How he was going to fulfill Mickeyâs request was another question. He had a certain amount of clout in D.C., but not enough to wangle transportation to war-torn Europe. And Reuben couldnât help him with this one. Max, Reubenâs underworld friend, probably couldnât help him, either. That left only his own influential friends from Harvard days. If there was any way at all to get to Europe, Rocky Rockefeller would find it and Jerry Vanderbilt would ease the path. They wouldnât ask questions, either, which was all to the good.
The ship-to-shore operator took down both numbers Daniel gave her and said she would place the calls back to back. When Rockyâs groggy voice came over the static-filled wire, Daniel identified himself immediately. Rocky became alert instantly at the sound of his friendâs troubled voice. After heâd listened to the problem Daniel outlined to him, he didnât hesitate. âJesus, Daniel, right now your chances of getting to the moon are better than France. Iâll see what I can do, but I canât promiseâIâll do my best. You okay, buddy?â
âPretty much so. I wouldnât ask if this wasnâtâ¦Hey, I didnât mention that transportation back includes someone elseâ¦a friend.â Daniel let that sink in. âIâm heading home first thing in the morning. You can reach me at the office if you need to.â
âHell, I wasnât in the mood for sleep anyway,â Rocky groused good-naturedly. âDid you get to Jerry yet?â
âNo, Iâve got a call in to him, though.â
âIâll call him for you. Sit tight and one of us will get back to you.â
âRockyâthanks,â Daniel said.
Rocky laughed. âI always wondered how you were going to call in your favor.â
âWhat favor?â
âYou told me I owed you my life for all the clean underwear I used to borrow from you. Remember?â
âYeah! And I also remember the pile of dirty underwearâ¦. Listen, seriously now, Iâll owe you my life if you pull this off.â
âIâll talk to you in the morning. Try to get some sleep.â
Daniel canceled his call to Jerry and made himself a stiff drink. The rain had stopped, and a low fog hung over the ocean. The sound of a far-off foghorn nuzzled itself into the surrounding air while the lighthouse searchlight swooped overhead at regular intervals, brazenly passing through the swirling mists. Daniel sat in his spacious cabin and allowed the swaying of the boat to calm his nerves. There was no way in hell he would sleep, so why pretend.
Paybacks always rolled around, and they could be a bitch. Had he ever given any thought to his and Reubenâs payback? Yes, hundreds of times, but thatâs all they wereâthoughts.