Page 31 (1/2)
"You can’t dishty child"
"Then I’ll dismiss you like I’m the president," he said, quicker than he meant to Then, to soften it, he finished the last of his drink and set it aside "I am sorry But this is…"
Before he could offer soo find Andrews myself, and have Amanda pack me a trunk," she said on her way out the door
"Dear, I didn’t mean…"
"I knohat you meant," she said, as she closed the door behind herself
He sighed, refilled his glass, and continued reading
At first, the folders mostly served to confirm what Haymes had told him He was surprised to learn how lossed over the details, and filed their edges toto a researcher for her coe was up to a mile and three quarters square, and it would require an estih twenty were reco that confused hiet estiht weapons Why would they need another eight weapons? The whole of her sales pitch had been that one weapon would end the war If another eight were in the pipeline, why should she earn a pardon? Why should she be granted amnesty or asylum?
The next folder answered his questions In it, he found a series of contracts signed by Katharine Hayned by Desmond Fowler
Military contracts
Vast ones, the kind that would make Haymes one of the wealthiest women--nay, the wealthiest people--in the world, if she wasn’t already A series of deals brokered by Fowler, behind Grant’s back
"Son of a bitch," he breathed "They’re betting against the Union" Or at least they were betting against a speedy victory After all, it was entirely possible that she’d struck a similar deal with Stephens in Danville For all he knew, she was playing both sides, selling the technology to the highest and blindest bidders
But he wondered if the South had any money left to spend on her
Maybe not, then Maybe she was just throwing her lot in with the richer party, and plotting to bleed it dry
He hated her Deeply, vividly
He gulped down the rest of his drink without even tasting it, without relass with in the first place
One last folder It was fastened shut with a little seal, the kind that hest level Well, Grant was the highest level "Commander in chief," heto the little wax reen stain across the paper’s seaher than that" By then he was too drunk to notice that he was lying to hi this the sneaky ith a heated knife slipped carefully beneath the wax to preserve its shape Then he thought, "To hell with it," and snapped the thing in two Who cared if anyone knew he’d seen it? Everyone who kept this secret found him beneath contempt anyway
The last folder, this sleeved set of documents, fluttered open in his lap
The top sheet was stamped: POTENTIAL TARGETS
He read And he read And with every line, his heart cliathered the papers and ju wildly around the rooht Awfully right She’s going to … she’s going to…"
Who could he tell? Who would believe hirandfather clock said it was not late yet, only a little dark … but not too dark for the extra drinks he’d finished while he scoured his stolen files He looked down at the papers, wishing he had so better to hold them Then he folded the whole bundle in half and stuffed it inside his waistcoat It looked ridiculous, but with his overcoat on, no one would notice
Out the door he went, calling for Andrews all the way "Andrews! Andrews, isservant appeared, perplexed and wary, he asked, "Sir? Mrs Grant has gone, yes To her le, but when Grant didn’t reply, he added, "Shall I fetch you another carriage?"
"Yes!" he said too quickly, ja a wool hat atop his head "As soon as possible I have an errand to run, and it won’t wait"
"I can drive youGrant that between Betsey’s transportation and his wife’s, there was no one else on hand to perform the task
"Ah, I see Yes, thank you, Andrews Under ordinary circumstances, I wouldn’t ask it of you; but this is more important than I have time to explain Please, if you don’t mind?"