Prologue
Dennis West thought it was going to be a beautiful spring day, even though it wasn’t quite six o’clock in the morning. The dark night had turned the new day into a dizzying shade of pink and lavender. Plus, he’d gotten up at four thirty, which had to mean he needed to get started on what was sure to be a special day. Dennis believed in things like that. He took them as omens. Everything happened for a reason. Everything.
Now all he had to do was sit back and wait for whatever was going to happen to actually happen.
Carrying his morning coffee in one hand and the early edition of the Post in the other hand, Dennis made his way out to the postage stamp–sized courtyard of the Bagel Emporium to drink his first cup of coffee of the day. He was lucky this morning; one little bistro table was still available. He immediately laid claim to it, spread out the paper, and removed the lid from his coffee cup. He then settled his backpack under the minuscule table, rolled his shoulders, and stretched his neck. It was the same ritual that he practiced every morning. Now he was ready to drink his coffee. He took a healthy gulp, burning his tongue in the process. He ignored the temporary pain and scanned the headlines and everything above the fold. Nothing earth-shattering there. Nothing earth-shattering below the fold, either. He leaned back on the flimsy chair and settled in for some serious people watching. It was his absolutely favorite thing to do in the whole world. He loved, loved, loved coming up with little scenarios as people moved past him, some making eye contact, others so zoned out, they were like zombies. Sometimes he even gave the strangers names. Yes sirree, this hour was his favorite hour of the day.
Dennis was so intent on his people watching that he didn’t hear his name being called. He did, however, whirl around when he felt a hand on his shoulder.
He looked up to see a tall, lanky guy around his age, with straggly hair, unshaven jaw and cheeks, and bloodshot eyes staring down at him.
“Dennis! Well, damn, this is a surprise! Never expected to see you here! Man, this is early! Great to see you!”
Dennis tried to see past the stubble, the red eyes, the straggly hair, and the dirty clothes. His eyes popped wide. “Toby! What the hell!”
“That’s the best you can come up with? What the hell! I know it’s been a bunch of years, but, damn, Dennis, am I that forgettable?”
“Jeez, no, Toby. I was doing what my mother used to call woolgathering. Watching people. It’s kind of what I do. What brings you here to the nation’s capital? When I saw you at our last reunion, you were working in New York, at some secret think tank, and making bookoo bucks. You slumming or something?” Dennis asked curiously.
“It’s a long, sad story, pal,” Toby said, sitting down on the spindly chair opposite Dennis.
Tobias Mason. Smart as a whip, highest IQ on the planet. The guy could discuss quantum theory but couldn’t balance a checkbook. Not one ounce of street smarts. Not even half an ounce. They’d been study buddies back in the day. Two geeky nerds who never quite fit in. As close as they’d been, they had somehow drifted apart after graduation, Toby in demand for every think tank in the land and Dennis to find his way doing what he loved, gathering news to share with the world. As far as he knew, they’d both succeeded, he with a Pulitzer to his name and Toby doing all that top secret stuff no one would ever see or hear about.
“Ah . . . Toby, do you dress like that for work, or are you . . . what?”
“Actually, Dennis, I’m homeless at the moment. Gee, it’s good to see you. What are you doing these days? At the last reunion, you were working at some small weekly paper in Maryland. This is Washington. Are you on vacation?”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. We can discuss me later. Let’s go back to your being homeless. What does that mean, Toby?”
“It means I have no home. I’ve been living in my car for the past week. I quit my job six months ago to follow my fiancée, who is no longer my fiancée, here. She kicked my ass out last week, saying I wasn’t earthy enough for her. What does that mean, Dennis? Earthy? Does she want me to plow or dig in the earth? Plant stuff? Grow stuff? I asked her what it meant, and she said if she had to explain it to me, then I was truly hopeless.
“I paid for the move here, and we lost out on our lease in New York. I had to pay that off. Then there was the robust security deposit on the new place here, as well as first and last month’s rent. Carrie—that’s my ex-fiancée’s name—wanted new furniture because, she said, our old stuff didn’t go with the new place. I was flat-out broke when she kicked me to the curb. When I said I was homeless, I was until yesterday, even though I slept in my car last night. I called my brother for a loan, and I got a studio apartment in Crystal City. I can’t move in until noon today, though. I’m going to be roughing it for a while, using a sleeping bag until I get a job.”
“Why didn’t you call me, Toby? I would have helped you. That’s what friends do for each other.”
“If I had known where you were, I probably would have, but I didn’t know, so the matter is moot. Did I say that right? Anyway, maybe I wouldn’t have called you. I was too embarrassed. She used me, Dennis. And then she just tossed me out like the trash. She did leave me six dollars in our checking account. I was going to marry her! Do you believe that?”
Dennis shook his head at that declaration to show he couldn’t believe it, either.
“I think she’s looking for a rich guy, one of those lobbyists. She was a hostess in a supper club back in New York and making squat. I paid for everything, even her credit cards, which she had maxed to the hilt, and now she’s cavorting around town with fifty-year-old guys who travel in limos and wear wing-tip shoes. Wing tips, Dennis!” Toby screeched. “That’s not even the worst. You want to hear the worst?”
All Dennis could do was nod.
“I love her. I’d take her back in a New York minute. How screwed up is that? Meaning I’m screwed up.”
“Yeah, I get it, Toby. I’m no authority on women, even though I’ve had several relationships that haven’t gone anywhere. I’m still out there looking for the right one, if there is such a thing as the right one. But I know a guy who is an expert on all things women. At least he says he is. I can introduce you to him. His name is Jack Emery. One of the smartest dudes I know. After you, of course. Maybe he can help you.”
“Nah. Thanks for offering, though. This is something I have to work out on my own.... I have a job interview tomorrow. The pay is a hundred thou. Ginormous signing bonus, but I have to commit to two years. If I take it, I’ll be good. Right now, I still have over a hundred bucks in my pocket, enough to get my good suit cleaned today, get a haircut, buy a new white shirt, get my shoes shined, and a few other things. I might even get my car detailed, because it stinks from my living in it.”
“Can I help, Toby?”
Toby leaned across the little table. “Thanks, but no. Just be my friend. To be honest, Dennis, you’re the only friend I ever had. I don’t know why that is. I guess people just don’t like me, or they can’t relate to me.”
“That’s not true, Toby,” Dennis objected, but he knew that it was. “I’ll always be your friend. We don’t have to see each other every day or be on the phone or texting to stay friends. Each of us has to live our life as we see fit. Friends, true friends, are a bonus in life. Here’s my card, and my cell number is on the back. Call me anytime of the day or night, and I’ll be there for you, Toby. Promise me you’ll call if you need help. And don’t go doing anything stupid, like calling your ex or begging her to take you back. That’s a sign of weakness, and you are not weak. You weren’t weak before, and despite everything, you are not weak now. You need to believe that. Real men do not grovel.”
“But I am weak, Dennis. I love her. You should see her, Dennis. She’s beautiful. She looks like an angel. I don’t know if I’ll ever get over her. I’m serious. That’s how much I love her.”
“Used to love her,” Dennis said firmly. “From here on in, Carrie is someone you used to know. No more, no less. Repeat it after me, Toby, until you can’t say it anymore.”
Ten minutes later, his coffee cup empty, Dennis stood and shook hands with his old friend. Then he hugged him. “I mean it, Toby. Call me anytime of the day or night. I’ll always be there for you. Good luck on the job interview.”
“See ya, Dennis,” Toby called over his shoulder.
“Yeah, see ya, Toby,” Dennis muttered as he headed back into the Bagel Emporium for another cup of coffee and something to eat. He needed to think about what had just transpired.
It wasn’t until Dennis was back at the little bistro table, sipping at the scalding coffee and nibbling on a Danish, that he realized he hadn’t gotten Toby’s new apartment address or his cell-phone number. He banged his fist on the little table in frustration.
Five seconds later, his fist shot in the air. For crying out loud, he was an investigative reporter, wasn’t he?
There was not a doubt in Dennis West’s mind that by the end of the day, he would have all the information he needed in regard to Tobias Mason.
But it never happened.