Upside Down Read Online Free Page B

the others. You have to be as pure as the driven snow until January second.”
    Sparrow was so stunned at her words, all he could think of to say was, “You know?”
    â€œOf course I know. Who do you think handled the sale of the BOLO Building? I’m your attorney, I’m Jack Emery’s attorney. Actually, I am the attorney of record for all of you, even young Dennis West. How could I not know? You know all about attorney-client privilege. My lips are sealed.”
    â€œI guess I’m slipping, Lizzie. I just didn’t . . .”
    Lizzie looked down into her empty bowl and sighed. “It’s okay, you’re on overload right now. Come January second, things will all fall into place. You can spend the time until then deciding what you’re going to do once you take up office in the J. Edgar Hoover Building.
    â€œHey, look at the time. We need to head for the airport. My son is waiting for his mom.”
    Sparrow pulled some bills from his pocket, helped Lizzie with her coat, then headed to the cash register. He grabbed a bottle of Tums and waved off his change.
    â€œOooh, it’s snowing a little harder, but it doesn’t look like it’s sticking. I’m glad you have this flight. If you had a later one, you might run into some problems. Straight through, right?” Sparrow asked.
    â€œYep. You okay, Jack? You realize I was never going to call you Jay, right? You’re a Jack just the way Emery is Jack.”
    Sparrow grinned. “I’m good, Lizzie. I hated being called Jay even if it was for just a little while. You?”
    â€œI’m good, Mr. Sparrow.”

Chapter 4
    Sparrow parked his car in the Embassy Suites oversized parking lot and made his way across the huge black expanse of the lot. He had some thinking to do and some decisions to make. And a lot of phone calls to attend to—the first one being to Jack Emery on his brand-new, state-of-the-art, outer-space, weird-looking cell phone. Even though Lizzie had said not to use it, he had to make at least this one call. He couldn’t help but wonder if he’d ever figure out how to work it. He also wondered if the red button at the bottom would make the phone self-destruct, like some James Bond gizmo or the kind Tom Cruise used in one of his Mission Impossible movies. He was itching to press the damn thing.
    As he walked to the building, the snow was coming down sideways and seemed to be slapping him in the face. He tilted his face upward and was immediately rewarded with a thousand needle spits to his face. The first thing he was going to do was check the weather, then the airlines. He entered the lobby and headed to the right until he was out of sight. He stood quietly behind a huge green plant to watch to see if anyone entered the building behind him. He wasn’t being paranoid, just diligent, a trait that had served him well all his life. He fiddled with his cell, pretending to make one call after another, his gaze ever watchful. Twenty minutes later, with no activity in the lobby, Sparrow made his way to the elevator, confident there were no eyes or tails on him.
    Sparrow hated hotels, motels, rooming houses, and fleabags. He’d had years of living out of suitcases and sleeping in a different place every night. These temporary digs were okay. He had a small sitting room done in manly brown plaid, a small kitchenette, and a king-sized bed. The bathroom was big and roomy and had an endless supply of towels. He’d been here over two weeks, so in a way it felt a little like he was settling in. He’d even stocked the regulation-sized refrigerator with fruit, beer, and milk. What he liked most, though, was the coffee shop, which served great coffee and decent lunches; the spectacular, complimentary full breakfast buffet, with a chef who cooked whatever kind of hot egg dish you wanted; and the decent restaurant on the ground floor that only served dinner.
    Sparrow hung up his