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said you worked for some secret branch of the government no one has ever heard of. You said you were a terrorist and a mercenary. I believed you. Otherwise I wouldn’t have called you. Oh, I cannot believe I tumbled to your silver tongue. You can just forget those rewards.”
    She listened, her eyebrows shooting upward.
    â€œWell, that’s more like it. The rewards are back on the table. Of course I’ll wait for your call. Where do you think I’m going to go? No, I’m not sending you a list of the rewards. Well, maybe I could send the first three.” Annie made kissing sounds into the phone before she broke the connection.
    â€œIsabelleeeeeee!” Annie screeched at the top of her lungs.
    â€œOh, no, your source said he couldn’t help. It’s all right, Annie. You tried, and I appreciate it. I guess it just isn’t meant to be.”
    â€œShut up, Isabelle. It’s in the bag. In a few hours you will be talking to Mr. Franklin. It’s what I promised to get the information for you.”
    â€œOh, Annie, what did you promise? Are you saying you can’t deliver on your promise?”
    Annie told her. Isabelle blinked. Then she blinked again before she doubled over laughing. When she finally stopped laughing, she managed to gasp. “I think we can come up with a suitable list of rewards. We might even be able to come up with instructions. You do realize what the problem is, right?”
    â€œOh, God, what could be worse?” Annie groaned.
    Isabelle started to giggle and couldn’t stop. “Following through,” she finally managed to gasp.
    Annie sat down with a thump. “What should I wear?”
    â€œYou aren’t getting it, Annie. Zip.”
    â€œBut…”
    â€œA promise is a promise, Annie.”
    Annie rose to the occasion. “My dear, if you can make contact with Mr. Franklin, I can certainly honor my promise.” YIPPEEEEE!
    Â 
    Four hours later eastern standard time, Annie’s cell phone rang. She bolted upright from where she’d been dozing on the sofa. She gave Isabelle a shout to wake up where she, too, was dozing by the fire. “My phone is ringing. I think this call might be for you, honey.”
    Isabelle reached for the phone and said, “Hello, this is Isabelle.”
    â€œWell, Isabelle, this is Stu Franklin. There’s this guy standing here with a gun to my head, and he’s telling me to talk pretty to you. Not that anyone needs to tell me something like that. I’d appreciate it if you’d tell him he can leave me now so we can have a private conversation. I’m going to put him on the phone right now, before he blows my head off.”
    Isabelle managed to squeak out, “Thank you for your help, sir. I appreciate your doing this for me on Thanksgiving. I hope I didn’t take you away from your dinner.”
    The voice on the other end of the phone mumbled something that sounded like he was glad he didn’t have to kill anyone on Thanksgiving. Isabelle was so light-headed, she had to sit down.
    Stu Franklin’s voice was soft, cultured, intimate sounding. “Somehow or other, Isabelle, I thought you would have gotten in touch with me in a more conventional way. But, I admire your aggressiveness. I’m glad you called. Are you having a nice Thanksgiving?”
    â€œI did…I am…I was until…oh, never mind. I didn’t spoil yours, did I?”
    â€œNo. I just had a hot dog with all the trimmings on the beach. Did you have the whole enchilada, meaning a turkey with all the trimmings?”
    â€œI did. I love hot dogs with all the trimmings, too.”
    â€œI saw that picture you did of me. Pretty good. Are you an artist?”
    â€œNo, I’m an architect. I feel…I feel kind of foolish and pushy right now. Maybe someday I can explain what made me…what I mean is…”
    â€œJust for the record, I would have gotten in touch, but I