Fine Takes Over This takes place shortly after Makoto is arrested.

Near Orinda, California
Monday, November 2
4:19 pm
Aunt Lucy said something about "picking up a few things" and left. Benicia Swainson excused herself for a few personal minutes, and then joined the visitor in the living room.

"Hello, Benicia. I'm Mr. Fine."

"I'm not a little kid, Mr. Fine. Call me Ms. Beringer around here. My father sent you instead of Patterson, didn't he?"

"Your father said he wanted me to handle contact with you," replied Fine, clearly unbalanced.

"You don't seem too happy about it, Mr. Fine. Is it me? Or is it what I'm doing for my father?"

"I'd prefer your father find other means to gather the information he wants and I've told him so. But . . . " he shrugged. "Your father is a very important client for my firm."

Benicia said, "I remember you. You've been with my father quite a lot, haven't you?"

"I suppose," Fine answered.

Benicia decided not to press Fine any further, for the moment. He was readable, unlike Patterson, and troubled, also unlike Patterson—that is, he had something like a normal conscience. "Well, I guess my father pays some attention to my reports after all. So, why are you here? Mrs. Urawa is in jail. She's not going to hold out much longer; she's got the rest of her kids to think of. Daddy's won again."

"Be—Ms. Beringer, we can't count on Ms. Urawa acting sensibly. If she did, she wouldn't have fled the country."

"If I knew where the Yount children were I would tell you. I want this to end. You don't have to remind me what I'm looking for. But it's very hard to get any information with Daddy's Holy Johnnies spooking these people all the time. That stunt on Halloween really got them suspicious."

Fine nodded, and said "Again, not the tactic I would have recommended."

Benicia was tempted to probe, but Fine seemed open enough, for a lawyer. She might learn what she wanted without arousing his suspicions by using her full power. "Why are you here, Mr. Fine? Like I said, Daddy's won this one, it's not going to take much longer. Whether I find out where the children are or not, there can't be many places to hide a couple of white kids in Japan."

"I suppose not. The New Gospel Church has something like ten percent of all Japanese Christians by now, and the rewards have been publicized."

"Well, once the Younts have their kids back, it's over. Happily-ever-after time, right? . . . Right? . . . You've met the Younts, haven't you?"

"Yes, I have," replied Fine at last.

"You think they're as bad as Mrs. Urawa's friends think they are, don't you?"

Fine didn't respond directly. Instead he said something that surprised Benicia Swainson: "I've read most of your reports. It's obvious you don't like spying on Ms. Urawa's friends and that you don't care much for your father. Why are you doing this at all? Why does your father think this is so important?"

Benicia couldn't help but read the man at this outburst, and she found total sincerity, and something more . . .

"Mr. Fine, how well do you know my father?"

"I've been with him a lot. But he doesn't tell me everything. I'm his attorney. One of his attorneys."

"But you know him better than your other clients, don't you? Better than most attorneys know their clients?"

"Yes, I suppose," said Fine tentatively. Then he added, "Your father seems to have some special regard for me. It makes me . . . uncomfortable."

"He's not gay, if that's what's worrying you."

Fine widened his eyes for a moment at that remark.

Benicia continued. "I think I could really get to like you, Mr. Fine. You're really a nice guy, for a lawyer. That's why I'm going to warn you: Don't get too curious about my father's secrets."

Fine took that in for a moment or two and then said, "Thank you for the advice. Are you really willing to go on with what you've been doing for your father?"

"For now . . . he wants me to do something else, doesn't he?"

"Yes."

"What? You haven't disagreed with me, the Yount children are going to be found soon one way or another. So what else is there?"

Fine didn't look Benicia in the eye as he explained. "Your father wants to know more about these people. Particularly, he wants you to find out what you can about Dr. Alvarson, and about what relationship they have with the President."

This time Benicia took some time to respond. "So . . . it's not over . . . The President? I've never asked about the business at the White House, and they don't talk about it much. And Mr. Alvarson . . . what does Daddy think about him? Did he change after he met Mr. Alvarson?"

Yet again, Fine was surprised. "Yes, he did become more concerned about Dr. Alvarson after their encounter . . . You are really your father's daughter, you pick up a lot, don't you?"

"More than you think, Mr. Fine. That's why my father sent me here."

"Are you willing to go on?" asked Fine.

"What happens if I don't?" asked Benicia.

Fine shook his head. "I don't know. Your father told me simply to ask you to do this. You are a minor, though, so your father can do what he wants with you. I don't imagine he would want you to stay here if you decide to stop cooperating with him. On the other hand, it would be foolish to press you since you are already sympathetic with Ms. Urawa's friends. That's quite clear from your reports from what I've seen of them."

"Did you tell him that?"

Fine nodded.

Benicia said, "I'll have to think about this . . . What do you think is going on here, Mr. Fine? Can you tell me what Daddy suspects? What he thinks he knows already? If I decide to do this, I want to know what I'm getting into."

Fine said, "Dr. Alvarson is very hard to get anything on. He's a Swiss citizen and it is very difficult to get anything from the Swiss government. He's extremely wealthy and has holdings all over the world."

"Richer than Daddy?"

"Maybe richer than the whole New Gospel Church."

"You think Daddy wants to get money out of him?"

Fine shrugged. "I don't think he would turn it down, but I think there's something more. He says there is something wrong about Dr. Alvarson and he's determined to find out what."

Benicia chewed on that for a bit, then asked, "What about the others? You said Daddy wanted to know about them and the President. Why? They're all friends of Michiru, she invited them to the White House, so they met the President and they got taken hostage together. What else does Daddy think could be between them?"

Fine said, "We got access to the phone records. Several calls have been made over the last few months between numbers reserved for Presidential use and numbers used by Ms. Kumada or other friends of Ms. Urawa's. One of them was made only a few minutes after your father met Dr. Alvarson and it was placed to the Alvarson residence. That means that the President is interested enough in this situation to have it monitored at all times."

Fine shook his head. "I don't think you follow tabloid conspiracy theories, but I think there must be something interesting here. Politically the best thing for the President to do would be to maintain neutrality and let the system work—if she even hints at sympathy for Ms. Urawa's position she will lose most of the religious right. If she comes out for your father's position, she has to know she'll lose many moderates. Eventually the media are going to get to the Younts and they are not going to come off well at all. And yet she made that call, or allowed someone on her staff to make it."

"Maybe the President just likes them," said Benicia. "They're nice people. Weird, but nice people."

"Maybe. But how would the President really know them? She isn't supposed to have met any of them before the performance, and by all accounts, the President was separated from the rest of the hostages minutes after the takeover." Fine was able to meet her eyes now; this was a matter that was important to himself, not just to her father.

"You know, Mr. Fine, I kinda would like to know about that myself. But I still think they're nice people. Nicer than my father, Mr. Fine. I felt bad about spying on them, but I thought it was going to be over once the Yount kids were found. Now my father wants me to just go on spying? You're sure he thinks this is really important?"

"Yes, I'm sure he does. I advised him against this—Alvarson could be really dangerous, you know, there are rumors he has connections with various intelligence agencies and there may be something to them. And don't forget that two of Ms. Urawa's friends were married to criminals. Murderers, Benicia. Kevin Jones was a suspect in at least three homicides, and Marvell Jones must have ordered dozens of killings while he led his gang. If you were my daughter, I wouldn't want you anywhere near this bunch, knowing that."

"You're not exactly painting a rosy picture for me, Mr. Fine. I thought my father wanted you to talk me into doing this." <And there was something else . . .> "Do you really think little Mr. Alvarson would have me bumped off if he thinks I know too much? Do you think any of these people are more dangerous than, say . . . my father?"

Fine shook his head. "No, I don't. But your father does think they are a threat, and he still wants you to spy on them."

"Well, he probably figures that Mr. Alvarson could find out some of his secrets if he really wants to. But . . . he really thinks Mrs. Urawa's friends are dangerous?"

"Yes . . . yes, I think he does."

"I don't suppose he told you why."

"No."

Benicia said, "Let me guess what you're thinking . . . you don't see how Pleione's mother and her friends could really be dangerous. The Jones brothers, they were definitely bad news, but they're dead now. If the ladies were really tied in with the drug trade, you would know about it by now and I would never be invited to stay over at their home. And there's another reason, isn't there?"

Fine was really disturbed, but Benicia went on. "Now, you wonder how I can guess what you're thinking, like my father, and you wonder how my father guesses right about things so often."

Fine nodded.

Benicia smiled, and shook her head. "If father had sent Patterson again, I would have turned him down. But if he convinced you to come, with what you believe, he must really think it's important enough to risk everything."

"So you'll do it?"

"Maybe. I haven't decided quite yet . . . I think you have another connection to this, Mr. Fine. What is it?"

Fine didn't answer for what seemed like a long time. Finally he said, "One of my cousins had a child by the late Dr. Chiba. She was living at the Alvarson home with the others when she died. You met her daughter."

"Lily? Little Lily is your cousin?"

Fine nodded. "I've never met her. I knew her mother very well for awhile, though. She stayed in Boston while she was doing her internship."

Benicia said in wonder, "She might have been your kid if things had gone a little differently."

That really shook Fine. "Yes, I suppose so," he managed to say. "There isn't any chance she is mine, by the way. Lily was born more than a year after I was last with her mother. She almost married Dr. Chiba, in fact. If what she said to me about it is true."

"Lily believes it," said Benicia. "She's a sweet little girl. Everyone adores her in that house. They really wanted her to stay after her mother died. That's one of the first things I learned from Pleione. But they let her go to her grandparents without a fight. They really think the Younts are terrible, Mr. Fine. And I guess they're right, aren't they?"

Once again, Fine didn't respond to a question, with words. What he next said was: "You said that Lily was living with her grandparents along with another grandchild."

"Yes. Mimi. I guess she'd be your cousin too, wouldn't she be?"

Fine said, "Lily's mother was an only child. I've never heard of a Mimi before."

"Oh . . . well, I guess as long as I'm doing this, I could find out—"

"Please, don't. Don't tell your father about it if you can help it. I'd prefer this stay in my family."

"All right. I'll try. Anything else?"

"Yes. I'm giving you a new address for your reports. Your father is supposed be the only other one who knows it. But don't assume that just me or your father will be reading your reports. If you do anything illegal, don't put it in your reports. And it would be nice if you didn't mention your father as your father."

"You think Patterson has read my reports?"

"Don't assume he hasn't. How afraid of Patterson are you?"

"You mean, how afraid should you be of Patterson? Plenty. You've figured out by now that Daddy and I can read minds, haven't you?"

"You—you can, can't you?"

Benicia nodded. "It's not as easy as you think. I can read more than Daddy. But he can read enough to figure out whether he's affecting someone. It's a great gift for a preacher. Daddy said that great-great-grandpa could do that, too. But some people can feel it when they are being read. Patterson is one of them. I've only been able to read him once, but that was enough."

"How bad was it?"

"Pretty damned bad, Mr. Fine." She took one of Aunt Lucy's cigarettes out of one of her hidden stashes, and lit it up. "Pretty damned bad."

"I thought you were quitting smoking."

"Well, I guess not yet."

"Why aren't you afraid of him?"

Benicia took another drag. "Which one, Patterson? Or Daddy?"

"Either one."

"What's the point?" She took a couple of puffs. "I already know too much about Daddy, and he knows it. If he was going to do something about it, I guess he would have by now."

"What about Patterson?"

Benicia shrugged. "I'm hoping Daddy outlives him. I think I'm okay as long as Daddy's alive. He's older than he looks, you know. Older than Daddy." She took a final drag, and stubbed out her cigarette. "You're already in too deep to get out, Mr. Fine. You're very right to steer clear of Mr. Patterson, but I'm sure Daddy has other men you don't know about. Even if he doesn't bump you off, Daddy could ruin your life and you would never be able to prove it was him that did it. Don't try to be a hero. You'll never be far enough ahead of Daddy to beat him."

"What about you?" asked Fine. "Do you think you could beat him? Do you think you should?"

This time it was Benicia who couldn't look directly at Fine. "He's my father, Mr. Fine. He's done some bad things, but he's not an evil man. You wouldn't have stayed with him if you thought so. He really thinks what he's doing now is for a greater good. He wouldn't be taking such great risks if he didn't."

"You mean, you actually believe he has divine inspiration?"

Benicia said, "What does that mean? Daddy has a gift to see things. Whether God or something else gave him that gift, who really knows? But he has it, and he believes he should act on it. He's been right about too many things for it to be coincidence, Mr. Fine."

"Is that going to be enough for you?"

"For now," said Benicia. "The further I get into this, the less sure I am. But you can tell Daddy I'll try to find out about Mr. Alvarson."

"And the others?"

"I don't know . . . unless the two Mrs. Jones are somehow running the drug trade under everyone's noses, I don't see how it's Daddy's business or anyone else's. This business with the President surprises me, but maybe the President is just protecting her political butt, telling Mr. Alvarson and his people she has nothing to do with what my father's people are doing."

"That's a pretty good guess," said Fine. "Probably that's all there is to it."

"Okay. Is that everything, Mr. Fine? You know, Aunt Lucy is just cruising up and down the road waiting for you to leave."

"Well, I guess I'd better be off, then. Is there anything else you want to talk about before I go? Anything you'd like to ask for?"

"A higher allowance would be nice. Also, how about a passport? Pleione would like me to come along to Japan when her family goes at Christmas. They've got the money for it if she insists. Or if her mother won't pay, how about Daddy? They do know my father is rich."

"Who do they think he is?"

"Just someone rich. They aren't the type that look up people in the Social Register. I gave Pleione the idea I'm a love-child. It puts me in pretty good with them. Pleione's mom is a love-child, and I'm pretty sure Michiru is. And Mrs. Chiba has a love-child, and Mrs. Jones, the one that looks so much like Mrs. Chiba. And Michiru's partner had one, and of course Lily is one . . . maybe Mimi belongs to one of their friends. Illegal adoption, maybe . . . I won't ask, like you said, unless you want me to."

"Best you don't. I'll see what I can do."