When Peter got back to his hotel room, he immediately called the Palm for reservations. He didn’t want to act like a schmuck to Jennie and tell her which restaurant he wanted to take her to, only to not be able to get reservations. So he kept his choice a secret, at least until he knew we could get in. Washington DC was known for its fine cuisine, and it had its share of five – and four star steakhouses, but getting a much coveted reservation at one of these popular venues could be a challenge. That is one of the reasons that he chose a Wednesday for their date. This is usually the least busy night for restaurants. He thankfully was lucky when he called for a reservation as they said there were still a few tables available, but they were going fast.
After Peter got off the phone with the Palm restaurant, he immediately called Jennie to let her know that he had made reservations at The Palm Steak House for this Wednesday. He asked her if she wanted him to pick her up or if she would prefer to meet there at the restaurant? As he expected, she said they could meet there. It was only natural that she was still a little reticent about where their relationship was going and could blame her. He was after a mass murderer. He still had no idea how or when he was going to tell her about his sister and his past. Finding a way to tell your girlfriend that you are a mass murderer is not something that will be very easy to do. He did know that he would have to eventually tell her, sooner being better than later. Regardless of whether it is her or someone else that he ends up with, he had better figure out how to bring up the subject without making him look like a monster.
Peter’s next order of business was to transfer his money to an overseas account that would be safe from being seized or frozen. He contacted his accountant Mortimer Friedman for help. He came to Peter by arecommendation from Grandpa Gordon’s estate attorney. He was highly regarded for his ethics and honesty. While he didn’t expect Friedman to be able to personally move his funds, he was hoping that Friedman could point him in the right direction. Friedman did not disappoint Peter, and with just spin of his roledex, he gave Peter a very reputable International Banker named Fenton McKnight. The name alone instilled confidence in me. Over the last year of Peter’s hunt for his sister’s kidnappers, his money had continued to grow. Peter was now worth a little over $20 million USD.
Mr. McKnight recommended dividing and moving Peter’s money into four separate accounts. So I gave McKnight his account information, and by the following day, Peter was the proud owner of four numbered international accounts. For McKnight’s services, he only charged Peter $10,000. Peter left $50,000 in a local bank under his new name, Devon Howard. Fenton provided that service free.
Since Peter was planning on selling his house, he needed a PO box for any mail that he might receive, so he contacted a local shipping and mailing store that also had PO boxes for rent. He then rented their largest box and paid it up for the next five years. Peter was sure that the length of the contract raised some eyebrows, but who cares, he had the money. And besides, he could help himself, once a boy scout always a boyscout.
Peter next contacted a local real-estate broker to sell his house. He set up an appointment for the next day to look the house over, bring her the keys to the house and the gate, and sign the required forms.
All this business was tiring me out, so Peter took a nap. When he woke up, he had a bite to eat and continued on with his business. Peter had made up a list earlier of all the things he had left to do. The last items on that list were the people that he was close to and his only living relative that he kept in touch with. This last part was going to be the most onerous one to take care of. This is why he left these calls to the very end. He simply did not know how he was going to tell these people the things he needed to tell them.
As Peter made his phone calls, he continued to check off his list. The next one on the list was his Lawyer Peter Franco. He knew that Franco had a lot of underworld contacts, so he was quite confident that Franco would know of a good “Paper Man.” Before Franco would help Peter, he had to promise Franco that if he was snagged by the police that he would never divulge where he got the name of the “Forger”Paper Man” from. Once he swore on his mother’s grave, Franco gave it to him. Franco also made the initial contact and set up their first meeting. The “Paper Man’s” name was Tom McBride. Franco assured Peter that McBride was the best “paper man” in the DC area. Franco also warned Peter that McBride’s services did not come cheap. McBride was very careful, and he only did business in person and in public places with plenty of exits. Of course, Franco did not do this out of the kindness of his heart. The first meeting cost Peter $500 USD for Franco and $500 more for McBride. And to top it off, the $1,000 didn’t even come with a guarantee. It just covered a meet and greet. The actual price for McBride’s services would be $7,000, all of which was up front, and that is if he even chose to accept the job. Peter’s appointment with McBride, of course, was set for the following day. Boy, was he going to be busy tomorrow.
Peter’s next order of business was to get some nice clothes for his dinner date with Jennie. So he called his favorite men’s wear shop, Todd Snyder Georgetown, to set up an appointment. Since the meeting place with Mcbride in Georgetown, he decided to set up the appointment for the fitting for tomorrow. They are usually booked up, but since he was a regular customer, they were able to accommodate him despite the short notice. It was with a sense of relief when he finished his last call of the day. After he hung up the phone, he heated up a Marie Callender Parmesan Chicken Pot Pie. It wasn’t until he started eating the pot pie that he realized how absolutely ravenous he was, because before I knew it, there was nothing left but a few crumbs.
After Peter finished his meal, such that it was, he turned on the hotel room’s flat screen TV and did a little mindless channel surfing in the hopes that he would find something mind-numbing to watch. He just wanted to shut his brain down, or at least slow it down a little. He knew it was crazy what with all the stuff he was dealing with, but he couldn’t stop thinking about Jennie. It had been such a long time that he had let himself think about a woman, let alone contemplate starting up a relationship with one.
What the hell was Peter even thinking? Did he even deserve to find happiness after what he had done? He, after all, had killed a lot of people. He had killed five men and was responsible for two more deaths (two men killed by Jojo) and what was even worse he had killed three women. In his defense, those women were actually worse than the men. So all told me, he had killed ten people.
In the United States, a mass killing is defined as the killing of at least three people in a single incident, not including the perpetrator. This definition is set forth in the Investigative Assistance for Violent Crimes Act of 2012. In the brothel, Peter had personally killed three people, so by this definition, he was considered to be a mass murderer. How could any woman have feelings for someone like him? Especially someone who felt no remorse for the people he had killed.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t anything on TV. The only thing showing was Schindler’s List. Some movies just lose their luster when aired on a commercial TV channel. Besides, Peter had seen it before, and it definitely was a one and done movie. It was a great movie, though. Finally, he just gave up and turned off the TV and the light and went to sleep. Before he finally fell asleep, he made a mental note to pick a Baldacci book or two when he went out next. After tossing and turning for what seemed like forever, his brain finally cried, uncle, and shut down enough to allow him to fall asleep. He woke up the next day feeling a little groggy, so he took a cold shower. After five minutes of dodging icecubes , he was finally awake.
Peter’s first appointment of the day was with Shelly Pierce, his real estate broker. She was aware of his transportation woes, so she agreed to pick Peter up at his hotel. She also agreed to drop him off at his second appointment, Todd Snyder, in Georgetown. This was a great help, and he thanked her profusely for her kindness. The truth be told she kind of had a crush on him so she was only too happy to transport him around town because she got to spend more time with him.
Peter had already planned on selling his house, so he had cleaned it, which included destroying all of the material he had on the kidnapping of Yua. When they arrived at his property and house, Shelly was visibly impressed. She immediately started taking photos as they first toured his property and then his house. After she was done, she said that she should have no problem getting $1.5 million USD for his house and property. His lot was so large that she thought whoever purchased it could easily sub-divide it and put a second house on the other parcel. He signed the agreement and gave her the keys for the gate and the house and all the outbuildings. She then dropped him off at his men’s shop.
When Peter arrived at the shop, he explained what he needed, and thanks to his being a regular, they already had all of his measurements on file. As a matter of fact, the owner-tailor of the shop had taken it upon himself after his last visit to customize several outfits based on his previous preferences. When the ownwer-tailor showed them to Peter, he was overjoyed. He did not think that he would be able to get something tailored that quickly and was, as a result, prepared to just buy some off the rack outfits. After he finished paying for his outfits, he asked if they could deliver it to his hotel? They were only too happy to accommodate him, since he had spent over $3,000 on his clothe’s purchases. So far, his day had gone quite smoothly, and all he had left was to meet up with his “paper man.” Since he had plenty of time and there were several restaurants near his meeting place, he decided to grab a bite to eat.
Peter quickly found a likely place to eat. Frankly, any place would be better than the fare he had been dining on back at his hotel room. After he finished his meal, he walked over to the meeting place chosen by McBride. He would be able to identify McBride because he would be walking around eating a bag of peanuts. Peter was able to pick him out of the crowed sidewalk immediately. Once he found McBride, Peter walked up to him and introduced himself. Peter, with little fanfare, told him what he needed, a driver’s license, a passport, two credit cards, and a birth certificate. McBride looked him up and down and then said OK. McBride then held out his free hand, and Peter handed him the payment in full, which he thought was crazy, but he really didn’t have any choice. McBride had developed an impeccable reputation so he could make his own rules, and according to Peter’s lawyer, Franco, he was the best in the business. Peter also gave him several photos for the passport and driver’s license, and he gave him the address of his hotel. According to their agreement, his IDs and cards would be waiting for him in four business days. After they concluded their busines, they each walked away in opposite directions. This was all according to McBride’s prearranged instructions. All slick as snot. As Peter sauntered down the sidewalk, he had to admit he was impressed with his professionalism and how quickly the transaction had taken place.
Thanks to the professionalism and proficiency of the people that Peter was dealing with he had made short work of all his tasks and had the rest of the day free, so he decided to go and see a movie at a nearby theatre. He had always enjoyed Harrison Ford and found for the most part his Indiana Jones movies to be good escapist entertainment, so he purchased a matinee ticket for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.
It was a bit long with a run-time of 154 minutes, but the pace was pretty good, and it helped to make the day go by faster. When it was over, he decided to splurge and eat dinner out as well. There were a few likey restaurants not too far from the theater so he chose an Italian one. He chose Italian because he planned on moving to Canada and that country wasn’t exactly know for its fine cuisine, so he figured that he might as well take advantage of Washington D.C’s reputation of being a foodie city while he could.
The restaurant he chose was Filomena Ristorante. They were celebrating their 40th anniversary, so they had some pretty good deals.
Located in the heart of Georgetown in Washington, D.C., Filomena’s doors opened on May 23, 1983. Since that time, people have packed Filomena to catch a glimpse of an all but forgotten time when the dinner table was not only the center of family life, but also the source of entertainment, wonderful memories and great satisfaction for all.
Peter had the Ossobuco All Milanese, which was to die for. If you are not familiar with this dish, here is what it was comprised of.
Ossobuco (Veal Shank) is a symbol of Italian “national” cuisine which originated in Italy and became a favorite all over Europe. This dish was a favorite of the early Italian immigrants and served on a regular basis (sometimes with Pasta instead of Risotto). We prepare this very old traditional dish (With it’s roots in the Middle Ages) exactly as it was done back then. A large Veal Shank is gently simmered for hours in home-made Veal Stock with rich Red Wine, diced Veggies and Tomato. The Marrow inside the bone was coveted since it was believed to impart health enhancements for body strength and long life. Served in the Traditional manner with Saffron and Mushroom Risotto and topped with a Sauce of its own Juices.
Peter had to admit that he was quite pleased with his meal, and when he left that fine establishment, it was with a satisfied smile on his face. Instead of calling immediately for an Uber, he decided to enjoy the sights of Georgetown.
Peter had forgotten how pretty Georgetown was as he strolled around the DC’s Northwest Quadrant.
Here is a little background on the historic region.
Georgetown is a historic neighborhood in DC’s Northwest Quadrant. It’s so historical in fact, that it predates the city of DC itself!
Nestled near the Potomac River, the neighborhood features gorgeous rowhouse architecture, shady tree-lined and cobbled streets and walkways, and it’s own commercial district hosting some of the city’s best dining, shopping, and nightlife activity.
The neighborhood is home to a community of working professionals, university students, and government workers. This tight-knit community actively works together to preserve Georgetown’s historical features and better the neighborhood.
Overall, Georgetown offers its residents just about everything they could want or need in a gorgeous, active, and thriving urban community.
After exploring the area for an hour or so, Peter called his Uber, He was getting a little tired. Besides, he wanted to be well rested for his date tomorrow. When he entered the lobby of his extended stay hotel, his packages from Todd Snyder’s were waiting for him. He grabbed the packages and went up to his room where he left them on the dresser. He then stripped and passed out almost immediately on his bed.