𝑪𝒉𝒆𝒄𝒌𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒆: 𝑩𝒆𝒏𝒏𝒚 𝑾𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒔 𝒙 𝑶𝑪

The Execution of a Not Half-Bad Idea

After catching Sam, everything between them was over. She got decent compensation, she had enough that she would be able to make her next move. Jolene sat next to her as she made the first call to Harry Beltik, one of the first people to reach out and try and help Beth.

"Hey Harry, it's Emilie Harmon. Is this a good time to talk?"

"Um sure Emilie, what do you need?"

"Well this might sound a little odd, but Beth needs all the help she can get and I wanted to get a few people together to help her,"

"Last time I was here things didn't go great," he said a little glumly, but he continued, " I will of course help Beth if I can,"

"Th-that's great," Emilie said and turned to smile at Jolene.

"It can't just be us though, as much as we care about Beth. She can think three times as fast as the rest of us,"

"Do you have any idea of who we could call? You have any super smart chess friends?"

"Well wasn't she getting help from Benny Watts? Wouldn't he also want to help?"

"I said don't you have any more chess friends. Not Benny Watts,"

"Emilie, most of my friends are still just normal people. You need someone who is really in the chess world, to have a bunch of friends like that,"

"Harry come on, you've got to know someone,"

"You're not listening. I will help but I can't help with this part," Emilie was getting visibly frustrated. Jolene looked a little concerned.

"Ok fine, Harry I might call back once I have more people,"

"Ok,"

"Ok," Emilie hung up the phone and groaned. She knew what she'd have to do but tried to reach out to everyone she could remember before the last resort.

She called the twins but they didn't answer.

She even called Townes' work phone but no answer from him.

At some point, Jolene left and went to hang out with Beth. Something about Jolene being there made Beth more stable. It's like Beth had been seasick for a long time, once she got to shore, it was difficult of course but at a point, the world stopped spinning.

-

The next day she realized she was out of contacts to call, and called her simultaneously favorite but also least favorite New Yorker.

She was making this next call alone, so she waited as the phone rang. It felt like it was ringing forever. Emilie was unsure whether or not she even wanted him to answer, but-

"Hello,"

"H-hello,"

"Hi." he said shortly, waiting for something legitimate to be said. Emilie let out a breath and composed herself,

"Hey Benny, it's-"

"Emilie, what are you calling about?"

"Well, I'm not necessarily calling for me,"

"I could probably assume that because you made it pretty clear you didn't want anything from me,"

"Ok be quiet and let me speak now," she said calmly.

"Excuse me-" he interjected, a little caught off guard.

"You've been excused. So what I'm calling about is that I wanted to get a few people together to help Beth out,"

"Beth doesn't need anyone, she also made that very clear,"

"Okay stop being petty right now and listen. Not hear, listen,"

"I thought-"

"This whole thing was based on something you said, okay does that make you listen? Did I feed into your narcissism enough to make you shut up?" there was radio silence, so she continued, "Ok so you would talk about how the Russsians were better partly because they would work together,"

"Yeah American's are such-"

"Individualists," she finished his sentence for him, "Yeah I know, so Jolene gave me this idea-"

"Jolene?"

"That some of us should get together and help Beth, she'd be on more even ground with the Russians if we did. You of all people know how much this would mean to her,"

"It's not a half-bad idea,"

"That's what I said,"

"The thing is, who do you have to help her? It's not like there's all that many people-"

"That's where you would come in, you probably know more people who can help then I do,"

"I know like three or four who'd probably be willing to, what's in it for me?" She could almost imagine him leaning back in his chair as he said that.

"Benny, there is absolutely nothing in it for you except helping out a friend," She wondered if he might threaten to back out since there was nothing for him to gain but instead he almost immediately said,

"Ok, I'm in but where would everyone meet? How would everyone get there?"

"Well, with me, you, your four friends, and Harry Beltik,"

"Harry Beltik?" again she can almost see him rolling his eyes.

"That's six people with the majority of people in New York so I guess maybe we should do it in New York,"

"Where in New York do you plan on doing this?"

"Well in my opinion since you'd be bringing most of the people, you could host?" Her voice got really high at the end. He seemed to laugh for no real reason but he did agree to it.

She hung up shortly after and told Harry. Emilie used her divorce settlement to pay for her and Harry's ticket, she let him know he'd have to find a place to stay himself. She would also have to figure that out.

-

She flew out with Harry about a week later. She knew Jolene would take care of Beth.

Emilie Harmon ordered a coke on the plane, barely drinking it, but rather sketching. Unlike before this wasn't because she was sad, or angry, or really anything.

It just felt right.