Code blue, p.24
Code Blue, page 24
“What are you talking about?” Max was totally fed up with Spencer and his addled brain.
“Have you heard of Rutledge Enterprises?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“They are looking to invest money. In Sunnydale.”
“What?” Max was incredulous. “Who?”
“A woman named Nikki Quinn. She represents the family, and they are impressed with our operation. She said it is a model of future communities. Or something like that. Whatever. She’s got quite a bit of money to throw around. She wants us to meet in her office Wednesday at nine p.m.”
“Are you sure this isn’t some kind of scheme?” said one schemer to another.
“Doesn’t sound like it. I checked the website. The company is rolling in the green.”
Max was not convinced that a fairy godmother had appeared, but he had nothing more to lose at this point. He knew his marriage was already gone. It was simply a matter of ironing out the ugly details. He wondered which one of them—he, or Karen—would make the first move. He knew if he did, she would have a hissy fit. Maybe he should wait for her to approach the subject, which was possible if confronted with an empty pocketbook. He could no longer provide the essentials. Her extracurricular activity of overspending would have to end or find another source. Right now, he may have a way out of the Sunnydale situation. That would be his exit ramp. “Alright. Give me the info.”
Gerber gave him the address and got off the phone. The excitement caused a bulge in Spencer’s pants. He wondered what Karen was doing at the moment.
Theresa was happy to hear from Annie. Annie explained that Theresa’s trio would be needed on Wednesday evening. “If they ask why, tell them you’re not sure, but instructions are forthcoming.”
“Whatever you say,” Theresa responded.
Annie smiled. It was almost as good as the Sisterhood cry, “Whatever it takes.” She knew she could trust Theresa to stick to the plan, once things were decided.
Theresa, Henry, and Frida had made plans to go to Cave Butte to watch a hot-air balloon event. Theresa phoned Henry and told him she was on her way, and that she was going to use the name “Terry” at the security gate. She donned the wig and her sun hat and proceeded to Sunnydale. Earlier, they had decided to take Theresa’s vehicle. It could withstand a more rugged terrain. Not that they planned to do any off-road excursions, but it was more conducive to sightseeing from the inside of the SUV.
When she arrived at the security gate, she kept her sunglasses on and the brim of her hat close to her nose. She was being cautious. Not that it would be a big deal if the guard recognized her, but why mess with fate? She kept her head cocked to the left and announced, “Hi. Terry visiting Henry Pushkin.”
The guard took no time in phoning Henry. “A Terry is here to see you.” The guard pressed the lift button. “Do you know where he lives?”
“Yep. Thanks! Have a nice day.” Theresa continued to look away from him.
She drove around to the parking area behind the cypress trees that separated the lot from the duplexes.
Henry answered the door and balked. “Terry?”
Theresa quickly slithered past him. Frida looked on with surprise. “Oh for. What’s this?” Her Minnesota accent came through.
“Let’s get on the road. I’ll explain on the way,” Theresa said.
The three walked to the parking lot, where Theresa had kept the motor running. The interior was at a comfortable temperature, and she wanted it to stay that way. Even a few short minutes could raise the heat several degrees.
Once they were outside of Sunnydale, Theresa began to explain.
“Remember I told you I had a friend who was doing some checking on Sunnydale?”
“Ya,” Frida replied.
“She and her friends have been ‘peeling the onion,’ as they say. I can’t get into it right now, but this disguise was in case anyone recognized me.”
“What of it?” Frida asked.
“According to Sunnydale, my Aunt Dottie passed away, and I was unceremoniously dismissed.”
“Ya.”
“So why would I go back to Sunnydale?”
“Because you made new friends,” Frida said innocently.
“That much is true.” Theresa made a quick glance at her and smiled. “The point is, my friends didn’t want me to bring any attention to myself.”
“This is starting to sound juicy.” Frida chuckled.
Henry sat in the back, listening quietly with a big grin on his face. He couldn’t remember the last time he had this much fun. He was growing fond of Frida, and he enjoyed Theresa’s gumption.
Theresa continued, “My friend explained that there was something in the offing, but she wasn’t at liberty to say. All I can tell you is that someone is looking into the strange and creepy stuff we saw, and they confirmed that the lady in the wheelchair is my Aunt Dottie.” She paused. “I had to keep that information under my hat”—she tapped the brim—“until now.”
“What are we going to do about it?” Henry asked firmly.
“We have to sit tight. Two more days. Probably.”
“But then what?” Frida asked.
“Then they’ll tell us.”
“Who is ‘they,’ and can you trust these people?” Henry asked.
“Absolutely.” Her voice matched her expression of conviction.
“If you trust them, then we trust them,” Frida said. “Now where are we stopping for lunch today?”
For the Sisters, things were beginning to line up. The next phone call would lay out the blueprint for their plans.
Charles began. “Photos taken by Annie of the dump truck’s front bumper line up with the accident photos of Theresa’s rental. Obviously the two incidents are related. Do we know who was behind the wheel of either truck?”
Everyone shook their heads except Yoko. “There may be someone. Ivan Zhukov. He manages the facilities building. There was something nefarious about him.”
Fergus immediately looked him up on his Interpol file. “Ivan Zhukov. Suspected of smuggling guns into the country, but it was never proven. But he has a record and is wanted by Interpol for a variety of reasons. My guess is he’s hiding out in Florida.”
“Once everything starts moving, we can contact the proper authorities. They’ll handle him,” Charles said. “Deportation is one of their talents.”
“What about Theresa’s accident? We don’t know who the driver of the truck is,” Maggie commented.
“We’ll get him, but first we have to put everything else in play,” Charles replied. “Wednesday is our target date. Myra, Annie, you will have to leave the premises before they discover the dodgy payments. Go back to your hotel for the next two nights.
“Izzie, you are going to work with Regina. Suggest you go out for drinks after work on Wednesday. Give her a basic explanation. The place is being investigated for fraud. Then you’ll instruct her to go home and wait for further details. Shouldn’t be more than a day or so.”
“We’ll have to nab Turner and Clayton, and then get Hawthorne and Gerber,” Annie added. “Any ideas?”
Kathryn made a sour face, then offered, “I can work with Pearl.”
“Glad the two of you are playing nice now,” Annie said, referring to an incident that happened several years before.
“Yes. We must put our mission first,” Kathryn agreed.
“This is how I see it playing out,” Charles began. “Yoko sends the pesticide to Kathryn overnight. Kathryn, have a needle and syringe ready, then administer it to Turner inside the care center and bring her to the lower level. Pearl picks up Turner, then heads to Florida. Once Turner is neutralized, the amateur sleuths will rescue Aunt Dottie.”
“I think I should assist them,” Annie said, “just to be sure they have an adult on duty.” Everyone laughed.
She continued, “I understand Henry has a big car. Aunt Dottie isn’t a large woman, so we can easily lift her into the front passenger seat. Then I will reconvene with Kathryn, and Henry can drive Theresa and Dottie to the airport. I’ll meet them there, and we’ll take the jet back.”
“Yoko, you need to inform Danny he will be relocated. You know the drill. You also have to nail Clayton somehow,” Charles stated.
“We know where she lives now. It’s in a secluded spot near the care center,” Fergus added.
“I have an idea,” Izzie offered. “After I have had drinks with Regina, I’ll go back to Sunnydale and commandeer a golf cart. No one will think anything of it, since I work there. Yoko, I’ll swing by the parking lot and pick you up. We’ll get within a few yards of her place. I’ll call her and say that I have to see her immediately. I’ll tell her I am in the office finishing a report, but the system was doing some strange things, and I think it may have been hacked.”
Myra chimed in, “Excellent. The two of you will grab her as soon as she’s outside. Inject the pesticide and bring her to the care center, where Pearl will fetch her.”
“And I’m picking up Jeremy from the hospital,” Maggie said.
“Here is something of interest,” Fergus spoke. “Hawthorne has an account in his wife’s name. We were able to trace it to the Cayman Islands. We know she is having an affair with Gerber, so she must be involved.”
“In more ways than one,” Maggie said wryly. “What do we do about her?”
“Fergus and I will anonymously inform the SEC and the IRS. She can deny culpability all she wants, but if you look at her spending, which we have, she’s the Ruth Madoff of this plundering.”
Annie rubbed her hands together. “Now on to the biggest sharks in the tank.”
“We won’t be back in time to help Nikki. Who can we send over?” Myra queried.
“Maybe it’s time we called in two of our other men.” Annie was alluding to the Men of the Sisterhood.
“Nikki, do you think Jack would make himself available?” Myra asked, referring to Nikki’s husband. Jack Emery had been a successful prosecutor, then went into private practice. He eventually gave it up and began a new venture, often along a similar vein as the Sisters when it came to balancing the scales of justice.
“Only if I ask him nicely,” Nikki said, only half joking.
“I’ll ask Harry,” Yoko volunteered her husband.
“That would be good, considering both men have black belts. Not that I doubt the potency of Yoko’s chemical suggestion, but better to be safe in case one of them is slow to react to the substance and gets rowdy,” Charles added.
“Plus, I have some of that pesticide somewhere in the back of the workshop. It’s under lock and key, and Harry will be able to bring it over to Nikki.”
“Perfect.” Nikki nodded into her camera. “According to Sasha, the men like to drink expensive scotch. Yoko, can I put it in their drinks?”
“No, but you can put in something else that will knock them out until you or one of the men can administer the pesticide.”
“Can anyone get their hands on some ketamine?” Myra asked.
“There’s some at the horse farm,” Annie noted. “Fergus, can you get that over to Nikki?”
“Bob’s your uncle,” Fergus answered, with the British slang for you’re all set.
Annie was running down the list of who, what, and where when Fergus interrupted her.
“Sorry, but I just got a copy of Zhukov’s credit card statement. He booked a round-trip flight from Florida to Arizona the morning Theresa was hit by that truck.”
Annie snapped her fingers. “And then after his successful smash-up, he decided to use the same technique on Sykes.”
“We said they ran a tight ship, so it would make sense they would rather pay for him to travel to do the deed rather than bring someone else in on it.”
“Two dump truck accidents. The guy has no imagination.” Maggie chortled.
“It looks like we’ve got the accidents sorted.” Charles grinned. “Is there anything else we need to cover?”
“What are you making for dinner this weekend?” Maggie was being cheeky, but it was a tradition after a mission, provided they pulled it off.
“Suggestions are welcome, but let’s not get too comfortable. We have work to do,” Charles reminded them.
“Roger that,” Maggie quipped.
Myra finished with, “Maggie, meet me at my hotel. We’ll pick up Yoko and Izzie and then head to the airport. Sorry, Sisters, but we’re going to have to fly commercial.” Everyone feigned whining and crying.
“Boo-hoo. But, if everything goes as planned, can we upgrade?”
Annie laughed out loud. “My treat!”
“Are we ready?” Myra asked.
A resounding cry blasted through the speakers of their laptops: “Ready!”
Nikki was the last one to salute Lady Liberty and climb the stairs.
Charles followed her up to the kitchen. “Nikki? Everything alright?”
She let out a sigh. “You know how Jack feels about this kind of stuff.”
“Fancy a cuppa?” Charles lifted the tea kettle.
“Thanks, but I should get home. I have some ’splaining to do.” Nikki managed a smile. “And I have to go over to the stables and get the ketamine.”
“Alright, dear. If you need help sorting this, let me know.”
“Thanks, Charles.” She pecked him on the cheek, patted Lady’s head, and left. She drove her golf cart down the rough paths of the farm that connected their house on the far end. Jack’s car was in the driveway. She straightened up. “You’ve got this,” she assured herself.
Jack was sitting in the library reading. “Hey, hon.” He lifted his head from the book.
Nikki walked over, picked the book from his hands, and placed it on the side table, then climbed in his lap.
“I think I like this,” he said as he nuzzled her neck.
Nikki stiffened slightly. “What’s wrong? Everything alright?” He lifted her chin and turned her face toward his.
“The Sisters are on a mission. We need your help.”
Jack let out a very long breath of air. “Shoot.”
Nikki explained in great detail, starting from Theresa’s registered letter to the cadavers in the basement.
“That is quite a bizarre story. Do you know who is behind all of this?” he asked easily.
“Senator Spencer Gerber and Congressman Maxwell Hawthorne.”
Jack did a double take. “I never liked that Gerber dude. Way too full of himself. Hawthorne? He seemed okay, but his wife was always flitting about, pretending she’s part of the Washington elite. I’d think being married to her is punishment enough.” He managed a laugh. “But are you sure you want to take these people down?”
“If not us, then who?” Nikki tossed out a rhetorical question.
“They know a lot of powerful people.”
“All the more reason why they have to be punished for their dastardly deeds. They’ve taken advantage of a lot of people. This is the kind of pond scum you worked hard to put away.”
Jack brushed her cheek. “Ever since the bomb incident, I tend to worry. I thought I might lose you.”
“But you didn’t, and here I am asking for your help.” She nuzzled his neck again.
“Call me old-fashioned, but my duty is for my bride!” He pulled her close. “Tell me what you want me to do.”
Nikki explained that Harry would get the pesticide. He and Jack were to meet in the parking garage and take the back elevator to her floor. “You have the passkey to the office. Wait in the library. I’ll buzz you in after I serve them their Macallan.”
“Such a waste of good scotch.” Jack snickered.
“I’ll mix it into their glasses. You can have what’s left in the bottle.”
“And this is why I love you.” He gave her a big, wet, juicy kiss.
Chapter Twenty
Ready, Set, Go!
Wednesday
Pensacola, Florida
Izzie approached Regina early that morning. “Let’s grab a drink after work. I have dinner plans nearby, and I have to kill a little time. Sorry, that came out wrong.”
Regina laughed. “I get it. I’d be happy to meet you for a drink. I have a quick errand to run. Same place?”
“Sounds good. I’ll see you there.” Izzie’s plan was on track. She busied herself throughout the day. Time seemed to slow to a snail’s crawl. That was usually the case the day of, or the day before, they were to meet their targets.
Tempe
Annie phoned Theresa and gave her instructions. “Pack your suitcase. Call Henry and ask him and Frida to be ready to roll around five-thirty. You’ll meet them at Henry’s place. Put your suitcase in Henry’s trunk. Once you get the ‘go’ from me, Henry will drive you and Frida to the care center. Tell Henry to park on the side of the building and stay out of the line of sight from the rear door. The one where you saw them move the body.”
Theresa was nervously writing down the directions. “Okay, but what about my rental?”
“Someone will call the agency and tell them to pick it up.”
“I’ll probably be banned from renting a car ever again,” Theresa said, then laughed nervously.
Annie continued, “I will send you another message that says NOW. I’ll meet you at the main entrance and let you into the building. That’s when Henry is to drive to the rear door. You and I will grab Aunt Dottie and wheel her into the elevator. I know it’s going to be creepy, but we’ll whisk her out the door and into Henry’s car. My associate Kathryn will be there and can help with Dottie right after she and my other colleague, Pearl, take care of Turner. Once you and Dottie are in the car, Henry is to drive you to the Tempe Executive Airport. Follow the sign to the terminal, and then to the hangar. I’ll meet you there, and we’ll board my jet. We’ll fly you and Aunt Dottie back to Virginia, where we’ll have a medic meet us and evaluate Dottie. If she’s okay, we’ll arrange for her to get admitted to a physical therapy rehab center, then we’ll help you figure out the next course of action.”
Theresa’s head was spinning. Her jet? Who are these ‘we’ people?
Annie pressed on. “Repeat everything I just told you.”
Theresa slowly recited the instructions back to Annie.
