He opted for his tried-and-true method. Handing the pen back to her, he made sure his fingertips brushed her hand. “Say, would you be interested in extending your break a while longer? Have a cup of coffee or a drink … There’s a well-stocked minibar in my room upstairs …” He stroked her hand as if it were a soft kitten.
She blushed deeply. “I … erm … it’s very tempting, Mr. Baker.”
“Cody.”
“Cody. And if my manager were out for the day I would be … well, I would be interested. But he watches us like a hawk and I’ve already some explaining to do about leaving for this meeting. Afraid I’ve really got to go back.”
“Tonight, maybe? We could make drinks right after work?” Even as he said it, he realized he would need to be at the Edinburgh airport for his London flight, or he would miss the connection to New York.
“We’ll see,” she said. “Text me later?”
He walked her toward the front doors, giving her a long and desirous look, in case she might change her mind about staying. She sent a regretful glance over her shoulder as she left.
Good. At least the last thought on Aileen’s mind wouldn’t be about the women who’d come looking for him earlier. He decided to pack his stuff and head for the airport, even though it was a few hours too early.
Chapter 43
Sandy nudged Pen and pointed across the street at the bank. Cody Brennan was to have been here at two for his appointment, but they’d seen no sign of him. At 2:01, the blonde girl who’d spoken with them earlier walked out, a portfolio under her arm.
“What do you think?” Sandy asked.
“You follow her. I’ll wait here to see if Cody shows up. It could be his business is with the manager, not with her.”
“Good thinking.” Sandy stayed on the opposite side of the street, crossing only when the banker made a left turn. She stayed back and watched until, one block later, the girl walked up the steps and into the Hilton hotel.
Interesting.
Sandy pulled sunglasses from her purse and a collapsible hat she’d carried as rain protection. Tucking her hair mostly into the hat, she hoped she’d disguised her appearance well enough. She strolled along the front of the hotel, browsing the window displays set up by the retail shops inside. Behind her dark glasses, her eyes were busy looking into the lobby.
The blonde walked up to a man waiting near a pillar in the large space. They shook hands and she held up the portfolio. The man was Cody—Sandy was ninety percent sure of it, although her sunglasses and the reflection from the hotel’s large windows made it difficult to see for sure. The pair moved out of sight.
Sandy felt a moment’s hesitation. What to do? Well, I’m not going to know what he’s doing if I stay out here. She walked up the steps, pausing at a tourist brochure stand just inside the front door. One of the larger publications was some sort of magazine, real estate listings or some such. She picked it up and pretended to give it her attention as she moved into the lobby.
Cody and the woman had moved to the far end of the lobby where groupings of tables and chairs sat outside the formal confines of the bar. They’d taken a table and had their heads together in conversation, as the woman pulled papers from her folder. Neither one looked up as Sandy strolled toward the elevators. She turned and stood behind a huge potted plant, but she was still too far away to hear anything they said.
The best way to stay unnoticed while in plain sight was to be using an electronic device. She tucked the magazine into the side pocket of her bag and pulled out her phone. A quick text let Pen know that Cody was here. No point in waiting for him outside the bank. Careful if you come through the lobby—he could see you.
Thx got it.
Sandy moved to an armchair in the main part of the lobby and checked her email and messages while keeping one eye on the little bar table forty feet away. There seemed to be some flirting, now that the paperwork had been put away. Got to give this guy honors in the department of wooing women quickly, she decided.
Anger flared for a moment. This was becoming less about tracking the money this guy had probably stolen and more about protecting Amber. A thief and a cheater. This Cody guy needed to pay a price for his behavior.
There was a message from Amber. It must be early morning in Arizona by now. Suggested to Cody that we meet up. He asks if I’m back in Paris. Surely he knows I’m not?
Probably testing you to keep up the ruse. String him along.
While she was typing the text message, the couple across the room had moved and Sandy was startled to see them walking in her direction. She turned in her chair, hoping her hat brim concealed her face well enough.
The girl from the bank sent a regretful glance over her shoulder toward Cody just before she walked out the front door. Sandy sneaked a peek and saw him give a little wave, but the moment the girl was out of sight he straightened his shoulders and walked toward the elevators.
All at once, his eyes widened and he went into motion, bypassing the elevators and heading down a corridor that led to a series of meeting rooms. Sandy did a double-take. Pen had just walked into the lobby.
“Pen, over here!” Sandy shouted.
Cody took off at a run.
Sandy nearly tripped over the magazine that had fallen at her feet, but she recovered in time to see Cody yank open the door to a conference room and disappear inside. She followed.
Chairs, set in neat rows, filled the darkened room and there was a man at the front whose PowerPoint presentation was now being ignored as heads turned to see what the commotion was about. Sandy nearly slammed into a table of water glasses before she realized she was still wearing her sunglasses. She pulled them off and saw a Cody-shaped silhouette disappear through another door at the far end of the room.
“Sorry, sorry,” she murmured as she rushed to follow.
Somewhere behind her, she heard the door open, the one she’d just come through, and Pen’s calm reassurance to the crowd that everything was fine. Pen caught up with Sandy and they stepped into a lit service passageway that ran behind the meeting rooms.
“Which way did he go?” Pen asked.
Sandy looked both directions but there was no sign of Cody. Then they heard a metallic crash.
“The kitchen must be that way,” Pen said, pointing left. “There has to be an outside exit there.”
An angry guy dressed in kitchen whites—formerly white, now covered in something shockingly red that must have been a sauce—fumed at the wreckage of a metal serving cart and the spillage from two large kettles that now lay on the floor.
“Sorry,” Pen said. “Did a dark-haired young man come this way?”
The response was a string of unintelligible Gaelic and wild hand gestures that neither of the women wanted to confront. They backed away and returned to the corridor.
“I think we must admit we’ve lost him.”
“Again.” Sandy’s discouragement showed.
“I suppose we could go back to the desk and see if he’s registered here at the hotel. Must admit that’s a thought that never occurred to me,” Pen said.
Sandy could only nod. They made their way back down the corridor, listening for voices, avoiding the room where they had already disrupted someone’s meeting. At the desk, the male clerk said there was no Cody Brennan registered. When they described the young man who had just rushed from the lobby minutes earlier, the young man said he’d been away from his post and hadn’t noticed. Sorry.
As they waited for the elevator, Pen rested a hand on Sandy’s shoulder. “We’ve done our best. Time to let Amber take over, assuming he will agree to meet with her.”
Chapter 44
Amber stared at her phone screen while her first cup of coffee brewed. Could it be that Cody had no clue she was on to him and the scam he’d tried to pull with the hundred grand? He was certainly persistent for a guy who’d broken the law and tried to lay the blame on her. He must not have put it together.
And what about the embezzlem
ent charge against her? He certainly didn’t seem to know she’d been arrested, and she wondered how long she would need to keep him in the dark about that. She flipped back through the most recent texts between them.
He’d asked if she was back in Paris, but he had to be aware she wasn’t. She’d responded that no, she was home in Arizona.
What about you? Your company planning to transfer you back to US?
Maybe. I’ve asked. Want to be with you.
But your office is in NY. Do they have anything in AZ?
No response to that yet. His declarations of interest were still puzzling. What was he up to?
The phone vibrated in her hand, startling her. Pen’s name showed on the screen.
“Hey, where are you?” Amber pulled a mug from the upper cabinet and poured the coffee.
“I didn’t wake you, did I? Sandy and I are at Heathrow, waiting to board our flight. Thank goodness it’s direct. We’re both feeling a bit knackered.”
“I’ll bet. So, what’s the word?”
“On your Cody, nothing. Well, I should say we’ve lots to report, but none of it means he’s been caught. The man is as slippery as an eel.”
“I’ll keep it in mind. You do know he’s started texting me again?”
“Yes, right. And how is that going?”
“He’s playing along as if he’s still working in Paris, says he’s still interested in me enough to put in for a transfer with his job so we can see more of each other.”
“Do you believe it?”
“Not unless you can confirm he still lives there.”
Pen told her of the visit with the building manager in Paris and her assertion that Cody was merely visiting friends there. “But then we also heard that he was using the apartment of a couple who were away on vacation somewhere else. How he managed to get their key, no one seemed certain. He apparently is expert at bluffing his way through nearly any situation.”
“Including fooling a young woman about his romantic intentions.”
“Be careful, Amber. He’ll say anything.”
“I know.” A pang of sadness at the thought, but she knew Pen was right.
“Here, say hello to Sandy quickly. They’ve called our flight, so we’re boarding soon. We’ll be home by eight-ish your time tonight.”
“Hey there,” Sandy said when she came on the call. “Just wanted to give you a little warning. Cody is definitely on to me and Pen. He spotted us twice in Edinburgh and knew enough to run both times, so I’m guessing he had previously figured out we were asking questions. Maybe in Paris, maybe in London. We aren’t sure. Anyway, if he gets in touch with you be careful not to let him see pictures of us together and don’t mention us. It could be that he only knows our faces, but don’t underestimate him. He could know our names too.”
“Good advice. Thanks.” She wished them a good flight.
Amber was halfway through a bagel when a new thought hit. Had she ever posted pictures of herself and the other Heist Ladies on any of her social accounts? Yikes—that could identify everyone and blow their entire mission.
Chapter 45
Cody sat at the old family breakfast table, staring at the two slices of overcooked toast his father had set down in front of him. What was it about parents, thinking you always wanted to eat the minute you arrived? During the long flight to Newark, Cody had stared at a stupid screen through two movies and stewed about the trip all the way back. Right now he was sleep deprived and grumpy, and burnt toast wasn’t cutting it as breakfast food.
“Let’s go out,” he said. “Get some eggs at Joey’s or something.” The nearby diner had been their go-to place while he was growing up.
“What, you don’t eat toast anymore?”
“Pop … don’t start with me.”
“This is about that chick, idn’t it? You still going around all wound up over her? Told ya, you can’t get involved with a mark.”
“Drop it. I didn’t say I was involved, did I?”
“You’re letting your little head do the thinking for the big one, son.”
“Pop! Don’t talk—” But it was probably true. He needed to get over this girl and move on. He knew what topic would distract his father. “Hey, tell you what. Let’s get some breakfast and then we’ll go down to the bank.”
Woody grumbled a little more, but Cody could tell he was pleased. The subject of money always brightened the day for the old man.
“I don’t want none of that app shit where I have to get a fancy new phone,” Woody said as they picked up their jackets and headed toward the door. “Give me a checkbook.”
“We’ll just do an ATM card. You can get cash that way.”
“Yeah, okay, I can deal with that.”
Cody explained the way he’d set up the various bank accounts, and the reasons neither of them would have access to large amounts of the money right away, as they walked the three blocks to the diner.
“Yeah, yeah, I know. You think I ain’t done this before?”
Then why were you talking like I should bring you a suitcase full of money, the last time I was in town? But he didn’t say it out loud. He just wanted some food, to get this money business out of the way with his dad, and then see what he could do about getting together with Amber again.
Joey’s Diner sat in a cinderblock building stuck between two others on a block where more than half the businesses were shuttered. The place was run by a decrepit old guy who shouted insults at his customers (what, you want more coffee?) while he shuffled toward their tables to pour for them. But the plates were piled high and the prices were something out of the 1960s, so no one cared that the walls smelled like grease and Joey was such a curmudgeon. It was a neighborhood clientele who’d known him for decades, and in their own way they all loved him.
“Woody! Hey, you old coot. Weren’t you just here yesterday?” Joey shouted it across the long, narrow room. “And this is your boy, all grown up now?”
Woody grinned and nodded. “Cody. He’s just back from Europe.”
“Ooh, fancy.” Several of the old timers laughed at Joey’s comeback.
Cody did what was expected of him, ducked his head a little and played shy. Just like he’d done as a kid.
Woody led the way to his favorite booth, which happened to be the only empty one, and called out to Joey to hurry it up with the coffee. Their banter was like an old vaudeville routine, predictable and yet somehow funny to most everyone in the place.
While his dad made the rounds and said hello to everyone he knew, Cody studied his phone screen, re-reading the conversation thread with Amber.
Hey I’d like to see you, she’d said.
Are you back in Paris? As if he were kicking back in that big apartment, ready for a visit.
I wish. Was hoping you finally made it to PHX
Emergency callback to work. Hoping to get there in a week or so.
Would be great to see you. Was that a wistful tone on her part? He felt a blush rising, but Woody was on his way to the table. He put the phone on the bench seat beside him and fixed a neutral smile on his face.
“So what’re you having?” Woody said, not bothering to pick up one of the one-page menus from the little prong holder at the end of the table.
Joey sent a waitress over, a biddy who had been as much a fixture here as Joey himself. She wrote down Cody’s order for two eggs over easy, ham, potatoes, and white toast. Woody just asked for his usual, which obviously the woman already knew.
While Woody went on about various people in the diner, Cody sneaked peeks at his phone.
There were two texts from a co-worker, asking where he was. Bob, their supervisor, was more than a little pissed that Cody hadn’t called in. He sent a quick note back: Family emergency. No time to call, but tell him I’ll be back by the end of the week.
Almost immediately came a reply: You tell him, dude. Enough shit’s going down around here. I’m not covering.
Cody deleted the messages. What he didn’t know co
uldn’t come back to bite him, right?
He read through Amber’s last two texts again. Was it true that she was still interested? She wasn’t acting like she knew anything, no clue he’d been involved with the cash that got her stopped at the airport. Of course he wasn’t admitting he’d heard she was arrested either, and a little stab of guilt hit him over that.
He shushed his mind. He’d known perfectly well he was using her login credentials to pry into her employer’s site and to work out the details to get the money. Yeah, that was before she’d slept with him, before he’d actually even met her. It didn’t count when you didn’t know the mark, right? Whatever a guy did was about nothing more than scoring.
But once you met her, started to like her?
He hated this, getting a conscience.
Chapter 46
So Cody was back in her life. Amber wasn’t sure how she felt about that as she went back through her photos of the two of them during their romantic week in Paris. Meals at Chez la Vieille, a selfie with the Eiffel Tower in the far distance, his smile as she ruffled his hair. It had all seemed so genuine.
She wanted to think she could read people fairly well, but maybe she’d spent too much of her life buried in computer code. Pen and Sandy—and her parents, for that matter—all had so much more experience. She should listen to them. But it was hard to ignore the chemistry she had felt with him.
Swiping the screen to move away from the photos on her phone, she opened Instagram. Sandy’s warning was valid. If there were public photos of Amber with the rest of the Heist Ladies, it could ruin their chances of catching Cody and learning the real story behind the money. She couldn’t risk it.
She carefully went back through all her posts for the past three years. There was only one picture, a shot of the five of them together on a trip to Bali right after Christmas. They’d been wrapping up their last investigation and doing a little celebrating on the beach when a local girl offered to take a group photo of them. They all had wide smiles, windblown hair, and colorful bathing suits. With a sigh, she deleted the post, but not before checking the names of everyone who had liked it. No Cody. Thank goodness.
Show Me the Money Page 14