1. Weekend Warriors

by Fern Michaels

  Thirty five minutes later she was seated across from Sidney Lee. It was hard to tell what he was, other than a fast-talking insurance salesman. Swanky offices with rich paneling, good furniture, Berber carpeting, trophies out the kazoo and a clear polished desk. She couldn’t make up her mind what nationality he was. He could have passed for Greek, Italian, or maybe even Jewish. But there was a cast to his eyes that said he had some kind of oriental blood in him. He went by the name Lee instead of Sid or Sidney. Strange.

  “So, Miss Darnell, my secretary, tells me you want to buy some insurance. Well, you came to the right place. What exactly do you have in mind?”

  “Well, Mr. Lee, the past five years have been extremely lucrative for my partner and myself. My accountants tell me I need to buy some Keyman insurance for both of us. He suggested ten million each to protect us, should anything happen down the road. We each want to take…oh, excuse me, my phone is ringing.”

  Her heart beating trip-hammer fast, Kathryn realized something somewhere had gone awry. Her hello was cautious. She listened.

  “Kathryn, Sidney Lee is not going on the ride. He canceled out this morning at eight-fifteen. He didn’t give a reason.” Kathryn continued to listen to Charles’s instructions, her heart fluttering in her chest. She turned away so Sidney Lee couldn’t see her frightened expression.

  “Really, Shelia. I’m at Mr. Lee’s office now. Yes, I can do that. If you can hold on a minute, I’ll ask him. Mr. Lee, by any chance can you find the time in the next ninety minutes to meet with my partner and myself at the Beverly Hills Hotel? We really want to sign off on these policies today, since Shelia is leaving tonight for England. We can pay the whole year’s premium right up front and you can send the paperwork to our office later on. Do you see a problem?”

  Lee’s face contorted, making him look more oriental. “Ninety minutes isn’t much time. Today doesn’t seem to be my day. I had to cancel a motorcycle benefit run for charity today.” Kathryn watched him, knowing greed would win out in the end. She felt like cheering when he nodded.

  “Yes, Mr. Lee can make it.” She frowned as she listened to Charles telling her he’d reserved a villa under the name of Shelia Star, supposedly her partner’s name. “Villa number eleven. Tell him you can do business on the patio if he balks at being in a room with two women, which I don’t think he will, but just in case. Now listen carefully to the directions in case he wants to follow you. Try to avoid that scenario.” She listened, her trucker’s mind filing away the directions. “I’ll see you in a bit. Yes, I’ll tell him.”

  Kathryn fought the urge to spit on the piece of scum standing in front of her. “I have a stop to make before I head back to the hotel. I’ll meet you there. We’re in villa eleven. We can sit on the patio and have drinks and lunch if you have the time. I hope that’s satisfactory. I really have to run.”

  She carried his stunned expression with her all the way down in the elevator and out to the car. Now what the hell am I supposed to do? Which disguise do I get into now? She drove slowly, her heart slamming back and forth inside her chest. What were they going to do at the Beverly Hills Hotel? Charles said everyone would be there. Did that include Charles, too? Who was going to register?

  The first glitch.

  They were waiting for her when she knocked on the door. Her feet literally left the ground as Julia pulled her inside. In a million years she never would have recognized any of them, especially Charles.

  “Time is your enemy, ladies. Alexis is going to be your business partner, Shelia Star. Julia and Yoko will wait in the bedroom until he’s under the drug. I can’t stay here with you. You’re on your own.”

  “He’s going to remember me, Charles. I sat across from him. If he goes to the police, he can describe —”

  “— a bad Tina Turner wannabe. This is not a catastrophe. It’s a little glitch and we’ve taken care of it. Admirably, if I do say so,” Charles preened. “I’ll see you in Lone Pine in, let’s say seven hours or so, depending on traffic.

  “Julia, slip this into his drink,” Charles said, handing over a small vial he extracted from his leather jacket. “This will knock him out for eight to twelve hours. You only need one to two drops.”

  “This is Rohypnol! It’s illegal to use this in the United States. Where did you get this, Charles?” Julia demanded.

  “The black market is a wonderful thing. You’re worried about illegalities! Get over it. Good luck.” Charles walked out through the door onto the patio.

  The women looked at one another just as a knock sounded on the door. Julia and Yoko ran to the bedroom and closed the door. Kathryn opened the door and ushered in the insurance man.

  “I suggest we get right to it, Mr. Lee. You don’t have to explain the policies, we’re both familiar with them. Our accountants explained them to us in great detail. We’ll just sign the forms and write you out a check. Here, have a nice cold bottle of iced tea,” Kathryn said, holding out a bottle of Snapple.

  “I don’t like tea,” Lee said, rummaging in his briefcase for the forms he wanted.

  “Coke or Pepsi?” Kathryn asked.

  “I don’t like sweet drinks.”

  Alexis sucked on her bottom lip. “Are you saying you don’t want to…to toast us for buying all this insurance with you? That’s not very businesslike. How often does this kind of deal fall into your lap? I like to socialize with the people I do business with. I was really looking forward to drinks and a nice leisurely lunch. I know this is a rush for you, but time is money in our business.”

  “By the way, what is your business? I’m sorry. It’s just that I promised my fiancée I would take her to a polo match. She’s never been to one. I’m running late as it is. I’ll have some bottled water if you feel a toast is in order. This is where you sign off on each of these forms. You know at some point you’ll both have to take a physical, but don’t worry about that. I know a doctor who will make sure you both pass.”

  “I don’t know why, but I thought you were a married man with a bunch of kids. Most insurance men are married. At least the ones I know,” Kathryn said, reaching inside the mini-bar for a bottle of Evian water. She turned around and opened the bottle of Rohypnol and added four drops before she put the cap back on the bottle. She was unscrewing it for his benefit when she handed the bottle to Lee. She handed Alexis a Coke and she kept the Snapple. “I thought I told you what our business was back in the office. We make tea bags. You know, those little paper things that have tea in them. We make the paper and the tag that hangs out of your tea cup.”

  “I thought Lipton made those.”

  “See, that’s what everyone thinks. We’re the brains and they get all the credit. Where should I sign? Oh, I see, right under Shelia’s name. Shelia, honey, write this nice man a check so he can go on to his polo match. You didn’t say, do you have children, Mr. Lee?”

  “Four. Two boys and two girls. They live with their mother.” Lee reached for the check, looked at it and almost swooned. He slipped it into a zippered compartment in his briefcase.

  “Drink up,” Alexis said.

  Both women watched as Lee took a healthy swallow of the water in the bottle.

  “Shoot!” Alexis said. “We didn’t make a toast. Let’s see, I think we should make a toast to Mr. Lee and a long profitable business association.” She brought the Coke bottle to her lips and watched as Lee tried to bring the bottle to his own lips. He took a long gulp before he slid to the floor.

  “Okay, we’re in business!” Kathryn shouted. “Batten down. Close the drapes and slide those dead bolts home, but make sure you hang out the Do Not Disturb sign. Julia, he didn’t drink all the water. What if he doesn’t have enough in him? I put in four drops, thinking we’d be lucky if he drank a quarter of it.”

  “I’ll put a little on his tongue. Get the shower curtain and all the towels you can find. Strip him down, girls, while I get ready.”

  This was her moment. The day she’d waited for for seven long years. Kathr
yn stood on the sidelines as Alexis and Yoko hustled. She saw them spread the shower curtain and a thick, white towel on the coffee table. She watched as they pulled off his shoes, his trousers and his boxer shorts and then hefted him onto the coffee table.

  Julia pulled a paper surgical mask across her face. She pulled on two pairs of latex gloves. She saw the others watching her. “Just in case of a nick. I don’t want to kill him, considering my condition.”

  Kathryn ripped at the Tina Turner wig and threw it across the room. “The table’s too low, Julia.”

  Julia dropped to her knees. She fixed her gaze on Kathryn. “This isn’t exactly brain surgery. I can do it on my knees. Now, how do you want this done? The way it would be done in a hospital or do you want it quick and dirty?”

  “Quick and dirty,” Kathryn said clearly. Alexis’s thumb shot upward. Yoko gave her new breasts a boost and nodded.

  “You got it. I’ll talk my way through it so you know what’s happening.” Julia reached for her scalpel. “I’m lifting his penis so I can cut into the scrotum. I am going to deliver it through the scrotum sac. You might not want to watch as this can be extremely bloody even though I’m going to clamp it off. I’m going to tie off the arteries with silk sutures. Then I’m going to tie a square knot around the cord. Just so you know, inside the cord is where the blood vessels are and the epididymis. I’m tying it off. I’m going to staple the skin to bring it back together. This might be a good time to rinse out that Snapple bottle, Kathryn, and fill it with formaldehyde. It’s in my bag.”

  Kathryn’s hands shook and then steadied when Julia dropped what looked like two balls into the bottle. “Screw the lid on tight,” Julia said.

  Five minutes later, Sidney Lee, insurance broker, was bandaged and being dressed.

  “No more testosterone or erections for you, Mr. Sidney Lee,” Julia said as she ripped off the surgical mask and stripped off the latex gloves.

  “It was so…quick.”

  “Here today and gone tomorrow,” Alexis said.

  “I told you it wasn’t brain surgery. I could have done it with my eyes closed. I want to do that to my husband so bad I can taste the feeling. Okay, we need to sweep this place clean. Everyone put on a pair of latex gloves and go over this entire place and clean anything you might have touched. The toilet handle, the refrigerator, the doorknobs. Keep the gloves on until we get in the car. Yoko, take the check out of his briefcase along with the insurance forms. Stuff them in my medical bag. Bundle up the bloody towels and shower curtain and put them in a pillowcase. Leave a hundred dollar bill on the dresser to pay for the towels, shower curtain and pillowcase. Leave another ten dollars for the drinks. Wipe the bills clean. It might be a good idea to wash them first. Kathryn, get your wig and put it on.”

  “What…what should I do with…this?” Kathryn asked, holding up the Snapple bottle.

  “Stick it in your coat pocket for now. Mark it somehow so you know who they belong to.”

  “I don’t need to mark it,” Kathryn said.

  “Okay, we’re outta here,” Alexis said, taking one last look around the villa to see if they had forgotten anything. “Everyone, just stop for a minute. Think carefully. Did you touch anything you forgot to clean? My fingerprints are on file. Yours are too, Kathryn. Julia, how about you?”

  “Mine are on file, too. Yoko?”

  “Yes, mine are also. I will go around one more time to be sure. The knob on the outside door needs to be wiped clean,” she said breathlessly.

  “Good thinking,” Kathryn said, clapping her on the back. “Two out the back door, Yoko and I go out the front. We’ll meet you at the motel.”

  “Do not look at him again, Kathryn. It will serve no purpose.”

  “How did —”

  “I know. Come, we must hurry. We want to look normal so we should smile and talk as we make our way to the car.”

  “So, you’re liking your new boobs, huh?”

  “Yes, I do.”

  “You know, Julia could give you a real set if you want, I bet. You could surprise your husband for his birthday or something.”

  “I will think on the matter. It is not out of the question.”

  Kathryn laughed all the way to the car, Sidney Lee’s nuts bobbing up and down inside the Snapple bottle.

  Myra was out the kitchen door the minute she heard Nikki’s car crunch to a stop.

  “Myra, what the hell is going on? You scared me half to death last night with that phone call,” Nikki said, climbing out of the car.

  “I know, I know. Isabelle called and she had this…this vison. She saw someone bending over a car sticking a black marble on it. It was a BMW. You drive a BMW. I was too befuddled last night to think clearly, but now I’ve had time to think, I think someone planted a…a bug in your car. That’s why I didn’t want you to drive it. I hope I’m just being paranoid.” She looked upward. “It’s going to pour any minute now. Come along, dear.”

  Nikki tossed her purse and briefcase onto one of the kitchen chairs. “Do you have any fresh coffee? I just rolled out of bed, leased the car and here I am. I never feel alive until I’ve had two cups of coffee. He wouldn’t dare. Jack wouldn’t do that to me. Yes, he would,” she said, her shoulders slumping.

  Myra set a cup of coffee in front of her. “Isabelle always said her visions were never defined but this time she said she clearly saw the letters BMW. It might mean something and again it might not. You need to have a mechanic check out your car, Nikki.”

  “And if I do find out there’s a bug in it, how can I prove Jack did it? I can’t. I’ll call a mechanic I know when I finish my coffee. Anything new?”

  Myra sat down with a thump. “I think that depends on what you mean by new.” She recounted the evening’s events up until the moment she fell asleep on the sofa. “Does Jack watch the Larry King show? I rather thought Friday nights he would be out either with his friends or on a date with you. Does he, Nikki?” Myra asked, wringing her hands as she paced the kitchen.

  “Sometimes he watches the show. Even if he was home, I doubt he would have stayed tuned once he realized the show was about the paranormal. He doesn’t believe in stuff like that. The answer is, I don’t know.”

  Myra continued to pace. “It’s eleven o’clock here, so that means it’s eight in California. Kathryn will be getting ready to visit those…those men. I imagine we’ll hear something from Charles via e-mail in the next few hours. There seems to be a lot of e-mail waiting. The envelopes were twirling all over the place last night. I didn’t want to touch anything. You know how Charles is with his electronic gadgetry.”

  Nikki nodded as she tipped her chair back and reached for the phone. She squeezed her eyes shut as she tried to recall the number for Tony’s Auto Body shop.

  “Tony, it’s Nikki Quinn. Listen, I have a tremendous favor to ask of you. No, no, you don’t owe me anything because of your sister Angela. She paid the bill. I’m perfectly willing to pay you for your time. I’m working on this case and I have reason to believe someone bugged my car. It’s parked on the street outside my apartment building. I keep a spare key under the right fender in a magnet box. Can you go there now and check it out? You can. Thanks. Now listen, I want you to write this down. Jack Emery is the person I want you to deliver it to if you do find something. I’ll give you his address. Assuming you find something, when you give it to him make sure he understands it’s from me. I owe you, Tony. You’ll call me right away if you find something?”

  “Right away, Miss Quinn.”

  Her eyes miserable, Nikki got up to put her cup in the sink. “It should take less than a half hour till Tony calls back. I’m going to scoot upstairs and take a quick shower.”

  Her own eyes miserable, Myra said, “I’ll sit by the phone, dear.”

  Chapter Ten

  Sweat dripped down Jack Emery’s body as he ran at five miles per hour on the treadmill in his apartment. He was breathing hard, his arms swinging at his sides. Ten more minutes and he would h
ave run ten full miles on the machine, a gift from Nikki on his last birthday. He picked up his pace and did the last ten minutes at six miles per hour, the machine quivering under his fast-paced run.

  Six minutes flat, he thought in satisfaction when he yanked at the safety cord and hopped off. He wiped the perspiration running down his face with the sweatband on his wrist and headed for the shower. The doorbell rang just as he turned on the hot water. He gave his boxers a hitch and marched out to the door. He looked through the peephole and frowned. The guy looked familiar but he couldn’t immediately place his face. He yanked open the door.

  “Are you Jack Emery?”

  Jack pointed to his name over the doorbell. “Yeah.”

  “Then I guess this is for you. Nikki Quinn said I should hand deliver it to you. Have a nice day.”

  Jack looked at the electronic device in his hand. Son of a bitch! He slammed the door shut and marched back into the bathroom. For sure his relationship with Nikki was over. He cursed again, using words he hadn’t used since his days on the street back in the Bronx.

  In the shower he lathered up and let the hot, steamy water beat on his naked body. He stared into the steamy mirror as he dried off. If Nikki found the bug, that meant she was searching for it. Which in turn had to mean she had something to hide. His gut told him she was up to her eyeballs in Marie Lewellen’s disappearance. And rich-as-sin Myra Rutledge was probably right there with her, aiding and abetting. “You fucking rich people think you can get away with anything,” he muttered as he stomped his way into the bedroom to get dressed.

  Now he had to go to the office so he could get to the bottom of Nikki’s involvement. He had to satisfy himself one way or the other where she was concerned. The ironic thing was, Nikki would have done the same thing if she’d been in his position, even though she wouldn’t admit it.

  He was pulling on his socks when the phone rang. He debated a moment before he threw himself across the bed and picked up the phone from the nightstand. “Emery here,” he barked.