by Pepper Frost
Aseem felt guilty—and a few other feelings as well—but was too exhausted to argue.
“I almost forgot,” Angela said after ducking into the bathroom to change into flannel pajamas. “Would you like some aspirin?” She handed him a glass of water and doled two pills from a bottle into his hand.
Aseem took the painkillers gratefully, then climbed into bed. As soon as he was under the covers, fatigue took over and he began to drift off. Angela pulled the cushions off the tiny loveseat. “Oh no,” she said. “I guess it’s not a pull-out.”
Aseem pushed himself onto his elbows and looked at her. “Don’t worry about it. I’m heading back to the casita. I’ll be fine there.”
“Nonsense!” said Angela, replacing the sofa cushions. “I’ll just sleep on top of the sofa. She curled up into a ball on the little loveseat, which was far too short for her to lie flat.
“You won’t get any sleep like that,” Aseem said, sitting up and peeling back the covers. Angela hopped up and pulled the covers back over him.
“I’ve got an idea. It’s a big bed. You stay under the covers, and I’ll sleep on the other half, on top of them. Perfectly respectable.”
“You’ll freeze.”
“I won’t. I’m wearing flannel pajamas. And I’ve got an extra blanket. If that’s not enough, maybe you and I can share the top comforter.”
Too tired to argue, Aseem agreed. But once Angela was lying beside him, he found the urge to sleep fading away. She wanted to talk, too. She rolled onto her side to face him.
“Fancy meeting you here,” Angela said, smiling.
Aseem rolled onto his side and looked at her. “Come here often?”
Angela giggled. “Did you ever think we’d end up in bed together?”
“Technically, you’re not in bed—you’re not under the covers.”
“Just answer the question.”
“I plead the fifth.”
“Don’t forget, I’m your boss,” Angela said playfully. “I could insist that you answer.”
“See? That’s the problem. Even if I did think so… you shouldn’t even ask me these kinds of questions.”
Angela looked at him seriously. He was right. She should think about the bigger picture. She felt sad and flustered. Another rookie mistake. She wasn’t getting off to a great start as company president. Every day, it seemed, brought another harsh reminder of how much she had to learn.
Aseem saw how disappointed she looked and felt a pang. All this time, he’d wondered how she felt. Now he knew, but… timing. He sighed and caressed her cheek. “I guess there’s only one solution,” he said, grinning. “You’re going to have to fire me.”
“That’s a problem, because I can’t run this place without you—and I wouldn’t dare try,” she said with a melancholy smile. “Would it make a difference if you were an independent contractor?”
Aseem laughed. “I don’t know, Angel. That sounds like a legal matter. Maybe we should try to get some sleep and figure it out in the morning. The sun’s coming up in just a couple of hours.”
§
Walter and James maneuvered the loaded dolly down the patio stairs as quietly as possible. At least the plan—the crazy, new, unplanned plan—was so far going without a hitch.
“Your brother finally had one good idea about unlocking the French door,” whispered Walter.
“Drapes being shut didn’t hurt.”
“Unfortunately, it’s his fault we needed Plan B. Mr. Subtle with the chip stacks. And your idea of attacking Aseem was just as bad! What is the matter with you two?” Walter was spitting as he whispered, his rage over the botched arrangement overwhelming his desperation not to be heard. “Are you bound and determined to wreck a good thing?”
“I wasn’t sure how your idea would work,” James whispered back. “I just don’t see how we could have pulled it off with Aseem without knocking him out.”
“People can die from head injuries like that. We’re not in some Hollywood movie. If there’s anything we don’t need, it’s another dead body.”
“At least we got what we needed, right? Besides, none of it matters as long as we don’t get caught. Let’s keep our heads down, focus, and get out of here while we still can.”
“The others better have the car ready.”
They put the dolly down on the grass that ran alongside the driveway, hoping to wheel it along without crunching on the gravel. The security lights illuminating the exterior of the building worried Walter. “Let’s try to cross the driveway as quickly and quietly as we can, to get out of the light. Take off your shoes.”
They put their shoes on top of their cargo, then picked up the dolly from the bottom. Both of them groaned softly with the effort. “Make it quick,” said Walter. “My feet are freezing.” A minute later, they placed the dolly on the grass on the other side of the drive.
“Better,” said Walter. The two men put their shoes on and wheeled the dolly off the grass to the street. The others had moved the big black SUV there earlier in the day, parking it on the other side of the street, far from the nearest light pole. They hurried across the street towards the open back door of the vehicle.
“We could use help lifting this thing into the back,” Walter hissed to the passengers. Together, the men hoisted the heavy object into the back. “Keep it face-side up,” grunted James.
“Where to now?” said the driver. “It’s not like we can get that thing onto a plane.”
“I’ll climb in the back and figure that out as we drive,” said James. “Lee, you just focus on getting us on our way to the airport.”
§
Angela and Aseem had each managed about an hour of fitful sleep when both were awake once more, both wanting to talk, neither knowing what to say. Faint light was seeping through the gap in the drapes. The sun was almost up.
Aseem broke the silence, shifting onto his side to face her. “Angel, you asked if I thought we’d end up here—if we’d have ended up here the normal way. Of course, I hoped so. You’re beautiful and loyal and determined and so, so smart. I think you were always my dream girl, even if I didn’t always realize it. But now you’re making your own dreams happen. The last thing I’d ever want to do is interfere—”
“Shh,” Angela said, placing a finger on his lips. “You should have stopped at ‘dream girl.’” She turned to face him, smiling now. She leaned in to kiss him.
Their lips about to touch, Aseem wanted to resist. “Too… complicated….” But his hand on the nape of her neck said something different.
The light on internet device in the corner of Angela’s room began to flash, and the familiar boop-boop-boop tone demanded attention. Aseem and Angela leaned back and looked at each other with wry smiles: the moment lost, the dilemma seemingly resolved.
“Jackson calling,” announced the device.
“Ms. Garcia? I mean, Angela? I hope I’m not waking you.”
“No worries, Jackson,” Angela said with a sigh. “I was awake.”
“The servers were setting up the breakfast area in the ballroom for the presentation this morning. And, well, there’s a pretty big problem. I thought you’d want to look into it before people start showing up. It looks like some things… have been tampered with. It seems like someone broke into our supply closet, too.”
“OK, I’ll get dressed and head down right now. Will you tell Bea?”
“Yes, I’ll call her next. Do you know if Aseem’s still staying in the casita? There’s a tech issue, too, and he’s not answering the call there.”
“Oh, yes, he’s—um, maybe try his cell?” said Angela, winking at Aseem.
A moment later, Aseem pulled his ringing cell from his hoodie pocket. “Thanks, Jackson, I’ll be down to check it out right away.”
Angela brought a change of clothes into the bathroom and emerged a few minutes later looking miraculously refreshed. Her thick, glossy hair was tied up in a loose bun on top of her head and her face was lightly made up.
She
put the aspirin bottle and a fresh glass of water on the desk for Aseem, who was typing into his phone. “Give me a minute. There’s one problem I can take care of remotely. There, it’s done.” He slugged three aspirin, chasing them with the water. “Thank you. My head started throbbing again once I stood up.”
“I thought it might,” Angela said. “Unfortunately, what you really need is rest. Do you want to freshen up before we head to the ballroom?”
“I think I’ll head back to the casita. That fix I just did bought a few minutes to shower and change. I’ll see you down in the ballroom.”
Chapter 27
“Well that’s not at all what I expected,” laughed Bea.
“Icing on the cake of this horrible project,” Angela said. “On the plus side, I’m almost too tired to try to figure out what screwup of mine led to this disaster.”
The two women stood by the open door of the control room. A black cloth had been tossed over the camera above the door, and its wires had been cut. Inside the room, there was a large, empty space where the big safe previously stood.
“Buck up, girlie!” said Bea. “You can’t blame yourself because there are bad people in the world. Besides, Perry or I should have thought to bolt the safe down. Can’t pin that one on you.”
“I can when you warned me that this stupid event had the smell of scam. You were exactly right. Don’t you suppose this latest unseemly incident fits right in with the sleazy poker, dubious charity, and poisoning of Eddie?”
“Well, when you put it that way,” said Bea, still snickering.
“How can you laugh at a time like this? This was your moment to celebrate your tournament victory, along with the other two winners. Now we have to tell them—somehow—all the money is gone. Two dead, $500,000 missing. I don’t think insurance will even cover any of it. I wonder if we’ll ever be able to get insurance in the future.” Angela covered her eyes with her hands.
“Don’t you worry, girlie. Trust me, this is not ideal, but it’s not going to ruin everything—not by a longshot,” said Bea. “Have you called Officer Lackadaisical?”
“Jackson called McGregor as soon as he saw we’d had a break-in. He was already coming over to collect our evidence for Eddie’s case, anyway.”
“Maybe now he’ll move a little quicker. Is Aseem on his way here?”
As if on cue, Aseem joined them and assessed the damage for himself. He looked at the open control room with wide eyes and a wry smile. “I bet a few people are skipping breakfast.”
“That’ll make it easier to confirm who the crooks are,” laughed Bea. “I just hope it doesn’t take the fizz out of my presentation.”
The main ballroom doors weren’t yet open. Only employees were supposed to have access, to finish preparing for the award breakfast. But Foxy had managed to maneuver his way through, skating in behind the servers who were putting finishing touches on the festive coffee and pastry set-up.
“You’re a little early, Foxtrot,” said Bea. “We’re not starting for another 15 minutes.”
Foxy blew right past her, ignoring her comment. He’d spotted the damaged camera and the open control room door and charged in to have a look.
“Sorry, Bea,” said Pat, hustling into the ballroom after Foxy. “I tried to stop him, but he wasn’t having any of it.” The twins and their glamorous companions followed him into the room.
“What a shock,” said Bea. “Foxy’s sticking his nose in.”
Foxy emerged from the control room with a stern expression. “It’s my job to be nosy.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked like his wallet. He flipped it open and revealed an FBI ID.
The twins’ stunning girlfriends gazed at Foxy. In unison, their slender arms slid slowly off the shoulders of their identical Ken-doll boyfriends, and the beginnings of smiles surfaced on their flawless, blank faces.
“Some chicks just can’t resist a secret agent man,” whined Pat. “Nobody even seems to notice when I whip out my private eye ID.”
“I was kind of hoping you were in on it, Foxy, but at the end of the day, I couldn’t make the pieces fit, especially once you had that tête-à-tête with McGregor beside Billy Ray’s body,” said Bea with a sigh. “Either the two of you had to be cops, or the two of you were crooks. McGregor doesn’t seem like he’s got enough energy to pull off a double life, so I had to guess cop. Sorry, Angela. I hate to admit it, but Foxy is not so bad after all.”
“I’m confused to say the least,” said Angela.
Foxy ignored the women and pulled on a thin latex glove he’d drawn from his pocket. He carefully moved the door of the control room so he could look behind it. He noticed a bit of paper and picked it up with a pair of tweezers, tucking it into a plastic bag he’d also brought with him.
“They got in and out through here,” yelled Aseem from across the expansive room. He’d pulled back the drape on one of the French doors and discovered that the lock had been jammed. “I guess they came back in through the patio after we locked the main ballroom doors for the night and brought the safe out the same way.”
“That safe was awful heavy, though,” said Pat. “Even if a couple of guys were carrying it, still not easy to do quietly.”
“Maybe that explains something weird Jackson told me,” Angela said. “He said it looked like someone had been in the supply closet. The dolly was missing.”
“Don’t touch anything else!” barked Foxy. “It’s all evidence now.” He ran past Aseem out through the patio door. He quickly scanned the area for any clues, then ran back into the ballroom.
“Aseem, I suppose that video camera’s a brick now, right? What about the recording? Is there any way to determine when the safe went missing? I wonder how they got into the control room. No signs of force or damage on the door.”
“He could tell you who took it, Foxy, if you’d just slow down a sec,” Bea said. “We promised to wait for McGregor before presenting our evidence.”
“What? If you have evidence, you get ready to present it now,” said Foxy. “Waiting is not an option.”
“Oh, boy, it’s just like what I’ve heard about you fibbies!” Bea said, rubbing her hands with delight. “Shame you can’t just share credit with locals. Can’t you all just get along?”
“What are you talking about? McGregor knows all about my case. He welcomes my help. Queue up your ‘presentation,’ Bea. I mean it. I need to step out to make a call, but I’ll be back in a minute and expect you to be ready to share what you’ve got.”
Foxy pulled his fancy phone out of his pocket and punched a number as he moved towards the exit. He began barking instructions involving a helicopter, alerts to local police, and calls to area airports. A far cry from the smooth operator of the past three nights, this Foxy was a forceful man of action.
“We’re not cutting our local Officer Friendly out of a big collar,” Bea hollered sweetly after him. “Be patient, and we won’t just tell you who took the safe. Aseem will show you exactly where they are.”
Foxy abruptly disconnected his call, then turned around and walked back to Bea, glowering. He looked down into her eyes as if staring down a vicious street thug, not a 90-pound morsel of a woman he could pick up with one hand.
“Listen, you wily little cardsharp,” said Foxy. “Your cagey routine is all well and fine for the poker table. But we’re talking dangerous felons here. And we’re not on some TV show!”
“Just cool your jets, handsome,” Bea said, stepping back. She wasn’t inclined to mess with law enforcement. In fact, she’d learned years ago that smart gamblers stayed on the right side of the law. But it was hard for her not to be stubborn, since she hated being bossed around more than almost anything.
“Quit fooling around, Bea! If you have information about this case, spill it—now. Otherwise, you’re withholding evidence. And you’re bringing Aseem down with you, too. How’d you both like to end up under arrest?”
Aseem looked panicked and started to respond, but Angela beat
him to it. “So, you’re really FBI, Foxy?” said Angela gently. Foxy rolled his eyes and showed his badge again. “Yes!”
“Bea, I know we promised McGregor, but I think we have to do as Foxy says. What if the culprits get away? It’s not just the money. We’re thinking one of them murdered Eddie, right?”
Bea frowned. “OK, OK. I see your point. Aseem, show him.”
Aseem vaulted up the steps onto the stage beside the control room. He pulled back the garland he’d draped on the gigantic LED screen a few days before and found a remote attached to the back with a bit of Velcro. He tapped the remote. The display started up, and a browser launched.
“I attached a GPS tracker to the safe. When Jackson told me about the break-in, I turned it on. Now we can watch where the safe goes online.” A map appeared on the screen. A blip was moving along the 505 freeway. “Interesting route. Maybe they want to find a country spot where they can bust the safe open. It’s not like they can carry it on an airplane.”
Aseem paused for a minute to text Foxy the URL and the password.
“Good job, Aseem,” said Bea. “Don’t you think he’s awfully clever, Angie? Definitely more than just a pretty face.”
“Of course I know he’s awfully clever, Bea,” said Angela, rolling her eyes. “Why do you think I hired him?”
“Excellent work, Aseem. They’re in for a big surprise,” Foxy said, tapping quickly on his phone, springing into action once more.
“You have no idea,” cracked Bea. “Wait ’til they open the safe!”
“Angela, please tell Jackson I need access to all guest suites. I need to start combing this entire building for evidence. The grounds, too. I’m going to call for some help. And nobody leaves until I say so!”
Foxy rushed out of the ballroom to begin his search, phone to his ear, almost colliding with a sheepish, slightly winded Officer McGregor.