I suppose it sounds a little cloak and dagger now, but the next morning I got the brilliant idea that we should wear disguises again. Remembering the crusty old security guard, I was afraid if he drove by and spotted us anywhere near her house, that jerk might report us as suspicious characters.
Kate and Cami had a good laugh when I produced the two wigs they had worn during our undercover caper. As for me, I tied a scarf around my head in the style of some of the famous Jackie Kennedy photos and wore a big pair of sunglasses like hers.
We left ourselves lots of time to make sure we would be in place before the FBI team arrived.
During a leisurely stroll toward Julia’s house, we acted as though we belonged in the neighborhood. Avarice-2 was obviously expected, because the gate was open. So far everything was going according to plan, except our timing. We had arrived way too early. It did seem a bit strange to me that Julia’s car was parked at a slight angle in the drive right in front of the house, but I figured maybe she didn’t want to bother putting it in the garage.
We darted behind the tall blooming bushes laden with magnificent hot pink and purple flowers and prepared to wait. I didn’t give her car another thought. But then the front door opened and Julia rushed out.
She aimed her remote at the trunk lid which popped open. Dragging a large wheeled suitcase from the porch to the car, she pushed down the handle and hefted it into the trunk. After stopping to take a few deep breaths, she turned and dashed back into the house. When she came out again she had another suitcase. Matt followed balancing a carton on his shoulder. The pair went back into the house, leaving the trunk lid open.
Kate whispered, “I think they’re taking off and it’s too early for Griswold!”
This couldn’t be happening. We weren’t supposed to get involved. I glanced at my watch. Only 2:30. I pulled out my cell phone to call Griswold. If he was anywhere in the vicinity and could arrive early it would short-circuit anything Kate and Cami might be tempted to do. Damn. The screen was dark. In all the excitement I’d forgotten to charge it and the battery was dead. I shoved it back in my purse.
Cami breathed, “We must have really scared them. If we wait for Griswold, they’ll get away. Kate, are you in?”
Before I could stop them, my friends charged toward the house at a run. Afraid or not, I had to stop them. They had quite a lead, and my feet felt like iron weights as I sprinted toward the house far behind them.”
This is probably a good time to mention that physical combat has always been against my religion—I’m a devout coward. Even if my life depended upon it, I’m not sure I could punch someone. I have this vision of my arm immobilized in midair, caught in a vise created by my own traumatized mind. Besides, I had no idea what help I could possibly be. I just knew even if I couldn’t stop them, I had to do something.
I was still pretty far behind when Cami pounded on the fancy door while Kate leaned on the bell. Julia finally answered shouting, “God damn it. Who…” The shock on her face was almost worth the tap dance my heart was doing when she realized who they were despite the wigs. She took one step back just as Cami delivered some kind of knee kick right to Julia’s abdomen. The force of the kick reeled Julia back into the foyer.
With the door still open, I watched in fascination as Julia teetered back and forth in what looked like a goofy dance. She finally lost her balance and crashed to the marble floor with a solid thunk, her head hitting the floor. By the time I stepped into the foyer, Cami straddled the dazed woman, pinning her down. She looked so petite atop that hefty body, I almost wanted to laugh. Julia’s limp body reminded me of a beached whale, except for the arms and legs which were askew similar to a big rag doll.
Cami got to her feet and shrugged like it was nothing. “Guess you could say I punched her lights out.”
Meanwhile Kate had chased Matt into the living room. She wasn’t kidding about being a lethal weapon. By the time we reached them, he was trying to back away while shielding himself from her attack by raising his hands in front of his face. She knocked his hands aside and pressed her thumbs into the sides of Matt’s neck just below his ears. His eyebrows shot up, his mouth went slack and he toppled over, out cold. She stepped away and said, “Where’s Julia?”
“In dreamland on the foyer floor.”
“That’ll show them. Kimberly, do you have any idea where we can find something to tie these two up in a neat package? They won’t be out forever.”
I looked at my watch again. “It’s a quarter to three. Griswold and his team should be here soon.” In my mind’s eye I flashed on rolls of duct tape in one of the kitchen cabinets. At the party, Julia had asked me to get something, I don’t remember what, but I clearly remembered opening the wrong cabinet door and gaping at what must have been twenty rolls of gray duct tape.
“I’ll be back in a minute. I know just the thing.”
With a few of the rolls in hand and a knife to cut it in lengths, I called to Cami to come to the kitchen and grab a couple of the kitchen chairs. Kate smiled when she saw the tape. “Perfect.”
Cami pulled in two chairs and we managed to get one limp body up on each one.
Kate pulled some tape from one roll and cut it with the knife. She wrapped Matt’s legs to the chair with several strips. When his legs were secured from ankles to knees, she continued to wrap more tape around his arms, body, and the back of the chair. His eyelids fluttered and he said, “Look, you have to listen to me. I am…”
Kate slapped the length of duct tape in her hand across his mouth. He made mmmfff sounds trying to talk, and she hissed, “Can it Matt. Your game is over.”
Next, Kate and Cami taped the still unconscious Julia in the same way we’d trussed up Matt. She let out light moans, but she was still under. There wasn’t quite enough tape, so I ducked back into the kitchen to get more.
I was about to go back to the living room when I heard a sound from the open door to the foyer that could best be described as a bellow. “Julia? Matt? What the hell is going on here? Don’t think you’re skipping out on me! I saw what’s in your trunk.”
Lena? What the hell was she doing here? Then it hit me right between the eyes. Lena had to be the mysterious Ghost and had just arrived for the meeting.
I shrunk back into the kitchen, and grabbed a knife from the holder on the granite counter. A big, lethal-looking butcher knife this time.
Lena’s angry footsteps echoed on the marble floor as she stomped toward the living room. “Double cross me and I’ll squash you two like bugs. I’ll—“
Her voice cut off. Right about then she must have seen her two trussed up accomplices. The next sound was Kate and Cami screaming. Why would they be screaming? They were able to handle Julia and Matt, so surely working together they could take Lena.”
Clutching the knife, I inched out into the hall and looked into the living room. Lena’s back was to me. She stood with her feet spread apart, both hands gripping what I could only assume to be a gun. I’d been so quiet, she had no idea I was there, but Kate and Cami could see me. Kate’s eyebrows scrunched and Cami’s eyes got wide as I put my finger to my lips. I guess in the heat of the moment, Lena hadn’t even noticed either of their reactions. I held my breath, but she didn’t turn toward me. Instead she growled, “You idiots keep your hands up. If you make a move, I’ll shoot you. If you think I won’t—just try something,”
My mind raced. What could I do? She had a gun and I only had a big knife and trembling hands. Fear draped itself around me. Then from nowhere, I got this surge of adrenaline. I’ve heard it said adrenaline accounts for amazing feats—like the ones that make a mouse feel like a lion.
I crept toward Lena, making myself believe she wouldn’t realize I was there. Was that a stupid move? You bet, and something I would never have done under normal circumstances. But who said this was normal? I’m pretty tall, so I was able to wrap my arm around her from the back and rest the knife along the side of her neck. I kept praying I didn’t penetrate the skin because I can’t stand the sight of blood.
I managed to summon the baddest ass voice I could and snarled into her ear, “Okay, Shithead, drop the gun or you’re dead. If that gun doesn’t hit the floor right now, you don’t know the pleasure it would give me to slit your throat!
My knees felt rubbery and I think I was on the brink of hyperventilating big time at that point, but I fought to keep the menace in my voice. I could hardly draw an even breath as the gun dropped from her hands. Then everything moved into fast motion.
I unwrapped my arm and backed away when Kate and Cami rushed at her and attacked from opposite sides.
A chair. We needed another chair. I ran into the kitchen and grabbed one. I set it next to the others right about the time Lena hit the floor. The three of us hefted her onto the seat.
I taped her legs as Kate took another roll and taped her upper torso. We were just putting on the finishing touches when a red-faced, very angry Agent Griswold and four other agents blasted in through the open door.
They stopped short, staring at our three duct taped mummies. “What the…?”
Cami looked at a silver clock on the fireplace mantle. The big hand was on 12:00, the little hand on 3:00. She struck a seductive pose, batted her long lashes and said, “Right on time Agent Griswold.”
He sputtered, “God damn it. I told you to stay out of this. I’m going to arrest you three. I’m going to…”
I’d had it. The ungrateful jerk. Sure we were supposed to stay out of it, but we had saved the day, just like Mighty Mouse. I definitely meant to sound bitchy when I said, “Not even a thank you? They’re all wrapped up for you, Agent Griswold. All you have to do it take them away. We were only going to watch from afar, but if we had, they would have gotten away. Julia and Matt were going to leave Lena, or should I call her Ghost, holding the bag.”
He sneered at me. “And that would have happened because…”
“Because they were going to double cross Lena and take off around, oh, I guess it was 2:30. We only planned to hide in those rhododendron bushes by the gate so we could watch. But when it was obvious they were flying the coop, we had to stop them.” I couldn’t help but notice the grins on my friends’ faces.
By now Julia had come ’round. Lena was conscious, too, and swearing up a storm. Matt was trying to say something despite the duct tape, but he could only manage grunts.
Griswold kept staring at the taped trio, shaking his head in disbelief. He tried to stifle a laugh and when he could hold his laughter no longer, he lambasted us. “Well, I’ll be damned! You got lucky, you know. What if you’d gotten yourselves killed?” He bent down and picked up the gun. “Looks like they were playing for keeps. If you ever try anything this stupid again, I promise, I will arrest you. How in the Hell did you get all three of them?”
Cami made her voice teasing and draped her arm around Kate’s shoulders. “We’re black belts. Comes in handy.”
Two agents set about freeing Julia, Matt and Lena from their chairs by slowly cutting, then pulling the tape. Once their arms were cut free, another agent used those plastic handcuff thingies to secure their wrists. Julia’s big gulping sounds filled the room, and her face was covered with red blotches.
When an agent pulled the tape from Matt’s mouth, he immediately let loose with a litany, cursing the agent for pulling part of his mustache with it and insisted someone had to listen to him. The agent paid no attention, but continued to pull off row after row of the tape. Bits of it stuck to Matt’s silk shirt. He cringed every time a ripping sound signaled that another chunk of silk was being torn off with the tape. Freed from the chair, Matt staggered to his feet muttering, “Damn it. You guys will be in hot water. I demand that you listen to what I have to say. And look what you’ve done to my Gucci shirt. It’s ruined.”
Griswold gave Matt an indulgent smile and said, “You know what, Big Shot? That’s what they all say. You’ll have a chance to have your say, but not right now. By the way, don’t sweat it. I suspect they won’t be wearing Gucci where you’re going.”