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Tuesday morning Harry and CJ held a meeting. They made Sady go over every detail she could remember from the previous night. Amanda took notes, made copies, and passed them around.
"Well, here's what we know. This guy thinks Sady has something that belongs to him, and it has to be small enough to fit into her purse," Harry said.
"And he must believe she got it over the weekend, otherwise why ask about her bag?" CJ mused. "What did you do this weekend, Sady?"
"I went shopping Saturday. Sunday I went with you to the Keller's," Sady replied after thinking about it for a few minutes. "That's it, unless you want to hear about my laundry."
"Were you washing lingerie?" Matt teased. "If so, I'd like to hear..."
"It's those packets," Amanda yelled. Matt glared at her for interrupting, but CJ told her to continue. "Remember when she gave me those packages of stuff she picked up from the road? Other than her hat that's the only thing she brought home."
Harry scanned the information they had available. "That would explain why he dumped Sady's purse and searched it last night. The question is what's in those packets? Where are they, Amanda?"
Amanda sighed. "Can you believe I put them in a mailer and sent them to Pops this morning? I worried something was wrong with the sauce and that it should be recalled. He won't get that envelope until tomorrow at the soonest."
"How did the package feel, Amanda? What made you think something was wrong?" CJ asked.
"They felt like they were full of little rocks. Normally, the lumps are soft."
"Well, until we find out what they contain, we'll have to keep an eye on Sady," CJ said.
Harry asked Amanda, "Is there any way you can get that package from your dad tomorrow, so we can have the contents checked?"
Amanda grinned. "Field trip," she announced. "And a slumber party for me and Sady. She'll be safe there. Anyone else want to come? How about it, Stubbles?"
He laughed and said, "Sady might be safe, but that doesn't mean anyone else will be. I don't think I'd survive the night. Besides, there's something in the water that does strange things to people. Make sure you only drink bottled water, Sady. It's already too late for Amanda." He ignored the look Amanda sent his way.
"Okay, it's a plan," CJ smiled. "Sady, Matt will take you home after work so you can grab what you'll need for the night. Then Amanda will drive you to her parents. Tomorrow, you'll bring the package back here."
"What about Justin?" Sady asked. "Is he going to get towed if I leave him there another night?"
"If there's any justice in the universe it will disappear without a trace," Matt muttered.
"It's a private lot and we pay for parking, so there shouldn't be any problem," Harry assured her. "Now, about today. We have two surveillance jobs, but I don't think Sady should be alone in the office with Amanda- just in case. Matt, you take Amanda on one of the jobs, and either CJ or I will take the other."
"Wait a minute," Matt protested. "It's not safe for Sady to be alone with Amanda, but it's safe for me? How do you figure?"
"Shut up, Stubbles, and let's get going. I'm gonna go to the powder room and make sure I look good for my first surveillance job," Amanda said. "Finally, I'm getting some field training. I thought I was gonna be stuck behind that desk forever. Now I get to see some action!"
Matt looked at the others. "Isn't sitting behind the desk her job? Not that she does it particularly well, but I didn't sign on for field training. Can't you call one of those dog trainer people to give her lessons?"
"Just for that you're driving that newish truck of yours and I'm taking a cooler full of food." Amanda hadn't left the room and Matt turned with a glare. She continued, "Now what about ladies' room facilities? I don't do gas stations or roadside self-serve, so don't even think about setting me in a pile of weeds. That's how you end up with poison ivy."
"I don't think you need to worry about 'ladies' anything," Matt grumbled. "And as far as the poison ivy- I think it would come out the loser. Ouch!"
Amanda had his ear. "Anything else you wanna get out of your system before you say goodbye to everyone, for possibly the last time?"
"Yeah- Harry, you owe me!" Matt pulled away from Amanda and stomped out of the conference room. "Hurry up, Amanda. Or I'll leave you behind!"
Amanda grinned. "He's as much fun as Uncle Sam! I'm gonna have a good day." She sauntered out of the room at a deliberately slow pace.
"I'm glad someone is happy," CJ laughed. "Let's make that two, because you drew the short straw, Harry. I'm not sitting in this office all day when you're here to do it for me. Sorry, Sady, but that's the way it is. And Harry doesn't mind, do you?"
"Would it make a difference?" he teased. She shook her head and waltzed out the door, leaving Sady and Harry at the office for the day.
By noon Matt brought Amanda back to the office. He threatened to quit if anyone complained. Sady put her hand over Amanda's mouth and gave Matt a big grin. He snarled before he stormed out, slamming the back door.
"What happened?" Sady asked. Harry shook his head and ran to his office before he heard the details.
"Is it my fault the girl at the coffee place doesn't know how to take an order? I never drink my coffee right away because it's too hot. Stubbles was steamed because I didn't find out until we got to the job that they made my coffee wrong. And you know how I am without my second cup of morning coffee, so we had to drive back to get the right one. Another thing- why didn't he tell me not to order the 'Mountain-O-Beans' size? After all the stakeouts he's done he should have told me to get a small one. But no, he let me order the biggest size then had the nerve to complain when I had to go. I already warned him I don't do gas stations. I thought he understood that includes party stores. Now libraries have nice clean bathrooms, so I made him find one. And since I was already there, and it was gonna be a long day of waiting I decided to check out a book to read. Can you believe he got mad about that too? I bet he was born screaming. Remind me to ask him about that later."
"Is that all?" Sady asked, biting back a smile.
"No. I asked him to stop for a bag of 'Onion-Oh-Oh's' and a can of 'Swizzle Cheese,' and he refused. Things went downhill from that point. I'm never taking him with me on a stakeout again. It's a wonder he can even do his job. The man has no patience," Amanda complained.
Matt was in a much better mood when he drove Sady to their apartment building at the end of the day. Amanda wasn't. She was on her cell phone before Sady had unlocked the door to her apartment. "You and Stubbles need to get down here now. And call Harry while I go kill the security guard."
Matt looked at Sady and sighed. He'd overheard the conversation, so they got back on the elevator and made it to the main floor in time to prevent Amanda from throttling the guard on duty. Matt peeled her off while the guard straightened his tie and defended himself. "I didn't let anyone into her place, honest!"
Matt, Sady, and a muttering Amanda went to her apartment, only to see it had been tossed. Matt checked the windows and found one that had been used for entry. "Amanda, you owe that security guard an apology. You left one of your windows cracked. All your intruder had to do was remove the screen and lift the window. It wasn't the guard's fault."
"Well, I was traumatized, and it was a logical conclusion," she sniffed. "Where's Handsome? I need some sympathy, and you're not it," she told Matt.
When the Knights arrived CJ laughed at the pained look on Harry's face when Amanda grabbed his arm and wouldn't let go. They filed another police report, but since nothing was stolen, it was more of a formality. Harry looked resigned when CJ announced another change in plans. Sady and Amanda were spending the night with them, and she would have Tim Archer pick up the packets from Amanda's father. All Sady really knew about Tim Archer was that he worked for a government law enforcement agency. No one ever told her which one.
"I don't think you two should be on your own, especially since this guy knows you were together this past weekend. Ladies, pack an overnight bag. Matt, you might as well join us for supper and maybe we can make sense of this," CJ added.
"Fine, but you're taking Amanda in your vehicle," Matt replied.
CJ nodded with a grin, and Harry hissed, "You'll pay for this, Candy Jane."
Matt took Sady to her apartment, only to find it ransacked as well. Once the intruder made it into the building through Amanda's apartment, he used the opportunity to search Sady's too. The difference this time was a note and a burner cell phone on the table. The note said, 'I'll call with details for the meeting.' Matt bagged the note and the phone, and took them to the Knight's.
"No fingerprints, no surprise," Harry announced after he'd checked the items. "I guess there's not much to do until we get those packets. Sady, if he calls and wants a meeting before tomorrow evening you'll have to stall him. I suspect either drugs or gems in those pouches, but we won't know until Arch arrives with them. Just act like you know what's in them. Hopefully, he'll buy it."
Sady grinned. "I'll use the old standby for stalling if necessary."
Harry held up his hand and said, "You don't need to give us details. We already know how well you can sell anything." Sady grinned with delight.
It wasn't until after supper that she got the call, and she waved for everyone to keep quiet. "Who is this?" she asked.
"None of your business. All that really matters is you have something that belongs to me, and I want it back."
"I'm willing to part with it, for a small finder's fee, of course," she replied.
"You're not collecting any fee on my merchandise."
"Okay. Let me know when you change your mind." Sady disconnected. Less than a half hour later she got another phone call. "Talk," was all she said by way of greeting.
"Meet me at the Wienie Chuck Wagon that's set up in the Big Fun Park, Friday at noon," he told her.
Sady said. "I want 30% of the value. And I know the value."
"10% or no deal," he countered.
"Goodbye," Sady replied.
"Wait, wait, don't hang up! How about 15%?" he offered.
"Make it twenty and you've go a deal," Sady said. He muttered some unflattering things and called her a few names, but agreed to the terms.
"When you get there, order the special with extra hot sauce," she responded. "And if you don't show I'll take it to another buyer," she threatened. She disconnected before he could call her more names.
"I guess that means you're working for my Pops on Friday," Amanda said. Matt laughed and wished Sady good luck.
Although Sady and Amanda planned to share the Knight's guest room, Sady ended up sleeping on the couch. She was restless, nervous, and couldn't seem to settle down. She didn't even hear Harry when he came down to start breakfast. It wasn't until she heard Matt and Harry talking that she realized where she was. They were looking at her from the kitchen, so she rubbed her head as she sat up, her hair a mess and sticking out at all angles. She smiled at the men and offered to help make coffee.
"CJ has coffee duty this morning," Harry said with a smile, when CJ stumbled past him. "Why are you down here, Sady?"
"I don't blame you," Matt said when he saw Sady. He dropped down near her on the couch. "It's a wonder this place still has a roof."
"I heard that, Blue Eyes, and I don't appreciate the implication," Amanda said from the bottom of the stairs. "I expect an apology for your unkind remarks."
"Nothing was implied. And the remark was based on fact," he snorted. Amanda moved onto the couch and wedged herself between Matt and Sady.
Amanda grabbed Matt's shirt front and twisted it. "If word about my occasional bronchial distress gets spread around, I'll know who to blame. And if you were a gentleman, you wouldn't make fun of my serious health issues," she said with a sniff.
From the kitchen doorway CJ said, "You'd better apologize, Matt, or you'll be on your own."
When Matt tried to get off the couch Amanda pulled him back with a yank. "I don't think CJ was clear. You can have breakfast after you apologize." Sady was giggling as she stood.
"You heard the lady," Harry said. "Hurry up, because the food is getting cold. If you don't say you're sorry I'm going to give you clean up duty as well."
Matt turned to Harry with an incredulous look. "She was blowing like a jumbo jet revving up for takeoff. I thought maybe it was an earthquake at first. How could you have slept through that? Even I heard it when I came in this morning, and I wasn't on the same floor!"
Harry smiled and Amanda narrowed her eyes at Matt. "Harry's a gentleman, Blue Eyes. He understands a person might have respiratory spasms after a traumatic experience." She tapped her foot and crossed her arms. CJ cleared her throat loudly and Matt apologized.
"I'm sorry that you snore so loud, Amanda."
"You need to work on that," Amanda reprimanded him. "It didn't sound very sincere to me."
"Tough. You asked for it, and you got it. Manner wasn't specified. Now, will you please let me up so we can get the day started? Arch won't be happy if he shows up at the office and it's closed because we're all waiting on you," he replied.
"Ooh, I forgot Mr. Dash was coming to town," Amanda said, popping up from the couch and running to the kitchen. "Hurry up, I have to make myself beautiful before I get to the office."
"Amanda and beautiful just doesn't work for me. Amanda getting beautiful in a hurry- now we've crossed over to science fiction," Matt retorted.
"Aw, it's a good thing for you she's already in the kitchen," Sady scolded. "Shame on you! Amanda's beautiful and you know it."
"So does she," Matt answered. "I'm just helping to keep her ego from over-inflating. See, I can be a gentleman," he grinned.
"You'd better keep up the pretense, at least until you're out of reach," she warned.