“It’s not.”
“I wish I wasn’t the bank person. I don’t know anything about banking,” Maggie said.
“You should probably do a little internet research tonight; but honestly, all you really need to do is blend in and make friends. Hopefully, someone will say something or do something to expose themselves. Undercover is all about adaptability and thinking on your feet.”
“Are you sure no one from your sister’s bank will recognize you as Joanie’s brother?”
“The only person who might have isn’t going. You’re taking her place.”
“Won’t the other people from Corporate expose us?”
“No one else is going from Corporate,” he said, “but all good questions, Maggie. I think there’s hope for you.”
*
The travel agent was already sitting at a large booth with a laptop and mobile scanner when Mike and Maggie arrived at the Starbucks where the agent had set up. Mike motioned to Maggie, indicating she should slide in, but Maggie shook her head, so Mike took the seat.
“Hey man, how’s it going?” Trevon said half standing. He held his fist out. Mike bumped Trevon’s fist with his fist.
“This is Maggie,” Mike said. “Maggie, this is Trevon.”
“Nice to meet you, Trevon.” Maggie smiled. “I’m going to get coffee. You guys need anything?”
“Nice to meet you too, Maggie, and thanks, I’m good.” Trevon pointed to the drink sitting in front of him.
Mike shook his head.
Maggie ordered herself a venti latte with an extra shot and a Teavana Mango Black Tea for Mike, even though he had said he didn’t want anything. She slid into the booth next to Mike and set the tea in front of him. She held out her coffee, offering him a taste of her drink.
“No, thanks,” he said, “I’m good with the tea.”
“You don’t know what you’re missing,” she said.
Then she noticed Mike’s passport as Trevon handed it back to him. It had his picture but not his name. She leant closer to him. “Are you using an alias?” she whispered.
“Yes, but my first name is still Mike, so don’t worry about it.”
“Should I use an alias?”
“Do you have a different passport?”
“No,” she said, now digging hers out of her purse and handing it to Trevon.
“Well, then use your real name. Just avoid using your last name, and no one can Google you. But honestly, why would they? Everybody will be focused on having a fun vacation, not on who we are.”
Trevon smiled, pretending to ignore their quiet conversation. He continued to spend the next few minutes typing their information into his system. Then he finally sat back on the bench. “All done. I emailed you all your documents. The only thing you need to do now is to check in online as soon as possible. I would suggest you do that even before you leave this spot. Then the only other thing you need to do is print out the luggage tags.”
“Thank you for the quick turnaround,” Mike said.
“You know I would do anything for your family. We’ve been friends for a long time.” Trevon folded his laptop and placed it into his large satchel along with the scanner. He took a long sip from his straw before sliding out of the booth.
“I hate to rush out of here, but I have another appointment at the library, so y’all have a good time on your cruise and call me if you need anything else.”
Mike reached over and exchanged another fist bump with Trevon before he departed. Maggie slipped out of the booth and took the seat across from Mike.
“What’s next?” she asked.
“I guess we better go shopping,” Mike said.
Maggie hadn’t been in a mall for years. She preferred to shop online or at Target, where mothers with baby buggies were less likely to run you down. This mall was quiet but had plenty of brand-name stores. As soon as they walked through the oversized mall doors, they found themselves at the entrance of the Tommy Bahama store.
“Perfect,” Maggie said.
She pulled Mike into the store but released him at the Men’s section while she examined the racks of colorful island-themed dresses, loose-fitting cotton shorts, and flowy tops. Soon she had an armful of appropriate cruise apparel, which she piled on top of the sales counter.
“Would you like to try these on?” the sales clerk asked.
“Nope, I’m good.”
She looked across the store and spotted Mike. He was holding up a shirt. When he noticed her looking his way, he pointed to the shirt. She gave him two thumbs up. The blue would match the color of his eyes perfectly, she thought.
When the sales clerk completed the transactions, Maggie had two large bags full of clothes.
“Good job, Maggie,” Mike said as he came up to the counter. “That was the fastest shopping trip in history…especially with a woman,” he added, lowering his voice as if he was speaking to an invisible friend.
“What was that?” Maggie asked, narrowing her eyes but smiling.
“You didn’t try anything on,” Mike said, placing the shirt he had been looking at on the counter. He handed his credit card to the sales clerk.
“I’ll try it all on later at the hotel.”
“So, we’re set?”
“Almost,” Maggie said. “I need something for formal night. I promise not to take too long.”
“Not a problem. If you want, I can take all this stuff to the car. I have a few phone calls to make, so I’ll wait for you there.”
“Perfect.”
As she wandered through the mall after Mike returned to the car, Maggie spotted an Anne Klein. She hurried into the store and went straight to the center racks. She picked out three dresses and tried them all on, but in the end she chose the first one she had tried on. It fit her perfectly.
Happy with her purchase, she smiled as she slid into Mike’s car. He was talking to some of his clients using the car’s Bluetooth, so Maggie was able to hear both sides of the conversation. It appeared that former Detective Mike Marker did more than find lost dogs, after all. He was conducting research for a defense attorney regarding a domestic issue in Rowan County and searching for a lost relative due an inheritance for a client in Georgia.
When Mike finally disconnected the call, he announced, “Calendar cleared.”
“So, you do work for a living….”
“Yeah, I get by. There’s one more issue I need to deal with before we go.”
“What’s that?”
“My daughter.”
“Do you want to drop me off at the hotel?” Maggie asked.
Mike smiled. “No, I might need the backup.”
No problem, Maggie thought. I’m great with kids.
A short while later Mike pulled into his driveway and parked next to Maggie’s SUV. He helped her load her purchases into the back of her car.
“Thanks,” she said.
Before Maggie could get her driver’s side door open, the back door of Mike’s house flew open, and an enraged teenage girl appeared, her arms folded angrily across her chest. She quickly approached Mike then stood inches from her father’s face.
“I am not staying at Aunt Joanie’s.”
“Yes, you are,” Mike said calmly. “You’re not old enough to stay by yourself. Plus, we need you to help with Joanie’s kids.”
Zoey backed off a bit, relaxing her shoulders. “Am I getting paid?”
Mike nodded. “I think we can arrange some compensation.”
Zoey smiled. “Okay, but you have to add unlimited data on my phone.”
“You can hook up to the internet. You don’t need unlimited data.”
“Fine, whatever.”
Zoey gave up, having already known the answer.
Mike said: “Zoey, I’d like you to meet Maggie McFarlin, from Palm Beach.”
Maggie held a hand out. “Hi, Zoey.”
Mike’s daughter brushed past her and disappeared through the back door.
Mike shrugged his shoulders. “Tee
nagers.”
“I know she’s been through a lot with her mom and all. I can understand.”
“Unfortunately, she was the same way before her mom died. They are a lot more alike than I wish, but hopefully she’ll grow out of it. She’s a bright girl, maybe even Ivy League. At least that’s the track she’s headed on.”
“Well, that’s awesome,” Maggie said.
A loud voice came from behind the screen door: “Dad, there is nothing to eat in this house.”
“I have to go pack anyway,” Maggie said, opening her car door.
“You sure?” Mike said. “I can order in for dinner?”
“No, I’m good. It’s been a long day, and it looks like you have your hands full.”
Maggie smiled and climbed into her car as Mike held the door.
“Okay, I understand,” he said, smiling. “The car will be here at seven tomorrow morning to take us to the airport.”
“See you then,” Maggie said, waving goodbye as she backed out of the driveway. In truth, she was glad to be leaving the uncomfortable situation.
Sunday
Chapter 4
Embarkation
At seven o’clock sharp, Maggie arrived at Mike’s house with a large, freshly packed suitcase and a smaller carry-on. Most of her traveling clothes had been replaced with the new purchases from the day before. The old garments were now stuffed in grocery bags in the back seat of her car.
The driver of the transport Joanie had hired was out of the vehicle as soon as Maggie pulled up. He took her large suitcase and disappeared at the back of the van. Maggie took the very back seat, careful not to spill the venti latte she had purchased on her way from the hotel.
Mike appeared from the back door, looking fresh. His hair was damp, apparently from his morning shower. He smiled wide as soon as he saw her then took the seat in the back next to her.
“Good morning,” he said, fishing out a folded piece of paper and handing it to her.
“Good morning,” Maggie said, unfolding the paper.
“Your luggage tags and airline ticket.”
Maggie noted the seat number on the ticket. She shook her head then folded the ticket in half and stuck it in her pocket. The van door opened again, and Joanie climbed in. She took the window seat directly in front of Mike, leaving the two center seats and the front passenger seat free.
She turned to face Maggie and Mike. “Before we pick up the rest of the group, let me give you a little bit of a rundown,” Joanie said.
Mike took his small spiral flipbook out of his front pocket, ready to take notes.
“John Haas is the head of security. He’s been with the bank for over fifteen years and at my branch for the last five. Bank security is his second career. He was military police or special forces…something like that.
“What branch?” Mike asked.
“Marines, maybe? I’m not sure, but honestly, what does it matter?”
“It matters to a marine. If you remember, I was a military police officer in the marines,” Mike said, narrowing his eyes.
“Seriously, Michael, I don’t know his military service history. Maybe you can figure it out. You’re the detective.”
“Okay, Joanie,” Mike said, shaking his head. “Please continue.”
“David Sanchez is our I-T guy—and honestly, he’s a technological genius. He came to us right out of college and has been with the bank for over ten years. David splits his time between all the branches in Rowan County but works from home most of the time. He only comes in when we need to install new equipment or a specific problem at the office.
“I’m surprised he gets to go on the cruise,” Maggie said.
“He had the highest internal customer service scores. I thought it was a great idea.”
“Do you think he could be a suspect?” Maggie asked.
“I don’t know. As the only technology guy, he certainly has access, the ability to pull it off…and he was at the branch on Friday when Aunt Millie came in.”
“Why was he there that day?” Mike asked.
“He was setting up the security protocols for the new teller.”
“Interesting. Who else?” Mike asked as he was making notes.
“Kimberly Carson is our head teller and has only been with the company for six months. She was working at one of the big banks in town that closed their storefront. Like a lot of the other big banks, they’re now only doing business online. Kimberly was the one who hired the new teller.
“Our clientele are mostly local people,” Joanie continued. “Like our family, they’ve been here for generations. They are old school and want to come into the branch to do their business face to face. They don’t trust their money in cyberspace. Which is why we won the cruise. Not only did we beat our revenue growth goals, we did it with the highest customer service scores of any of our branches. We scored a ten out of ten. The branch in Faith only has an eight out of ten.”
“So how long have you been at the bank, Joanie?” Maggie asked.
“Twenty-one years. I started working as a nighttime janitor while I went to Catawba College. As soon as I graduated, I worked as a teller at one of the branches, was promoted to head of marketing at Corporate, and finally became the branch manager in Salisbury five years ago.”
“She’s worked very hard to get to this point,” Mike said proudly of his little sister.
“It’s been a challenge, but I’ve loved every bit of it. This is the first time I’ve been worried about my job. I feel helpless. I feel responsible. We have to figure this out not only for Aunt Millie’s sake but for the bank’s sake—and my reputation.”
The van slowed as the driver turned into the bank parking lot.
“That’s David and Kimberly, over there.” Joanie pointed to the far corner, where two people stood outside their cars, waiting next to their bags.
The driver pulled up and quickly loaded the bags. Kimberly and David took their seats in front of Joanie.
“Where’s John?” Joanie asked.
“I didn’t realize I was in charge of John,” Kimberly said, not bothering to turn around. David just shrugged his shoulders.
“Can we just give it a few minutes?” Joanie called up to the driver. He nodded his head.
“Kimberly, David…this is Mike and Maggie,” Joanie announced.
Kimberly didn’t turn but waved behind her head.
David turned around. “Hey, guys.”
Joanie typed a text and called John, leaving a message. Fifteen minutes later, with no response to either, she instructed the driver to go ahead and take them to the airport.
As soon as they arrived at Charlotte International, Maggie headed for the customer service desk. Mike looked confused but waited for Maggie as the rest of the group checked in using the kiosks. Maggie soon came back and handed him a ticket.
“Here,” she smiled.
He looked down. “I don’t understand?”
“I upgraded us.”
“It’s only a two-and-a-half-hour flight, Maggie.”
“Let’s go to the first class lounge,” she said, holding up the thin boarding pass.
“We don’t have time.” Mike pointed to the large black screen that displayed departures, “We board in twenty minutes.”
“Hey guys,” Joanie said, “John’s still not here.”
“Maybe he took the money and ran,” Maggie said in a low tone that only Mike and Joanie could hear.
“I honestly don’t think so, but, strangely, he hasn’t even texted me.”
“He is your head of security, right?” Mike asked.
“Yes, he is. I tried calling him several times, but it keeps going to voicemail.”
“You said he used to be a marine, right?”
“Yeah…?” She looked at Mike, confused; then her face changed in realization. “Awe, now I get it…Improvise. Adapt. Overcome.”
“So you do remember, little sister,” Mike said.
“How can I forget when you take every
opportunity to remind me.” Mike attempted to put his hand on her head, but she swatted it away before she stomped off.
“You marines do stick together,” Maggie said.
“Once a marine, always a marine.”
Mike smiled wide, melting Maggie until she shook it off.
“Let’s go, we have a plane to catch,” he said. “There’s nothing we can do now. If he doesn’t show up, we fly without him.”
As soon as they were in the seats, Maggie had a glass of wine in her hand, and Mike was thumbing through the seat pocket magazine.
Maggie pointed across the aisle. “Remember those seats?” she asked, taking a sip of her wine.
“Of course I do,” Mike said, smiling. “I traded seats to sit next to you flying from Fort Lauderdale to Charlotte.”
“I was going to Seattle, and you were visiting your daughter. It seems like such a long time ago. Was you being on that flight truly just a coincidence, or were you investigating me?”
“It was a coincidence, but a good detective never passes up a chance to interrogate a subject. Put that in your private eye toolbox.”
Maggie sat up straight. “Was I a suspect?”
“Not really, but your friends were.”
“Really? Good thing they were innocent.”
Mike cocked his head and raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, I’m still not so sure about that.”
“So, how is Zoey this morning?” Maggie asked, changing the subject.
“Doing pretty good. I think she likes hanging out with her cousins. She’s a good kid, but as I said, her attitude could use some improvement. I’m trying to be an understanding father…I’ve cut her a lot of slack since her mom died. I’m not sure if I told you about the accident. It wasn’t her mother’s fault, but her blood alcohol level was above the legal limit, so that became an issue, and it was printed in the papers. You know how kids at school are, she’s had to endure some unwarranted ridicule.”
“Poor girl,” Maggie said, “Those teenage years are tough. I wouldn’t go back.”
“My sister has been a huge help. Zoey tells her everything.”
“Do you miss being a detective in Palm Beach?”
“Sometimes. But I’m happy to be close to my family, Aunt Millie, my sister, and my daughter.”
Undercover Cruise (A Maggie McFarlin Mystery Book 2) Page 3
