“How have I got the advantage?”
“Women are less skittish about being bumped into by a woman, and if a man feels your hand going for his back pocket, you can always flirt. I’ll go first. Watch me.”
Roy slid out of the booth. He weaved through the crowd along the bar, noting couples and groups, tight places between them, open handbags, and bulges in jacket pockets. He pushed through the door to the men’s room, ignored the line, and washed his hands. As he came out of the men’s room, he fell in step behind a curvy blonde carrying a large bag on a shoulder strap. The bag was open. As she shifted to move around two men, he brushed by her on the other side, “Excuse me, honey,” palmed her wallet, and slipped it into his sports coat pocket.
He sat back down in the booth, flashed the wallet at Carol, and slipped it back into his pocket. “Now I’m going to give it back.”
“Why?”
“If she notices it’s gone and makes a fuss, you won’t get your chance.”
He made his way up into the crowd at the bar, where he found the blonde talking with two girlfriends. He bent down and came up with the wallet in his hand. “Excuse me,” he said. “I think you dropped this.”
The blonde looked at him, looked at the wallet, and shoved her hand into her bag. “My gosh. It is mine.”
“If you could check inside, show me a picture ID, just to be sure—”
She flipped out her driver’s license.
“That’s not a bad likeness for the DMV.”
She put her license back in her wallet and shoved her wallet down into her bag. “Thanks so much.”
“Don’t mention it.”
He made his way back to the booth. “Now it’s your turn. Remember, you’re not trying to attract attention to yourself. If you get caught in the act, revert to what you know. Guys are putty in your hands. If things go bad, break off as quickly as you can and go outside.”
“Why?”
“You want to avoid a scene. People have to rubberneck. Then someone remembers what you look like. That’s bad for us. So if there’s trouble, go outside. I’ll come to you.”
She started to slide out of the booth. He pointed toward her throat. “Unbutton the top button. It’s happy hour.”
She walked up to the edge of the crowd by the bar and leaned against a pillar. How to decide? The crush by the servers’ station seemed best. There appeared to be two groups there: a man and a woman closest to the servers’ station, and three men next to them who appeared to be drunk. When one of the servers wasn’t there, they expanded into her station. When a server showed up, they bunched up out of her way, the men pushing together as the woman moved over. The sweet spot would be to take the guy’s wallet as the woman pushed against him. She looked for the servers out among the tables. A woman was approaching with a tray of dirty glasses. She crossed in front of Carol. Carol stepped into her wake.
Just as the couple pulled away from the servers’ station, Carol pushed in on the other side of the guy they were pushing into. It was like everything was happening in slow motion. His hips shifted. She got her thumb and two fingers on his wallet. She palmed it and slipped it into the pocket on her dress. Then she stuck up her hand for the bartender. Her heart was pounding like crazy.
“Just a second,” the bartender said.
The guy she’d pickpocketed looked down at her. “Hey, gorgeous. Where did you come from?”
She gave him a dismissive look.
“How about if I buy you a drink?”
His two friends on the other side of her chimed in. “You by yourself?” one said.
“You shouldn’t drink alone,” the other one said.
“I’m buying my own drinks.”
“Don’t be like that.” The guy put his hand on her shoulder.
“Take your hand off me.”
“Whoa, no disrespect.” He held his hands up. His friends sniggered.
She turned and walked away as if she were in a huff. When she was clear of the bar crowd, she crossed back to the booth.
“How did it feel?” Roy asked.
“A little shaky at first, but then I fell into character.”
“What did I tell you? Easy as pie. How much did you get?”
She opened the wallet. “About sixty bucks and a credit card,” she said without looking up.
“Do you like coming here?”
“Yeah, sure.”
“Do you want to make it our regular place for while we’re in town?”
She shrugged.
He smiled. “Then you have to give the wallet back.”
“With the money?”
He nodded.
“That guy was an asshole.”
“Doesn’t matter. Never work where you play. It’ll always come back to bite you.”
“I don’t want to talk to that guy again.”
“Find another way.”
She scooted out of the booth and walked back to the pillar at the edge of the bar crowd. A server was waiting at the servers’ station. Just as she started to pick up her tray, Carol stepped forward and dropped the wallet at the guy’s feet. Then she turned to the server. “Looks like that guy dropped his wallet.”
“Why don’t you tell him?”
“He was pestering me a minute ago. I don’t want to encourage him.”
She rolled her eyes and nodded. She stepped over to the guys. Carol walked away.
When she got back to the booth, Roy was signing a credit card slip. “What’s up?” she asked.
“We’re done here. Let’s go to dinner.”
* * *
Back at the apartment, just before Roy was about to go to sleep, he was sitting up in bed with the night table lamp on, thinking about Carol’s first day. She was definitely game to try new tricks—she was a natural pickpocket—and she didn’t get flustered, but he hadn’t really taken her out of her element yet. With straight men, she could default to flirting whenever she wanted. How would she work a straight woman? Or a lesbian, for that matter? What sort of little scam could they get up to tomorrow to further test her chops?
Just then, his bedroom door opened. Carol came into the room wearing nothing but an extra large V-neck T-shirt. The light from the hallway in back of her showed her body in silhouette. “I thought you might still be awake.”
“What’s up?” he asked. Her long braid hung over her shoulder. She held it with both hands. She looked at the ground. If she was playing the little girl, she was doing a great job.
“I can’t sleep by myself. Can I sleep here with you?”
He could see the curve of her body through her shirt, the movement of her breasts as she breathed. She seemed so vulnerable. Was this some sort of game? Was she trying to mind fuck him straight out of the gate? Did she really think she could gain control of him so easily? He shook his head. “Carol, I’m not your boy. We’re partners. You sleep in your room.”
“But I can’t sleep by myself.”
“You can’t sleep here. Lock your door. Leave the light on. Do whatever you got to do.”
He watched her as she sighed, turned, and shut the door behind her. He turned off the table lamp and slid down in the bed. In his mind, he could still see her standing in the doorway. The light falling across her perfect body. He pictured her pulling the T-shirt off over her head and crossing the room toward him. Wait. He looked at the door. Had she expected him to say no? Was she just setting a psychological trap she planned to spring later? He needed to think about something other than her body. Sex with her would be a treat, no doubt, but manipulating men was her default mode. He didn’t yet know where he really stood with her, and there was no way she was getting into his bed until he did.
* * *
Carol went back to her room. She sat on the edge of the bed and hugged herself. Why had she asked Roy if she could sleep with him? Why had she taken that risk? What would she have done if he tried to have sex with her? What was he thinking now? That he could have her whenever he wanted her? She was pretty sure
he wouldn’t hurt her—that he had her back until they got the job done, that she was safe here and had nothing to worry about on the day-to-day. But all that didn’t matter. The night was huge. She felt empty and alone. And she was afraid that if she closed her eyes the nightmares would start. Running in the dark maze. Screaming, being chased, unable to find a way out or a place to hide.
There was only one thing that helped. She needed an anchor. She needed to be lying beside someone who could see her for who she was and wouldn’t push her away. But Terry wasn’t here. How had his day gone? What had he eaten? Who did he have to fight? Was he thinking of her? She took a slug from the Early Times bottle. The heat from the whiskey felt comforting. She lay down and hugged Terry’s pillow and closed her eyes. It was going to be another long night.
5
Grifting
The next day at lunchtime Roy and Carol were at the restaurant of the Stillwater Club, a private city club in the downtown business district. They were dressed to blend in: Roy in a sports coat and open-collar shirt, Carol in a sleeveless sundress. They were outside on the terrace at an umbrella table with their dirty dishes in front of them. “Why are we here?” she asked.
“Lunch.”
“You’re very funny. Why are we here?”
“This is a private club, so everyone makes certain assumptions about the type of people they meet here. We can use those assumptions to our advantage.”
“How did we get in?”
“I lifted a corporate membership card off a guy a few days ago.”
“So what’s the game?”
“See those three woman across the way?”
Carol glanced discreetly.
“The one in the middle. Strawberry blonde, short-sleeve dress, lots of jewelry. She just finished her second drink at lunch, and she’s been flirting with the waiter, who’s probably close to your age. How old do you think she is?”
“I don’t know—forty?”
“I’d say about ten years older than me.”
“So?”
“When she goes to the bathroom, you’re going to follow her. You’ll strike up a conversation and come back out at the same time. I’ll be waiting. I’ll say, ‘You ready?’ And you’ll say to the woman, ‘This is my brother, Gary.’ I’ll shake hands with her. I’ll say something like, ‘You meet people everywhere you go.’ You’ll say something. I’ll turn to the woman and say something like, ‘That’s just the way she is. I hope she hasn’t been too familiar.’ Then we’re off to the races.”
“What are we doing?”
“I’m going to seduce her. I’m going to gain access to her house and see what I can steal. You’ll be waiting in my car.”
“You’re going to do the seduction?”
“I do it all the time.”
“Does this really work?”
“She’s day drinking and flirting up the staff. I’m just going to take her where she wants to go.”
“What if you get caught?”
“She’ll be too embarrassed to call the cops. Can you play your part?”
She nodded.
“What’s your name?”
“Leslie.”
They paid their bill and slowly sipped their iced teas while they waited for their woman to get up. But instead of her going to the restroom, all three women asked for their checks and settled their bills. Then they all got up together.
“Looks like they’re leaving,” Carol said.
“Maybe. Follow her just in case.”
Carol slid back her chair and started after them. In the lobby, the three women spoke for a moment. Then the strawberry blonde went into the women’s restroom while the other two left the club. Carol took a deep breath and followed. In the restroom there were three stalls and a double sink. Carol could hear the woman in a stall. She went to the sink, took out her compact, and pretended to fix her face. A toilet flushed. The woman came out of the stall and went to the other sink to wash her hands. She gave Carol a soft glance.
“There’s plenty of room,” Carol said.
Carol put away her compact and took out her lipstick, while the woman washed and dried her hands. “That’s a pretty color,” the woman said.
Carol smiled. “Thanks.” She could smell the alcohol on the woman’s breath. She held the lipstick out. “Want to try it?”
“Well, I usually wear something more neutral, but why not?”
She used the lipstick and handed it back to Carol. “What’s it called?”
“Roseberry Blush. I know. Doesn’t make any sense. But it looks good on you.”
“Thanks. I’m Penny, by the way.”
“Leslie.”
They came out of the women’s restroom. Roy was waiting. “You ready?” he asked.
“Penny, this is my brother, Gary.”
Roy stuck out his hand. “Pleased to meet you.”
Penny looked him up and down as she squeezed his hand. “This is your brother? I was going to compliment you on your husband.”
They all laughed.
Roy turned to Carol. “Is there any place you don’t meet people?”
“Just sharing some lipstick.”
He turned to Penny. “I hope she hasn’t been too familiar.”
Penny put her hand on his arm. Her wedding ring sparkled. “Not at all.” She eyed Roy seductively. “Are you in a hurry? Do you want to go for a drink? There’s a nice little place just around the corner.”
He put his hand on the small of her back as they walked out of the lobby. She didn’t pull away.
* * *
Two hours later, Carol was waiting in Roy’s Cadillac on the street in a cul-de-sac in a wealthy neighborhood. She’d excused herself at the bar, picked up the Cadillac, and tailed them here. With Terry, she was the one who did the seduction, so at first this role reversal had seemed like a fun change of pace. But now she was bored and needed to pee. The house she was watching was a two-story Tudor style with a detached garage in the back. The neighborhood was quiet. A UPS truck had just rolled by. It was starting to rain. She wished Roy would hurry up. Just then, a white Mercedes sedan pulled up the driveway. Daddy’s home. Carol pictured Roy running out the front door with his pants bundled in his arms. She couldn’t help but giggle.
* * *
Up in the master bedroom, Roy and Penny were still tangled together in the sheets of the queen-size bed when they heard the back door open and shut. “Penny,” a voice called out.
“Shit,” Penny said. She scrambled off the bed and pulled her panties on.
“Who is it?”
“My husband. He’s early.” She hooked her bra and pulled her dress on over her head. Then she stepped into the bathroom.
Roy pulled on his clothes. When Penny came out of the bathroom her hair was back in place. “I’m going to guide him onto the back porch. Go out the front. You can find your own ride, can’t you?”
He nodded.
“It’s been fun.” She gave him a quick kiss and disappeared.
He glanced around the room. He had nothing to fear. The adultery was her problem. He looked through her dresser drawers, found her jewelry, and picked out a pair of diamond earrings. He left the rest. Then he went through her wallet. She had five credit cards. He took two of them. It was time to leave, but there was no reason to get her in trouble if he could avoid it. He made the bed, glanced around to make sure he hadn’t dropped anything, and left the bedroom, carrying his shoes in his hands. He walked down the edge of the stairs so that they wouldn’t squeak. As he neared the bottom, he could hear Penny and her husband in the kitchen.
“Let’s sit on the porch and listen to the rain,” she said.
“Let me get out of this suit, first.”
Roy crossed to the front hall closet and stepped inside. He heard two sets of footsteps getting closer. “Are you sure you want to change? We’re going to dinner later.”
“At Tom and Lori’s? I don’t need a suit for that.”
He heard them going up the stairs
. He peeked out. They were gone. He wondered what her husband would make of the musky smell in the bedroom. Instead of going out the front, he padded down the hall into the kitchen, slipped on his shoes, and went out the back door. The rain was coming down hard. He ran down the driveway and jumped into the passenger’s side of the Cadillac as Carol pulled up in front of the house. He was soaking wet. Carol laughed. “How did it go?”
“You think that was funny?”
“Get a look at yourself.”
He shook his head. “Let’s get out of here.”
The rain continued. Traffic was stop-and-go at major intersections and wherever a school bus stopped to let out children. “So,” Carol said, “spill. How much did you get?”
“I got you a pair of diamond earrings.”
“Thanks.”
“And two credit cards.”
“That’s all? No cash? I thought there would be more.”
“If I took her cash, she’d check through her wallet, find out the cards were missing, and cancel them. This way it could be days before she notices the cards are gone. And when she does figure it out, she’s not going to do much. She’ll chalk it up to the hazards of casual adultery.”
“So what are you going to do with the cards?”
“They’re in her name, so I’d have to unload them, but you can use them. You’re going to try to buy some very nice ladies’ watches. Then you’re going to pawn them. We might have time to get started today. So you need to change from younger sister to rich wife.”
They stopped back at the apartment. Roy changed into dry slacks and a fresh sports coat. Carol put on a long, floral print dress and Penny’s diamond earrings. “You look exactly the part,” Roy said.
“Thank you.”
The rain had stopped. They drove downtown and parked in front of Fineman’s Jewelry and Gifts. It was 4:30 p.m.
“Okay,” Roy said. “This is the easy part. You go in. Ask to look at watches. Pick three for around one thousand apiece. Use a card. If it’s too much, apologize and use the other card. Remember to sign with Penny’s name. If they want an ID, you look through your wallet. Gosh, so embarrassing, you must have left your driver’s license at home. Got it?”
The Double Cross Page 5
