“Sure thing, Ms. Avrill.”
Kate kept the conversation to a minimum as she and a female guard rode the elevator to the sixth floor. Once they reached the courier department, she walked over to the manager’s desk.
“Ms. Avrill, how nice to see you. What can I do for you?” Clyde Dumas asked softly as she took a seat.
She noted with amusement that his eyes zeroed in on the fullness of her breasts and never left. “You still have overnight service to Rome, right?”
He checked the delivery schedule tucked under the glass top of his desk. “Yes. Unfortunately, the cut-off for tomorrow’s delivery was eleven a.m. I’m afraid you’ve missed it.”
“If I send this tomorrow, when does it get delivered?”
Dumas consulted his list. “Four p.m. the next day.”
“That’s fine. Do it.”
He reached inside his lower desk drawer, removed a multi-paged form, and filled in the blanks. “What’s the delivery address?”
Kate removed a card from her purse and handed it to him. “Tell the bank to hold the package for Emile Suggiatchi. His number’s on the back. He knows it’s coming.”
The manager completed the form and, after Kate signed it, taped a copy to the handle of her briefcase. Moments later, he stuffed the case inside a special courier pouch, slid a copy of the form into the plastic window fitted to the outside, and handed the last copy to Kate. “How do you want to pay the fees?”
She shifted in her chair. “Take them out of my business account.”
“What about insurance?”
“I’ve already made arrangements with Lloyds of London.” She folded the copy and inserted it into a pre-printed, postage- paid envelope addressed to Lloyds of London, then stuffed the envelope into her purse.
“Very well.” He sealed the pouch, then carried it over to a metal bin in the rear of the office. Holding it carefully in one hand, he unlocked the lid and set Kate’s package inside. When he returned, he pulled out the bank’s inter-branch transfer form and filled in the account name and dollar amount to be transferred. It only took a few moments to look up her account number, and after filling in the missing information, he slid it over to Kate. “If you’ll sign this, I’ll have a teller transfer the funds and you can be on your way.”
She signed her name, then rose. “Thank you.”
“I take it you don’t want to wait for your receipt?”
“No, I’m in a hurry. Mail it.”
“No problem, Ms. Avrill. I’m always happy to assist you in any way I can.” He accompanied her to the elevator and held the door so she could step inside. “If you need anything, anything at all, please don’t hesitate to contact me.”
“Thank you. I will.” Stepping back, she flashed the manager one last smile as the door closed and the elevator began its descent.
By the time Kate reached her apartment, the sun was below the horizon and the temperature cooled from a furnace blast to a slow bake. The anger she’d kept in check all day rose up like bile in the back of her throat, and she vowed to make that bastard pay for what he’d done to her. Mike would pay—even if she had to kill him herself. Nobody slapped her around and got away with it. She thought about calling in a marker with one of Vegas’ other crime bosses, but decided it would be much more satisfying to have the Feds take care of Mike. That way there wouldn’t be any chance of retaliation before she could get out of town.
As she turned the lock on her door, she saw Emily enter Glen’s apartment. So, Emily had decided to further her acquaintance. Good. Just because Glen didn’t interest her, that didn’t mean he wasn’t right for Emily.
Kate checked her door one last time and then moved to the bedroom to turn on her computer. After logging in, she connected to a special account via the Internet and waited for the identification screen. She typed in a few keystrokes and connected to a remote network. This time the identification process required a fingerprint. Smiling, she pulled out the plastic square from the safety deposit box and placed it into what looked like a horizontal space on the front of her computer. The fingerprint imprinted on the plastic filled the screen for a moment, then a list of names and addresses popped up.
She scanned the list of her richest clients and chose Paul Staymiken because he owned a corporate jet fleet. Yes, she thought, he’d suit her needs. Besides, he owed her a favor. A big one. She committed his number to memory, then closed the file and logged off.
A single press of the CD button on her computer spit out the piece of plastic. She carried it to the bathroom, melted it with a match, then flushed the remains. Even if anyone found the account, they’d never think to use her mother’s print. Four different safety deposit boxes in various countries held duplicate copies, and the master rested safely in a train station locker in Los Angeles.
Confident of her choice, Kate moved to the closet and removed three leather suitcases. One would hold the clothes she intended to bring to Mike’s villa; the other two would be packed and dropped off at the airport. Two glasses of brandy helped dull the ache at her scalp line, and once she filled and locked the bulging suitcases, she picked up her keys and lugged the two largest cases to her Mercedes.
It would have been much easier to make her calls from the apartment or her cell phone but she didn’t want to chance anybody listening in, including the Feds, so she decided to use a pay phone, and not the one in the lobby. Kate drove toward town and spotted a bank of pay phones at the edge of a well-lit gas station. One of them was accessible from inside her car. She rolled down her window and punched in Dozer’s number.
“Dozer.”
“It’s me.”
“You all right?”
“Yeah. Did you get the suite?”
“We’re all set up.”
“Good. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“You sure you don’t want protection?”
“Just make sure the damn bug works when I get there.”
“Don’t worry. It will.”
“It better.” She disconnected the call and dialed a second number.
“Staymiken.”
“Paul, it’s Kate. Can you talk?”
“What do you want?”
“A favor. I’m looking for an exclusive charter.”
“Why?”
She tried to think of a plausible explanation.
“I’m assuming from your silence that it’s something you don’t want to discuss.”
“I can’t divulge the details, but I can tell you that I’ll be the only passenger for a one-way trip.”
“Why can’t you use a commercial airline?”
“This trip has to be kept quiet.” She debated telling him that she was fleeing from Mike, but decided against it. “It’s important, Paul. If you do this, I won’t ever contact you again.”
Silence.
“Please.”
“All right. I’ll have to check and see what’s available.” Paper rustled in the background, then he came back on the line. “I don’t have anything open. Two of my planes are down for maintenance, and the rest are scattered across the country. There is somebody I know who might take the job, but you’ll have to pay him, and it’ll be expensive.”
“I don’t care what it costs. I’ll pay cash. In advance.”
“Where can I reach you?”
“I’ll call you back in ten minutes.”
He sighed heavily. “I don’t like this, Kate.”
“I don’t like it either, but I have to do it.”
He sighed. “I’ll see what I can do, but I’m not promising anything.”
“Paul…there’s one more thing.”
“God damn it, Kate. What is it?”
“He’ll have to meet me tonight. At my business apartment.”
“He’s not going to agree to that. That’s got drug deal written all over it. What kind of trouble are you in? I can’t afford to get involved in any kind of scandal. You know I’m up for re-election.”
“Paul, there’s no drugs
involved. I have to get out of town. That’s all. I swear. I know this is a lot to ask. Believe me, if there was anybody else I could call, I would.”
Silence stretched taut between them. “Call me back in twenty minutes.”
Kate hung up, then eased back onto the freeway. Twenty-five minutes later, she stopped alongside another bank of phones.
“Kate?”
“Yes. What did he say?”
“He’s going to do it, but only because I vouched for you. I told him it wasn’t drug related or anything illegal. You’re on the level, right?”
“I wouldn’t lie to you, Paul. You know me better than that.”
“You got a pen?”
“Go ahead.”
“Mike Tomatodos. 555-5648. I told him to expect your call.”
“Thanks, Paul. I’ll never forget this.”
“Yes, you will. Forget it—and me. As of right now, you don’t know me, and you never had this number.”
“I understand.”
“Good. Goodbye, Kate.”
She listened for the click on the other end, then placed the receiver in its cradle. Then, for the third time in less than an hour, she wiped her fingerprints from the number pad and receiver. When she was satisfied, she left in search of another pay phone. One more call and her plan would be set.
It didn’t take long to make arrangements for the pilot to meet with her once she offered to pay him an extra thousand dollars for the late night trip. She gave him the address of her business apartment and told him to make sure he parked in the space marked “Carlyle” on the fifth floor of the parking garage.
She hadn’t been in her apartment more than twenty minutes when she heard a knock at the door. Her heart skipped a few beats. Was it the pilot…or Mike?
Kate nervously moved to the peephole. It was a stranger! “Who’s there?” she asked in a voice that sounded nothing like her own.
“Mike Tomatodos. You told me to meet you here.” The stranger ran a hand through his sandy-colored hair, then rammed his hands in the pocket of his camel colored jacket.
“Who called you about the job?”
“Paul Staymiken.”
Kate unlocked the deadbolt and swung the door open a few inches. “Do you have some identification?”
He fished a wallet out of his back pocket and handed her a pilot’s license, plus a driver’s license.
She checked to make sure the photos matched her visitor. “Sorry about that,” she apologized as she closed the door. “You can’t be too sure of strangers these days.”
He stuffed the IDs back into his wallet and stepped into the foyer. “No problem. I tell my wife to do the same thing.”
Kate pointed to the couch. “Please, sit down.”
Tomatodos cast a worried glance toward the bedroom, then perched on the edge of the sofa. “You alone?”
“Yes. You can check if you want.”
“Nah, that’s okay. You the lady who wanted to book the plane, right?”
“Yes. It’s an exclusive charter for the next four days. Make sure you’re ready to leave at a moment’s notice.”
He scratched his head. “Look. I know Paul told me this job was on the up and up, but I gotta tell you, I don’t like it. I’ve never done this kind of thing before, and I’m still not sure I’m going to do it now. You seem nice enough, but if you’re in some kind of trouble, I don’t want no part of it. I got a wife and two kids, and I run a legitimate business. I can’t afford to lose my license, and I don’t need anybody’s trouble knocking on my door.”
Kate shook her head, her mind reeling. This guy was no dummy; she was going to have to come up with a good excuse to convince him to fly her out of here. “It’s nothing like that,” she said. “I have to go to L.A. to meet someone, but we haven’t worked out the details yet.”
“So how come you can’t take a commercial flight? They leave all the time, especially for L.A.”
She flicked her hair off her shoulder. “It’s…complicated.”
“Oh yeah? Why?”
“My…friend’s in the middle of a nasty divorce. Not only that, he’s high profile. If word got out that I was meeting him, things could get messy. He doesn’t want his wife or the reporters to find out that I’m coming. He’s supposed to call me the minute he gets away from the studio. Once I hear from him, we take off. This will be a one-way trip to a private airport near Los Angeles. I’ll find my own way back.”
Tomatodos didn’t respond, and his frown deepened.
Damn, she was going to have to do better than that. She took one last breath, then mentally crossed her fingers. “Look, if his wife found out about our relationship, her attorneys wouldn’t hesitate to use that as an excuse for the divorce. Even though I met him after they split up, Sharon would end up with everything he owns. Surely you can appreciate why he wants to keep my visit a secret.” She took a quick breath. “Besides, if I decide not to go see him, you still get to keep the money.”
He shook his head. “I still don’t like it. If Paul hadn’t set me up in business, I’d be out of here. You’re lucky he vouched for you.”
“How much do I owe you for the charter?” she asked.
“Same as I told you before. I won’t do this job for less than twelve grand, plus the extra thousand you promised. If you want, you can give me seven now and pay the other six when you get to the airport.”
“That won’t be necessary.” She reached into her purse and pulled out a wad of bills.
His mouth dropped and his eyes grew round as he watched her count the money, which came to exactly thirteen thousand dollars.
“Geeze, lady. No wonder you wanted to check my ID.”
“I stopped at the bank after I talked to you,” she explained. “Would you like an envelope?”
“Yeah. That’d be good.”
She strolled over to the antique mahogany desk near the window, grabbed a nine-inch by twelve-inch manila envelope from the drawer, and retraced her steps. “Here you go.”
He scooped up the money and shoved it into the envelope. As he walked toward the door, he folded the package in half and tucked it inside his jacket.
“Would you like a guard to escort you to your car?” she asked. “There’s one on duty.”
“No. I can manage.”
She pointed to her two suitcases stacked in the foyer. “I don’t suppose you’d take those to the plane for me? That way I can drive straight to the airport as soon as I hear from Harry.”
He held up a hand. “I don’t know, lady. This is getting weird. I’d rather you brought them yourself.”
She touched his arm and tilted her head to one side. “Please? It’s only clothes.”
He studied her for a moment, eyes narrowed, then sighed. “I guess I could take ‘em, seeing as how you already paid in full. But there better not be any drugs.” He zipped the front of his jacket, then bent over and grabbed the handles.
Kate opened her door. “Don’t worry; there’s nothing illegal,” she assured him.
He edged toward the door, then spun on his heel. “Then you don’t mind if I have them checked, right? The customs guy at our hangar uses a trained dog to spot check for drugs. I think I’ll have Sebastian take a whiff of your cases before I load ‘em in the plane.”
She threw up her hands. “Fine. If that makes you happy, go ahead. But you better make damn sure that dog doesn’t chew up my suitcases,” she warned. “They’re expensive and so are my clothes. I don’t want you or any dog pawing through my things. Those cases stay locked. Is that clear?”
He nodded, walked the short distance to the end of the hall, then disappeared into the stairwell.
Kate exhaled slowly as the door swung shut. God, what a mess. The sooner she left this town, the better. Forty minutes later, she locked the door and walked to her car.
Chapter Nineteen
Emily’s mind felt numb as she walked back to her apartment. Talk about overload! Glen bombarded her with so much to remember that her brain
felt like it was going to explode. She’d scribbled down two pages of notes and still hadn’t compiled a complete list of do’s and don’ts. Fleecing the casinos was turning out to be a heck of a lot more work than she’d anticipated. Who knew that there’d be so much prep work to being a crook?
She stopped as the implication of what she was thinking hit her. Her Catholic upbringing kicked in, bringing with it a mountain of guilt, and she quickly reminded herself that technically she wasn’t doing anything wrong. Glen was helping her to hone her talent so she could win enough money on slots for both of them to live comfortably for the rest of their lives. Besides, if God hadn’t meant for her to have this talent, he wouldn’t have given it to her. Right?
As she drew even with the courtyard, she watched Kate enter her apartment. Moments later a light flickered on, and Kate moved away from the window. Emily paused, trying to decide what to do. She’d wanted to talk to Kate about not referring any more clients to the shop, but was worried in case Kate took offense at her request.
A rustling movement in the shadows caught her attention. Somebody was standing in the group of trees at the edge of the pool! She peered through the darkness, trying to see who it was, being careful to stay behind the cabana. Hopefully whoever it was hadn’t seen her yet. She’d only heard the movement because of her intensified hearing. She crouched down when she heard the scrape of a match and recognized the face lit by the momentary illumination. It was Stu, watching Kate’s apartment!
Obviously Kate didn’t know she was being followed; otherwise she would have closed her drapes the moment she entered the apartment. Emily racked her brain for a way to let Kate know Stu was here without alerting Stu that they were on to him. Using the darkness to cover her movements, she crouched low to the ground and scuttled to the far side of the building.
Jingle of Coins Page 14
