Cheating at Solitaire (19 page)

Being independent and happily single doesn't mean you have to do everything yourself;
always know what is better left in the hands of a professional. And if you do decide to tackle
your own project, take the time to research the task and acquire the tools that wil enable
you to work like a pro.

—from
101 Ways to Cheat at Solitaire

I'm the lookout," Caroline said with more cheer than should ever belong in that sentence. It made Julia wonder if the James sisters, like the Jarfies brothers, had been cut out for a life of crime. The answer was obvious—no, probably not. Then she noticed the walkie-talkie that Caroline had duct-taped to her shoulder, and Julia reconsidered, deciding that there might be a little bandit blood in them after all. Steve was out of town on business, her daughter was asleep downstairs, her infant son dozed in the corner of the room, and Caroline was about to do the craziest thing she'd done, maybe in her en-lire life. Julia studied her sister's face and realized it looked good on her.

"But how are we getting in?" Lance asked for the hundredth time.

Nina dismissed him. "I said I took care of that."

"How?"
Lance demanded, and Julia knew he wouldn't budge from that room until someone, evidently Nina, had laid out the plan in detail.

"She has these old tapestries," Nina said. "Some of them are pretty valuable. She's called every design firm in town, wanting to sell them, so today I went by to give her an estimate. But what I was really doing was checking out the joint." Proudly, Nina tapped the notebook in front of her.

"When her hack was turned, I unlocked a window." She finished by raising her eyebrows a few times in quick succession.

Julia looked between Caroline and Nina and made a mental note that it might be time to make new friends.
I just hope I won't be doing it in prison.

"Fine," Lance said. "There's an open window. What else do we know?"

"I told her that the tapestries were valuable and asked how she had them protected. She didn't mention a security system."

Julia recognized the squeamish look on Nina's face. "What
did
she mention?"

It took a sharp pinch to the fleshy part of Nina's arm to make her say "pit bull."

"She doesn't have a dog," Caroline scoffed. "I've been watching that house for months and I've never seen a dog.""

"Exactly," Nina said, point proven. "That's why I didn't bring it up."

Caroline moved a box of wet wipes from the changing table and unrolled a set of detailed diagrams of the four house styles allowed in the development. She pulled out the floor plan for the smallest of the possible houses, the one the bankrupt contractor had chosen to build for his mother. It showed that the window Nina had unlocked was in the rear of the house, the

"keeping room."

"Okay," Caroline said as everyone gathered around. "I'm going to stay here and be central control." She used a turkey baster to point to the diagram as she carried on. "I can only see into the formal living room, formal dining room, keeping room, and part of the kitchen. But I can keep an eye out for lights coming on and movement in the south side of the house. We have emergency exits here and here." She placed Candy Land game pieces on top of the locations of the pedestrian door in the garage and the French doors off the patio. "Take this." She handed Nina the other walkie-talkie. "If you see anything strange, radio back to base, and I'll tell you whether or not to abort."

Abort? Emergency exits? Central control? What's next,
Julia wondered,
code names and tubes
of lipstick that double as rocket launchers?

Undaunted, Caroline carried on. "Nick wakes up to eat i lost nights about one-thirty. I've never noticed any activity over there then, and judging from the number of whiskey bottles Myrtle hauls to the curb on recycling days, I think that's as good a time as any to go in." She paused to survey the troops. "Does that sound okay?" she asked. There were nods all around, so Caroline finished. "Until then, we should consider ourselves in a holding pattern."

Surprisingly, Julia found herself starting to relax.
We've got plan,
she thought as she, Nina, and Lance shared "this might actually work" glances in the playroom. A feeling of cockiness was starting to build when the doorbell rang and, despite their cool bravado, all four of them nearly jumped through the roof.

"What's with the getups?" Jason asked, looking at Julia, Nina, and Caroline, who stood in the foyer, decked out in black. "You look like rejects from mime academy."

"We're going clubbing," Nina coolly lied, ever the used-car salesman’s daughter.

"You three?" Jason asked, eyebrows raised.

"Yep," Caroline agreed. "We're gonna pick up guys."

Caroline had forgotten that she had the walkie-talkie taped to her shirt. Julia jumped and tried to stand in front of her, but Jason had already noticed and said, "What's that?"

"Baby monitor," Julia said.

"Why is it taped to you?" Jason asked.

"Babies are a lot of work, Jason," Julia snapped. "Families are a lot of work. But you know that already. Isn't that why you told Nina you never want to have kids?"

Nina looked troubled, but Jason was unfazed.

He just smirked and pointed to the walkie-talkie. "Won't that get in the way of picking up guys?"

"Not really." Lance's voice carried down the staircase. "I'm already here."

Lance strolled toward the door, looking strong and territorial. Julia thought her heart was going to pound out of her chest as a thought settled firmly in her mind:
I actually know a man like
this.
He stopped ten feet from Jason, and Julia realized how Lance had survived as a kid, moving from town to town, living without a father. He was a good man and a great actor, and at that moment, he was acting like someone who would dearly love to beat the crap out of Jason.

Testosterone bounced off the marble floors of the foyer as the two men sized each other up.

"Justin, isn't it?"

"Jason."

"Oh, right. What brings you by?" Lance asked.

"I'm looking for Tiny here," Jason said, and snapped his fingers in an annoying gesture that Julia had seen him do ever since the seventh grade. "Got a couple of movie tickets. Thought she'd want to go."

"Really?" Lance said. "What are you gonna see?"

Jason waved the question away. "It doesn't really—"

Lance cut him off. "If you're asking the lady to a movie because you've got an extra ticket, you ought to tell her what the movie is. So, Jason, what movie is it?"

Julia's eyes darted back and forth, trying to understand this strange phenomenon; the bully was being bullied.

"I need to see my wife. Nina, grab your purse," Jason said, i a king her arm and starting toward the door. "Let's go for a drive."

"Hey," she cried. "Stop it."

Lance stepped toward the door, blocking Jason's path of escape, but Jason still had a firm grip on Nina's thin arm.

Julia stepped forward. "Nina and I have plans tonight, Jason."

Jason turned on her, twenty years' worth of anger seeping into his voice. "Maybe Nina doesn't want to be your date tonight! Huh? Did you ever think of that, Julia? Tiny's got a man; she doesn't need to compensate for you not having one."

"Don't call me Tiny," Nina said, sounding clearer and stronger than she'd sounded in Jason's presence in years. "I hate it!" She cringed. "I'm telling you for the last time, don't ever call me Tiny!"

"Babe?" Jason turned to her, laying on the charm. "I'm sorry. I didn't know—"

"Yes, you did," Nina said. Julia heard tears swelling in her best friend's voice. "You know how it makes me feel. I'm not helpless, Jason. Don't treat me like I am." She wiped her eyes, then said,

"I think you'd better leave."

But Jason had come for Nina", and Julia knew firsthand that he wouldn't easily leave without her.

"Nina, honey, I worry about you," Jason said. He reached for her hand and began massaging her small fingers. "We're no good without each other. It's always been you and me. Forever, remember? What do you say? Come on, let's go talk about this."

Julia's heart lodged in her throat as she saw her best friend teeter on the brink of what could possibly be the most important decision of her life. Down one path was a fictional night at the movies with her ex-husband. Down the other lay a night of burglary with her best friend. No matter which way Nina turned, danger and adventure waited.

Nina pulled her fingers from Jason's grasp, and Julia began to breathe again.

"Whatever you have to say to me, you can say here, in front of my friends, or you can say it to my lawyer." Nina wiped her eyes. "It's your choice."

"But, Tiny . . . " Jason started.

"Don't call her that!" Julia roared and stepped closer.

"Get away from me, bitch." Jason sneered, shoving Julia into the wall. She crashed and felt her elbow bang sharply, as Lance stepped between Jason and Nina, expertly sliding her out of harm's way.

He sounded calm when he said, "Looks like he's chosen the lawyer route, Nina." Lance placed one hand on Jason's shoulder, a friendly gesture with decidedly unfriendly implications. His voice was low and steady as he spoke near Jason's ear: "Nina doesn't want to talk to you. She doesn't want to see you. And even more than that, I don't want to see you. If you come near any of these women again, I'll hear about it. Do you understand me?" When Jason didn't reply, Lance shook him gently, as if trying to wake a sleeping child. "I asked if you understood."

"Yes." Jason grimaced.

"Okay. Now, remember, if you want to give me a go, all you have to do is say one word to any of these women, and we'll see who the tough guy really is."

Caroline already had the door open, so Lance gave Jason a small shove, and Jason stumbled onto the porch. He didn't have time to say anything, much less comprehend what had just happened, before Caroline closed the door and flipped the lock.

Lance turned and asked Nina, "You okay?" When she nodded, he turned his attention to Julia.

"What about you?"

Julia's elbow was tender and it hurt. She looked at the closed door that Jason was locked behind and thought for one terrifying second what might have happened if Lance hadn't been there.

"Julia," Lance asked, snapping her back to the moment. "Are you okay?"

She nodded, and Lance said, "Good." Then he turned away and began climbing the stairs, wrapped in a cloak of quiet confidence. He hadn't yelled his warning, he'd whispered it, and Julia knew the sound of his voice would be reverberating in Jason's ears for years.

So men like that really do exist. So that's what all the fuss is about.

***

As they prepared to go, Julia watched Lance from the corner of her eye. If things went wrong, the consequences would be worst for him—he was a strong, able-bodied man breaking into the home of an elderly woman. She and Nina posed a far lesser physical threat. Plus, they could always plead insanity and, judging from their recent and extended history, most juries would buy it.

Nina had gone downstairs first, following Caroline's instructions to test the walkie-talkie on the far side of the lawn to best gauge its range and volume, so Julia and Lance were alone as they left the playroom. When they reached the first-floor landing, Julia took his arm and said, "Can I talk to you for a second?"

He looked a little surprised by her timing, but stopped and said, "Okay."

"What you did for Nina—it's going to change her life. I just want to thank you and tell you that I appreciate it."

A wry smile stretched across his face as if he'd just cracked her code. Julia had never felt so naked with her clothes on. "What?" she muttered.

"That was hard for you, wasn't it?"

"No, of course not. I'm a gracious person."

"I know," he said. "You're a thanker."

She didn't know what he meant by that, but it didn't sound like an insult, so she let it slide.

"Anyway, I want you to know that I appreciate all that you've done, and that as far as I'm concerned, we're even. You don't have to do this. It should be easy enough, and it shouldn't take three of—"

"You're right," he cut her off. "You stay here."

"Wait!" She grabbed him. "I mean
you
should stay. It's my problem. I'll fix it."

"We've already spent one night in jail together, Julia. I don't see why we should go for two."

An all-too-realistic vision flashed in Julia's mind—fifteen years on a hard bench with thumbtacks poking into her skull.

Only his grin could snap her back into the moment. He leaned close and said, "Breathe."

"Lance, what I'm trying to say is that it's okay. I can handle this one. You don't need to take the risk."

"Julia, I get the risks—believe me. If it were up to me, you wouldn't be going over there at all.

So you can wait here while I go get your manuscript, or you can come with me. Personally, I'd prefer it if you and Nina would stay put."

"Out of the question."

"Then after you." He made a show of stepping back and sweeping his arms toward the patio doors.

WAY #96: Don't be afraid of uncharted territory.

Take a good look at your life and see if there's anything you've always wanted to do or try but
have so far been too scared to pursue. Throw away the maps if that's what it takes, but don't
be afraid of venturing where you've never gone before.

—from
101 Ways to Cheat at Solitaire

( ? )
here's a full moon over Tulsa hope that it's shining on you,
David Frizzell sang inside Julia's mind as she stood on Caroline's patio and stared into the face of the largest full moon she'd ever seen.
So much for the cover of darkness.
It shone a spotlight on everything—sandboxes, Big Wheels, and the half-finished fence that marked the point of no return beyond Caroline's backyard.