Fast and Loose (18 page)

“Why not? I'm wired up now as it is. What's one more cup going to do to me except put me into orbit? Nothing happens in the middle of the night, so what the hell could have gone wrong? I wasn't even gone twenty-four hours.”

Neither Charles nor Fergus responded, so Maggie sat down and started to chew on her cuticles, a really nasty habit she had yet to overcome. She was half finished with her coffee when the others started to troop in, in various stages of dress.

Maggie looked them all over and decided they looked worse than she did. She made no bones about saying so. “What's your excuse for looking like you've all been on a weeklong booze bender? Let's hear it, and then I'll share my news.”

“Abner's gone. He took PIP with him,” Jack said tightly.

Maggie blinked. “What do you mean, he's gone? Where did he go?”

“We don't know. His truck is gone from the parking garage. He also took the batteries out of his personal phone and the special phone. Like I said, he's gone.”

“Why? That's not like Abner. Abner is . . . Abner is . . . Oh, my God. You guys set him up and put him to the test, and he chose his hacker mentor over you all. That's what happened, isn't it? Well, isn't it?” she screeched.

“It wasn't quite like that, but yeah, that's pretty much what happened,” Ted said.

“And you let him go! Just like that, you let him go!” Maggie screeched again. “Oh, God, you people are so stupid! Don't you get it? If Abner said he couldn't find out who RC is, he couldn't. I've never, ever known Abner to tell a lie. He told you the truth back in the beginning. He warned you all that if it was RC, we were dead in the water. And he had PIP helping him. You made him think you all believed he betrayed you. That's what you did! I see it on your faces! All because Bert got a bug up his butt, made us come here on something he
thinks
happened, and you believed and sided with him. The same Bert who is an emotional basket case, thanks to Kathryn Lucas, his ex-girlfriend. God, how could you be so damn stupid? I don't blame Abner for leaving. I would have, too, if I were in his place.

“Bert is . . . hurting. He's just looking for things to occupy himself because of Kathryn. I tried telling you all of that back at the beginning, but you wouldn't listen to me. I'll bet my job at the
Post
and my yearly bonus that no money is gone from the casinos, and Bert just screwed up. He's just not man enough to admit it, or else he's more stupid than the rest of you. I do not believe this. When did Abner leave?”

“A little before you did yesterday,” Dennis said. “He was hopping mad, too. I heard him cuss, and Abner never uses cusswords. And Miss PIP looked like she was ready to chew nails and spit rust.”

Sparrow weighed in. “I don't go way back, the way you all do with Abner, but I think he did what he could, and it just wasn't good enough. You all discounted his loyalty to RC, and that was wrong. He said it best when he said that without RC, he wouldn't even be on our radar screen. He wouldn't be a loyal friend. And from all I can see and from what I hear, he is just as loyal as any of you are. So you all have some serious making up to do. That's my opinion.”

Harry surprised everyone by saying, “It's too late for making up. He's out there right now, trying to find RC. I think he has suspicions, and between him and PIP, if there's a way to find the man, they'll find him. I don't know what will happen if he and PIP are successful. Sounded to me like Abner burned his bridges when he left here. Serves us all right, too.”

Avery Snowden cleared his throat. His pasty English complexion was pink right now. “I don't know how to say this other than to come right out and say it. Those special phones, the ones I got from the CIA, the prototypes, are useless. I just found out a half hour ago, when our mutual friend RCHood sent me a text on my special prototype, saying how silly I was to believe that he, meaning RCHood, couldn't tap into it when he was the one who designed it in the first place for the CIA. Yes, I have egg on my face.

“My contact, the person who got me these phones, assured me they were safe and secure. I was just in touch with him, and while the designer's name is classified, and he wouldn't tell me it, when I mentioned the cyber name RCHood, he went all silent on me. The phones are useless now. That guy is one savvy, smart son of a bitch, that's for sure.”

“Does all this mean we're going home?” Espinosa asked.

Jack felt sicker than he'd ever felt in his life. “I don't know. I've been trying to call Bert since last night, but the calls just go to voice mail.”

“We have to find Abner,” Maggie said as she swiped at the tears rolling down her cheeks.

“What would you have us do, dear?” Charles asked gently. “If you have any ideas, share them with me immediately. We'll jump at anything right now.”

“You all should have thought about that when you drove him out. I hope you all think about what is going to happen when Isabelle and the girls find out. I sure don't want to be within five miles of any of you when that happens. Good luck,” she bellowed, making for the door just as a knock sounded. She opened it with a flourish to see the nattily dressed Dixson Kelly standing there. She wondered how long he'd been at the door. Then she decided she didn't care as she stomped her way down the hall to her own suite. Let those she'd left behind deal with Dixson Kelly and whatever he had to say or do.

It wasn't until she was in the shower that she realized she hadn't shared her news about the girls and Dixson Kelly.

Maggie toweled dry and slipped into a nightshirt that said HERO on the front. She slid between the sheets and was asleep within minutes.

Chapter 16

P
hil closed the door to the computer room and motioned for Abner and Mary Alice to take up positions at two computers opposite the one where he had positioned himself. “Power up, kids!”

The kids powered up.

“Okay, pay attention now. Here comes the tutorial. When I'm done, if you paid attention, you are going to be almost as smart as me. You ready?”

The kids, as Phil called them, nodded.

Fifteen minutes later, Abner and Mary Alice were glassy-eyed.

“That's how you did it!” Abner said in awe. “I'll be damned.”

Mary Alice was so speechless, all she could do was shake her head for a moment. “So to undo all you did, we just reverse—”

“No, no, no! It's not that simple. Pay attention now. One false keystroke, and it's all over. Watch, listen, and repeat after me. This is your only test.”

They really were kids then, their attention rapt, their eyes wide in awe as Phil led them down the path they were about to embark on. When he was finished, he looked at his star pupils and asked if they understood what they were to do. Both nodded that they did.

“We're not looking for speed here. Remember that. You get stuck or are unsure, shout out, and I'll be there immediately to help you out. Abner, you are going to do The Venetian. Mary Alice, you have MGM. I'm taking Babylon. It's eight ten at the moment. I expect to have Babylon back on track by ten ten. I'm telling you this only to relieve any anxiety you might be experiencing because of your friends. If your buddy Bert logs on at ten fifteen, he is going to be in for the shock of his life. Remember, speed does not count. Make sure the interest is spot on. This has to be
clean
. Hit it, kids!”

Phil tapped furiously, his fingers magical. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that Abner and Mary Alice were cautiously tapping away. He knew that once they got comfortable with his programs, the speed of their typing would equal his own.

He was excited. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so . . . liberated, unless it was when he made his first unauthorized
withdrawal
. Somehow, even though he couldn't remember that moment exactly, he was sure it didn't equal what he was feeling right now, at this very moment.

To admit to having the time of his life would be a gross understatement.

The huge battery-operated clock on the wall said the time was 10:14 a.m. when Phil rolled his chair back from the table and shot both arms high in the air. Abner and Mary Alice stopped what they were doing, hands poised over their keyboards.

“Five minutes,” Abner said.

“Me too,” Mary Alice said.

The minute Abner and Mary Alice rolled their chairs backward, Phil let loose with a whoop of pleasure that sounded like a war drum. The kids burst out laughing.

“Kids, we just crossed the Rubicon. We need to take a break. I have some excellent flavored coffee that's better than any dessert. Want some?”

Abner and Mary Alice said they did as they trooped behind Phil to the kitchen.

“Damn, that was exhilarating!” Phil said as he ground coffee beans, then prepared the pot. “These past two hours were more rewarding than the day I stole my first nineteen dollars from Babylon. I didn't think anything could beat that moment in time. I was wrong. What about you two?”

Abner grinned. “It's not quite the same for us, Phil. We're just cleaning up your mess. What I personally found rewarding is that the three of us are working together to right a wrong that you committed. That's what friends do for each other. If any of those casinos ever figure this out, one thing is absolutely sure—it will never be made public.”

“They'll never figure it out. Trust me,” Phil said emphatically. The kids believed him implicitly.

“I bet that's what you said the first time you helped yourself to their money, and yet here we are,” Mary Alice said.

“Yes, but by accident. The human factor, which you so aptly pointed out, intervened, Abner. You never did figure out how I did it. Therein lies the difference.”

“So we're on target here?” Mary Alice asked.

“We are on target, Mary Alice Farmer.” Phil smiled, and the smile wasn't rusty at all this morning.

The guy is having the time of his life
, Abner thought. Just the thought made him feel good, which was really strange. For one brief second, he thought of all the friends he'd left behind back at Babylon. And then the anger started to choke him off. He got up to refill his coffee cup to shake away the ugly memory of how he'd exploded. Water under the bridge now.

“Hurry up, kids, if you want to stay on target. We'll break for lunch at twelve thirty. I'll heat up the leftovers. Thirty minutes for lunch and we go back at it. As soon as we knock off the big casinos, the rest will go quickly. If we stay on target, I think we'll be done by six o'clock.”

“Then what do we do, Phil?” Mary Alice asked hesitantly.

“I never like to make rash decisions, Mary Alice. Ask me again at six o'clock, and I'll have an answer for you. If you're ready, let's make the world right again.” Phil clapped Abner on the shoulder. Abner felt warm all over. He likened the gesture to what a son would have felt had his father given him a pat on the back, even though he'd never experienced that particular feeling.

He smiled up at Phil, who just grinned from ear to ear. “Phil, you are a true Renaissance man!”

“If you say so,” Phil said and laughed so hard, his whole body shook. He looked over at Mary Alice, who was giggling, and winked at her.

Whoa again
, Abner thought.

* * *

Maggie woke up feeling meaner than a bear with its foot caught in a trap. She took another shower, brushed her teeth, and did her best to tame her wild hair. At the latter, she only partially succeeded.

What to do? Should she go to MGM and register for her comped room or stay here? She had to go to Charles's suite and explain what was going on. And she needed to find out why Dixson Kelly had been at Charles's suite. She thought about Abner as she got dressed, tears blurring her vision. She and Abner had a history going way back. He'd always been a true friend. A true-blue friend. Where was he, and what was he doing? More to the point, what was he
feeling
?

Satisfied that she looked as good as possible under the circumstances, Maggie left the suite and headed down the hall to Charles's suite. She banged on the door with her clenched fist. Jack Sparrow opened the door, a wary look in his eye. He stepped aside to allow Maggie to enter the room. To Maggie, it looked the same as it had five hours ago, when she had left to go to her room.

Maggie narrowed her eyes as she looked around at the people she thought of as family, a disgusted look on her face. Her foot was back in the bear trap when she demanded to know what Dixson Kelly had wanted. “And what is Bert Navarro saying? Has anyone heard from Abner, or are you all just writing him off? Because”—and she jabbed a finger at the center of the room—“because if you are, write me off, too. Somebody say something and quick, before I shove my foot up someone's butt.
Now
is good!”

Charles, as their leader, stepped forward. “Mr. Kelly stopped by to see if there was anything we needed. He also wanted to let us know he has been unable to reach Mr. Navarro and wondered if we had been in touch. It was pleasant and cordial, but he left after only ten minutes. And, in case no one told you, the search of his condo in town by Mr. Snowden's people revealed nothing out of the ordinary, with the exception of seventeen more burner phones. Past relationships in which he also assigned phones to his ladies, from what we were able to gather. He appears to keep his MO the same. Clothing, sports equipment, that's all we found in the closets. We've discussed the possibility of trying to gain entrance to the penthouse apartment owned by Philonias Needlemeyer, the man Mr. Kelly met in the Tiki Bar. It's a thread, but we haven't attached it to a needle yet. Mr. Snowden is working on that.

“We have repeatedly tried to reach Bert, with no success. The calls all go straight to voice mail. I feel as bad as you do about Abner. I don't know what to tell you. We didn't do anything differently than we did on other missions. We followed our own rules. Abner . . . although he is one of us, stepped off the grid. He did, Maggie, and it pains me to have to say it. Yes, he did help us. Yes, he did warn us that RCHood would have left no trail of bread crumbs to follow. There is no doubt that he had conflicting loyalties. We should have taken that into consideration and allowed for it. We did not, I'm sorry to say.

“At this time, actually since the moment he walked out of here, Abner has been unreachable. He either took the batteries out of his phones or trashed them. The CIA one-of-a-kind prototype that Mr. Snowden issued to us is junk now. RCHood sent Avery a text telling him he was the one who designed the phone for the CIA. He's been onto us all along. That about sums it up, Maggie. I'm sorry. We all regret the way it went down. None of us wanted things to end up like this.”

“Where do you think he went?” Maggie demanded.

“This is just a guess on my part, but since PIP had no money or ID, Abner is probably driving her back to Arizona, after which he'll head back home,” Avery Snowden said. “Like I said, a guess. For all we know, he could have headed for Disney.”

Dennis stepped forward. “I don't think so. I admit I don't know Abner as well as you all do, but I think I know him well enough to say I think he and PIP put their heads together out of necessity and figured out where and how to get in touch with RCHood. I think they are on their way to wherever he is right now. Or they have already arrived at his location. They found something, a clue, but when they found it, they weren't aware of what it meant. I also think it came
after
the blowup. If I'm right, and it was after, Abner would not feel duty bound to share that information.”

Ted shook his head. “You know what, kid? You never cease to amaze me. I think you are spot on here, and that's exactly what happened.”

“I think you're on the money, Dennis,” Harry said as he winked at him.

Jack Emery looked more miserable than anyone else in the room. “Let's say I agree with you, and I do. Then where does that leave us? Nowhere. Abner is not going to turn in his mentor. I sure as hell wouldn't if I were Abner. I cannot believe how badly this all got so screwed up on a Bert Navarro whim. I don't think I have ever felt as stupid as I do right now in my whole life. Don't look at me like that. You're all just as stupid as I am,” he said savagely.

“Have you tried calling him again?” Sparrow asked.

“Yeah, a half hour ago. Call goes straight to voice mail,” Jack said.

“Keep trying. Let's give some thought to calling one of the other casinos over there and asking around. Maybe there's a power problem. Does anyone know Bert's counterparts at the other casinos?”

“Yeah, actually, I do. Let me give it a whirl,” Jack said, then moved off to make the call in an area that was a little less vocal and hostile.

“I believe you might have something to tell us, do you not, Maggie? You left in such a tizzy earlier, we didn't have time to talk,” Charles said.

Her foot still in the bear trap, Maggie talked breathlessly about her night out at Kitty Passion's ranch. And about her move to MGM. “I need to go over there and sign in. But I'll rumple up the bed to make it look like I'm staying there, and then I'll come back here.”

“No need for you to do that, Maggie. One of my operatives can step in for you and at the same time browse around to get the lay of the land, in case you are being set up,” Snowden said.

Maggie took her foot out of the bear trap and said, “I didn't even think about that. Good catch, Mr. Snowden.”

“Maggie, my dear, did you get any sense at all that those ladies were perhaps leading you on, or were they dead serious? Wishful thinking sort of thing. Robbing an armored car just for fun is not something anyone with half a brain would try to pull off,” Charles said.

“As serious as a heart attack. Forty or so women with half brains still results in twenty whole brains. They have it all worked out. Trust me, they're going to do it. The big question is, do we do something about it or let them go for it? They said they were going to give it back. True or false? I don't know. Saying it, then seeing millions of dollars in hand, if they're successful, might make them think they could actually get away with it. Make no mistake. They definitely want Kelly to pay for trifling with their affections. You know that old saying, ‘Nothing is impossible when it comes to a scorned woman,' and if you multiply that by forty, you don't need to be a rocket scientist to know the outcome.”

“What's your role in all this? Did you throw up any red flags?” Sparrow asked.

Maggie sighed and went over it all again, from her story about Jack being her brother and getting fired right down to her torrid pretend affair with Kelly and relocating to MGM. “I think I'm golden. My story was every bit as good as theirs. And I'm the most recent, so it might have carried some extra weight. I'm just waiting for one of the women to get in touch with me to tell me if it's a go, give me the time, date, and so on.

“By the way, if you're serious about getting into Kelly's room, who is going to shut down the video surveillance that's in the hallways? Abner did it the last time. You can't just hit it and steal his phones, unless you rob a few of the other apartments. Ah, already I can see by your expressions that you're feeling Abner's loss. Serves you right,” Maggie said bitterly. Her foot was back in the bear trap.