Chapter Nine Late Night Tomfoolery
Chapter Nine
Late Night Tomfoolery
Tempe, Arizona
Theresa returned to the car rental agency after lunch and picked up another vehicle.
She also brought them a copy of the police report.
She completed the paperwork and requested an SUV.
She had originally thought a compact would be sufficient for her needs to go back and forth to Sunnydale, but had she been in a larger vehicle when the truck sideswiped her, she may have hit the pole with less impact.
She was almost airborne. Thinking about it gave her a shiver.
The young woman behind the counter showed concern for Theresa’s injuries. “I hope this experience won’t give you a bad impression of our town.”
Theresa resisted the temptation to tell her the entire experience had been rather awful so far. Mysterious woman. Mysterious ring. Mean woman. Cheshire Cat woman. Dump truck. Dead aunt?
“Accidents happen. Everyone has been truly kind,” Theresa lied. Mostly everyone, but not everyone.
The agent handed the set of keys and the new paperwork to Theresa. She told her where to find the car and wished her a nice day.
Theresa returned the sentiment and thought to herself, We’ll just see about that. I’m done playing nice.
She walked to the new rental, trying to keep in the shade as much as possible. Thankfully, the parking lot was dotted with trees. Finding the designated SUV, she started the car, opened the windows, and turned on the AC to blow some of the hot air out.
Theresa bent toward the vent and let the cool air move over her face.
She used it as an opportunity to let some of the tension go.
She remembered a technique she learned when she was taking yoga classes.
Gently close your eyes. Breathe in deeply through your nose and imagine it flowing through your entire body, as if you were filling up a balloon.
Let it travel into your arms, your heart, your stomach, your back, and down your legs, releasing the tension out through the bottom of your feet.
It was recommended to do this three times, but Theresa was itching to get back to the hotel and grab a nap.
Skulking around the bushes at three in the morning would require stamina and being alert.
She checked the time. It was after four already.
When she got back to the hotel, she took a shower and called the front desk for a wake-up call at eleven.
Even though she set her phone alarm, she wanted to be sure.
She also called room service and asked how late they served.
Midnight. Perfect. She placed an order to be delivered at eleven.
She planned to get up, have a bite to eat, and leave the hotel just before two o’clock so she could meet up with Henry and Frida by two-thirty.
Now her current dilemma was what to wear.
What’s appropriate for a stakeout at three in the morning?
And what will the temperature be? She checked the weather app on her phone.
Normally it got cool at night, but apparently not this week.
A heat wave had hit Arizona. She’d need to wear something lightweight.
As Theresa was drying her hair, she was thankful she didn’t get that perm her sister tried to talk her into. Theresa thought back to an afternoon six months ago as they walked past a salon. At the time, Theresa’s hair was shoulder-length, medium brown, but she was ready for a change.
“Oh, you’d look cute with a perm!” Margaret blurted out with enthusiasm.
“I’m not looking for ‘cute.’ I want chic. Cool.”
“Aren’t you getting a bit old for cool?” Margaret, the fifty year old, goaded her.
“And cute is okay?” Theresa grimaced. “Let’s go inside and see what a professional recommends.”
When they entered the salon, a tall, soft-spoken Vietnamese gentleman greeted them. “Welcome to Victoria Salon. I am Leo. How can I help you?”
Theresa and Margaret were impressed by the calm nature of the place.
The space was divided into sections depending on the service you wanted.
Softly lit signs hung over different archways: The Color Bar, The Clip Joint, and Let’s ‘Do’ It.
All the sinks and dryers were also in a separate room, called Wash they had twenty years on her.
It was going to be a litmus test for her physical fitness, stamina, persistence, and determination.
She snickered at the irony. She was going to trespass and spy on a company in the middle of the night, with a couple she had just met the same day, all for someone she never knew. This should cure any sense of boredom.
Theresa recently retired as an executive director of human resources at a telecommunications company.
She started out as an assistant in the installations division, scheduling new jobs.
After a few years, she moved up to higher levels of management, and eventually was put in charge of the eastern region of the company.
Theresa enjoyed the work, especially guiding new employees to help them flourish in their roles and succeed.
But over the last few years, something changed.
It seemed like she was dealing with spoiled adolescents.
There was a different sense of ambition and drive among the new batch of employees.
The complaints employees filed ranged from someone “stealing yogurt” from the refrigerator in the break room to being allergic to the toilet paper in the bathrooms. So much of it was petty.
Theresa grew tired of it. She was unmotivated and started to resent the time she had to spend in the office.
And it started to affect her health. She was having trouble sleeping; her diet was terrible, as she tried to drown her unhappiness with sugar and a nightly glass of wine—or three; and she was too exhausted to exercise.
Brian recognized that she was miserable and encouraged her to leave her job.
He said they’d be fine without her salary, and that her well-being was more important than money.
Theresa resisted at first, but when she finally agreed, it was as if a weight had been lifted off her chest. She decided it was time to step aside from her job and follow her bliss.
The challenge was figuring out what her bliss was.
That was when she decided to do something about the way she looked. Time for a refresh.
The new hairstyle and color propelled her forward.
Then she joined a book club. Not a big leap, but a foray into meeting new people, reconnecting with friends.
And now this adventure. Theresa was happy she took on the Aunt Dottie mission.
She was doing something totally out of character, and slightly naughty. Or was it a felony?
When she finished drying her hair, she plopped on the bed and tried to fall asleep, but she was overstimulated.
She knew she had to get some shut-eye. A couple of hours, at least. She started the same breathing technique she’d used earlier in her car.
Her body began to relax, and she fell into a deep sleep.
She jolted upright when the phone alarm went off.
She blinked several times, remembering where she was and what she was about to do.
Next came a knock on her door announcing, “Room service!” Theresa shook the haze from her deep sleep, opened the door, and gladly made room for the trolley with a covered dish holding a juicy hamburger and crispy fries.
Her rational mind told her it was okay to bulk up on fat and carbs, given the project ahead.
If anything happened, at least she would die knowing her last meal was something she loved.
After she signed the check, she noticed the indicator on her phone alerting her to a text message.
It must have arrived while she was napping. It was from Lizzie.
Working on your project but info is scarce. Also have associates checking on them. Sit tight.
Theresa wondered if she should let Lizzie know about her plans to do some research on her own, with the help of her two new friends. She didn’t want to worry Lizzie; plus, it was two o’clock in the morning on the East Coast. She decided she would respond tomorrow.