Chapter Thirteen “Places, Everyone!” #4
Yoko studied the selection of sandwiches and spotted a grilled vegetable wrap.
Upon further inspection, she realized that it had probably been sitting there for a few days, then opted for the turkey and cheddar.
She was relieved they had skipped the mayonnaise, which doesn’t fare well in the heat.
She slathered Dijon mustard on it and caught up with Danny, who was sitting at a table that resembled every table in every cafeteria, everywhere. Two other workers were seated with him.
“Yoko, this is Fred and Dan. They work in the plumbing department.”
“Hello. Nice to meet you.” Yoko could almost hear what they were thinking. “I know. What’s a nice girl like me doing in a place like this?”
Everyone laughed, and it broke the ice. They made the usual small talk.
Where are you originally from? How long have you been here?
Married? Kids? The usual. As far as Yoko could tell, these were normal people—tradesmen in their forties.
After meeting Zhukov, she was relieved to have courteous and cordial people around, even if they didn’t work in the same department.
It was about the energy in the place. She could feel the shift once Zhukov left the area.
A bell rang, signaling the lunch break was over. “We’ve been summoned.”
“To where?” Yoko asked.
“Back to work.” Danny grinned.
“What’s on the ticket for this afternoon?” Yoko asked.
“They’re building another section of duplexes, and we need to look at the area marked off for the landscaping.”
“This I might like.” Yoko smiled and hopped into the utility vehicle.
Danny was behind the wheel and began to drive to the far end of the development, where bulldozers were clearing the land.
He handed her the plot plan and pointed to the spot.
“This here is going to be the access road to the parking lot. They want something that will separate it from the residences. Aesthetic purposes.”
Yoko assessed Danny. He appeared to be alright. She didn’t know why he was incarcerated, but so far, he seemed to be decent. As if he read her mind, he turned to her.
“B and E. Breaking and entering. And burglary. If you’re wondering.”
Danny stopped the vehicle.
Yoko blanched. “Well, yes, but I’m happy that I am not sitting with a serial killer.”
“My girlfriend and I broke up, and she changed the locks on the house. I had all my stuff in there, and she wasn’t going to give it back. One afternoon, when she was at work, I broke in and took what was mine.”
“If it was your stuff, then why were you charged with burglary?”
“Because I helped myself to the sixty-five-inch TV that I actually paid for. And her iPad.”
“Were you looking for anything in particular on her iPad?”
“No. I just wanted to yank her chain. She was addicted to that thing. It was part of the reason why we broke up. She was always comparing me to other guys she saw on social media. And she spent all her money on plastic surgery. When it came to paying the rent, she’d always be a little short.”
“Sounds like what you did was justifiable. Not necessarily legal, but well deserved.”
“Yeah, that’s why they dropped the charges to B and E. Spent three months in the slammer, and then they let me out on parole. Had to do two years.”
“That seems rather harsh for what could be construed as a misdemeanor.”
“You sure you’re not a lawyer?” He snapped his head in her direction.
“No. I just have a couple of good friends who are.” She hopped out of the vehicle and unrolled the plans on the back end of the cart. “Is it alright if I draw on this?”
“Sure. I can print out another copy when we get back.”
She pulled a small pencil out of her pocket, something she always carried. It could serve as a weapon or a tool. She tilted her head to the left and then to the right and made a few scribbles on the map. She took several steps from side to side and doodled a little more.
“We’ll go with a few Chinese fans, some scarlet sage, seaside goldenrod, and red buckeye. Colorful but will also serve as privacy.”
“Wow. You did that really superfast.”
“Maybe I am a famous landscaper, after all.” Yoko raised her meticulous eyebrows.
Danny drove them back at maximum speed. Once again Yoko thought about Annie’s lead foot. This time, she snickered.
“What?” Danny looked in her direction. “Driving too fast fer ya?”
“No, not at all. I have a friend who actually owns a souped-up golf cart. Advanced EV Advent 48V.”
Danny let out a whistle. “You’re talking major bucks. Almost as much as this little buggy.” He patted the steering wheel. “Is she a big golfer?”
“What? No. She uses it to drive to the market and around the neighborhood.”
“That’s kinda like what people do around here. I mean, that’s how they get around the complex.”
“So do they own their own carts, or do they rent them?”
“They rent them. If you notice, there are small porticos next to the duplexes. That’s so they can park them. The regular cars are in lots, but easily accessible to their duplexes. Twenty-five feet at the most.”
“I see. What about deliveries? Carrying groceries?”
“If the residents drive their own cars, they pull up to the front of the main building. One of the attendants unloads it and drives it over in a cart.”
“Excellent service. Sounds like they’ve thought of everything.”
“Pretty much.” Danny pulled the cart through the large doors of the warehouse and parked along the wall.
Yoko noticed it was just after three. “What’s next?”
“Go over the plans for tomorrow.”
“Are there any days when you have a light load?”
“Here? Never. There is always something for us to do. Things grow really superfast here. Always a bunch of weeds to pluck. Or tired plants to replace.”
Yoko nodded in acknowledgment. “I need to freshen up. Where should I meet you?”
“Office. Over there.” He jerked his finger over his shoulder.
“I’ll be there shortly.”
Yoko entered the unisex bathroom. There were two, plus a handicapped one.
She was pleasantly surprised to find the bathroom was clean.
Using a men’s bathroom can sometimes be a rather nasty experience.
Then again, she had been in some rather gross women’s rooms, too.
What is wrong with people? Flush the toilet, for heaven’s sake!
Even this restroom had the sign: EMPLOYEES MUST WASH THEIR HANDS.
Shouldn’t everybody? Common sense. Does anybody remember COVID?
Then she recalled a sign she saw in a women’s bathroom at a local restaurant that said: PLEASE DO NOT WRITE ON THE WALLS OR STEAL ANYTHING.
Seriously? This is what it has come to. We must remind people how to behave in public while they are in public.
Again, she thought, What is wrong with people?
She bent over the sink and splashed water on her face. When she stood, she spotted a small object in the air vent. Yoko immediately recognized it as a security camera. Whoa. Now that is bizarre. She pretended not to notice, dried her face, and walked to the office, where Danny was waiting.
“You know, nobody told me if I was your boss, or if you are my boss,” Danny noted.
“Does it matter? You know more about this place than I do. As long as we can work as a team, there shouldn’t be an issue. Right?”
As far as Yoko knew, her title was Director of Landscaping, but that was never put forth by Ivan.
It really didn’t matter. If she and the Sisters performed in their usual manner, within a week everyone would be sitting around the beautiful table in Myra’s dining room, feasting on one of Charles’s magnificent meals.
Danny went over the post for the next day. “Pretty much the same as today. A few residents would like their flower beds freshened up.”
“Sounds good.” Yoko got up to leave, but Danny stopped her.
“Hey, I just wanna say thanks for holding up your end of the gig. When I saw you walking in my direction, I thought someone must be in the wrong place.”
“I get that a lot.” Yoko grinned. “And you are welcome. I always make every attempt to hold up my end. Even if I have to use rope.” She pointed to her makeshift belt. “Thanks. It helped.”
Yoko headed to the locker room to change and then walked to the employee parking lot, where she saw Izzie following the woman she was with earlier.
She guessed things were falling into place for her.
Yoko decided she would head back to the apartment suite.
There was a call scheduled for nine so the Arizona people could be in on it at six.
Her plan was to take a long shower, then decide what to do for dinner.
Lunch for tomorrow was another issue. There was no way she was going to eat the food in the warehouse cafeteria.
Even putting those two words in the same sentence gave her indigestion.
She stopped at a Food Mart on the way back.
Earlier that day, Myra’s plane arrived just before noon.
She retrieved her suitcase and wheeled it to the car rental counter.
Myra hopped into a blue Audi SUV and drove to the hotel.
She thought the Sunnydale people might think it odd that she would stay at a studio hotel.
If she were as rich as she claimed, she would stay at the Hilton.
The Pensacola Beach Hotel looked marvelous, but there was no time for luxury. Not yet, anyway.
Myra knew Izzie and Yoko had spent their first day at work, and Annie’s plane was landing in Tempe.
Everything was running on schedule. Then it occurred to her, Where is Maggie?
It took her a moment to remember that Maggie was waiting for Annie in Tempe so she could fly back to Florida to see Jeremy again.
Myra thanked her lucky stars she was able to keep Maggie supplied with candy, although that wasn’t necessarily a good thing.
It took just under thirty minutes to reach her hotel. She phoned Mrs. Clayton to confirm their appointment for the next morning.
Arizona