Chapter 26
“Why are we sneaking into Christi’s shed again?” Liz whispered.
“Because you told me you thought she was acting weird and kept staring at it,” Gloria whispered back. “Think about it. Christi knew about the flight app. You confirmed her husband returned home the morning of the shooting and could see him running around outside. She’s acting oddly. We either find something or reach the conclusion she’s just being her usual odd self.”
“I got to thinking about it. Maybe Darren was outside, he heard the gunshot and ran out to see what it was. As far as Christi…I think she’s lonely, but what do I know?”
Gloria gave Liz’s outfit the once over. “You need to change before we sneak next door.”
“What’s wrong with blue violet? It gives my gray pants a pop of color.”
“And makes you stand out like a sore thumb. You’ll be spotted a mile away.”
“Fine.” Liz trudged back up the stairs to her bedroom and returned wearing a drab black knitted sweater. “How’s this?”
“Perfect.” Gloria nudged her toward the kitchen door. “Let’s head over.”
“I want to make sure her vehicle is still gone.” Liz, with Gloria close behind, hurried to the front of the house and peered out the window toward the Kravitz’s place. “The coast is clear.”
Trekking down the front steps, the women veered left. They walked all the way past Echo’s mobile home before cutting through the woods and crossing over to the other side of the dirt road. Reaching Ivan Gregware’s field, the women backtracked and climbed over the fence separating the properties.
“What if the shed is locked?” Liz asked. “Lucy should be with us.”
“I tried getting her over here, but she’s showing a house,” Gloria said. “She won’t be available for a couple more hours. I figured by then Christi might already be home. Besides, you mentioned the shed has a window.”
“It does.”
“I’m good at sneaking in windows.”
“But you have trouble with doors?” Liz wrinkled her nose. “What kind of super sleuth are you?”
“One of the best,” Gloria shot back. “And don’t forget it.”
The women approached the shed from the back side and found the door locked.
“Let’s check the window.” Gloria scooted along the edge and stopped in front of the window. “Great. We’re not off to a good start. This is an old transom window.”
“Meaning?”
“It’s for looks and isn’t a functioning window.”
“Maybe there’s one on the other side.” Liz pivoted and began walking toward the corner of the house. A plume of dust filled the air. It was Christi’s minivan, speeding down the road and heading their way.
“Abort mission!” Liz scrambled around the corner. She grabbed Gloria’s arm and dragged her toward the neighbor’s field.
“What are you doing?”
“Christi is home. I knew this was a bad idea.” Liz staggered sideways. “Ouch. I hit a hole.”
“It’s your shoes,” Gloria said. “They were an accident waiting to happen.”
“Stop lecturing. I picked the most sensible pair I could find.” Liz limped at a quick pace, wincing with each step. “We never should have tried sneaking into her shed. I knew it was going to be a disaster.”
“Unfortunately, the issue was poor planning,” Gloria said. “We need our team in place to run a successful operation.”
“Again, you wanted to get in and out before Christi got home.”
“I did, but now I’m thinking we jumped the gun. We’ll need to execute a backup plan.”
“A backup plan?” Liz gingerly climbed over the fence, placing a small amount of weight on her injured ankle. “I’m wounded. Christi is home. She might not leave again—for days. Maybe I was imagining things, and she wasn’t staring at the shed. Maybe she spotted a bird.”
“You’re second-guessing your gut. Always go with your gut. We’ll need to figure out a way to lure her away from the house.” Gloria slowed her pace, waiting for Liz to catch up. “Do you want me to try carrying you?”
“No, but it is getting more painful to walk.” Liz hobbled across the road.
“I have an idea.” Gloria offered her sister her arm and helped her limp over to a pile of lumber. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”
Liz winced, gently easing onto the pile of boards. “Hurry back.”
Gloria cut through the tree line and disappeared from sight. Meanwhile, Liz lifted her foot, noticing her ankle was already swelling. She tried rotating it, and a sharp pain shot up her leg.
Rustle. Something began rustling in the nearby bushes. “Gloria?” Visions of a wild animal pouncing filled Liz’s head. “Great. I’m wounded. I can’t run and my sister is MIA.”
Thunk. Thunk. Thunk. A thumping sound echoed off in the distance. Gloria appeared, pushing a wheelbarrow.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m here to give you a ride home.”
“You want me to climb in the wheelbarrow?” Liz asked.
“No. I want to hop in and let you give me a ride back to the house,” Gloria said sarcastically. “Of course, I want you to get in.”
“What’s wrong with driving the car down here?”
“I suppose I could have, but this is much more fun.”
“Fun for who?” Liz grumbled under her breath. Gripping both sides of the frame, she cautiously climbed in. Bits of dirt and debris scraped the bottom of her palms as she slid back. “I can only imagine what sort of disgusting stuff has been inside this thing.”
“Quit whining.” Gloria turned the wheelbarrow around and began wheeling her sister toward the house. “You should probably put some ice on your ankle.”
“It’s already swelling.”
“The shoes…”
Liz lifted a hand. “Will you stop with the shoes? I did my best to dress for the occasion. It didn’t work out. I’m regretting the fact we even made an attempt.”
“We’re going to try again, only next time we’ll be better prepared.”
*****
“Margaret is pulling into the driveway.”
Liz shifted uncomfortably, making sure her bag of ice was still draped over her ankle. “I might need to go to a walk-in clinic.”
“You think your ankle is broken?” Gloria swung the door open and motioned Margaret toward the house.
“No. I’m having chest pains.”
“It’s stress,” Gloria said. “Try to relax.”
“How can I relax? Federal agents are getting ready to arrest Floyd. I have a huge party planned for next Sunday and now I can’t walk.”
“Postpone the party.”
“It’s too late. The invitations already went out. How will I explain to everyone why Floyd isn’t here?”
“Floyd isn’t going to jail.” Gloria’s eyes lit. “Good news. Margaret brought Eleanor with her. Help has arrived.”
“Eleanor? Is she an expert at picking locks, surveillance, or other generally illegal activities?”
Gloria ignored the comment. “And Ruth is right behind her with Dot, Lucy and Rose. We’ve assembled the entire team in record time.”
“I still don’t know how you’re going to pull this off.” Liz rattled off all the reasons she didn’t think they would be able to figure out what was in Christi’s shed. “The woman has a pair of binoculars hanging around her neck 24/7. She doesn’t miss a thing.”
“She doesn’t miss a thing if she’s around,” Gloria corrected. “If we remove her from the area by keeping her occupied, we’ll have nothing to worry about.”
Margaret, followed by Eleanor and the others, traipsed into Liz’s kitchen.
“We got here as fast as we could,” Ruth said. “What happened when you went over there?”
“This.” Liz lifted her leg. “We were running away. I fell into a hole and twisted my ankle. In other words, I pulled a Christi.”
“Pulled a Christi,” Ruth echoed.
“My neighbor has a penchant for getting injured, most of it involving her doing some sort of surveillance on me, which means we need to keep in mind the woman has cameras everywhere.”
“Not to mention she keeps a pair of binoculars with her at almost all times,” Gloria added.
“She’s super snoopy yet also an endearing klutz. It appears some of it has rubbed off on me.”
Dot cast her a sympathetic look. “It happens to the best of us.”
“And I’m having chest pains.” Liz clutched her chest. “Right here.”
Eleanor squeezed past Gloria. “It could be gas. Have you eaten beans recently?”
“I don’t have gas. I felt fine until I tripped. My overall health has spiraled since then.” Liz closed her eyes and leaned her head back. “This whole spy in the sky and his plane being shot down have been nothing but a nightmare.”
“We’ll get to the bottom of it.” Ruth set her backpack on the barstool. “I have everything we need to make sure the coast is clear this time.”
Lucy slid a box across the counter. “Including this.”
Liz’s head snapped up. Her eyes narrowed. “Which is?”
“The high-tech new drone I’ve been talking about. We’re going to lure Christi away from her house. As soon as the coast is clear, I’ll send the drone in to make sure we’re good to go.”
Margaret cleared her throat.
“What?” Ruth asked.
“Don’t you think sending in a drone is overkill?”
“Maybe, but I want to test it out. You never know what they’ll run into. Wild bears, deer, skunks.”
“What was I thinking?” Margaret rolled her eyes and waved dismissively. “Send in the drone.”
“Once Ruth gives us the all-clear signal, Lucy and I will head across the road, figure out a way to get inside the shed and look around.”
“You make it sound so easy,” Liz sighed. “How will we get Christi over here?”
“Not we…you,” Gloria corrected.
“How am I going to get Christi over here?”
“Simple,” Dot said. “Your injury. Call her and ask her for help.”
“With all of you here?” Liz shifted uncomfortably. “I wouldn’t need her.”
“Good point.” Margaret wandered to the window. “We need to make ourselves scarce.”
“What about Ruth’s setup?” Eleanor asked.
“I can be completely mobile in the spymobile,” Ruth boasted. “It’s also used as a command center.”
“I say we move our vehicles to the bottom of the hill,” Gloria said. “Actually, the location would work out even better for Lucy and me.”
Liz flung her hand across her forehead. “This is totally stressing me out.”
Dot tapped Eleanor’s arm. “Is there anything you can do to help her?”
“Maybe.” Eleanor leaned in, studying Liz’s pasty complexion. “Would you be open to trying some of my relaxation techniques?”
“Does it involve body contortions?”
“No. It involves stretches and focusing your energies away from the stress.”
Liz eased to an upright position, her head still spinning. “I’ll give it a try. As long as I don’t have to put weight on my ankle.”
“I’ll need some yoga mats.”
“Got ‘em. They’re in the back of the spymobile,” Ruth said.
Lucy arched a brow. “Why do you keep yoga mats in your van? Never mind. I’m sure I don’t want to know.”
“For overnight stakeouts. They work out great for sleeping in the back of the van.”
“About Liz,” Gloria reminded them.
“I’ll have her fixed up in no time,” Eleanor promised.