Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
Lexi
We all started talking at once, so I had to whistle to calm everyone down so we could work through this logically. Ginger started bouncing around, running up to everyone, wagging her tail.
“Guys, we have to think this through,” I said when everyone fell silent. I called Ginger over to me and looked her squarely in the eyes. “Ginger, bark for no and sit down for yes. Are they hurting you at the lab?”
Ginger promptly sat and the room went utterly still. I felt a wave of surreal disbelief sweep over me. I was freaking talking to a dog, and it was nothing short of monumental.
Basia clapped a hand over her mouth. “OMG! Poor Ginger. They’re hurting her.”
Gwen stared, eyes wide. “Did…did Ginger really just talk to us?”
“That’s not possible,” Gray said, putting her hands on her head, but her voice had lost conviction. “It’s not. She’s a dog. This isn’t biologically possible.”
“Gray,” I said softly. “She just spelled out ‘hurt me’ without a single mistake. I don’t think that’s coincidence.”
Ginger’s tail thumped once, her eyes now fixed on Gray as if pleading with her to believe.
The problem was that even though I’d just witnessed Ginger spelling words, I kind of agreed with Gray.
My brain, which usually loved puzzles and challenges, was fighting not to enter blue-screen-of-death disbelief over this mind-blowing development.
Gray swallowed hard. “Lexi, this must be some kind of government lab–level weirdness. Sure, the CIA has done weird experiments on animals for spying purposes in the past, but that was then and this is now. I don’t think it’s CIA-sanctioned.”
“Don’t say ‘government or CIA,’” I said. “That’s when things go from weird to classified.”
Basia stood, clenching her fists by her side. “I don’t care what’s classified or biologically possible. If someone is hurting Ginger, we need to get her help.” That mother bear instinct was coming out in full force, and I was here for it.
Gwen nodded vigorously. “I agree a hundred percent. She might have internal injuries we can’t see. I vote we go to that twenty-four-hour emergency vet that’s not too far from us. Right now. We need to know Ginger is okay.”
“And while we’re at it, hopefully the vet can confirm who she belongs to,” Basia finished.
“Or, at the very least, where she escaped from,” I added quietly.
The mere idea of it, this sweet golden retriever who fetched plastic apples and made words on a makeshift alphabet board made of napkins being hurt or tortured, hit me like a punch to the stomach.
I crouched beside Ginger. “Hey,” I said gently. “We’re going to figure this out, okay? No one’s taking you anywhere you don’t want to go.” I didn’t know how I could keep that promise, particularly if she was truly the property of a lab, but I sensed deep down that I had to try.
Ginger pressed her nose against my hand. Warm. Trusting. Terrifyingly human.
“All right,” Gray said briskly. “Let’s decide on a plan and execute.”
I didn’t know if Gray was picking up habits and mannerisms from Hands, her Navy SEAL boyfriend, or whether the CIA analyst part of her was simply taking over, but I was glad she was keeping us on track.
“Gwen, get the address of the emergency vet pulled up,” Gray ordered.
“What are we going to tell the vet is wrong with Ginger?” I asked.
“We’ll just say we found her and she seems sluggish and sick,” Basia said. “We’ll also ask if she can get a name and address off the chip. That will give us the information we need to find out what company or government organization is behind this.”
“And since the emergency vet doesn’t take strays, we should be able to leave with her if we promise to return her to the owner,” Gwen added. “Even if we decide not to.”
All good points, but I had a bigger concern that we had to address before we went anywhere. “Guys, we can’t take Ginger anywhere until we figure out how, and if, we can block whatever signal she’s emitting that permitted that guy to track her here.”
Gray furrowed her brow. “I thought you said she couldn’t be chipped with a GPS because it required a battery pack and a satellite connection.”
“That’s before I met the spelling dog,” I said. “Who knows what technology this company has created or what kind of technology they’ve inserted her with? I still believe they must have followed us here, as that is the only explanation for knowing we were all ladies, but we can’t take any chances.”
Gwen sat on the couch and sighed. “So, what do we do? They could take her from us if they follow us to the vet and she’s legally chipped to them.”
I rubbed my forehead. If she had a chip, they might not be able to locate her in a building the size of a casino, but it could certainly localize her to somewhere as specific as a vet’s office.
If so, they would still need a satellite signal to track her.
At that point, it might be possible to block her chip while we transported her to the vet. But how?
“What are you thinking?” Gray asked me.
“The easiest way to block a GPS signal is to physically interfere with the signal,” I said musing aloud. “To do that, I’d have to create a Faraday cage.”
“Can you explain that to us like we’re kindergartners?” Gray asked. “Because we have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Sorry,” I mumbled. “A Faraday cage is a theoretical box or barrier that prevents electrical signals from communicating. In our case, I’m making a tricky assumption because, somehow, they seem to be capable of using a GPS signal to track her that doesn’t require an actual battery, unless it’s built into the chip.
However, to the best of my knowledge, a GPS system still requires a satellite signal.
If that holds true, all we would have to do is block that chip with an electrically conductive metal. ”
“Where are going to get that?” Gwen asked.
“Pretty much anywhere,” I said, straightening. “Gray, check the kitchen area. See if there’s aluminum foil and plastic wrap in any of the drawers there.”
Gray leaped from the couch and started rummaging around in the kitchenette. After a moment, she gave a cry and held up a box of foil and then some plastic wrap. “Got them.”
“Excellent.” Finally, something was going our way. “Now, I just have to determine the best way to cover her, since I don’t where the chip might be.”
“Dogs are typically chipped in between their shoulder blades,” Basia offered, leaning over to examine the area on Ginger’s back. “There’s a little bit of a bump here, Lexi,” she said, waving me over. “Check it out. This might be it.”
I touched the location she indicated, noting where her finger rested on Ginger. “I do feel a bit of a bump,” I said. “I can’t be one hundred percent certain, but the probability is fairly decent that this is it.”
“So, what do we do now?” Gray asked.
I sighed. “We take a chance. We risk assuming this bump is the chip with the signal we need to block. So, my suggestion is for us to wrap several layers of foil around her neck and shoulder area where the bump is located and secure it in place with plastic wrap until we get to the vet. Once we remove the aluminum for the vet to read the chip, I estimate we’ll have anywhere from ten to twenty minutes before they could get there.
But you do realize this is all speculation and hypothesis at this point, since I don’t actually know what technology we’re working with and have no idea where they might be located at this very moment.
Baldy and his cronies could be in the lobby for all I know, so we have to be careful. ”
The others nodded thoughtfully, considering my words. “We’ll pay the emergency vet in cash, using the cash I won, so we leave no trail there for them to follow.”
“We don’t have a lot of options here, so I’m in,” Gray said without missing a beat. Gwen and Basia quickly agreed.
“Okay, then here’s the plan,” I said. “First, someone call room service to bring us another bottle of wine and some quickly prepared sandwiches or similar items. When they bring it up with the cart, we’ll ask them to leave the cart in the foyer, and we’ll let them know when to pick it up.
Gwen, Gray, and Basia, you’ll go down first and check out the lobby.
See if you can spot Baldy and any potential accomplices.
I doubt he would be so bold as to show his face after what happened, but keep an eye out for anyone taking a special interest in you.
Lead them away from the stairwells if you can and let me know when and where they are so Ginger and I can avoid them. ”
“Will do,” Gwen said.
“Once it seems like they are preoccupied, I’ll hide Ginger in the bottom section of the food cart in case anyone gets on the elevator with us,” I continued.
“We’ll stop on the second floor and get off, leaving the cart there.
Ginger and I will take the stairs the rest of the way down and go out the hotel side door.
We’ll risk being seen, but hopefully this late in the evening, we won’t encounter too many people.
Once we’re in the stairwell, the rest of you exit the casino, get Gray’s car, and pull it around to pick up Ginger and me. ”
“Where do we meet you with the car?” Basia asked. “It’s too risky to stay close to the hotel.”
“Maybe in front of, or near, that Mexican restaurant nearby, what was it called?” I snapped my fingers thinking.
“The Tequila Palace,” Gray said promptly, and we all looked at her in surprise. “I’m observant,” she said sheepishly, lifting her hands. “Plus, I really like tequila, so I had it as an emergency backup place in case I needed a drink and didn’t want to deal with the casino.”
“Okay, the Tequila Palace it is,” I confirmed. “Are we all clear?”
Everyone nodded, and even Ginger thumped her tail. I’d forgotten it was possible she might understand some of what we were saying.
“Just make sure you aren’t being followed when you leave the casino,” I warned Gray. “And when you get into the car, plug in the address for the emergency vet.”
“Will do,” Gray said.
“I’m calling room service now,” Gwen said.
Gray brought me the boxes of aluminum foil and plastic wrap. I opened the boxes, and we tore off several long strips of both. Ten minutes later, our food arrived and the waiter agreed to leave the cart in the foyer until we alerted him. We thanked him and he left.
Quickly, the four of us began to wrap the foil around Ginger, securing it in place with the plastic wrap. It wasn’t a great solution, but it was all we had at the moment.
“This is going to be a bit uncomfortable, but stay still, girl,” I said soothingly as we wrapped her neck and shoulders. “You’re going to look ridiculous, but at least you’ll be invisible to satellites.”
Ginger must have understood, because she was extremely accommodating as we wrapped her up and smoothed everything down. When I felt satisfied that we’d wrapped her enough, we sat back to observe our work.
Ginger stared at us, sitting regally in her new metallic shawl.
Gwen took one look and burst out laughing. “She looks like a baked potato.”
Basia kissed Ginger on the nose. “A very brave baked potato.” She gave the dog a hug and Ginger licked her on the cheek.
“All right, foil princess,” I said, efficiently tucking the last strip of plastic wrap around the foil. “You’re officially off the grid. Time to get this operation underway. Gray, Gwen, and Basia, head down to the lobby now for reconnaissance. Ginger and I won’t be far behind.”
The girls shrugged into their coats, and Gray held up her car keys, shaking them at me. “We’re good to go. We’ll keep you posted on any potential dangers. Just get out as fast as you can, Lexi.”
“I will,” I promised. “We’ll be right behind you.”