Twenty-three #2
“I thought we’d agreed that the scene would be accusing one of the men of something terrible. But Irene took it to mean a fight,” Frances said.
“Oh, Franny. Did you really think we were going to dance around? It had to be a big diversion.”
“You might have warned me. It was my real hair you pulled, you know. And you damn sure didn’t have to sock me in the mouth.”
“For the thousandth time, I didn’t intend to hit you in the mouth. I was going for your shoulder. My aim was off.”
Joan began to laugh. Edie, too. And then the four of them were laughing. Wheezing, really, bent over the table and their laps, remembering the near catastrophe that was Venice.
Edie didn’t remember how it had all ended, precisely.
She remembered running toward the vault, yelling at the security guards that there was a terrible brawl in the lounge and the manager wanted them.
She remembered slipping into the vault with the key Joan had stolen and duplicated.
She remembered how her heart had beat so hard she could hardly keep her fingers from shaking, but somehow, she’d managed to open that safe, had managed to stuff her satchel with money and even some jewelry, and flee before the fight was broken up.
She was in a cab with Joan before Irene was pulled off Frances and hauled into the entrance hall. Frances held a clump of black hair in her hand, her chest heaving. She told them later that some guy tried to dab her breasts with a napkin. She hit him, too.
“How did we get away with so much?” Edie asked, breathless from laughing.
“We were good at it!” Irene said.
“Were we?” Frances asked. The four of them looked around at each. Laughter suddenly broke out again. Deep belly laughs. “No,” Edie wheezed.
When the laughter had subsided, Joan said it was time to get to work.
“The casino has that old-fashioned safe Grandpa Vitali was so proud of. There is an entire room dedicated to the history of the casino, with photos and memorabilia going back to the forties. And a photo of the safe, next to a placard that says it has been in the Vitali family network of casinos since 1957 and is impenetrable.”
“No pressure,” Frances said with a wink for Edie.
“It’s got a wheel lock,” Joan said to Edie. “I pulled up a couple of examples.” She turned the laptop around to show Edie.
Edie grabbed her reading glasses and leaned forward to study it. “Yikes. There’s a lot going on.”
“Good thing you have an engineer’s mind. Oh, and there’s a motion detector we’ll have to disable,” Joan said casually.
Edie pulled off her glasses. “How in the hell are we going to disable a motion detector? Do you have any idea how to do it?”
“Irene has some contacts who know how.”
“It’s good news that it’s an old safe, right?” Irene asked. “Better than the modern ones.”
“Maybe?” Edie agreed. “I don’t know if I will be able to hear the lock. My hearing isn’t what it used to be.”
Joan pulled her hearing aid out of her right ear and put it on the table. “You’ll be able to hear as good as a fox.”
“It won’t matter if you can hear or not if we can’t get into the vault,” Irene said. “That’s a different system. Speaking of security, I’ll be tailing Mr. Mark Wachtel to figure out his routine. I found him easily enough today. Should be a piece of cake to track him.”
“We might need help from the inside,” Edie said. “I just might have the person, too. Mel, the security guard. She’s overly friendly.”
“I’ll do you one better,” Irene said. “I’ve got a job interview tomorrow for the cleaning staff.”
“Get out!” Edie exclaimed as Frances applauded. “How did you do that?”
“Skinner. I told him my niece was looking for work and he hooked me up with Todd’s sister, who knows someone on the employment staff at the casino.
Turns out, Todd’s sister has been fired from there more than once.
He said they are always hiring, and my niece should be able to start right away.
Which means me. Once we get the lay of the land, we can figure out a plan,” Irene said.
“What about Rocco?” Frances asked. “We need to keep tabs on him. And we need a honeypot.”
“Doesn’t have to be female these days,” Joan said. “The younger generation is so fluid.”
“Excuse me?” Frances said.
“You know. Fluid. I’m just saying, it seems like this younger generation will sleep with anyone.”
“Not this guy,” Edie said. “I got a look at him today. We need a woman.”
“And a getaway vehicle,” Frances added.
“We don’t have the money for that,” Irene pointed out.
“I do,” Frances said. “Joan’s car is too notable. We need something no one will remember clearly.”
They talked a little longer, giving each other advice what to look for.
Edie planned to visit a Las Vegas museum the next day that had a display of old-style casino safes through the years.
They talked until they were all yawning, and decided the best thing to do was get a good night’s rest. Joan and Irene disappeared into their room, and Frances shook her head as she watched the door close behind them. “You think you know people.”
Edie followed Frances into their small bedroom. Frances sank heavily onto her bed. They were all exhausted, but Frances looked especially so. “Are you okay?” Edie asked.
“Me?” Frances asked, appearing startled. “I’m fine.”
Edie was about to ask her about why she was so tired, but Frances’s phone rang, and she picked it up.
Frances looked at the screen, then slapped it against her chest. “Oh my God!” she whispered hotly, then gestured wildly for Edie to stay out of sight.
Then she lowered the phone. “Hello, Marge. How did you learn to do FaceTime?”
“What do you mean?” a woman’s voice said. “It’s just a button.”
“Okay, but we don’t normally FaceTime,” Frances said, and shot Edie a nervous look.
“Don’t worry, Franny, I will still love you without makeup. So how is everything? How are you and the lover doing?”
“Don’t call him that,” Frances said.
“Oh God, Fran, don’t tell me you haven’t done the nasty yet. Listen, take it from me, everything still works like—”
“Marjorie!” Frances cried, and came off the bed. She walked to the window.
Edie sank onto her bed and gestured for Frances to keep talking. She couldn’t help her grin as she crudely mimicked sex with her hands.
Frances rolled her eyes and tried to turn her back. “So, what’s up? You and Cam—”
“Ken,” Marge sharply interjected.
“Ken having a good time?”
“We certainly are. That’s why I’m calling. We’re going on a cruise! Doesn’t that sound fantastic? You and Stefon should join us!”
Frances cast a sheepish look at Edie, who raised her eyebrows as high as she could, mouthed the name Stefon, then covered her mouth to contain her giggles.
“It departs from Houston and sails to the Caribbean. Seven days, all-inclusive, except drinks. Doesn’t that sound like fun?”
“I don’t know, Marge. That seems like a lot and I’m taking this trip, and—”
“So, is it gorgeous?” Marge asked.
Frances blinked and glanced at Edie. “Is what gorgeous?”
“The foliage!” Marge said impatiently. “The whole reason you wanted to go!”
“Oh. Yes! It’s beautiful.”
“Show me.”
Frances stared at her phone. “Show you?”
“Sure! You’ve got a window or something, don’t you? Stefon won’t mind.”
“It’s dark, Marge. I’ll show you pictures when I get back. So, listen, you sort of caught me at a bad time. I can’t really talk right now.”
“Fine,” Marge said. “But think about the cruise. I’m going to send you the information and I want you to seriously consider it. We’re six weeks out. And ask that hunk Stefon! If you don’t, I will.”
“Oh my God,” Frances said. “Send it to me and I’ll look. But I really must go. Kisses to Cam.”
“Ken!”
“Ken. Ken, Ken, Ken,” Frances conceded.
“Hurry back, Franny,” Marge said. “I miss you.”
Frances smiled. “Miss you, too.” She waved at the screen and clicked off.
“Who, pray tell, was that?” Edie asked with amusement.
“My entirely too-bossy, too-nosey best friend, Marjorie.” She tossed her phone onto the bed. “Edie … if something happens to me, she’s the one who needs to know.”
Edie laughed. Frances didn’t. “What’s going to happen to you?” Edie asked. “I mean, other than the obvious that we might all end up in jail, in which case, I can’t let anyone know anything.”
“Anything could happen, you know that. She’s in my phone as Large Marge, and she will let my son know, and my lawyer, and the neighbors four doors down. Anyone who needs to know will know. Promise me you will do that for me.”
For some reason, Frances looked and sounded grave. Like she thought she really was going to die. “Frances,” Edie said, and leaned across the narrow space between their beds to put her hand on her arm. “You are sounding awfully fatalistic. What’s the matter?”
“Nothing! It just occurred to me that Marge would know what to do if something were to happen to me.”
“Nothing is going to happen,” Edie said. “We’ll bail before we put ourselves in danger. You know that.”
“Our motto is ‘Die trying,’” Frances reminded her.
“Well, maybe we should stick with ‘Best of luck.’ But is there something going on you want to talk about?”
She never heard the answer to that, because someone was suddenly pounding on the door.