Yoko didn’t want to draw any suspicion, so she changed the subject … for the moment. “How long have you been working here?”
“Since it opened, five years ago.” He grew sheepish. “I was on parole, and the congressman got me this job.”
“That was nice of him. Do you know him well?” Yoko asked casually.
“That’s the funny thing. Never met the guy. One day when I was meeting with my P.O., he told me there was a job opening at a new senior community and word came down that they should hire me.”
“How do you suppose they got your name? Curious.”
“Some kind of mandate, I guess.”
Or a way to keep an eye on your employees, Yoko guessed. Over the years, when the Sisters were on a mission, they learned to believe half of what you hear, and disregard the rest. At least when it came to the people they were targeting.Not a good use of a word, but applicable.
Yoko checked the clipboard that was hanging on the landscaping cart. “We need ten bags for the front, ten for the sides.” To Danny’s astonishment, Yoko picked up the forty-pound bag and slung it over her shoulder as if it were a kitchen towel.
“Holy smoke! You powerlift?”
“Me? No. Not powerlift.” Yoko did not go into detail as to how she maintained her physical strength.
“I gotta say, I’m impressed.”
Yoko lugged another bag to the cart. “Maybe this is why they hired me.” She chuckled. “I can literally carry my own weight. No pun intended.”
Danny chortled. “And you’re funny.”
Funny? Me, funny? That’s a new one. “I like to laugh, but I am usually not the funny one,” Yoko responded.
Danny looked up at the rising sun. “It’s gonna be a hot one today. Andhuuu-mid.” He elongated the word for emphasis.
“Florida sunshine and all the moisture one could ever want,” Yoko added, as she continued to load the cart. “You drive, since I’m not familiar with the place yet.”
“Sure thing!” Danny got behind the wheel of the Cushman utility vehicle, capable of carrying eight hundred pounds at sixteen miles per hour with a ticket price of $15,000.
Yoko thought of Annie in her souped-up golf cart. She would never stand for something that moved at that snail pace. “This is quite the rig,” she said, as she climbed into the passenger seat.
“Everything here is top-of-the-line,” Danny noted, as they passed two dump trucks parked several yards away. Yoko made a mental note to check the trucks for dents, when or if she was not under surveillance. She also noticed the excessive amount of security cameras. As the cart slowly moved to the main entrance, Yoko took mental notes of the landscape and the layout. She would be able to find her way back based on the foliage. All of this was a discussion for the group.
It took them until noon to unload and spread the topsoil and mulch. Then the two got into the much-lighter transport and headed back to the facilities building. They circumvented the large patio area, where Yoko got a glimpse of Izzie walking with another woman. Things were falling into place. Next would be the arrival of Myra.
When Danny and Yoko returned to the building, they went to the locker room to clean up for lunch. “We change into a clean uniform before we eat.”
“That might be a problem. This was the only size small.” Yoko looked down at her dirty jumpsuit. “I don’t think the next size up is going to work for me.”
“Wait right here.” Danny went back into the warehouse area and returned with a piece of rope. “Try this for a belt.”
Yoko chuckled and said, “Good thinking.” She took the rope and a fresh uniform, size medium. She laughed out loud. “I can fit two of me in this. I think I need a few more pieces of rope. For the sleeves,” she called out to him.
“Be back in a jiffy.” Danny made quick work of getting more rope. He tossed the pieces over to her.
Yoko’s fashion issue was cutting into their lunch break. “You go ahead. I’ll catch up. Just tell me where.” Yoko be gan rolling the sleeves, then tying them below her elbow.
“There’s a small lunchroom-slash-cafeteria at the far end of the building. They have sandwiches, mac and cheese, and sometimes stew.”
Yoko realized the cuisine was meant for men. Big men with big appetites. “No salads, I presume?” she called out.
“You presume correctly,” he said over his shoulder.
Depending on how long this mission would take, Yoko considered bringing her lunch to work in the future.
