“I can see why they would be so popular.” Myra took a beat.Let her sweat. “How much would that entail?”
Clayton adjusted her reading glasses. “Let me see. Would you want it furnished or unfurnished?”
“What is the difference in price?”
“Furnished is ten thousand per month. Unfurnished is nine thousand.”
“Would the furnishings be comparable to the place I’ll be staying in?”
“Absolutely. There are several styles to choose from.”
“Splendid. I should probably take a furnished one and give myself time to sell my home and not have to bother with moving things around.”
“Excellent idea.” She quickly added, “We require half a year in advance.”
“But I thought I was giving you a deposit.”
“Yes, thatisthe deposit. Fully refundable, of course, within thirty days.”
Myra was sifting through the paperwork. It was layers and layers of legalese. Not that it mattered. But plunking down sixty thousand dollars for a deposit seemed a bit excessive. She had to be reassured that Charles could claw back those funds after the mission was over. “Mrs. Clayton.”
“Please. Call me Edith.” She peered over her glasses hanging at the tip of her nose.
“Alright, Edith. I have to call my banker. It’s required for charges over fifty thousand dollars.”
“Of course!” Edith said easily.
“Is there a place where I can have some privacy?” Myra asked politely. She surreptitiously scanned the room for cameras, but she couldn’t use her audio detector.
“You can use this office. I’ll leave you to your call.” Clayton got up from her chair and left the room.
Myra was circumspect. How could she continue the conversation with Charles if the rooms were bugged? They had been together for many years. He should understand her code words by now. She dialed his number.
“Hello, love.”
“Hello, Mr. Martin.”
That was Charles’s first clue that Myra could not speak freely. “Yes, Ms. Regan. How can I help you?”
That was Myra’s clue that he knew there were, or could be, unwelcome ears.
“You may recall I’ve been considering moving south.”
“Yes. Florida, I believe?” Charles was in the game.
“Yes. I found a lovely spot in Pensacola. Sunnydale. Perhaps you’ve heard of it?”
“I have indeed.”
“There appears to be a number of prospects looking at the same model I am interested in, but I have not yet decided whether or not it’s right for me. They offered for me to stay here for a few days. Test drive it, so to speak. However, they are having an open house this weekend, so unless I give them a deposit, I may not be able to rent one of the lovely villas.”
“I see. How much are they requiring?”
“Sixty thousand dollars.”
Charles let out a whistle. Myra hoped no one else within earshot could hear it come over the phone line. “That’s a lot of bacon.”
“I know there is a limit of fifty on single debits per day, so I will need you to approve the rest.”
