When they returned to the main building, Annie could see Turner was moving quicker than she had been earlier. She ushered Annie into a simply furnished office. “Please take a seat. Can I get you anything?”
“Do you have any sparkling water?”
“Yes. Give me a minute.” Turner handed Annie a folder with a brochure and several pages of legalese. “Look these over. I’ll be right back.”
Annie thumbed through the information. It was identical to Myra’s. She wondered if Turner was going to give her the “we are having an open house this weekend” routine. Sure enough, when Turner returned, she announced the open house, all the interest in the villas, and suggested Annie put down a deposit so she wouldn’t lose the villa, should she decide to stay.
“Of course. I completely understand.” She pulled out her new fake checkbook, with the fake bank information. The trick was to get their mission done before Monday, when the real banks were open. She didn’t want to offer a promissory note, just in case the two (bad) sisters discussed their latest conquests. It could cause a few red flags.Two new members with promissory notes? Not a good idea. It was smart that Charles suggested a phony account “for an even phonier account.”
Annie eyed Turner’s lanyard with the key card hanging around her neck. She had to figure out a way to swap it with another one and hand it off to Kathryn. Then an idea came to her. “Janet. You don’t mind if I call you Janet, do you?”
“Not at all.”
“Since I’m new here, would you care to join me for dinner tonight? Then you can tell me all about Sunnydale.”
Turner looked baffled. No one had ever asked her out to dinner. “Well, yes, I suppose I could. If it wouldn’t be an imposition.”
“No imposition. I would greatly appreciate your advice. Just let me know what time and where.”
Turner thought for a moment. “I’ll make a reservation at Chez Michel, our four-star restaurant on the premises.”
“Wonderful. I read the reviews.”
“Yes, people who don’t even live here wait for weeks for a reservation.” Turner was delighted with the prospect of doing an extended sales pitch to the new client. “How about six? I have a change of clothes in my office.”
“Perfect.” Annie smiled. Now Annie had to do three things. Get a key card, swap it with Turner’s, and get Turner’s real card to Kathryn. The first part was easy. She’d get Kathryn’s when she got off work. Annie imagined Turner wouldn’t be wearing hers at dinner, so she assumed Turner would keep it in her purse. Where Turner placed her purse during dinner would determine how Annie would make the switch.
Turner gave Annie the keys to the villa and hustled through the paperwork. Then she arranged for a golf cart to be sent to Annie’s place, while Annie phoned the hotel and asked for them to have her suitcase sent over. Before she left the hotel, she anticipated staying at Sunnydale and kept her suitcase packed and ready to go.
Turner walked Annie to the main entrance where her car was waiting. “See you at six.” Turner smiled and waved.
On her way to her villa, Annie sent Kathryn a text:
MEET ME AT MY PLACE AS SOON AS YOU CLOCK OUT.
When Annie arrived at her villa, she opened her laptop and posted some notes on the mainframe, letting everyone know she signed the paperwork, arranged dinner with Turner, and would be meeting with Kathryn at 4:45. She went into as much detail as she could provide for the switch. Once Kathryn got hold of the master key, she would be able to enter the mysterious door. Thanks to Izzie, Charles and Fergus were able to hack into both of Sunnydale’s CCTV and set up dummy scenes for the cameras to view. Kathryn’s workspace would appear to be empty, and the corridor with the patients would stream fake videos from earlier that day.
After Annie uploaded her notes, she phoned Theresa and asked her to meet somewhere off campus. Too many sightings of Theresa after Aunt Dottie “passed” might create some unwelcomed inquiries. Theresa suggested the café where Henry had brought her and Frida two days before.
“Perfect. See you at four o’clock.” Annie ended the call and waited for her belongings to arrive from the hotel. She fetched the extra wig from her luggage and stashed it in her tote. Theresa was going to have to go undercover, even if she had the same hairdo as Annie. A scarf or headband could change the way it looked. At three-thirty, she left the complex and arrived at the café. A woman around fifty was seated at a corner table. Annie looked in her direction. The woman smiled as Annie approached. “Theresa?”
“Yes!” she said breathlessly. “It is so good to meet you.”
Annie sat across from her. “I don’t have a lot of time. You should be happy to know that your Aunt Dottie is still alive. We have one of our people on the inside and saw the ring up close.”
Theresa looked baffled. “I don’t understand what is happening.”
“It’s not very clear to us, either, but we are discovering new information every day. I am going to ask you to wear this.” Annie pulled the wig from her bag and handed it to her under the table. “Once we unpeel a few more layers of this onion, we are going to need your help.”
“My help?” Theresa gasped. “What on earth can I do?”
“Again, we don’t have a lot of details. I understand you have befriended two residents of Sunnydale.”
“Yes. Henry and Frida. Wonderful people.”
“And a little mischievous, from what I’ve heard.”
Theresa laughed out loud. “That’s an understatement.”
