“Let’s get on the road. I’ll explain on the way,” Theresa said.
The three walked to the parking lot, where Theresa had kept the motor running. The interior was at a comfortable temperature, and she wanted it to stay that way. Even a few short minutes could raise the heat several degrees.
Once they were outside of Sunnydale, Theresa began to explain.
“Remember I told you I had a friend who was doing some checking on Sunnydale?”
“Ya,” Frida replied.
“She and her friends have been ‘peeling the onion,’ as they say. I can’t get into it right now, but this disguise was in case anyone recognized me.”
“What of it?” Frida asked.
“According to Sunnydale, my Aunt Dottie passed away, and I was unceremoniously dismissed.”
“Ya.”
“So why would I go back to Sunnydale?”
“Because you made new friends,” Frida said innocently.
“That much is true.” Theresa made a quick glance at her and smiled. “The point is, my friends didn’t want me to bring any attention to myself.”
“This is starting to sound juicy.” Frida chuckled.
Henry sat in the back, listening quietly with a big grin on his face. He couldn’t remember the last time he had this much fun. He was growing fond of Frida, and he enjoyed Theresa’s gumption.
Theresa continued, “My friend explained that there was something in the offing, but she wasn’t at liberty to say. All I can tell you is that someone is looking into the strange and creepy stuff we saw, and they confirmed that the lady in the wheelchair is my Aunt Dottie.” She paused. “I had to keep that information under my hat”—she tapped the brim—“until now.”
“What are we going to do about it?” Henry asked firmly.
“We have to sit tight. Two more days. Probably.”
“But then what?” Frida asked.
“Then they’ll tell us.”
“Who is ‘they,’ and can you trust these people?” Henry asked.
“Absolutely.” Her voice matched her expression of conviction.
“If you trust them, then we trust them,” Frida said. “Now where are we stopping for lunch today?”
For the Sisters, things were beginning to line up. The next phone call would lay out the blueprint for their plans.
Charles began. “Photos taken by Annie of the dump truck’s front bumper line up with the accident photos of Theresa’s rental. Obviously the two incidents are related. Do we know who was behind the wheel of either truck?”
Everyone shook their heads except Yoko. “There may be someone. Ivan Zhukov. He manages the facilities building. There was something nefarious about him.”
Fergus immediately looked him up on his Interpol file. “Ivan Zhukov. Suspected of smuggling guns into the country, but it was never proven. But he has a record and is wanted by Interpol for a variety of reasons. My guess is he’s hiding out in Florida.”
“Once everything starts moving, we can contact the proper authorities. They’ll handle him,” Charles said. “Deportation is one of their talents.”
“What about Theresa’s accident? We don’t know who the driver of the truck is,” Maggie commented.
“We’ll get him, but first we have to put everything else in play,” Charles replied. “Wednesday is our target date. Myra, Annie, you will have to leave the premises before they discover the dodgy payments. Go back to your hotel for the next two nights.
“Izzie, you are going to work with Regina. Suggest you go out for drinks after work on Wednesday. Give her a basic explanation. The place is being investigated for fraud. Then you’ll instruct her to go home and wait for further details. Shouldn’t be more than a day or so.”
