“You know how the safe was set a little deeper in the niche?”
“Yeah, you said five inches or so.”
“Well, I couldn’t see the upper panel of the niche. It was set low, at about my chin’s height.”
“And?”
“Becker is much taller than I am.”
“Most people are.”
She counters the jab with a small slap on my forearm. “That means he probably never sees the ceiling of the niche.”
I think I see where she’s going with this, but I let her continue with, “Go on.”
“A while back, Mason wanted to spy on his situationship, who he thought was sleeping around. So, he wanted to get a spy camera, and he asked for my help to choose one.”
“That’s healthy …”
“Oh, Mason is toxic as hell, for sure. Anyway, some of them weresosmall, baby. As big as a thumbnail. And they can operate on motion detectors and do their work for days.”
Now, I’m sure that I know what she’s thinking about. “You’re considering sticking one to the upper panel of the niche, waiting for it to activate, filming Becker inputting the code, and then retrieving the camera.”
“I mean… It’s dumb as hell, but it could work. Efficient, almost risk-free, and we can set it up as early as tomorrow.”
“‘We?’ You’re not considering going back there, are you?”
“One last time. Then, I tell the housekeeper I’m feeling a little ill and need to go home. She’ll fire me on the spot, which will allow me to make a discreet exit.”
I try to stay calm and not let her carelessness frustrate me as I ask, “After our scare today, you’d go back?”
“You heard them on the security feed say Horvat was returning to Seattle to get visual confirmation that you’re there. And Becker isreturning to his family in Palm Springs. The penthouse will be safe again.”
I take a few seconds to process her words, shocked she’d be so easily willing to return there. “You’re completely mad.”
“If I don’t go tomorrow, I’ll get fired. And if I get fired, we’ll lose our access to the penthouse.”
When I don’t answer, she goes on with her argument. “I told you they were talking about delivering ‘butterflies’ this Friday. I’m pretty sure Becker will need his computer at some point for whatever goes down.”
“Then what?”
“Then, I don’t know… We find another way to get in. Get the camera back and crack the safe.”
“Such an easy plan.”
She twists around to offer me a miffed frown. “At leastI’mtrying to think of something.”
Right. I should be more proactive as well. “Why don’t you ask Paola to hide the camera?” I ask.
“That’s where she’ll draw the line. If she gets caught with it, she’s done. He’ll have her sent back to Peru, if not worse. Even I wouldn’t want to put her through that risk. She has kids.”
“Hmm…” I take a sip of my champagne, giving myself some time to think. If we go with her plan to stick a camera in the safe’s niche, then I might have an option not only to get it back but also to do what we need to do and crack the safe and access its contents.
“I called Emilia a few days ago,” I say.
“Your sister?”
“Yes.”
