“You got a raise after one day,” Frances said. “Because you’re so good at cleaning.”
“Very funny, but no,” Irene said as Joan came out of the kitchen. She was wearing gym clothes. “It’s about our security man, Mark Wachtel. I’ve been able to track him for two nights. Both nights, he left the casino, drove across town, and parked at—get this—a male revue.”
“What does that mean?” Frances asked, sinking onto the couch before her legs gave out.
“That he’s probably gay,” Marcy answered.
“Bingo,” Irene said.
“And?” Joan asked. “What do we do with this information?”
“We use it,” Irene said. “He leaves with a bag big enough to hold a laptop, and I doubt he’s carrying it into the club. So, if I could get in his car and copy his hard drive, I could break into the security system and disable the motion detector.”
“How on earth are we going to get in his car?” Edie wondered.
“We’ve got two options. One is to use a shim like the police have, you know? Get it in through a window, punch the unlock button on the door panel. Or get his key fob and open the door. Which is preferable, if you really want to know. Quicker, easier, no sign of entry.”
“I don’t know how on earth we get the man’s keys,” Joan said, and without warning, performed a high kick that came very close to Marcy’s head.
“Hey,” Marcy said, bending backward.
“Sorry. Gotta practice.”
“Distract him,” Irene said. “I’m thinking lap dance. We go in, pay for a lap dance for him. Or two. And while he is occupied, we grab his key fob, run to the parking lot, unlock the door, and make sure he stays occupied while I do the copy.”
“That is literally the definition of absurd,” Frances said. “It sounds like an old cop show.”
“That’s where I got the idea,” Irene admitted.
“We just go into this place?” Edie asked. “Four older women?”
“We’re a book club,” Joan said. “Out for a wild night on the town.”
“Oh, sure,” Frances scoffed. “No one will suspect a thing.”
For some reason, they all looked at Marcy.
She blinked back at them. “Oh. Do you want my opinion?”
“Yes,” they all said in unison.
“I don’t think clubs today are like they were in the seventies. Men and women of all ages go to male revues now. And if you really want him occupied, you can pay one of the performers to do it. They work for tips, you know.”
The four of them absorbed this information.
“And for sure no one is going to think you guys are there to steal a laptop. You look like you knit each other sweaters at Christmas.”
“Don’t knock knitting. It’s very relaxing,” Edie said.
“I, for one, have zero confidence in this plan,” Frances opined.
“Got a better idea?” Irene asked.
“Of course I don’t,” Frances sniffed.
“Then it’s the plan,” Joan said. “If it’s a bust, we’ll have a good time. We could use a good time.”
“We’ll go tomorrow,” Edie said. “Right now, we’ve got a bigger fish to catch. Franny, get dressed! We should be there in an hour, no later. Irene, where are the earpieces? Let’s make sure everything works.”
