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Keeping my thoughts compartmentalized was part of the job. Had been all of my life. Sitting here in the Onyx Security small conference room with the women of Jasper Creek on speaker phone was making it a little harder than normal. I wished Katherine were here beside me to listen to this.

“Are you sure a phone is the correct instrument for this job. I think we all need walkie-talkies.” By this time I was able to recognize Florence Horton’s voice even if I were blindfolded in the middle of a tornado.

“I’m sure, Mizz Horton,” Jase said soothingly. “The technology in cell phones is much more advanced.”

“What about those ear-doo-hickies that you Delta types wore during that movie, Zero-Light-Fifty? The ones that made it look like you were talking to space commandos,” Florence asked. “Can we get those?”

“Florence, the movie was Zero Dark Thirty, and they were SEALs,” Pearl interrupted. At least I was pretty sure it was Pearl. “She’s right, Jase. Can we get that kind of equipment?”

“And just where would we hide the comms units?” Little Grandma asked. “We’d all look pretty funny walking around with earplugs and mics hanging around our necks. We need to use the phones just like the boys are telling us.”

I heard another woman on the call trying to stifle their laughter, but they weren’t succeeding very well. I think it was Ruby. I looked over at Jase in amazement, the cousin I grew up with would have been ready to bash heads together, instead he was listening to all of this with amused patience. It had to be parenting the twins.

“Ladies, do we all agree that you’re going to use phones to communicate with one another?” he asked with a smile in his voice.

“I do. This is Ruby.” I was right, it had been her who had been trying not to laugh. There was still traces in her voice.

“I agree, Jase, and so does Lettie, don’t you dear?” Little Grandma answered.

“Yes,” Lettie spoke up.

“I suppose,” Pearl reluctantly agreed.

“I agree under protest,” Florence said. “I want that written into the record. Are you writing that down, Jase?”

“I am, Mizz Horton,” I said.

“Good.”

“Now what about for the rest of it?” I asked. “Do you all know what you’re supposed to do?”

“Well of course we do,” Florence said sharply. “We might be old, but we’re not senile. You just told us the plan an hour ago.”

“Why don’t we go over it one last time, see if there’s anything that needs adjusting. Y’all might have come up with a better idea since then.” Jase said.

“Well, you’re right, we might could have,” Florence agreed.

“But probably not, it is a good plan, don’t you think, Florence?” Little Grandma asked.

“It never hurts to go over it again just to be sure.”

Jase pressed mute on the phone in the middle of the conference room table. “Ten bucks says she’s patting her purple beehive hairdo right now.”

I snorted out a laugh as Jase unmuted the phone.

“Who’s laughing?” Florence asked.

Lavendar? I mouthed to Jase.

He nodded.

“I just spilled some soda on myself, Mizz Horton, and Code’s laughing at me,” Jase said. “Now let’s go over the plan. Who wants to start?”

“I will,” Pearl called out. “Whoever sees Viktor Sokolov first at either my restaurant, Java Jolt or the Downhome Diner, will admit that they know that Angelica Drakos and Kit Lord have come to Jasper Creek, but they really wanted some time to themselves, so they’ve found a cabin to rent somewhere up the mountain. And we won’t know where.”

“Exactly right,” I nodded.