stick to game.” Her voice grew stronger. “But I’m also freaked about your laptop they ripped off from our old apartment. All they needed was to figure out that goofy password of yours, and bang, there it is. The names and addresses of our families and everyone we know.”
“You’re telling me? I called my mom and my brother to be sure they were okay as soon as I could get my head straight.” Steven and his boyfriend Marc were in Provincetown doing theater work, and my mother was in a Florida senior community with security guards, but Curtis made it sound as if distance were no obstacle. Both were fine. Still, I wondered…“What about your uncle’s house in Puerto Rico? Maybe you could go there with both our families and lay low until this is over.”
“No way. I’m in this with you, Saylor. And if we tried rounding up everybody and shipping them off on a surprise sojourn, we’d have to tell them why. Can you imagine my papi’s reaction? Not to mention my brothers or Uncle Ramon. Talk about protective. They’d be out for blood. I don’t want to start a war.”
“Cancel that plan.” I stepped into the living room for a quick look at Uncle Pete, who was sitting quietly in his cage, cleaning his feathers. “I did memorize their license plate number.
Maybe I could use one of those online services to give me the name and address of the Hummer’s owner. Using an Internet service is hardly the same as turning to the police or a private investigator.”
“Give it a try. But don’t get your hopes up,” Benita said. “Probably stolen plates. They aren’t gonna make it that easy. We’ve just got to play it super tight. Don’t give them any reason to move on our families.”
I caught myself biting my nails. Hadn’t done that since seventh grade. “Good thing Aunt Lana’s going back to East Hampton tomorrow. I want her kept safely out of the loop.”
“Be careful you don’t break down when she comes in tonight.”
“She’s so hot on Irv that she won’t be back till morning.” I went to the bathroom, turned on the tap for the bathtub and sprinkled in some lavender oil for a relaxing effect. Boy, did I need it tonight. For the first time in my life, I felt skittish about getting naked. Aftershock. But, unlike our place in Williamsburg, this building had great security. Any stranger would have a hard time getting past the lobby. Of course, there were other things that worried me. “Could this Curtis guy be tapping our phones?”
“Answer’s no. Tough thing to get away with. All we’d have to do is have the phone company check it out and the law would be on his ass. Try not to get too paranoid.”
“What I can’t fathom is how Gwen got her hands on an object that valuable. And why she put that note about me in her journal. She never told me about hiding a tablet. I’m guessing it’s one of those archaeological shards. And once we find the thing—”
Benita cut me off, saying, “We give it up. It’s too late to save Gwen.”
“I disagree. I think we should set a trap.”
“Set a trap? ¿Eres loca? This ain’t no Hollywood movie. This is real time. I have no intention of getting dead over Fred Flintstone’s letter to Barney.”
“Sorry, but if Gwen was willing to die to protect this tablet and spent her last moments trying to contact me with a secret message, I’ll be damned if I’m going to let those Hummer hounds get their mitts on it. I just have to come up with that tablet without Curtis and company finding out. If I let Gwen down, her death was for nothing.” I paused, letting my intentions sink in. Then I added, “Since we’re talking about harsh realities, let’s not kid ourselves. Her killers probably plan to do away with us even if they get the tablet.”
“In other words, we’re dead if we do and dead if we don’t. You sure I can’t talk you into an Uzi?” Benita was pissed again. The possibility of being murdered does tend to put one in a foul
“You’re telling me? I called my mom and my brother to be sure they were okay as soon as I could get my head straight.” Steven and his boyfriend Marc were in Provincetown doing theater work, and my mother was in a Florida senior community with security guards, but Curtis made it sound as if distance were no obstacle. Both were fine. Still, I wondered…“What about your uncle’s house in Puerto Rico? Maybe you could go there with both our families and lay low until this is over.”
“No way. I’m in this with you, Saylor. And if we tried rounding up everybody and shipping them off on a surprise sojourn, we’d have to tell them why. Can you imagine my papi’s reaction? Not to mention my brothers or Uncle Ramon. Talk about protective. They’d be out for blood. I don’t want to start a war.”
“Cancel that plan.” I stepped into the living room for a quick look at Uncle Pete, who was sitting quietly in his cage, cleaning his feathers. “I did memorize their license plate number.
Maybe I could use one of those online services to give me the name and address of the Hummer’s owner. Using an Internet service is hardly the same as turning to the police or a private investigator.”
“Give it a try. But don’t get your hopes up,” Benita said. “Probably stolen plates. They aren’t gonna make it that easy. We’ve just got to play it super tight. Don’t give them any reason to move on our families.”
I caught myself biting my nails. Hadn’t done that since seventh grade. “Good thing Aunt Lana’s going back to East Hampton tomorrow. I want her kept safely out of the loop.”
“Be careful you don’t break down when she comes in tonight.”
“She’s so hot on Irv that she won’t be back till morning.” I went to the bathroom, turned on the tap for the bathtub and sprinkled in some lavender oil for a relaxing effect. Boy, did I need it tonight. For the first time in my life, I felt skittish about getting naked. Aftershock. But, unlike our place in Williamsburg, this building had great security. Any stranger would have a hard time getting past the lobby. Of course, there were other things that worried me. “Could this Curtis guy be tapping our phones?”
“Answer’s no. Tough thing to get away with. All we’d have to do is have the phone company check it out and the law would be on his ass. Try not to get too paranoid.”
“What I can’t fathom is how Gwen got her hands on an object that valuable. And why she put that note about me in her journal. She never told me about hiding a tablet. I’m guessing it’s one of those archaeological shards. And once we find the thing—”
Benita cut me off, saying, “We give it up. It’s too late to save Gwen.”
“I disagree. I think we should set a trap.”
“Set a trap? ¿Eres loca? This ain’t no Hollywood movie. This is real time. I have no intention of getting dead over Fred Flintstone’s letter to Barney.”
“Sorry, but if Gwen was willing to die to protect this tablet and spent her last moments trying to contact me with a secret message, I’ll be damned if I’m going to let those Hummer hounds get their mitts on it. I just have to come up with that tablet without Curtis and company finding out. If I let Gwen down, her death was for nothing.” I paused, letting my intentions sink in. Then I added, “Since we’re talking about harsh realities, let’s not kid ourselves. Her killers probably plan to do away with us even if they get the tablet.”
“In other words, we’re dead if we do and dead if we don’t. You sure I can’t talk you into an Uzi?” Benita was pissed again. The possibility of being murdered does tend to put one in a foul
Similar Books
