AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Check in with the others and then some relaxation.”
“I like that plan.”
* * *
The Gulfstream jet continued east with Cuba to the north and Jamaica to the east, the blue Caribbean below. “I don’t know why I don’t take any vacations down here,” Maggie said.
“I don’t know why we don’t take any vacations at all.” Alexis was almost grumbling.
“Me either.” Eileen held up her hand. “But a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.”
“And we do it well,” Alexis remarked.
Lunch was served and they watched another movie. After, Maggie’s tablet pinged.
“This just in—Izzie said Mason has been trying to get in touch with Zoe. Zoe is ignoring him,” Maggie relayed.
“Good move if you ask me,” Alexis said dryly.
“Izzie told Zoe to keep ignoring him until we can get more information.”
“Splendid idea,” Eileen added. “Ignoring men seems to be the one thing that gets their attention.”
“Yeah, but do we want her getting more of his attention?” Alexis asked.
“Good point,” Maggie said. “Although I try not to judge until I have all the information.”
“Spoken like a true journalist,” said Alexis. “And I, too, try not to jump to conclusions about my clients. But as the saying goes, ‘If it looks like a duck and walks like a duck—’ ”
“It must be a duck!” the other women chorused. Then they busied themselves with various entertainment selections until the pilot got back on the speaker.
“The flight time was a bit shorter than expected because of a tailwind so we will be starting our descent shortly.”
Alexis excused herself to change into one of her pantsuits and a wig while Maggie and Eileen stayed in their capri pants, tank tops, and flowered shirts. No one would question whether or not they were tourists. At least for now.
After the plane landed, Maggie and Eileen got into their rental and Alexis hailed a taxi. They all headed to the Monaco Residences where a two-bedroom apartment was reserved for Maggie and Eileen and a one-bedroom for Alexis. Maggie and Eileen checked in first under their aliases, Eve Marlow and Marie Chrysler. A few minutes later Alexis, aka Estelle Johnson, signed in. It was important for Alexis to maintain her singularity in case anyone inquired.
After they settled in, Maggie pulled up a map to see how far REBAR was from the hotel. “It’s on Calle Nicolás de Ovando, about a half hour away,” she said to Eileen. “What time should we head over there?”
“Probably after dinner.”
“Good idea. Food, I mean.” Maggie giggled.
“Ha!” Eileen snickered. “I feel bad we can’t eat with Alexis.”
“Yeah, me too. But as you said, ‘A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.’ ” They finished the last bit of the sentence in unison.
They changed into even less conspicuous clothes and Maggie slung her bag of snacks over her shoulder. There was a bistro a few blocks away and Maggie suggested they check the parking lot first.
“Ah, there’s our beauty,” Maggie said as she gestured to the pickup truck. “Annie said the keys would be under the passenger seat.” They checked the parking lot for security cameras. There was only one above the rear door, which was easily avoided. They meandered around the other cars and approached the truck. The keys were exactly where Annie had promised. Maggie plucked the keys from underneath the seat, shoved her goodie bag into the small space behind the driver’s seat, and then locked the truck doors.
After a quick dinner, they made their way back to the parking lot and drove to the REBAR complex. They passed by it slowly. There was a small, two-story office building behind the first gate with a few parking spaces nearby. A second gate led to the batch plant in the back that housed the equipment needed to mix concrete. The machinery they could glimpse was massive.
Eileen got out of the truck about a block away from the complex to check for security cameras and motion detection lights. She pulled out a device that could detect high frequency cameras. There was a motion detector on every corner of the building. It was going to be more difficult to breach than they’d thought. They would have to make their way through the dense vegetation that surrounded the fence. It was a good thing that they had packed bug spray, though they had no idea just what creatures inhabited the plant life. “I guess we’ll find out,” Eileen said under her breath. She took several photos of the area and met up with Maggie down the road where she had parked the truck.
“You’re not going to like this . . .” Eileen said.
“Now what?” Maggie was almost whining.
