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The phone rang a few times before it was picked up by a woman. “Pig and Lantern.”
“Do you have any rooms available for tonight?”
“One moment . . .” He heard the tapping of computer keys. “Name?”
He then glanced over at Remi, saying, “Longstreet, Mr. and Mrs.”
“Longstreet . . .” More typing, then, “How many nights?”
“Just one. It’ll be for a late arrival. Sometime after dark.”
“And which credit card would you like to hold it under?”
“American Express.” He signaled Remi for the card since she still carried one under her maiden name, then read the number to the woman.
“Very good, Mr. Longstreet. We have you booked for one night’s stay, checking out tomorrow.”
He thanked her, then disconnected. “Now we wait.”
Remi’s phone buzzed. “It’s Selma . . .” She opened the text. “Didn’t see that one coming. That woman with them? Charles Avery’s wife Alexandra.”
“Seriously? Isn’t she a socialite? Parties, fund-raisers—”
Remi made a scoffing noise. “Men are so quick to dismiss women as threats.”
“A trait that’s definitely come in handy when you’ve been dismissed as a threat.”
“Exactly my point. Remember that if you run into her.”
“I don’t plan to. Which is why we’re waiting for dark.”
An hour later, Sam was glad to see that the lighting around the inn was almost nonexistent. That would allow him to get close enough without being seen. “Wait here,” he said to Remi. “I want to have a look at the place.”
Besides the main entrance at the front, there appeared to be two more exits, one on the north side, the other on the south, where they’d seen Ivan and Jak enter.
Two windows were lit in the downstairs rooms—all the others were dark—at least one belonged to the bad guys.
Sam needed to narrow those odds. He edged his way around the corner, moving close to the building, working his way to the first lit window. The curtains were closed, but light seeped out of a narrow slit in the center, allowing him to see in. The room appeared empty. Alexandra’s white parka was tossed over the back of a chair. He moved to the next room. There was a gap in that curtain as well. Just as Sam approached, Ivan walked up and pulled the curtains tight.
But not before Sam caught a glimpse of Nigel seated in a chair, his back to the window, his hands zip-tied behind him.
He knew what he was dealing with, he thought as a third window lit up on the other side of Ivan and Jak’s room. The newlyweds. Sam returned to the car. “Ready?”
“So what grand scheme have you planned?”
“Right now, only a half-grand scheme, which we’ll be playing by ear.”
Forty-four
Slow night?” Sam asked the desk clerk when they were checking in. He hefted his backpack on his shoulder. Remi called it his just-in-case bag since it contained assorted small tools, knives, as well as a very light but sturdy rope. Other than that, neither of them had any luggage. “Only saw two other cars in the parking lot.”
“For us, that’s busy.”
“Nice and quiet, then. Just how we like it.” He leaned against the counter. “If you don’t mind my asking, any pets staying in the hotel? My wife is allergic.”
“Not belonging to any guests. The owner has a dog, though.”
“That wouldn’t be a big, black dog, would it?”
