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Chapter Forty-nine
“Okay everyone. You’re all on board, right?”
Blake had just sat the group down and given them their instructions about escaping from the house without anyone being aware they’d left. “Let’s go over the plan one more time.”
“The pool cleaner’s van will be pulling into the driveway as close to the fence as possible. He’ll be opening one of his back doors. Just in case our perp has eyes on the house, we’ll be sneaking you all out wearing the same cleaning uniforms.”
Kayla spoke up. “What uniforms? They wear shorts, muscle shirts and a cap.”
“Exactly. You’ll be wearing their clothes, so when you go to the van, you’ll be identical. There’ll be three pool guys waiting in the vehicle in the same outfits – our men of course.”
He looked around the room and saw the confusion. “Follow me now. When the first pool guy comes out to work on the pool, he’ll go around to the side of the house to fiddle with the system; he’ll slip into the house and pass on his clothes to Charli. Dressed like him, she’ll take his place. She’ll head for the van, get inside and the second fellow will be waiting to go back out to the pool and start cleaning, dragging the net and so on. After a little while, he’ll need to go to the shed and Kayla will be waiting to take his place. She’ll head out to the van for a bag of supplies, and the next cop will be waiting. Then we’ll do the same with Angie. Once you’ve been replaced, you ladies will hit the road. Charli knows where the safe house is, and my men and I will wait here for our man to show.”
“Hold it. What about Poppa John?” Charli’s eyebrows lifted and a stubborn glare appeared. “You’re not expecting him to stay here for the fireworks, are you?”
John reached over to rub Charli’s arm soothingly. “Charli, I’ve been taking walks every day since I got here. No reason I can’t take my walk and not return, is there? I could meet up with you in the van after you girls are free.”
Charli didn’t hesitate to argue. “You’ve only been here a couple of days, Gramps. It’s not like you’ve been walking for weeks. And, we didn’t know then what we know now. Dylan’s closing in, probably watching the house as we speak. We can’t take any chances.”
“Oh, pooh! What’s he want with an old man. Why I was just out earlier this morning before the rest of you even stirred, and I met this nice old guy walking his dog. I told him I’d meet him after lunch while he took his dog for his afternoon stroll. Couldn’t I tag along with him for a distance and then just stop at the marina coffee shop at the end of the street? You could pick me up there, right?”
Blake looked at Charli to see if this worked for her. He saw her indecision and decided to push it. “Sure you can, John. That’ll get you to safety. If Dylan’s watching, it’ll look like we’re going about our business as usual. We can have someone tagging you if it’ll make Charli more comfortable.”
Charli still appeared indecisive until John nodded and winked. “See, little girl, easy-peasy!”
“Look, gang. All we need is for our perp to believe Kayla and Charli are still holed up here, thinking they’re safe. That’s why I’ve had all my men back off. They’re around but not visible anymore. What time did this old guy say he’d be around, John?”
“He mentioned he takes a nap after lunch, so he said around two. I told him I’d watch for him then.”
“Okay, I’ll have our guys set up the switch at that same time, and we’ll clear you all out before tonight. If he makes a move, I’m betting it’ll be after dark when he thinks the girls are alone and sleeping.”
