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I laugh. “Like loose cashmere pants and a long sleeve tee or tank. If it’s winter, then a light cashmere sweater.” I have a winter white and a heather gray set I wear a lot, but both are back in my townhome in Virginia.
He nods like that’s acceptable.
“My tees probably cost around six or seven hundred dollars. It’s men’s tees that run a couple grand.”
His eyes widen, and I laugh. “It’s just stuff. Costumes.”
“Then why do you spend so much on a t-shirt?”
“It’s higher quality. Better construction. Softer to the touch.” I pause, kneeling before the suitcase. “And when you don’t have to worry about money, why not buy the best?”
It feels a little callous to say it, but I overheard my dad one time making that exact argument to Ava when she flipped out over the prices on some of the items the personal shopper bought for her.
“Seems to me there’s a better way to spend that money.”
I glance up at him. Given I’m fairly certain a significant percentage of his wardrobe was purchased at a sporting goods store, I don’t doubt his sincerity. I zip the suitcase and stand. “Just don’t read the price tags. You ready?”
He grumbles on the way to the car. I snag some waters, lock up, and we hit the road. I leave my personal electronic devices behind at the rental, as does Fisher.
“Grab that bag in the back.”
I reach behind us and grab a small white bag with the Apple logo. “What is this?”
“Some AirTags. I want you to put one in your wallet, one in your handbag, and one somewhere on your body. If they find it, it won’t seem suspicious. After what happened at the vineyard, I want as many tracking devices on you as possible.”
He turns out of our neighborhood, and I set about opening up the packaging.
“You know, I’ve been thinking about that. The black box that he had on the helicopter. Do you think that was planned? Like they specifically brought a metal storage box that would block all signals?”
“Did he make a big deal about putting your stuff in it?”
“No. I mean, as you know, there’s not a lot of space for extra stuff. It felt completely normal. Gemma gave him her handbag and phone, too.”
“And she kept it in there when you landed?”
“I think so.” I think back to us walking away from the helicopter, and me saying that I forgot my handbag. She’d said,No, ma’am. Your money is no good today. This is on me. And we’d walked off arm in arm to a waiting car. She did have her handbag with her. “She gave me my phone. It just didn’t have cell service.”
“If they suspected anything, you wouldn’t have made it home. If it was a test, we passed.” He flicks his signal to turn onto the freeway. “Did you figure anything out today?”
“With my research?” He nods and accelerates to pass a car.
“No. Not really.”
“What’re you searching for?”
“That’s the problem. I don’t really know. I keep thinking about what Killington said. To follow the connections.”
“And?”
“I think I’m looking too closely. Everyone’s connected. Through professional organizations, political parties, business connections. I think I’m going to step back and instead of focusing on how they’re connected, think about what each person gets from it.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, take a politician. They raise money. In return for support, they vote a certain way on a bill. Or they might convince a DA or law enforcement to look the other way. Those are just players, right? Pawns, maybe knights on a chessboard. A company like, well, let’s say Sullivan Arms. My family’s company. They just want to sell more guns. Deliver to shareholders by increasing profit. They’re more of a resource. A part that feeds a larger machine.”
“Crime organizations?”
“Yes. Crime organizations.”
