under the floor, there was no telling what she might have written in it that LePointe wanted it back to prevent anyone knowing its contents.
An ambulance raced past, its siren blaring.
“Where are you?” Casey asked.
“I can’t say,” Alexa said, knowing Casey had heard the siren in stereophonic glory.
“You’re right outside!”
“Look, I’ll do whatever I can, you know that. Try to trust me a little longer.”
“I knew you were good. You already knew there was a ransom demand, didn’t you? You’re going to follow to the exchange, aren’t you?”
“I need to get off the phone, Casey. We’ll talk later.”
“The note said Unko was to come alone and that they’d know if anybody else was with him or following him.”
“Casey, do you know where Grace is?”
“Her phone must be off. I’ve tried to call her several times, but I get her message. Why?”
“I just wanted to be sure you weren’t alone,” Alexa lied. “The waiting will be excruciating for you until this is over. Where’s Deana?”
“I have someone watching her at home.”
“Just a sec, Casey.” Alexa muted her phone and told Manseur and Bond what Casey had said. “Grace is in the wind,” she whispered. “Fugate may have had a diary. That may be the trigger we discussed.”
“Grace is going to be involved in the drop,” Manseur said.
“If there aren’t but a couple of people involved, I suspect she’s got a job to do. Since she doesn’t know that she’s a suspect and was sure she’d learned everything she could from Casey, she’s free to help out. What about the GPS tracker?”
“I got a pair of trackers and receivers. How are we going to get them planted?”
“LePointe’s security is first-rate,” Bond said.
“I have an idea,” Alexa said.
She unmuted the phone and put it against her ear. “Casey, I need to ask you if you are willing to do something for me. It’s important. It may also be risky.”
“Name it, Alexa,” Casey said.
60
Thirty minutes later, Casey appeared on the inside of the wrought-iron fence and Alexa handed her two half- dollar-sized disks. “They’re magnetized,” she said. “One for the Bentley and the other for Decell’s car, so we can cover either or both. You think you can attach them without being seen and get back inside without being detected?”
“God, I’ve sneaked out of that house a million times without getting caught,” Casey assured her. “They aren’t interested in what I’m doing. They’re making plans, or going over their plans. The note said the exchange would begin at nine, so I’m sure Unko will be leaving before then.” Casey reached out and took Alexa’s hand. Casey’s hand was warm and her touch warmed and assured Alexa.
“How will they contact him?” Alexa asked.
“Calling his cell phone. Unko’s supposed to come alone.”
“Will Decell be following along?”
“I don’t know how they’re doing it. I’m sorry. But Decell must be planning to go. Unko wouldn’t do it alone if it’s dangerous.”
Unless not doing it is more dangerous. “It doesn’t matter,” Alexa assured her. “Whichever car they use, we’ll be ready.”
“Okay. Will you call me as soon as it’s over?”
“Word of honor,” Alexa said.
Casey squeezed Alexa’s hand, released it, then turned and was gone.
61
Casey West threaded her way between the bushes surrounding the courtyard to reach the cars parked there. She moved cautiously, keenly aware of the guard stationed at the gatehouse and of the closed-circuit cameras that covered the grounds. There was a second guard walking the property and she’d have to watch out for him.
Kneeling, she planted the first of the devices under Ken Decell’s sedan to the frame, and after making sure it adhered to the steel, she scatted back into the foliage, to wait for the camera to take in the cars and sweep past to scan the portico.
As soon as the camera made its arc, she moved, stopping beside her Rover. Looking over the hood to check the camera’s position, she was ready to move to her uncle’s Bentley, when sudden light drew her eyes to the second guard, coming directly up the driveway toward her, a lit flashlight in his hand. She crouched down and froze. When the guard drew even with the back bumper of the Bentley, he stopped, and she flattened herself to the ground hastily. She heard a lighter click open and the odor of cigarette smoke reached her. The guard remained against the Bentley smoking, showing no sign of going anywhere any time soon.
As she squatted there she had an idea. Moving slowly to avoid making noise, she pocketed the bug and backed into the bushes. Swiftly she made her way back around the house, avoiding the other cameras, and the sensors that would turn on floodlights as she went. She made it to the door she had come out through, and slipped into the utility room, and from there, through the kitchen.
As she sneaked up the hallway, she noticed that her uncle and Ken Decell were still in the den, sitting together on a couch, Decell busily making diagrams and both men talking in hushed voices-exactly as they had been when she’d gone out to get the bugs. She moved farther up the hall and slipped into Unko’s office, where she went to a cabinet and opened the door to expose her uncle’s safe. He hadn’t changed the combination since she was a teenager and had found the combination while snooping in his office.
Once the heavy door swung open, she smiled as she saw the briefcase. She had guessed correctly that her uncle would have put the bonds there for safekeeping until it was time to take them on his errand.
“What are you doing?” a voice asked.
Casey quickly straightened up, her heart pounding. Her aunt stood in the doorway.
“Are you looking for candy?” Sarah asked.
“Yes,” Casey lied.
“It will make you fat,” Sarah said.
“Dancers have to watch their weight,” Casey replied. “You gain one ounce and you’re not a ballerina any longer.”
“Have you seen me dance?” her aunt asked.
“I love to see you dance,” Casey said.
“Watch this,” her aunt said, waving her arms wildly and moving her feet in what could only be described as an amazingly poor imitation of a tap routine.
Casey heard footsteps coming up the marble hall, and turned and slipped out the door she had come in through, just as her uncle’s voice boomed behind her. She didn’t dare close it for fear he’d hear the sound.
“Sarah, what in the world are you doing in my office?”
Casey listened, poised to retreat if she had to.
“Out of bounds,” he finished.
“Candy makes you fat,” she said. “We weren’t looking for candy.”
“We?” William asked. “Who’s we, Sarah?”
“The lady that comes here wasn’t looking for candy either.”
