That didn’t bother me too much. The people who called my phone were Em, James, and one or two other friends. My mother and I hadn’t spoken in years, so she wouldn’t call. And with the others, I could always explain. I’d just tell them I was moonlighting as an answering service. What bothered me was the minutes. Every time someone called to check on the phony business it would cost me time on my plan. Hopefully the bonuses would more than make up for the extra cost.
“And I didn’t want you to feel left out, Skip.” He walked to the passenger side and unrolled a second sign.
“James,” I opened the door and let Em in, “I just hope nobody recognizes the truck.”
“Perfect disguise, Skip. Perfect. Once the signs are in place, nobody realizes it’s the old truck.” Of course, he was right. Superman could put on a business suit and glasses and everyone thought he was Clark Kent. Thin disguises worked everywhere. Grow a mustache, shave your head, and no one would recognize you. People would focus on the sign now, not on the truck.
We stared at the apartment as James backed out, gazing at the large plywood squares that covered our windows. It was another reminder that someone had tried to kill us. I saw someone walking slowly up the sidewalk and they waved. I thought it might be Jim Jobs, but I couldn’t be sure. It was after one o’clock in the morning, and there was still life at the complex. I flashed back to the night I’d seen someone in the parking lot under the box truck. No matter what hour of the night, there was life at the complex. There was soon to be life at Synco Systems.
I kept my laptop on my lap, feeling that it was a lot safer with me than sitting in the apartment. And if Feng was moving around this early in the morning, I could check up on him. It still amazed me that the man hadn’t stumbled on the GPS unit under his Honda.
“Got three of these.” James reached over and handed each of us a cheap plastic flashlight.
“Three?”
“They were cheap. Four for five bucks. And they don’t last very long. I already tried one, but I’ve got three of them left. Just take them in case, okay?”
Green, blue, and red.
“I think we’re in business. If anyone wants to back out, say so now. We’re on a nonstop mission, boys and girls.”
“You’re sure this is a good idea?”
“It’s the Lord’s will, my man. Must be. It feels right.”
“In other words, James, we’re on a mission from God.”
He didn’t miss a beat. “Blues Brothers, Aykroyd and Belushi, 1980. We’re on a mission from God.”
“Do we have any idea what we’re going to find?”
“Pieces to the puzzle, Skip.” Em sounded full of determination. Determination and caffeine.
I much preferred an exact definition of a mission. But I had to admit, this mission had no definition. We were almost as clueless as we had been from the beginning. But this time we had the code to the big guy’s computer. And that might make a world of difference.
James drove out of the lot, and I could see the shadow of a figure standing in front of our apartment. I’d bet on that figure being Jim Jobs, and I thought again that maybe he’d been the shooter tonight. If he was, maybe he was disappointed he hadn’t killed one of us. And if it was Jobs, and he planned on breaking into our home after we were gone, I wished him a lot of luck. The only thing of value in that apartment had been the case of beer and the PC, and the PC had been blown to hell.
CHAPTER FORTY
T he parking lot was eerily empty. Dark and empty. And the stark brick building was outlined against the sky. James wheeled into the asphalt acre, circled the lot once, then drove back out.
“Changed your mind?” I had no idea what he was thinking.
“Would a plumber make a call to this business at this hour of the morning?”
Em turned to James. “If there was an emergency call, yes.”
He turned right and drove for another block, finally pulling up in front of a small concrete-block house. “If we park here, we could be calling on any one of ten houses. A much more logical location.”
“Plumbers at this hour of the morning?”
“Broken pipes, backed up toilets, they don’t know the difference between night and day, Skip. A business like Synco Systems is closed, but homeowners are there around the clock-you never know. When a resident of this affluent neighborhood needs the Water Connection, we’re as close as their phone.”
As close as my phone.
“As plumbers, we’ve got to be vigilant twenty-four hours a day.”
I said nothing more as we opened the doors and stepped out of the truck, flashlights in hand. Often there’s nothing left to say when James is done. We remained quiet as we walked a block and a half to the headquarters of Synco Systems.
“Skip, you’ve got the temporary entry card and the code?”
I stepped up and inserted the card. A green light flashed on the small electronic pad, and I turned the handle. The door swung quietly inward. The numbered pad was mounted on the right. With another light flashing red, I punched in 45693 and waited until I heard the shrill whine of the signal. Punching in 45789, the whining stopped and everything went still. For a brief time, I had total access to the facility. With the code to the building and the code to Conroy’s computer, the place was mine.
A security light from high on the wall cast shadows on the lobby, now showing our silhouettes on the far wall.
“Before we go any farther,” Em looked around, scouting out the location for the first time, “this is breaking and entering. We’re on very dangerous ground, guys.”
I held up my entry card. “It’s certainly not breaking. I’ve got the card right here. Remember, we’re just doing some preliminary work for the hookup tomorrow.” We all knew that excuse wouldn’t last ten minutes.
“Em, why don’t you be the lookout.” James was looking around the area like he’d never seen it before. I chalked it up to being nervous.
“If anyone finds me here, they’ll wonder why a stranger is in the lobby. It makes more sense if they find one of you. You have a reason to be here.”
I spoke up. “You’re right. However, I know the computer code and James is familiar with the office. He’s been in there a couple of times installing the smoke detector and taking out the card.”
She sighed. “Fine. I think it’s a dumb idea, but I’ll do lookout. What kind of signal do you want?”
“If you have time, a ‘Hey guys, someone is coming’ would be nice.”
“Screw you, James.”
I was somewhat relieved. The two of them were back to their normal relationship.
Things had been going almost too smoothly.
“But if you get caught by surprise, if someone shows up and you didn’t catch it, then get back to the office as quickly as possible.”
She said nothing.
I took Em’s arm and walked her back to the work area. “Number one. Right there. That’s Sandy’s office. If you need to see us, that’s where we’ll be. Okay?”
It wasn’t okay for any of us. But we needed some information, and we needed it now.
I left Em sitting in the lobby behind the reception desk. James and I walked down to Conroy’s office, and when I punched in a temporary code the door opened. I thought for a moment about the three Synco Systems offices I’d been in. Ralph Walters’s office, where we’d discovered the dead body, Sarah’s office where I’d gone in to ask her to please pay the deposit on our security system. I remembered the glass-topped desk and those fabulous legs and short skirt visible through the glass. And then there’d been Sandy Conroy’s office, where I’d been dressed down several hours ago. And here we were, back at the scene of the crime.
“If someone hadn’t shot at us, James-”
