“I’ll alert the cats to be on the lookout,” said Vi.
“That’s a good idea, Vi.” My mother nodded while talking, as if agreeing with herself. “They’re really helpful when it comes to this type of thing.”
“That’s if they want to be helpful,” Vi said. She peered around the table to be sure no one was expecting much from the cats.
“We’ll figure out a schedule that makes sense for everyone, and we’ll try to make it look natural. No one has to sneak around looking like spies.” I held Aunt Vi’s gaze for a moment. “That will only bring more attention to what we’re doing.”
“What should I do? I should do something,” Mom said.
Vi patted her hand.
“We’ll all get to do something. It’s going to take a lot of people to keep track of Milo without him noticing,” I said.
“What should we do if he spots one of us? Do we have a code-word distress signal? I think we should have one of those,” Vi said.
My father put his head in his hands, and I noticed he was taking slow breaths.
“No. No distress signal. He’s not likely to be a threat to any of us.”
“Except you, if he’s heard you suspect him.” Diana’s eyes were bright with irritation.
“Okay, let’s just take this a step at a time. For now, we will simply follow him and see what he’s doing around town.” I started passing out sheets of paper. “Write your phone number and pass the sheets around.”
Dad got up and mumbled something about maps; he hurried off to his den.
“So we’ll text each other as the suspect moves around town?” said Tom.
“Your father doesn’t text, Clyde. He thinks texting is when he slips me a note while I’m talking on the phone,” said Mom.
“Texting is very unreliable,” said Vi. “You never seem to get my texts, Clyde.”
Oh boy. I took a deep breath.
“We’ll set up a phone tree; those who can’t manage to deal with a text will get a phone call if possible.”
“Texting is much quieter,” Vi said. “I saw a movie once where a guy sent a text with the phone in his pocket. That’s a skill that could come in handy.” She pulled out her phone and studied it.
Dad returned and gestured at everyone to clear the table. He spread out his ordinance maps of the area. Dad used the maps while listening to the police band; he could track the officer’s movements and stay in the comfort of his own easy chair.
He placed an X on the hotel where Milo was staying. He then began a complicated zoning of the areas around it using glasses and saltshakers to indicate each of us and where our “territory” would be located.
Vi kept moving pieces when Dad was busy in another zone. She seemed to be trying to take over a larger area than was originally allotted to her pepper mill.
“Who takes the first shift?” Alex asked.
“Seth and I are the most mobile. We’ll find him and keep an eye out and, if he goes somewhere we can’t follow, we’ll call one of you to let you know he’s heading your way.”
“Well, he never comes to the house, so what should Rose and I do?” Vi said. Her mouth pulled downward as she noticed her pepper mill was back in the smallest zone on the map.
“You can come into town if you want and keep track of him while he’s there and then hand him off when you have clients scheduled,” said Tom.
“All right, I guess that will work,” said Dad. He stood back to study the map.
“Frank can listen on his scanner to get an idea of where the police are and whether they’re following Gary,” Mom said. “I can stay here by the phone in case anyone needs to get a message through.”
“Good idea, Mrs. Fortune,” said Tom. “It’s good to have a backup plan.”
We were going to need a lot more than that, I thought.
21
Operation Catch Milo had been in effect for just under twenty-four hours. It felt like twenty-four days. Vi had figured out how to text. My phone vibrated every few minutes with updates of her status, whether she was “on duty” or not. She had embraced the texting lingo and even invented her own words. It was easier to decipher a string of vanity license plates on game day in Ann Arbor. url8, ivlsthim, wrru? (“You’re late, I’ve lost him, where are you?”) Typically by the time I’d deciphered the message, she had given up and texted a real message to Seth. She and Seth were also practicing texting “blind.” It wasn’t going well.