They followed Simone for several miles, proceeding north on South Dixie Highway. So far the traffic did not present a problem, and they remained close enough to her car to keep it in sight.
Simone turned off the highway and proceeded west for about a mile until she came to Victoria Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. She parked her car in a visitor’s spot and brought the flowers inside.
Maggie was almost out of the car before Jimmy could put it in park. “Jeez, you are a maniac,” he growled. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“To see who she’s visiting.” Maggie jogged off toward the front entrance. She got there just in time to hear Simone greet the receptionist. “How is she doing today?” Simone asked.
“Your mama had a good breakfast today,” the pink-haired receptionist replied. She looked up in Maggie’s direction. “I’ll be with you in a moment.”
Maggie nodded, pretending to be reading some of the notices on the bulletin board: FAMILY BINGO WEDNESDAY; BAR-B-QUE THURSDAY; AFTERNOON TEA SUNDAY. She continued to eavesdrop.
“Do you think she’s up for a walk around the atrium?” Simone asked in her deep, sultry voice.
“Only if you tell her you’re taking her shopping,” Pinky joked.
Simone laughed. “I’ll take that advice. See you later.” Simone signed the clipboard and proceeded down a hallway.
Maggie approached the desk, eyeing Simone’s signature to see her mother’s name: Mabel Jordan.
“Now what can I do for you?” Pinky asked.
“I’m looking for a place for my great-auntie. Do you have a brochure?” Maggie asked politely.
“Certainly.” Pinky smiled and handed her a packet of information. “We have rehabilitation services and long-term care. What are your aunt’s needs?”
“She’s in the hospital now. They think it’s her liver.” Maggie moved in closer to the receptionist. “Auntie sure enjoyed a cocktail or six every day, if you know what I mean.”
Pinky giggled. “Oh, I have an uncle like that.”
“I couldn’t help but notice the woman who was just here. Is she a famous model or something? I thought she looked familiar.”
“Oh, that’s Simone Jordan. Her mother has been here for almost a year. Poor dear.” Pinky fidgeted with her collar. “I mean for both of them. Simone comes by almost every day with fresh flowers from her garden.” She pointed to a vase on the counter. “Those were from yesterday.”
“Mmmm ... lovely,” Maggie muttered, hoping Pinky would continue to be forthcoming and give out some privileged information.
“Caring for an aging parent can be very stressful,” Maggie added, hoping for a response.
“Yes, especially when they no longer recognize you. So sad. Simone has no other family.”
“That is very sad,” Maggie concurred. “I better get going. I need to get back to the hospital. Thank you for this.” Maggie patted the large envelope. “Enjoy your day.”
She walked quickly to the car and told Jimmy what she had found out about Simone’s mother. “And she comes here almost every day with fresh-cut flowers.”
“That’s dedication,” Jimmy offered. “I wonder how long she’s going to be here?”
“I suspect maybe less than an hour. She said something about taking her mother for a walk, but I cannot imagine that would take very long.”
About forty-five minutes had passed when Simone walked out of the building. She got in her car and headed home, where she would rendezvous with someone from The Haven for a trip to Fort Lauderdale, where she was going to meet Jennifer, the next “spokesperson” for The Haven. She was beginning to hate her job.
Jimmy and Maggie were able to tail her all the way back to her house, where a black Escalade was waiting in front.
Simone got out of her own car, waved to the driver of the SUV, and got in.
“That’s interesting,” Maggie observed. “Another job for Ruffing, you suppose?”
“Probably. That license plate we ran from the other day is registered to one of Ruffing’s shell companies. Text this plate to Charles and see if it’s another one of Ruffing’s.”
Jimmy read the letters out loud as Maggie punched them into her phone. A few minutes later she got a reply: Golden Shores “It’s Ruffing’s all right. I wonder how many of these he has.”
“A fleet of them, I would imagine.” Jimmy pulled away from the curb and followed the SUV onto Interstate 95 for the drive north. The SUV turned off at the Fort Lauderdale exit and proceeded to a large professional building.
“Well, you can’t jump out of the car again. She’ll recognize you. My turn.” Jimmy looked both ways as he hurried across the street, hoping to enter the building before Simone could disappear into an elevator, but he was seconds too late. He watched the light above the elevator doors and noticed it stopped at the fifth floor. He immediately went to the roster to see who occupied that space. It was a dentist’s office. In fact, according to the registry, the dentist occupied several floors. It was a huge and well-known practice. Especially for the rich and famous. “Get a Celebrity Smile” was their popular slogan.
About two hours passed before they spotted Simone exiting with another, younger woman. The second woman looked a bit wobbly as Simone helped her into the SUV. Jimmy and Maggie followed the SUV all the way to the shops at Bal Harbour and watched as the driver dropped the two women off at the Neiman Marcus entrance.
“Now what?” Maggie frowned at Jimmy.
“I guess I get to go into the shopping area, and you get to sit in the car,” Jimmy said, a big smirk on his face.
Maggie pouted.
“Well, if you hadn’t been in such a hurry to jump out of the car earlier, you wouldn’t have been seen.”
“Yeah, and you’re just lucky she didn’t see you at the dentist’s building. But I guess it’s all for the best. I might get sidetracked with all that glitz and glamour.” Both broke out laughing. Maggie was not a glitz-and-glamour type of gal.
She slapped Jimmy in the arm. “Get moving.”
“I’ll keep you posted.” Jimmy scurried to the entrance, where a wave of perfume hit his nostrils. Several women were handing out samples. Jimmy said, “Thanks,” and slipped the sample into his pocket.
He followed the women to Le Zoo, where they sat at a table. He noticed the familiarity between the ma?tre d’and Simone. It looked like she ordered for both the women. A short time later, a waiter appeared with a tray of salads. After they ate, they headed to several shops. Jimmy texted the names to Maggie as the two women entered. Over the next two and a half hours, the women visited Chanel, Fendi, Gucci, Prada, Aquazzura, Versace, ending with Neiman Marcus. Maggie forwarded the information to Annie and Myra with each update from Jimmy.
Within two minutes, the black Escalade appeared, and the women climbed in.
Jimmy was only a few feet behind them.
“After all that time, no shopping bags?” Maggie was aghast.
“They’re having them delivered.”
“And you know that how?” Maggie peered closer to Jimmy as he started the engine.
“I strolled into Fendi while they were in there.”
“And you didn’t buy me anything?” Maggie slapped his arm.