“Cut it out, will ya?” he moaned. “That’s the second time you’ve done that today.”
“Get moving. Rush-hour traffic is getting heavy.”
“Yes, ma’am!” Jimmy turned the wheel and skidded slightly onto the main road.
“Jeez, you drive like Annie!” Maggie shouted at him.
Once he got a car’s length behind the SUV, he reached into his pocket. “See, I did get you something.” He handed her the perfume sample. It was Miss Dior.
Maggie was stunned. “Where did you get this?”
“They were giving them out at Neiman Marcus when I first went in,” Jimmy calmly replied. “Why?”
“Long story. But it’s kinda eerie.” Maggie opened the small sample bottle. “Yep. Miss Dior, all right.”
“Eerie, how?” Jimmy prodded.
“You know the story about Myra’s daughter, Barbara?” Maggie said pensively.
“Yeah. Terrible. What about her?”
“Miss Dior was Barbara’s favorite perfume.”
“Well, it is a popular scent, no?”
“Yes, but the other evening when we were at Myra’s, she had taken a nap and had a dream about Barbara. And a few minutes later, Yoko walked in wearing Miss Dior.”
“So?”
“Yoko had never worn that perfume before, and she had no idea it had been Barbara’s favorite. And now this.” She inspected the vial again.
“That is kinda crazy,” Jimmy declared.
“I’m hoping it’s some kind of divine sign that we’re on the right track. Even if we’re not sure what track it is yet.” Maggie sighed.
The SUV made its way down Collins Avenue, where it came to a stop at Faena House. Both women exited the vehicle and entered the posh condominium building. Maggie sent Annie another text: Faena House “I guess this is where we wait,” Jimmy said.
“But for how long?” Maggie didn’t want to hear the answer. “I’m getting a little buggy having to sit in this thing all day.” Maggie sent Annie a text.
OK to talk now?
Annie dialed Maggie immediately. Before Maggie could get a word in, Annie announced, “Avery is sending one of his people down. She should be arriving within the hour.”
“Oh, thank goodness,” Maggie said with relief. “This shopping thing is tiring.” She chuckled.
Annie had put her phone on speaker so Myra, Charles, and Fergus could hear the conversation.
“I take it the two women have not left the building?” Charles inquired.
“Correct.” Maggie noticed a DHL truck driving up to the front of the building, and when the driver got out, his arms were full of shopping bags. “And a van just pulled up with shopping bags from all of the stores they hit this afternoon.”
“Still no word on who the other woman is.”
“Well, she’s surely going to be well-dressed, whoever she is,” Jimmy tossed in his two cents. “I could barely afford to breathe the air in the mall.”
“Speaking of breathing.” Maggie began to tell the story of the perfume sample to Annie. When she finished, there was silence on the other end. “Hello? Are you still with me?”
Myra was the first to speak. “I know this is clearly a sign. I feel like we’re getting much closer to this whole Ruffing thing.”
Charles agreed. “It seems as if The Haven isn’t the problem. It’s Ruffing’s involvement with them. He’s clearly using them as a front for his criminal enterprises. We believe he’s laundering money for his illegal drug partners.”
“But what’s with Simone and the two young women?” Maggie asked.
“Maybe Simone likes to treat women to nice things,” Annie offered in jest.
“But this is the second woman in less than a week,” Maggie emphasized.
“While you were sending us the updates earlier, Jack looked into Ruffing’s house accounts,” Charles told her.
Jimmy’s mouth gaped open. He knew Annie was rich and powerful, but prying into personal accounts?
“How was he able to get the information?” Maggie inquired. “Aren’t his accounts hidden through those shell companies?”
“Most of them are,” Charles informed them. “But he is a show-off and a braggart and likes to boast about all the house accounts around town that he has. So when you sent us the names of each store, we called them to confirm that Mr. Ruffing’s guests were completely satisfied with their shopping experience. ‘Most assuredly’ was the standard answer.”
“So how does this fit into the drug thing?” Maggie asked.
“We. Don’t. Know.” Annie pronounced each word individually. Rarely was this group of women stumped.
“It’s the same thing regarding Cuba,” Annie added. “We don’t think Cuba has anything to do with the drugs.”
“As Jack surmised, Ruffing is probably involved in a lot of shady dealings. We just have to peel them off one at a time,” Myra chimed in. “Now that we have a slight edge and know where Gabby is, we’re making progress. I just know it.” Myra smiled. “It’s the Miss Dior.”
Once again the conversation went silent, then Lady let out a light bark in the background. “See? Lady agrees!” Myra felt a surge of excitement.
“So when does our relief arrive? I’m hungry!” Maggie yelped.
Jimmy couldn’t help but reply. “You ate four sandwiches, two bags of chips, a muffin, and a power bar! You left me nothing!” Jimmy crinkled one of the empty bags of chips. “You hear this, folks?” He crumpled the bag again, this time closer to Maggie’s phone. “It’s the sound of Maggie eating her way through the entire day!”
Howls of laughter came through the phone. “Glad to hear the heat hasn’t stifled your appetite,” Annie kidded. “Sorry, Jimmy. You should have known to pack for four people.”
“That still wouldn’t have been enough.” Jimmy pretended to sulk.
Fergus broke in. “Avery’s agent, Sasha, is going to cover for you. She just arrived at the car rental at the airport. She should be there within the half hour.”
Jimmy fished for crumbs. “Don’t bother,” Maggie warned him. “I licked the inside of the bags.”
Jimmy shook his head. “Some people never change.”
“Dinner is on me, you guys,” Annie chirped. “I’ll tell Yoko and Alexis to meet you at Joe’s Stone Crab. And I’ll make the reservation for you.”
“That’s great! Thanks, Annie!” Jimmy gushed.
“Oh, man, I’m a mess,” Maggie whined.
“Yeah, too bad you couldn’t have swiped one of those shopping bags from the delivery guy,” Jimmy joked.
“Well, I do have some wipes. I’ll try to clean up as best I can.”
“I’ll ask Alexis to grab a fresh outfit for you. You can change in the ladies’ room at Joe’s. I don’t want them to think one of my employees is a bag lady.”
A few more chuckles came through the phone. “Thanks, Annie. You’re the best.”
“What about me?” Fergus moaned.
“And me?” Charles kidded.
“Let’s not forget Myra,” Myra said about herself.
“You are all the best. Honest!” Maggie wasn’t lying.
“Sasha should be arriving momentarily,” Fergus called out.
“Okay, kids. Enjoy the rest of the night,” Annie signed off, with Myra adding, “Good job! Have fun.”
Chapter Twenty-seven
The Haven