During phone duty the day before, Gabby had taken another message from the sultry-voiced woman. “Package is being wrapped. Will be ready for delivery on Saturday.” Just as before, no cordial “hellos” or “goodbyes.” Of course. Gabby had no idea what the message meant, but it didn’t sound like it was about a birthday present. After her shift, she had made her way to the crafts cottage. She had to make a decoupage box, with the hope that she could pretend to sell it to Yoko on Friday at the market.
She flipped through a pile of old magazines and began to tear out pages. She had gathered quite a pile when Becker entered the cottage.
“About last night,” Becker began. “I was a bit befuddled having someone interested in The Haven when no one else was here to give her the tour.”
“No problem. I think you did a superb job.” Gabby stuffed the pages into a large envelope.
“What do you have there?” Becker eyed the pages.
“Something for my decoupage project.”
“I don’t recall you ever doing anything like that before,” Becker said.
“I thought I’d try to bring out my creativity and make some things for the market.” Gabby hoped Becker would renege on his intention to go on Friday. “Will you be joining everyone?”
“I’m not sure. Liam may be back, and I want to be here for his debriefing.” Becker hesitated. “But do tell Tina that I hope she will come by again.”
Gabby caught herself just in time before she asked who Tina was. “You mean ... oh the woman who was here the other night?”
“Yes. Please.” Becker was starting to blush.
“Certainly.” Gabby put a large elastic band around the envelope and set it on a shelf. She didn’t want Becker to see what she was cutting out of the pages, especially since she had little idea of where to start.
“Thank you, Gabby.” Becker turned and headed out the door.
Gabby felt as if she had been holding her breath the entire time. She checked her watch. Everyone should be either in class or in the garden. First things first. She had to decide how much information she could share since she only had obscure clues. She found an unfinished wooden box that was about the size of a shoe box. It had hinges and a clasp. A tube of glue and brushes were in the supply cabinet.
She cut out the letters individually: MENEASTER NEUROACCENTS. DELIVERYSAT. She would then place the letters in various random spots of the box, on top of the colorful flowers and landmarks. Gabby made it look like one of those old steamer trunks that had been all over the world with stickers of where it had been. She knew, with enough time, Maggie would figure it out. She was always good at puzzles. Maybe that’s why she was such a good journalist.
She gave the box a coat of polyurethane and set it on a table to dry. She would put a second coat on it later.
Miami Beach
Sasha had perched herself in a good spot to view the comings and goings at Faena House. She had a very clear photo of Simone and a blurry one of the second woman. Jimmy tried to snap a quick photo of them while they had been shopping. A large black SUV pulled up to the front entrance and two women got in. Sasha identified Simone immediately. She started her car and began to follow the Escalade, staying far enough behind so she wouldn’t be noticed. The driver looked a bit like a thug, so he could probably sniff out a tail right away.
They drove over the Julia Tuttle Causeway and headed downtown. The black SUV stopped in front of Salon Ethos, where the women got out. Sasha adjusted her specially equipped sunglasses and snapped a photo, and immediately sent it off to Avery, who forwarded to Charles.
Sasha waited for almost three hours before the pair exited the salon, but except for her clothes, the other woman looked completely different. She snapped another photo and sent it with the word After. The SUV returned, and the women got in and proceeded to return to the Faena House. This time only the younger unidentified woman got out. Sasha quickly sent a text: Target moving. Other at apt. Pls advise.
In just a few seconds she got her orders by text: Follow original subject.
Once again, Sasha stayed a safe distance behind as the SUV made its way to Coconut Grove. Simone exited the SUV, went into her house, and came back out a few minutes later. She cut some flowers, put them in a basket, and got in her Porsche. Sasha sent another update to Avery. The red sports car headed to South Dixie Highway, made a few turns, and parked at Victoria Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. More intel was sent to Avery. After about an hour, Sasha saw Simone leave the building. She looked in Sasha’s direction. Sasha thought, I’m going to have to ditch this car. Good idea anyway. This surveillance could take more than a few days.
Sasha quickly informed Avery she needed to switch vehicles. Avery sent the message to Charles, who arranged for Alexis to meet up with Sasha. Rather than wait for the elevator, Alexis took the stairs and ran to her car. Charles was sending Sasha’s coordinates to Alexis. It appeared that Simone was heading back to Coconut Grove. Alexis followed the route that Charles provided, which pinged the location of Sasha’s car. Once Simone was ensconced at her final destination, Sasha and Alexis would switch vehicles. Since neither Sasha nor Alexis had any idea what Simone’s final destination was, their tailing her could very well become a wild-goose chase.
Simone pulled her car into her driveway while Sasha waited on a side street. Alexis sent a voice-to-text to Sasha: Ten minutes out.
Sasha was about to send a reply when she noticed another black SUV approaching. Several minutes later, Simone exited her front door, wearing a different outfit. The driver opened the passenger door and Simone got in. Sasha strained to see if there was anyone else in the vehicle. A large tree obscured her view.
She sent Alexis a quick text: On the move.
Sasha was certain the driver would notice her this time. She didn’t dare let them out of her sight, but she had to be extremely careful. It appeared they were heading to Miami Beach again, so Sasha hung back as far as she could without losing them. She got another voice-to-text: Two cars back.
Fortunately, the Biltmore wasn’t too far from Coconut Grove, and Alexis had been able to catch up to them. Sasha sent a reply: Black SUV Escalade. Stay on them.
Alexis pinged back: Roger that.
Sasha felt a sense of relief as she watched Alexis move closer to the SUV. That enabled her to lie farther behind. They would catch up eventually.
Once Gabby’s afternoon phone duty was over, she went back to the crafts cottage to inspect her creation. The Eiffel Tower, Leaning Tower of Pisa, Colosseum, and Taj Mahal were a nice touch. The letters she placed were large enough to read but not large enough to draw anyone’s attention. She gave the box another coat, happy with her clever bit of spycraft.