He pointed to the dashboard. “The GPS is programmed with several addresses you’ll need. If you have any other questions, let me know.” He closed and locked the vehicle, then handed her a set of keys. “JD is tied up, and Lydia has a charity dinner tonight at seven. You’ll need to be to the mansion by four, and we’ll go over specifics.”
She nodded. “I’ll be there.”
“Ring the bell, and the butler will show you to my office.” He scrutinized her. “Where did you say you served?”
“Afghanistan.”
“And after that?”
“I was with Civil Affairs.” Keeping it simple, as always.
“Where?”
She told him what was in her file, what she knew he could access. His asking again wasn’t a good sign, though. Had she drawn his suspicions?
Kline scrutinized her again, then turned and strode to a black sedan. He got in and drove slowly out of the parking lot. When the car turned the corner, Jo walked toward the apartment. The whole time, she resisted looking around. Kline may have left, but she knew she had to be under surveillance. He was too cautious a man to not be watching her closely. She went inside and closed the door, then immediately began searching for surveillance equipment. There were no cameras, but as she’d suspected, she found a small listening device behind the lake painting over the fireplace.
She stepped away from the painting, then yawned and stretched dramatically. Whoever was listening should’ve heard that. She walked into the kitchen, not disguising her movements as she checked the cupboards. Various boxes of cereal, dry foods, canned goods, snacks, protein powders, coffee, and tea. The refrigerator contained fruits, vegetables, eggs and other dairy items, and she found plenty of meats in the freezer. A fancy coffeemaker sat on the counter. All suitable, with the expectation that she would provide a better list of what she wanted later. As she perused the kitchen, she also checked for cameras or listening devices but didn’t find any.
She went into the bedroom, took her toiletries from the duffel bag and put them in the bathroom, then rearranged the towels to her liking. In the bedroom, she put her clothes and other things in the dresser drawers, and performed a thorough search there as well. She found another listening device stuck behind the headboard. There was no surveillance equipment in the bathroom, however. Kline would get in big trouble for violating bathroom privacy. As it was, he was taking a risk with the other surveillance equipment, a clear violation of an employee’s rights.
Was the surveillance equipment in the apartment all the time, or was it removed once Kline trusted the employee? Or, had he installed the equipment just for her? He likely had a key to the apartment as well, and it would be searched when she was gone. Fine by her. She had nothing to hide here.
She felt as settled in as she could be, so she fixed herself a roast beef sandwich for a late lunch, then followed it with an apple. When she finished eating, she changed into workout clothes and went outside. A semi rumbled by on a busier nearby street as she searched the complex for the gym, which was in another building.
It turned out to be serviceable, with weights, treadmills, and stationary bikes. She rode a bike for an hour, then went back to her apartment and showered. As she dressed in the clothes provided, Jo noted that the blazer was tailored to fit a gun in a shoulder holster. Before she left, she opened the blinds in the front window, letting sunlight into the room. She was tempted to put paper between the door and jamb, but she figured the outside of her apartment was being surveilled as well, and she didn’t want to tip off anyone that she was suspicious. Besides, her gut would tell her if the place was searched.
Her gaze swept the parking lot as she walked to the SUV, and as Kline had said, the GPS had the mansion’s address programmed. She adjusted her seat and headed out.
The mansion was less than a five-minute drive from the apartment complex, and she was soon parked at the front entrance. As instructed, she rang the bell. The butler, an older gentleman with thinning hair, opened the door. He knew who she was, and he escorted her down a hall to an office where Kline waited. There was a bank of monitors to the left, and he was watching them. He thanked the butler, who left without a word, and then he turned his focus to Jo.
“Lydia will be going to a banquet for an animal sanctuary. A few local dignitaries will be attending, and there’ll be plenty of security. I do want you in the room with her, but you’ll stay back, by the doors. You’ve been cleared through security, so no one should give you any problems. Be unobtrusive, and do whatever Lydia needs.”
“Understood,” Jo said.
He gestured for her to take a seat next to him, and he pointed to a laptop that had Google Maps loaded. They spent several minutes discussing the route she’d take to the dinner and studying the area. By the time they finished, she felt prepared for whatever might arise.
“When the event’s over, unless Lydia needs something else, you can go home.”
“When should I be back tomorrow?”
“At the moment, she doesn’t have anything scheduled until lunch, but you should plan to be here at nine, just in case. If she needs something before then, she’ll call you, so keep your phone on at all times.”
“Right.” She glanced to the monitors. “Are there other security personnel on the property?”
“Not usually, unless the Babineauxs are hosting an event.”
“The cameras are recording everything, I assume?”
He didn’t answer that. “Let me get Samual. He’ll show you to the kitchen. Get something to eat, and be ready at six to take Lydia to the dinner.”
With that dismissal, Jo got up and waited outside the door. Samual, the butler, appeared moments later and showed her to the kitchen, where a cook—a pleasant woman named Alice— heated up chicken, noodles, and a salad for her. Jo ate quietly in a breakfast nook, not talking to anyone.
At six, she was out front, standing by the black SUV, waiting for Lydia. The evening was warm, made warmer by the blazer she wore. The pepper spray and Taser were in her jacket pockets, both small enough that no one could tell she had them. She felt a trickle of sweat run down her neck, and it wasn’t just from the heat. She was nervous. It was a huge risk to be here, this close to people she thought might’ve had something to do with the bank robbery. How long did she have before she was discovered?
She didn’t mull on that further as Lydia stepped out of the house, haloed by the lights on the porch. She wore a black strapless dress with a scooped neckline and a thin gold chain, and she clutched a tiny purse in her left hand. The woman appeared casual, in an elegant sort of way.
As she approached the SUV, Jo opened the back door.
“Let’s see how this evening goes, shall we?” Lydia said with a smile, red lips glistening.
“Yes, ma’am,” Jo said.
She waited until Lydia was situated in the back seat. Then she closed the door and hurried to get behind the wheel. As she drove away, she glanced back to the house.
Kline was standing on the porch, watching the car retreat.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Lydia inspected her nails as the SUV headed for the highway. She liked the color, a gleaming red, like her lipstick. She smoothed her new dress and fidgeted with her purse, then held it in her lap. After a small shake of her head, she stared at Jo. The driver had her gaze forward, both hands on the wheel. Lydia got the feeling this woman didn’t miss much, and that even though her face held a certain softness and she had a warm smile, there was something in her hard jaw. She had faced her fair share of trials.
“Do you want music on?” Jo asked.
“No, thank you,” Lydia replied.
Her mind troubled, Lydia thought back to their interview earlier in the day. They had made a good connection. Lydia had sensed something with Jo, a feeling she hadn’t gotten with any of her other drivers. Of course, none of them had lost their mothers to cancer like she and Jo had. But it was more than that common piece of their past, more than mutual pain. Jo was haunted by something else.
A question kept nagging at her. Could she trust this woman?
