“That takes a load off my mind, knowing you’re there, Maggs. Tell Jonathan and Camille that it’ll probably be hours before we know anything, but I will call as soon as I have something.”
“Got it.”
CHAPTER 17
To minimize any suspicions, Special Agent Ellis had Peter wait half an hour before sending him into the Jade Thai Spa. With his dark blue suit, complementing his auburn hair and deep blue eyes, and a classy gold tie, Peter was dressed for the part of successful businessman. He had already loosened the tie and unbuttoned the collar, but now he stuck the fake black-framed glasses on his face. A tiny micro-video camera was hidden in them.
Peter patted his pants pocket. “Hey, what about the money?”
Ellis handed him a stack of cash, folded in half inside an expensive-looking money clip. “There’s more there than you need, Peter. Just make sure the woman sees you have plenty of cash to spend for later.”
Peter shot him a wry smile as he took the money and shoved it in his pocket. “Thanks, Ellis.”
“What about a car?” Emily asked while rummaging through her handbag.
“What do you mean?” Peter tilted his head and quirked an eyebrow.
“Wouldn’t they expect to see a nice car in the parking lot, if he really was a successful businessman?”
“I already thought of that.” Ellis dug in his pocket. “My car’s down the block a little ways. Black Lexus sedan. Here’s my keys.” He gingerly tossed them to Peter.
Ellis had Peter test the video camera in the bridge of the frames to make sure the feed was coming through to the monitor, as well as the microphone that was embedded in the corner of the glasses. Peter slipped an earbud into his right ear as he walked to the end of the van and spoke a few test words.
“Everything looks good, Peter. I’m about to begin recording.” Ellis adjusted the sound level from his perch in front of the control panel. “Are you ready?”
“I’m ready. Let’s do it.” Peter pushed open the back door and stepped out into the cool dusk.
Colin took Peter’s seat in the van as the four of them crowded around the screen, watching Peter get into Ellis’s Lexus. Once Peter started the engine and began driving away, his monologue began.
“This is Peter MacKenzie reporting to you from Boise, Idaho. I’m going undercover into a suspected sex slave brothel to see if I can gather enough intel to prompt an arrest and to rescue the young women, girls really, that are forced to prostitute themselves to an avalanche of men every single night.”
Those seated in the media van looked questioningly at the monitor and then at each other, many with their mouths gaping open, shocked into temporary silence.
Colin was first to break the silence. “What the—”
“He is a reporter,” Emily added. “He can’t help himself.”
“I guess it won’t hurt to let him intro the footage that way, as long as he doesn’t do any of that posturing once he’s inside,” Ellis said.
“I can hear you,” Peter responded evenly as he approached the building.
“Stick to the plan and we’ll be good,” Ellis said.
Peter parked the car in one of the few spaces in front of the Jade Thai Spa and climbed out. “I’m coming up to the door.” The monitor showed him opening it and stepping inside. The same woman stood behind the reception counter.
She looked up at him, appearing on the video as if she was looking directly into the camera. She smiled pleasantly. “Good evening. How can I help you?” she asked in her thick Thai accent.
“I need a really good massage. I’ve been in meetings all day and my shoulders are one big knot.”
“Meetings all day on Sunday?” She continued to smile, apparently hoping to glean more information from him.
“Yeah, I’m from out of town and have had one meeting after another all weekend. We’re finally done and now I can take a break and relax, that is if I can get these kinks worked out of my shoulders.”
“We take good care of you. Thai neck and shoulder massage twenty-five dollar and full body massage sixty. Which one you like?”
“I’m pretty wound up. I better take the full body one.”
“That will be sixty dollar. We only take cash.”
“Now flash the cash, MacKenzie,” the special agent ordered.
“No problem.” Peter tugged the loaded money clip out of his pocket and peeled off a fifty and a ten. He made sure she saw there was