keep him so busy, he won’t have time to worry about us.”
Fergus threw his hands in the air. Another way of saying, “What will be will be.”
Charles laughed. Yes, indeedy, what will be will be.
* * *
Avery Snowden steered the stolen SUV into the parking lot of a twenty-four-hour supermarket on the outskirts of Gilbert, Arizona. Next to the fancy-looking supermarket was a mom-and-pop café that said it served breakfast and lunch.
“Here’s the plan. We have breakfast first, because it’s just seven thirty. We hit the supermarket, buy some flowers and balloons, then head to Mary Alice Farmer’s house on Primrose Drive. That should be around a quarter to nine or so, if we don’t mess around. I’ll sign the card ‘TRIPLEM,’ and with any luck, that will get us into her house. From that point on, we wing it.”
Everyone agreed.
“What if she doesn’t open the door, or worse, what if she isn’t home?” one of the operatives asked.
“Then we’re screwed. Once she looks out her window, sees an SUV and me with a bunch of flowers and balloons, she won’t be able to resist opening the door if she’s home. If she isn’t home, we break in. Women are like that,” Snowden said flatly.
The operatives looked at Snowden skeptically but decided it didn’t pay to argue with the boss. The group headed for the café, sat at a table for five, and ordered breakfast, which they gobbled down, and they were back outside and headed for the supermarket within forty-five minutes. The selection was easy: the flowers were already wrapped in green florist wrap and stuck in a clear vase that called for water. Snowden grabbed two bunches of roses mixed with multicolored tulips, then moved over to the clusters of balloons that were tied to a stick with sparkly sandbags at the end to weigh them down. He picked three bunches and handed them to one of his female operatives. He tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for the classy-looking lady ahead of him to pay for a bunch of ferns wrapped in green tissue paper.
He sighed when the cashier said, “It’s nice to see you again, Claudeen. Bet you’re having a dinner party tonight, and the ferns are for your flower arrangement.”
Claudeen laughed, waved good-bye without giving Snowden so much as a glance, her thoughts obviously on the dinner party she was planning.
Snowden stepped forward. He handed over a fifty-dollar bill and pocketed the sixteen cents in change the cashier handed him.
At seven minutes past nine, Avery Snowden walked up the path to Mary Alice Farmer’s house and rang the bell. The others watched from the SUV as they all waited to see if the front door would open. It did after Snowden hit the doorbell a second time.
Tookus was right. Mary Alice Farmer was on the plain side, but she had a spark in her eyes and a lopsided grin. She looked at Snowden and said, “I think you are probably at the wrong house. No one ever sends me flowers and balloons. I’m thinking you might want the house two doors down. A young airline stewardess lives there, and she gets a lot of flower-and-balloon deliveries.” She made a move to shut the door.
“Is your name Mary Alice Farmer? That’s who this delivery is for. From someone named TRIPLEM. Does that ring a bell?”
“Ah . . . I . . . Let me see that card.” Snowden tilted his head to the bouquet and the small white card nestled among the flowers. He was pleased to see the instant recognition as the woman stepped aside for him to enter.
“Where do you want these? The balloons are tied to bags of sand. The vase needs to be filled with water.”
“In the kitchen, I guess. If you wait just a minute, I’ll tip you.”
“No tips are allowed. Are you upset, ma’am? You sound . . . upset.”
“Yes. No. I . . . just wasn’t expecting . . . I don’t under . . .” Oh, God, how did TRIPLEM find me. How?
A chime could be heard coming from the front of the house, an indication that Mary Alice Farmer had a security system that alerted her when the door opened.
“Oh, my God, someone just came in my house!”
“It’s okay. They’re with me,” Snowden said.
“What do you mean, they’re with you? Who are you?” Fear was written all over Mary Alice’s features as she hugged her arms to her chest.
“Names aren’t important right now. I apologize for