While he waited he thought some more about Cassidy Black. He believed he would soon have the high card in the game they were playing. And the last deal would be on his table, not hers.
The woman came back to the door to check on the girl after six minutes. Karch had also been counting the cars during that time. Only three had gone by. Traffic was beyond prediction but he figured, to be safe, he had between two and three minutes from getting out to getting back in.
He picked the Renaissance Investigations report off the seat next to him and checked the name once more. He then got out of the car and crossed the street, checking the surrounding houses for witnesses as he went. There were none that he could see. As far as he was concerned he had the green light. The plan was a go.
The girl looked up from her ball when he got to within a few feet of the picket fence at the front of the property. The fence was a design flourish, not a safety measure. It was barely higher than Karch's knees. If needed he'd be able to reach over and grab her.
The girl didn't say anything. She just stopped her playing and looked at him.
"How do you do?" Karch said. "You're Jodie Shaw, aren't you?"
The girl looked back at her house and didn't see her mother at the door. She looked back at Karch.
"You are, aren't you?"
She nodded and Karch took the last few steps to the fence. He had his hands in his pockets, a subliminally nonthreatening pose.
"I was hoping so. See, your daddy sent me over from the office to pick you up for the surprise party."
"What su'prise party?"
Karch took his hands out of his pockets and stepped up to the little fence. He dropped into a baseball catcher's stance so he would be closer to her level. His face was still above the top of the fence. He looked over the girl's head at the front door. No sign of the woman but he knew he was on a clock. He turned his head and looked over both shoulders. No neighbors anywhere. No cars coming. He still had the green.
"The party he's having for your mommy. He doesn't want her to know about it. But it's going to be a lot of fun. With a lot of your friends there and there's even going to be a magic show."
He reached over the fence to her right ear and seemed to grab a quarter out of thin air. When he had removed his hand from his pocket the quarter had been clipped between his third and fourth finger in the classic Goshman Pinch sleight. The girl looked at the coin and her mouth opened into a surprised smile.
"Hey!"
"And what about this side?"
He pulled another quarter out of her other ear with his other hand. The girl was grinning broadly now.
"How'd you do that?"
"If I told you I'd have to… uh, well, you know if you come with me now to see your dad, then I promise he and I will teach you how to do it. What do you say, Jodie? Okay? He's waiting for us, baby."
"I'm not a baby. And I'm not supposed to go with strangers."
Karch silently cursed to himself and checked the front door again. Still clear.
"I know you're not a baby. It's just a figure of speech I use, that's all. And the other thing is, I'm not really a stranger. I mean, you and I just met for the first time but I know your daddy and he knows me. Enough for him to pick me to come get you for the party. "
He checked the front door one last time. He knew he was going too long with this. He was way over time. The green light was now red.
"Anyway, your daddy really wants you there at the office so – "
He straightened up and reached over the fence.
"-you can yell 'Surprise!' when your mommy gets there."
He reached under her arms and lifted her up. He knew the key thing was to keep her quiet for thirty feet – from the fence to the car. That was all. After that, it didn't matter. He turned and walked quickly across the street toward the Lincoln.
"Mommy?" the girl said in a timid voice.
"Shhhh, shhhh," he responded quickly. "We don't want her to know about this, sweetheart. That would spoil the surprise."