In Sheep's Clothing (7 page)

Noah shook his head. “Just watching you,” he said. “You were smiling, and it caught my attention.”

Sarah blushed and looked away. “I was just remembering when I was a little girl, before my mom died. She used to buy me dolls, and we'd play dress up with them. I hadn't thought about that in a long time, but this reminded me of it.”

Noah nodded. “I knew it was just you and your dad when you got busted and recruited, but I never knew what happened to your mother. How old were you when she died?”

“I was eleven,” Sarah said. “It wasn't sudden. She got cancer, and we knew for a couple of years that it was coming, but it still hurt when she was gone.”

Noah said nothing, and a moment later she went on. “After that, it was just me and my dad. I don't think he ever got over it, to be honest. He never dated or anything, always said he didn't have time for that kind of thing, but he was always ready to take me to the movies, or out to play putt-putt. If he hadn't taught me how to steal cars before I turned eleven, it would've been a pretty decent childhood.”

She added a couple more pieces and stood back to look at her handiwork. “Not bad,” she said. “Neil, what do you think?”

Neil walked over and looked at the figure, nodding his head. “Looks like the pictures I found online,” he said. “When the scythe and globe get done, I'd say she's ready, Boss.”

“Scythe looks like it's ready,” Moose said. He reached into the printer and picked it up.

Neil had done a good job on it. The handle, properly curved, looked like wood, while the blade appeared to be made of steel. Only the weight made it clear that it was plastic. Moose carried it over and carefully bent the fingers of the skeletal right hand around it, but the arm wouldn't stay in position. Sarah rolled up the sleeve while Moose applied superglue to the elbow joint to lock it in place.

Neil started the printer on the globe. This time, he was able to find one in the database, one that showed all of the continents engraved into what appeared to be a silver ball. He turned the printer loose and it began working. Fifteen minutes later, the shiny four-inch globe was ready.

Moose and Sarah had gone ahead and prepared the left hand, bending and locking the elbow so that the hand was positioned just in front of where the skeleton's heart would be, if it had one. Another drop of superglue attached a silver chain from a necklace to the globe, and that was draped over the hand.

The four of them stood back and looked at their creation, and Neil let out a low whistle. “I gotta say, that looks pretty awesome to me. Don't get me wrong, I'm not ready to start praying to a bony bitch, but if I was one of her followers, I think I'd want one of these in my living room.”

“We didn't think about a box,” Noah said. “I don't think anybody would expect one of these to be delivered without being in some kind of a box.”

Neil shrugged. “I wouldn't even know where to look for a box this size,” he said. “Anybody got any ideas?”

Sarah nodded. “Yeah,” she said. “Be right back.” She turned and walked out the door, got into the car and drove away. She was gone about half an hour, and when she pulled up again she removed a large package from the back seat and carried it inside.

The package turned out to be a doll, one of the “Your Size” fashion dolls. The plastic girl inside was just barely taller than the skeleton they had made, and the front panel of the box was clear plastic.

“I had one of these when I was a kid,” Sarah said. “I was pretty sure the big toy chains still sold them, and I was right. Our Santa Muerte will fit right inside, but we need to do something about the labeling on the box.” She opened a bag that she had carried in with the box and pulled out a small can of gold paint and a couple of brushes.

Moose opened the box and removed the doll, and then he and Sarah began painting. The metallic gold paint covered the original lettering perfectly, and while it was obvious the box had been reused, it appeared to have been very nicely done.

Neil used his portable inkjet printer to create a banner that read,
“Gracias!”
and Sarah stuck it directly to the paint in the upper left corner, so that it crossed the corner of the clear panel at an angle. The paint dried quickly, but it was still after seven PM by the time they finally had the skeletal figure tucked inside and ready to go.

“I doubt any flower companies deliver at this time of night,” Noah said, “so we'll be starting first thing in the morning. Let's go find some dinner and then get some rest.”

Instead of going out to eat, they decided to pick up pizzas and take them back to the hotel. They gathered in Noah and Sarah's room and found a movie on the television, a fairly recent film from the new
Star Trek
series.

Neil pointed at the screen when Mr. Spock came on. “Look, Boss, you're on TV.”

Noah looked at him and raised one eyebrow. “Fascinating,” he said. “When I was a kid, one of my best friends introduced me to the old
Star Trek
TV show, and told me I was like Mr. Spock. I used to watch that show every chance I got, just to see how he put up with all those humans around him. Personally, I don't think this new guy does the character justice. Leonard Nimoy was Mr. Spock, and that's all there was to it.”

The movie ended, Moose and Neil went off to their room, and Sarah dragged Noah into the bed. She cuddled up close to him and just lay there for a moment.

“What happens if the nanny doesn't cooperate and bring the kids out where we can grab them?”

Noah looked her in the eye. “If I have to, I'll go take them right out of the house. I'm not going to let them be there when those explosives go off, and we need the abduction to give the cartel members a reason to gather.”

Sarah's head was lying on Noah's shoulder, and his right arm was around her. She rubbed her face on his shoulder and then looked up at him again. “I always get scared,” she said, “the night before the mission gets heavy. This one sounds like it should come off pretty easy, but I'm not sure. We're adding in a kidnapping; that's like throwing lit matches into a box of firecrackers. Something's bound to blow up.”

“We'll just have to play it by ear,” Noah said. “I'm just counting on you to get us off the radar as quickly as possible after we have those kids. That's the only place where I see any real potential problems. If the local police were to get on our trail, things could get pretty messed up.”

Sarah sighed into his shoulder. “Then just make sure Moose gets me something that can move. There's nothing I hate worse than running from cops in a vehicle that doesn’t have the power or maneuverability it needs.”

She tilted her face up for a kiss and Noah obliged her. A few moments later he heard her breathing slow as she drifted off to sleep. He relaxed and followed her after only a few more seconds.

They rose at six, showered and then went out for breakfast. Moose had spotted a place that looked appealing the day before, and it turned out to have a terrific breakfast menu. All four of them went for the steak and eggs, even Sarah moaning with delight as she bit into the T-bone.

They pulled up at the warehouse at eight AM on the dot and went inside to look the shrine over one more time. It was already in the box, so all they could do was look through the plastic window, but Noah finally nodded his approval.

“Okay, it's time to do this. Moose, you probably ought to have some flowers in the van with you, just in case anyone pays attention. It wouldn't do for them to remember a few days from now that some flower shop delivery van dropped off a box, but didn't have anything else inside.”

Moose nodded and began loading some of their floral arrangements inside the van, then picked up the box and laid it carefully on the floor behind the front passenger seat. He climbed into the van as Neil pushed the button to open the overhead door, then backed it out, turned around and was gone.

“Neil, get on those cameras. I need a window of opportunity, either with the nanny taking the children out somewhere, or a definite time when she and the kids are there alone. Keep your eyes peeled and let me know the second you have something.”

“I'm all over it,” Neil said.

It was time to wait. Noah and Sarah sat together in the folding chairs beside Neil, watching the minutes pass by. It would take Moose about half an hour to get to the Gomez house, but nothing could happen until they saw the box taken inside.

Suddenly, Neil pointed at the monitor. “There's Moose,” he said. “The van just pulled up in the driveway. No sign that anyone in the house has noticed him, yet.” He paused for a couple of seconds, then said, “He just got out, he's walking around the van to get to the side door. Got it open, picked up the box—there he goes, up the driveway to the walk. Up the stairs, looks like he's ringing the doorbell. Okay, somebody just opened the door, looks like Mrs. Gomez herself. Moose is talking, she's smiling, and now she's looking into the box and smiling even bigger. Boss, I think we got a winner, here. Yep, she took the box inside, and there goes Moose. He's back in the van, backing out of the driveway and out of sight.”

Less than a minute later, Noah's cell phone rang and he pulled it out of his pocket. “Go,” he said as he answered. It was Moose calling, of course, letting them know that the first phase of the mission had gone off without a hitch. The high-explosive shrine was inside the house.

“Good job,” Noah said. “Now go get us some wheels, and Sarah said to tell you to make sure it can move and handle.”

“No problem, I got it all figured out. Meet me at the McDonald's by the mall in half an hour.”

Noah agreed and put the phone away, then motioned for Sarah to follow him. “Get me something, Neil,” Noah said. “We need to make this happen today.”

“Sure, no problem, I'll just snap my fingers and make the nanny take the kids to the park. All in a day's work for the magic man, no big deal.” He rolled his eyes as Noah and Sarah left the building. They pulled away in the Chrysler a moment later, and Neil began to concentrate on the monitor once again.

It took them almost the entire half hour to get to the rendezvous. Sarah parked the Chrysler at the back of the parking lot. They sat there for about five minutes before a new Ford Explorer pulled in beside them, with Moose at the wheel.

Noah and Sarah got out as Moose did, and met him in front of the blue car. “How long before anyone knows it's missing?” Noah asked.

“Several hours, at least. I didn't exactly steal it; my alter ego, Jimmy McCormick, is taking it for an extended test drive. I convinced the salesman I needed to take it down to Jefferson City to show my mother, told him I was thinking of buying it as a present for her. Had to leave a five-hundred-dollar deposit, but I didn't think you'd mind. The only thing I did was switch out the dealer plates for the ones off the van. The dealer tag is in the trunk.”

Noah nodded, his eyes wide. “Good thinking,” he said. “If everything goes well, we can switch back again later and you can turn it back in without a problem.”

Moose grinned and looked at Sarah. “It's not as fast as the Chrysler, but it did pretty good on the way here. I was kinda surprised, that thing really handles pretty well.”

They traded keys and Sarah slid behind the wheel of the newer car, while Noah got in on the passenger side. As they backed out, they noticed Moose walking into the McDonald's, and Sarah waved at him.

The Ford had a full tank of gas, so they began to just cruise around town. They drove through a couple of the local parks, cruised around the University and finally parked at a small shopping center not far from Alejandra Gomez’s home. Noah had called Neil a couple of times, but the boy said there had been no sign of the nanny or children.

At just past noon, however, the situation changed. Noah's phone rang and he snatched it up instantly. “Go!”

“Boss, I'm not a hundred percent sure if this is what you want, but it may be the best you're going to get. Mrs. Gomez and the nanny just loaded the kids into a car and they're pulling away from the house right now. I've hacked into the traffic cams all around the area, give me a couple of minutes and I'll tell you which direction they're going.”

“Good, let's go for it. If I have to, I'll take out Alejandra now. Between that and the kids disappearing, we'll probably still get the prayer meeting we want.” He motioned for Sarah to start the car and pointed in the general direction of the Gomez house. She pulled out of the parking lot onto the street, and began moving, keeping below the speed limit until she knew which direction to go.

“Okay, she just turned off of North Glenwood onto West Broadway, heading west. Where you at?”

“We're at West Boulevard and Broadway, so she's coming right at us. What's she driving?”

“An SUV, a Lexus. Looks like a new one, it's black.”

Noah was nodding his head. “Okay, good, we'll pick her up. Good job, Neil.”

“You guys just be careful, okay, Boss? Remember, I have absolutely no interest in working with any other team but Camelot. Don't you go getting yourself killed.”

Noah promised to try to obey, and ended the call. Less than a minute later, they spotted the Lexus coming toward them, so Sarah pulled into a parking lot on the right. She cruised through it slowly as the Lexus went by, then pulled out behind it with only a couple of cars in between.

“Don't lose her,” Noah said. “We need a spot where I can make my move, so just hang back a bit until you see them park.”

“I know,” Sarah said. “Don't worry, Babe, this is why they pay me the big bucks.”

She kept the Lexus in sight as they cruised across a good part of the city, and then it turned right on a red light onto Stadium Boulevard. Sarah got hung up at the light for a few seconds, but managed to make the turn without losing sight of the Lexus and was only a couple of cars behind when it turned in to the Columbia Mall.

“Oh-oh,” Sarah said, “this may not be good.”

“Just keep her in sight,” Noah replied. “Let's see what's going on here.”

The Lexus made its way directly to the Dillard's entrance and stopped, while Sarah hung back in one of the aisles. The passenger side front door opened and the nanny stepped out, then went to the rear of the vehicle and opened the tailgate. She took out and unfolded a double stroller, closed the tailgate and went back to the passenger side. A moment later she had removed both children from the car and put them into the stroller. Noah and Sarah could just see Mrs. Gomez wave as she drove away.