“Miranda says we bring the bag and Hooker back to the house, and when we find the circuit board we’ll let Hooker go.”
“The deal was that we’d swap here. I want my poop back.”
“Lady, I’d love to give you your poop back, but no can do. The boss wants the poop.”
I trudged back to the Camry and got in next to Beans. “They’re going to release Hooker when they find the circuit board.”
The black SUV pulled away, and Rosa cranked the Camry over. “Okay, ladies,” she said. “A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.”
“What does that mean?” I asked Rosa.
“It means we have to kick some ass and get Hooker out.”
“That sounds good on paper,” I said to Rosa. “But we’re not exactly a SWAT team. I think it’s time to bring in the police.”
Suzanne was in the back with me, sitting on the other side of Beans. “Easy for you to say,” Suzanne said. “You didn’t just kidnap Ray Huevo. I’m in favor of us going in and solving the problem ourselves. I work out, and I can shoot, and I’m in the mood to do some damage,” she said, selecting a gun from the pocket in front of her. “I’m putting my name on this Glock nine.”
We drove to the house and Rosa sat at idle in front of the gate. The gate was closed and attached to a six-foot solid-stucco fence that encircled the property. From what we could see of the grounds, we would have to get over the fence and then cover some open grass before reaching the house. A small metal medallion attached to the front gate told us the property was protected by All Season Security.
“It would be better if we could do this in the dark,” Rosa said.
I looked at the sky. The sun was low. Maybe an hour until sunset. Maybe a little more. An hour felt like a long time to leave Hooker in there with the finger chopper.
“It’ll take them a while to go through a gallon of poop,” Felicia said. “They gonna have to put it in a strainer little by little and power wash it.”
We all made gagging sounds.
“I think we have until the next phone call,” Suzanne said. “If they don’t find the circuit board, they’ll call. They don’t know for certain that this was a setup.”
SIXTEEN
We were parked four houses down from the estate where they were holding Hooker hostage, the Camry tucked back into the driveway of an ungated and unoccupied house. We’d carefully watched the street for activity, but there’d been nothing to see. No cars coming or going. No one out for a stroll. We watched the sun set in a brilliant display of fluorescent orange and pink. We watched the sky change from dusk to dark.
“This is it,” Rosa said. “Showtime.”
We armed ourselves, got out of the Camry, and started walking down the street. Rosa, Felicia, Suzanne, and me. Beans was left behind, and he wasn’t liking it. Beans was in the car, barking loud enough to raise the dead.
“You got to do something with doggie,” Felicia said. “People gonna call the cops on us.”
I went back to the car, opened the door, and Beans bounded out. I took the leash, and he pranced beside me. He was happy. He was going for a walk with everyone.
“When I die I want to come back as this doggie,” Felicia said.
We stopped when we got to the gate. It was still closed and locked. Beyond the gate we could see the BMW parked in the courtyard. The house was dark. Not a single light burning.
“Maybe they have black-out shades,” Rosa said.
“Maybe they’re watching a movie on television,” Felicia said.
Maybe they’re waiting for us, I thought.
Lights were also off in neighboring houses. This wasn’t high season in Florida. Not a lot of the rich folks in residence. We walked off the road and chose a spot where the shadows were deep.
“We gonna have to alley-oop over the wall,” Felicia said.
Rosa and I linked hands and gave Suzanne a boost up.
“Everything looks quiet inside the wall,” Suzanne whispered. She straddled the wall and silently dropped out of sight.