Hothouse Orchid (Holly Barker 6)

“I thought you were going to tell him earlier.”

“I sort of hinted at it, but I didn’t resign. I wanted to know how tonight’s operation would go before I did that.”

“Is there any chance it won’t go well enough to let us leave tomorrow morning?” Teddy asked.

“Maybe,” she replied. “Excuse me, I’ve got to go to the bathroom.” She got up and disappeared into the bedroom.

Teddy cleared the table, and when he came back he looked into her open handbag. Inside he could see a filmy pair of cotton pants and a tank top she liked to wear when they were going out and she was feeling sexy.

He went back to the kitchen and put the dishes into the dishwasher. As he returned to the living room she came out of the bedroom and retrieved her bag. “I’m off,” she said, giving him a kiss. “I may be late tonight; don’t wait dinner for me.”

“Why late?” he asked.

“It’s part of the operation,” she replied, “and don’t ask, because I can’t tell you about it.” She kissed him again and ran out the door.

Lauren’s estimate of two suitcases did not come anywhere close to what she wanted to take with her, plus she had left two packed boxes she wanted sent ahead of them. Late in the day, Teddy put them into the trunk of the car and drove to the pack-and-ship place on A-1A.

As he walked in he was surprised to see Holly Barker there, sending boxes of her own. “Good afternoon,” he said.

“Oh, hi, Jack,” she replied, signing a check and handing it to the clerk. “I’m just sending some of my Florida stuff back to Virginia. What brings you here?”

“Just sending a few things to some friends,” Teddy replied, setting the boxes so that she couldn’t see the address of the Santa Fe hotel he was sending them to.

“Listen,” Holly said, “I don’t want you to worry about Lauren tonight. She’s a capable person, and she’s going to have a lot of backup. We all know how dangerous Jimmy is.”

“I’m relieved to hear it,” Teddy said, not feeling relieved at all. Lauren had not said the operation was dangerous. “Have a good trip home,” he said.

Holly left and got into her Cayenne, which he had not noticed was parked outside, and drove away.

Teddy sent the boxes and drove home, wondering what the hell Lauren was getting herself into.

Lauren went into the conference room and met with the backup team. She had seen the car before, but the tech guys had photographs, and they wanted to explain everything again. Holly Barker came in and took a seat.

“All right, everybody,” Mike Green said, “this is what we’ve got: two video cameras mounted in the air-conditioning vents on each side of the dashboard, here and here,” he said. “There is a microphone with each one and another mike, on a separate circuit, in the center vent. We have three cameras mounted in the overhead light, one pointed forward, two covering the rear seat, each with a mike. There is another camera and mike in the rear seat light over the parcel shelf.”

He held up a Zippo lighter. “Each of these would fit into the case of this lighter, and the lenses are pinpoint size. They are outstanding in low-light levels, and they can pick up audio as faint as a whisper.”

“Where are the weapons located?” Holly asked.

“One here, under the dashboard,” Green said, “and one under the passenger seat, in spring clips.”

“I’ve seen them and tried extracting them,” Lauren said, “and it’s a good setup. They’re both loaded and cocked, safety on.”

“What kind of weapons?” Holly asked.

“Two Colt Mustang.three-eighties,” Lauren replied. “They’re small, but they’ll be good in close quarters.”

“One thing, Lauren,” Mike Green said. “If he wants to play the radio, turn it down low-off, if you can get away with it.”

“How does all this stuff transmit?” Holly asked.

“Through the car’s onboard antennas; we didn’t have to add anything.”

“He’s got a police radio in his car, right?” Holly asked.

“Yes, but we’re using frequencies reserved for the state police; he can’t get them on his radio or even if he has a scanner.”

Hurd spoke up. “Lauren has already had some contact with Jimmy,” he said.