Chapter 76

I was at least five years older than either of them. I most likely had more experience in the field as the two of them together. They might just be a simple reception team, but I didn't think so. It was 10:30 on Friday night after all.

Once we were in the van I removed the headscarf and large dark glasses I wore for the CCTV cameras. "Who else is on the team?" I asked.

"The team leader is code named Shemp," the woman said.

"So I guess that makes you Moe," I said to the man driving the van.

"I guess so," he replied. I didn't bother continuing with the Curly part of the gag. I just hoped that the three of them were more than a running joke.

I had asked a dozen questions, but could never get any information about the team. I could understand, if it was for security reasons, but these clowns didn't have any idea about security. I had a feeling they didn't give me the information because they put the team together from leftovers at the last minute.

We stopped at a drive thru pizza take out before going to the hotel. I carried a medium cheese pizza and two canned cokes up to the two-room suite in a Trail's End Suites only motel. It was most likely a three star motel with all the personality of a damp sponge.

"Boss will be here soon, make yourself at home," the girl said.

I was on my second piece of the less than great pizza when the boss walked in. "I know we are in trouble now," I said when I saw the boss. "If you are the best they could come up with."

"Now, now don't be nasty. It's been almost a year since you saw me last. I was always competent and I worked with the best," Jeremy said.

"Well I know you are a good planner, the leadership is where I have my doubts," I said with a laugh. "We will find out when the blood flows I guess."

"We are here to save lives not take them," he said as if I would believe it. It must have been for the kid's ears.

"So what's the big deal?" I asked.

"The big deal is Dovecheck," he said. "Arnold thinks he is being targeted."

"Since I have no idea who Arnold Dovecheck is, I can't give you an assessment," I said.

"Arnold Dovecheck is ranked second on the richest men in the world list. God ranks only a little higher," Jeremy AKA Shemp informed me. "He also believes people are out to get him."

"Does he always feel that way, or is there something special at the moment?" I asked. The two younger members of the team appeared interested, but a little lost.

"Arnold very publicly financed a movie that was less than favorable to the Worldwide Muslim agenda. There is a kill on sight order out for him," Shemp said.

"Well Shrimpy, do we know who issued the order?" The two kids giggled. I had no idea why. They were worse than Jeremy.

"The Head Mullah in Iran, who else," he said.

"Who else indeed. No wonder Arnold is paranoid," I said.

"It gets worse. He is traveling with his daughter and grand daughter," Jeremy said. "The Mullah would be just as happy with their heads in the sack."

"He needs to be traveling with the Third Marine Division," I suggested.

"Word," the young man aka Moe said.

"He thinks low profile will help him avoid detection. He feels that it has worked in the past, and will work now. He has a full team. He hired Executive Protective Services to keep an eye on the security team and the staff in case of an inside attack. An organized terrorist team, he claims will not be our problem," Jeremy said.

"When this is over I want a pound of whatever he is smoking," I said. "If we are within two rooms of a terrorist hit, we are all going to die.

"Word," Moe said again.

"Don't ever say that again. Also never say 'whatever' in my presence," I said angrily to Moe.

"Word," Jeremy said to him.

"Okay I get it," he replied.

"Now if the skateboard generation has nothing to add to the conversation, I'm sure we are all ready for bed," Jeremy said.

"Not yet, you haven't told me what staff we are keeping eyes on," I said.

"The staff of the 'South Winds Dutches'," he said. "We are going cruising."

I turned my head and glared at the kids daring them to say anything, then said. "There must be hundreds of people on a cruise ship staff. How the hell do the four of us watch them all."

"You do what do you do best Daisy," he said with a smile.

"How long do I have?" I asked.

"You join the staff on Sunday around noon. Need I say again, Arnold owns the majority share of Dutches lines. You are going in as an efficiency analyst. They are going to be told that you are there to recommend cuts in crew size, so they should all be nervous around you. Take a look for those who don't seem nervous at all. The too cool ones shouldn't be worried about their jobs. They will believe that they have a big payday coming."

"Gee you make is sound so easy," I said. "I would like to know what these two are going to do, and who his body guards are."

"They are going to be in the kitchen and housekeeping services. Assigned to the floor where Arnold's Suite is located," Jeremy said.

"Deck," I said. "Not floor."

"Yeah deck, the body guards are these guys." Picture flashed on the small screen TV.

"I recognized some of them but said nothing. Jeremy knew who they were I was sure. They had been on the bad Reverend's clean up team. So this is where strike teams went to retire. I wanted to call Sylvia and ask what the fuck was going on, but I didn't dare. She might actually tell me and I was sure I wouldn't like the answer.

"Well I guess I need to go shopping before I play undercover boss," I said. "It's time for bed. So where do I sleep?"

Shemp pointed to the second room. It had two double beds inside. I assumed the two sofas, in what passed as a sitting room, could be used by the boys. The young woman followed me into the bedroom. "So which one is mine?" I asked her.

"John and I used that one last night," she said sheepishly.

"I'll take the other one then," I said. Since I had removed my coat when I entered the room, I pulled off the sweatshirt revealing my thermal tee shirt. Then I pushed down the running suit pants and slipped into bed wearing only the thermal tee and panties.

As I ran over the operational details through my mind, those I knew at the time anyway, my heart pounded and I could hear the woman's breathing. I could hear better and think clearer than I could in Mossberg. I couldn't help but think of the country song. I don't have to be me till Monday. I was really two people. I had always known it well. We would soon see if I could still use it. At that point I drifted off into a deep sleep. It was probably the best sleep I had had since leaving Farmer's Grove.

Jeremy woke me at 5 AM. "Come on Daisy, it time to run," he said.

"I haven't had to run in almost a year. I fucking hate to run," I said but I pulled on the running pants. "Do you have an ace bandage?" I asked.

Jeremy pulled a long elastic bandage from his pocket and threw it at me. To reward him, I let him watch while I wound it around my breasts. With them secured I walked into the sitting room thing. I found the other two dressed for a run as well.

The four of us ran a half hour out and a half hour back ending in the restaurant down the street from our motel. It was fast food and it really wasn't all that good, but it was a chance to talk about normal things. The young woman, Curly, I found was Chloe and Moe was actually John. It was more than I really wanted to know, but I took it in like a sponge. She was from a small town in Maine and he was from Texas.

"Have you told them how it works?" I asked Jeremy.

"No, I figured you would," he said.

I nodded. "We go to whatever department store is available here. We buy all new clothes and luggage. Nothing from our old lives goes with us to this job. I hope you don't have any family heirlooms, because everything goes to the dump. They may trace us back to the motel, but the trail ends here. Put your real ID into an envelope. Then mail it to someone, or somewhere you can pick it up, if you make it back. Everything else goes in the dumpster." I turned to Jeremy. "I assume that is how it will work here?"

"Yes," he said simply. He then handed each of us a prepaid credit card. "It was issued in your new names and has five hundred dollars on each of them."

Mine would activate to the Daisy Evans identity and the security code 1666. The others I did not know or want to know. "Shemp is going to buy breakfast since his card will have the most money. Oh by the way, you can keep whatever cash you have on you," I said.

First on my list of items was a burner cell phone, second was three business suits and five white blouses, then came a knock out bikini. I also bought a strong bra and a half dozen pairs of cute little bikini panties. A few other things like shoes, and a new running suit made it into my shopping cart as well. My bill at the checkout was almost the full five hundred. The kids were a bit more modest in their purchases.

When we got back to the motel, off came the running pants and my used underwear. The bandage was in my pocket, since I removed it while going to the store. The shower I took was long and hot. I washed my tacky blond hair using hotel shampoo, since I seldom bought real shampoo.

I carried the pile of old clothes to the sofa bed in the sitting room. "I'll dump all the stuff if you come pile it on the bed. I'm going to the hair dresser to have my hair done before the IDs are made," I said.

"Good that you want a new picture for the IDs. Curly why don't you go with her," Jeremy suggested. "Remember you want to look like a maid."

"Give me a hundred dollars," I demanded of Jeremy.

"I still have more then a hundred on my card I'll pay," Curly said. She also drove the car. We found a walk in shop and had our hair done. I had a new cut and picked a new color. I had never been a redhead, so I went for it."

When we left the shop I asked, "How much you got left on the card?"

"Just over twenty five dollars," Curly replied.

"Well then it's Dollar Store for us," I said. "Stop at one on the way back to the motel."

I ran inside to buy two black head scarves. "No one has the balls to ask a woman to remove a head scarf these days." I also bought new large black sunglasses for us both.

We spent the rest of Saturday studying faces and files. I saw several pictures of Arnold Dovecheck and his family. Some were as recent as a few months and some went back a few years. He wasn't as reclusive as Howard Hughes, but he was camera shy and avoided the press. Still there were several candid pictures of him and the girls, as he called his daughter and grand daughter. His daughter's husband's boat just disappeared while he was sailing in the Atlantic Ocean. It was presumed that he had been killed in a sailing accident. The press made some insinuations about his drinking and possible abuse after pictures of his wife Sandy turned up showing her with a bruised face. The picture was taken outside a hospital emergency room a few months before her husband's accident. His daughter Cindy was ten at the time of her father's disappearance.