Scammed Page 15

  “What’s in it?”

  “Um, let me see. Eggs, some kind of white cheese that I think is Jack, avocado, garlic, peppers, onions, ranchero sauce and jalapenos. They serve it with multi-grain toast and hash brown potatoes or fruit. Should I order that for you, or do you want me to get a menu?”

  “Sounds great. Make it two. I love crab. Then come back here and tell me what that phone call was all about. I’m dying of curiosity.”

  Kate looked around at other diners in various stages of conversation. This beach community was so different than her home in San Francisco. A gentle breeze caressed the trees along the parkway and sent little funnels of sandy dust spiraling up from the blacktop. The sweet smell of jasmine filled the air. The table felt a little rickety, and the chairs were obviously rescued from secondhand stores, then painted bright colors. Everything added to the laid-back atmosphere of the place.

  Garrett placed two mugs of steaming coffee on the table, then slid into the seat opposite Kate.

  “Sorry to keep you wondering about Maggie’s news, but I know you’re on a time schedule, so I wanted to get our orders placed. They’re really quick here. Anyway, you will be the first to know this latest development. I promise you, it will blow everyone’s mind. Pays to have friends who love to gossip.”

  “Enough of the buildup. Come on. Spill it.”

  “Okay, okay. Hey, I don’t blame you for being impatient. It has gotten more and more weird since day one. Just when you think you have an idea, something else comes to light that torpedoes it. Like Shady’s body turning up in the canal, and the mystery of the missing wife, and of course, how she managed to embezzle so much money from us.”

  Before Garrett could continue, a waiter leaned between them and placed plates filled with the scramble in front of each of them. He wore what appeared to be the servers’ uniforms—a tight fitting black tee shirt topped by a long white apron with Coffee Grinder scrawled across it in large script letters. He said in a cheerful voice, “Let’s see, Crab Omelette and Crab Omelette.” He chuckled. “Just wanted to make sure I didn’t mix the orders up. Enjoy.”

  Between forkfuls of the eggs and crab and sips of coffee, Garrett shared the astounding news. “Maggie got a call late last night from one of her friends. She said this woman loves to be first with juicy gossip, and this is definitely juicy. She is one of the people Maggie questioned about the Shadys. Anyway, her daughter works as a travel agent at the Wonders of Travel agency on Sepulveda near LAX. The night after the Shadys disappeared, she called her mother with the news that she booked the biggest trip of her life that day—an around-the-world cruise on the Crystal Cruise line.”

  “Crystal? Around-the-world? No wonder she was excited. Crystal is a very high-end line. Why a cruise like that probably costs anywhere from Thirty-Five Thousand to as much as Fifty Thousand and more. That girl will make a very healthy commission. I can understand Maggie being thrilled for her friend’s daughter, but why should that be of interest to us?”

  “Here is the why, my dear. The name of the woman who booked the cruise was Briana Hanley.”

  It took a few moments for that to sink in. Then the name registered. “Biana Hanley. But that’s—“

  “Exactly. One of Barbara Shadys’ aliases. Maggie called her friend back and asked if she could find out more details from her daughter. Even a description of the woman. Here is where it really gets interesting.”

  “I agree that this is unreal. What are the odds of our missing Black Widow booking something like that with the daughter of Maggie’s friend? Millions to one, I’d say.”

  “You bet. Anyway when she called back the woman said her daughter told her the woman knew exactly what she wanted, wanted it done as quickly as possible, and booked it over the phone. Imagine booking a Fifty-Thousand Dollar cruise over the phone. The daughter couldn’t believe her luck, but somehow it all fits. The woman gave a San Francisco address that I’m sure will turn out to be something like a UPS box. The credit card she used apparently was one of those American Express cards available only to wealthy clients and by invitation—people who charge hundreds of thousands of dollars and therefore has absolutely no limit. When she took the number, the thought even went through her mind that someone was playing a trice on her. In fact, she was pretty sure it would be declined for such a high-priced purchase. But, it went through immediately without question. The cruise departs two days from now.”

  Kate’s mind was on speed dial going through everything she knew so far.

  They both agreed the woman had to be Barbara Shady. So many questions. If the cruise didn’t depart for two more days, where was she now?

  She said out loud, “Danny, maybe she rented a car under that name or even another name. The cruise doesn’t leave for two more days. Do you suppose she’s still around here somewhere? Maybe at a hotel? We probably should tell Barrington and Nathan, but I’d like to be a little more certain that it’s her before we do. The two days gives us a little time. What a great way to disappear if you have the money. An around-the world cruise. Damn.”

  35

  Kate gave one of her best researchers the task of trying to find a Briana Hanley checked into any hotel either near LAX or the Cruise Center in San Pedro. She also made a note to call Margaret after the meeting to get the name of her friend’s daughter. It wouldn’t be hard to make a detour to the Wonders of Travel office before going back to Cameron’s house so she could talk to the woman in person. Kate always found that a face-to-face meeting usually produced details that didn’t come up over the phone, because she could watch the person’s reaction to her questions.

  She needed the daughter’s name to know who to ask for, and more important, she had to call first to make sure the woman was even at work that afternoon.

  Margaret got back to her quickly with the name Danielle Montgomery. As luck would have it, the daughter was working until six that evening. Kate arranged to meet her around four.

  Exactly at four she pulled open the door to a large, attractively designed travel agency. Alternating tones of soft gray or mauve fabric covered low-walled cubicles that muffled a little of the sound. She counted twelve agents busily talking on the phone or working furiously at their computers, six on each side with a corridor between their workstations. Colorful travel posters from exotic locations and cruise lines decorated the soft gray walls. All in all, the well-designed space produced an atmosphere clearly calculated to put clients at ease while they planned vacations or business trips. Kate wondered how many spent more than they could afford.

  A mellow voice interrupted her thoughts. “May I help you?”

  Kate easily recognized the perky, young receptionist was sizing her up as a potential client by her outfit and accessories.

  “Why, yes. I have a four o’clock appointment with Danielle Montgomery. She’s expecting me, I believe.”

  The receptionist hit the intercom and said, “Danielle, your four o’clock is here.”

  Moments later a somewhat hefty woman who appeared to be in her mid-twenties came to the reception area. Her long shining strawberry blonde hair framed a pretty face, and she wore a very engaging smile.

  “Kate?” She extended her hand. “I’m Danielle. Come on back. Would you like coffee, tea or a cold drink?”

  “Thanks for asking, but I’m fine. I’ll take up as little of your time as possible. As you know I’m a friend of Margaret Stanton, a friend of your mother’s. Margaret told us about your big booking on Crystal Cruises, and that’s why I’m here.”

  Danielle leaned forward, keen interest written all over her face. “So, are you looking to book a cruise?”

  Sorry to disappoint her, Kate said, “Unfortunately, no. This is about the woman you booked that cruise for—Briana Hanley. I need to ask you some questions about that. You see, I’m working on—”

  Danielle’s eyes slowly widened in recognition “Oh my God. I know who you are. I saw you on TV. You’re the lady who owns FraudBusters. Please tell me that cruise
isn’t going to cancel because of some fraud. I mean, her credit card went though so fast I’m sure it was okay. It isn’t stolen, is it?”

  Kate was sorry to have upset the young woman. What were the odds she would be recognized from a TV show that aired the year before? “Well, since you know who I am, I might as well get right to it. I’m working with Margaret and some other people relative to a doctor’s kidnapping and murder in Venice a few days ago. Maybe you know exactly which one I’m talking about. It was all over the news.”

  Color drained out of the travel agent’s face. “Th-the doctor they found floating in the Grand Canal? That one? He used to live in our neighborhood.”

  Kate nodded. “Here’s the thing. We’re pretty sure the woman you booked the cruise for is actually the doctor’s wife, Barbara Shady. The police think she was kidnapped, but frankly, there’s a lot more to it than what’s on the news. You see, Briana Hanley is an alias she has used in the past. And, you’re right. She’s very wealthy and I have no doubt the card she gave you was good and was hers. We need to track her down because it sure doesn’t seem like she was kidnapped and there are a lot of questions she has to answer. I hope you can help me.”

  Kate saw the disappointment in the young woman’s eyes, and knew she was wondering if that meant her commission was lost.

  “I’ll do everything to help you that I can.”

  “Let’s start with whether she had you book a hotel for a few nights. That would really help.”

  Danielle shrugged. “Sorry. Only the cruise.”

  Kate said, “Believe it or not, that is a big help. We don’t know where she intended to stay until the departure day, but she was obviously being very cautious. I’d hoped maybe she booked something through you—a rental car or a hotel—but it seems like she’s too wary to have done that. I’ll keep you in mind if I need a travel agent.”

  36

  The group was already gathered when Kate arrived back at Cameron’s house. They were seated around the dining room table rather than lounging in the living room as they normally did. The table was spread with platters of takeout bar-b-que, potato salad, coleslaw, baked beans and bottles of beer.

  “We tried to reach you when we decided to get together earlier, but it went right to voice mail.” Margaret motioned her to sit down. “Help yourself to some food. With all the latest developments, we have a decision to make. I told everyone about the cruise Danielle booked for Briana Hanley and that you were going to try to meet with her. I can’t wait to hear if you learned anything. Anyway, here’s why we got together early. We all agree we must back off from trying to do this ourselves, but that raises the question, who do we bring in? Nathan? The DEA? Barrington? Or all of the above, understanding how little credibility we’ve been given.

  Garrett added, “They haven’t shared everything with us, of course, but we do know things they don’t. At this point I think our input will be welcomed and not dismissed as the work of amateurs. So, Kate, did you find out anything more?”

  Kate reached for the platter of chicken and selected a breast. Then she scooped some of the potato salad and coleslaw onto her plate but didn’t take any of the baked beans. She opened a beer, then poured it into a glass. She’d never been a drink-from-the-bottle type. After enjoying a sip she said, “Okay. The answer is yes and no. The cruise was booked over the phone in the name of Briana Hanley and paid for with one of those ‘no limit’ credit cards. Nice to be able to charge fifty grand and know it will go through. However, that was all. She didn’t have Danielle book anything else, but my bet is that she reserved a rental car herself. I don’t think she stayed in the area.”

  “Good. I’ve got something, too,” Garrett said. “One of my guys tracked her cell phone and saw that she booked an American flight to Chicago that left yesterday afternoon. She’s devious and most likely wanted us to think she left LA if we figured out that she wasn’t kidnapped. The mistake she made was using her own phone. Anyway, although she booked that flight to make her trail end at Chicago, odds are she never boarded that flight. The woman is very clever. I’d bet money that she has a car and hotel somewhere for the next two days. Of course, she had no way of knowing we would find out about the cruise, and that brings us back to the question of who we should share all of this information with.”

  They discussed the pros and cons of each while finishing off nearly all of the food. Matt actually came up with the solution.

  He said, “Look, you guys always suppose I’m thinking strictly as though we’re acting out a screenplay, but this time that’s not it at all. Yeah, if this was a movie, we would probably decide that we were the ones making the progress and we would finish what we started, wind up in a dangerous situation, then save the day, reveal everything and be lauded as the heroes. But I get it. This is real life, and in real life the only logical thing to do is step back and let them do the heavy lifting. I can’t believe I’m saying we have to call the United States Attorney General, but we do. We have to call Nathan and give him everything we know. Then how he handles it is up to him.”

  It didn’t take long for everyone to agree. The Colonel was the last one to cast a vote, and it was clear he was adhering to everything he’d been trained to do relative to chain of command.

  Cameron wanted to know if that meant they were out of it now. Garrett offered the thought that they should clue Barrington in on at least some of it because he had been so helpful.

  Kate said, “I agree with Danny. We should let him know about our connection with Nathan, and that Barbara could be checked into a hotel somewhere near the Cruise Center as Briana Hanley. I don’t think they paid any attention to our theory of her being a Black Widow, and probably don’t know or if they do, don’t even care about her aliases. Maybe he could get involved in the search for her and stop her from boarding that cruise.”

  “Good thought. However, even if she isn’t found before she boards, they could have someone at the check-in and arrest her for embezzlement when she tries to board. After all, it isn’t hard for them to confirm the booking, but Nathan might be taking care of that. We should give Barrington all of her aliases we are aware of. My money is on the cops only searching for Barbara Shady.”

  Garrett confirmed he would contact Barrington but even wanted to clear that during the call to DC. Nathan said he would take it from there as well as giving them the go ahead to share some of the info with Barrington since he was already working with the DEA.

  Garrett called Barrington, but it went to voicemail so he left this message for the detective. “Please come over to Cameron Harsen’s house on the canal as soon as you can. We have some very interesting information to share with you and don’t want to discuss it on the phone. You can reach me on my cell.”

  They all retired to the living room where Cameron served slices of a wonderful cheesecake she had picked up at the Cheesecake Factory on Via Marina. The Colonel joked that he had gained five pounds since coming to these meetings because there was always an outstanding dessert. When Clarence got to his feet and made some grunting sounds as he eyed the remaining cheesecake, the Colonel reached for a plastic bag he had placed on the side table and gave his dog a nice little carrot.

  “Can’t give Clarence anything sweet, although he would love it, but he really does like carrots. The poor old chap is borderline diabetic.” As though acknowledging that, Clarence begged for another carrot from the Colonel, took it in his mouth and settled down in front of the fireplace.

  37

  Matt got up from his position in one of the easy chairs and stretched. “Hey, I hope you don’t mind. I have a very early shoot in the morning and you really don’t need me for anything right now. Mind if I leave?”

  “No problem, Pal,” Garrett answered. “Go get some rest and we’ll bring you up to date. I’m not sure when Barrington will call or come over, so it could get late.”

  Not long after Matt left, the Colonel stifled a yawn and voiced a similar request. “Speaking of getting late, you all
know how much I’m enjoying this cloak and dagger stuff, but it’s if it’s going to extend past my bedtime, as much as I hate to admit it, it’s hard for me to keep late hours anymore.” He patted Clarence’s head. “Hard for my pooch, too. Good luck with Barrington. I think we made the right decision by calling him and Nathan. You know what they say: ‘Better safe than sorry.’ Talk to you tomorrow.”

  Cameron went around gathering the dessert dishes and forks and headed for the kitchen.

  With the others gone, Garrett moved onto the sofa next to Kate and took her hand. “How’s it going with your agent and the producers?”

  She smiled at him and said, “Better than anticipated. Everything was wrapped up today, which means I’ll be leaving in the next few days.”

  As Garrett seemed to take that in, a look of disappointment descended upon him. “So soon?”

  “Afraid so, but I’ll still have my people available whenever you need more checking or assistance. I must get back to my business. One thing I’ll miss is lunch or breakfast with you and the nightly meetings, but I suppose those will end one way or another anyway when this all comes to a head.” She flashed a smile. “I can still participate by phone.”

  “I’ll miss you, Kate. I really like you and I haven’t said that to a woman in quite a while. When this is over, if I decide to take a quick hop to San Francisco, will you have dinner with me? After all, it’s only an hour flight and my time is my own once we get this whole disaster figured out. I can only imagine what kind of assets she’s piled up, so I really hope we can recover at least some of the money that woman stole. Who knows? Maybe she even keeps some of it in cryptocurrency like bitcoin, for example. Hard to trace, easy to transfer.”

  Kate leaned against his shoulder. “Yeah, I wouldn’t put that past her from what I’ve learned of her financial skills. To answer your question, I’ll miss you, too. Of course, I’d want to see you if you come to my city. In fact, I’ll count—”