He reviewed the office blueprints again. No security cameras in the front. Just one at the rear door, facing in one direction. There was also an alarm system that could be dismantled by a three-year-old with access to the Internet . Cripes. You can learn to do almost anything from YouTube. Avery shook his head. What a world. He laughed again at himself. Indeed.

After donning a black running suit, black cap, black gloves, and black sneakers, Avery slipped out of the motel and walked down the street to the first of the two rentals. He double-checked his gear. He had magnets for the alarm system and four bugging devices. He parked the car a few blocks away, began a slight jog in the direction of the office, and made a turn onto the street behind it. Behind the buildings, there was a small walkway running parallel to the street. It was where the trash bins and electric and gas meters were located. It would qualify as an alley, but they would never call it an alley in this town. No, it was considered public works access. Whatever.

Avery made sure he approached the rear of the office from the side at which the security camera did not point. After looking in both directions for other pedestrians and cameras, he neared the door. Within seconds, he had picked the lock and disengaged the alarm sensor. He listened carefully for any sounds of company. All quiet. He would plant the bugs in each patient suite, and the office in the back that housed the impressive vault. Safecracking wasn’t necessarily his forte, but he knew enough people who made a very lucrative living doing so, if he needed to call in an expert.

Avery opened several file cabinets in search of information, but the files were coded in colors and numbers. No names, just what appeared to be dates of office visits. Odd. Maybe it was all on a hard drive. He booted up the desk computer, but it was password protected, and there wasn’t enough time to try to gain access. The critical move was to get the place bugged so the sisters could carry out the next stages of their plan.

After checking that all the recording devices and the strategically placed cameras were operating properly, he e-mailed photos of the safe directly to Charles. Taking one last look around, he was satisfied. Avery reset the alarm sensor, locked the door, and carefully moved down the alley. He looked at his watch again—8:00 P.M. He had an hour before he had to meet up with Kathryn.

He returned to the motel to change into something more “outdoors country” appropriate, in place of the ninja look. Or was it the bank-robber look? Either way, he didn’t want to stand out among all the flannel shirts and Timberland boots.