Isabelle and Alexis scurried through the door and walked quickly to the reception area. “Mrs. Brewster needs her rest?” Isabelle said in a loud whisper. “What do they think she’s doing in there? Jumping jacks?”

“Hush.” Alexis tried to calm Isabelle. “I don’t want them physically throwing us out of here.”

“Yeah, but did you notice that it was when I mentioned Steinwood that the ruckus started?”

“The theory may be right. They can hear what’s going on.” Alexis put her arm through Isabelle’s as they waved at Jeanne. “Thanks very much! Bye-Bye!”

Jeanne waved back at them.

As soon as they jumped into the Jeep, Isabelle texted Myra. Saw MB. Hand twitched when I mentioned DS. Then they threw us out. But all okay. Will call in later.

“Wow. You’re right about that twitching. Too bad we didn’t have more time with her.” Alexis drummed her fingers on the dashboard.

“I see those wheels turning. No, we are not going to break into this place later. We have our assignment. Besides, if we had said anything else, she might have died!” Isabelle’s eyes widened.

“Huh. She’s as good as dead,” Alexis said bitterly.

“Hey, don’t talk like that. Look what we went through, and our lives turned around.”

“Yeah, but we weren’t in a coma.”

They drove back to the lodge in silence, each thinking back to her own personal nightmare: when Isabelle lost her job, her man, and was framed for drunk driving, and when Alexis was wrongfully imprisoned for fraud. Yes, each of them had suffered great losses, but life was still worth living, thanks to people like Myra Rutledge and Anna Ryland de Silva.

Chapter 29

Chapter 29

London

Eileen found a perfect go-go outfit for the fund-raiser being held in the conservatory in Dr. Marcus’s building. A red leather miniskirt, white leather boots, fake-fur vest, and a pixie wig, with a big shoulder bag on her arm. There was nothing in there that would set off security, and the devices she needed to plant in the apartment were tucked inside her bra. The contents of her bag were normal items, including a large shawl, foldable ballet flats for when her feet were tired of being tortured by high heels, a makeup case, phone charger, wallet, keys. The only thing was that the information in her wallet was fake, the phone charger was for the surveillance equipment, the shawl concealed an extra outfit, and the makeup was for the purpose of changing her look. The slippers were just for what they were meant to do and more. They gave her feet a break but were also made of special material that left no prints.