Annie pulled a face. “I’m up for a cucumber sandwich and some ginseng tea.” What she really wanted was a foot-long hot dog with sauerkraut, mustard, and raw onions, accompanied by a heaping pile of greasy French fries.

As though she had read Annie’s mind, Myra said, “Since our social calendars are empty, we can drive into town tomorrow and get that hot dog you are sitting there lusting for. We’re going to have to make a wild dash for the shop. An umbrella isn’t going to do us much good in this wind. You ready?”

Annie had the car door open and ran like the bats of hell were after her. She was drenched to the skin by the time they reached the Beautiful Nails shop. Both women barreled through the door. Five little Vietnamese women smiled at them. The shop was empty of patrons. The little women bowed the way they always did, and said in unison, “Welcome, Mrs. Ladies.” That greeting was the extent of their English, along with, “Forty dollar, Mrs. Lady” or “Eighty dollar, Mrs. Lady” if they were getting a manicure and a pedicure.

Annie and Myra both dangled their hands in front of the women to signal they just wanted a manicure. More smiles, more bows, and they were seated at a double table facing the door.

As they were filed and buffed, Annie and Myra kept up a low-voiced conversation about nothing, the weather, the awful humidity that had preceded the awful rain that was to last another awful four days. “It is what it is, Annie. Like it or not, we can’t change Mother Nature.”

The front door suddenly blew open as a wet and bedraggled woman shouted loudly, “Myra! Annie!”

“Pearl! Is that you, Pearl?” Annie said, jerking her hand away from the little lady named Kime. “What are you doing here? What’s wrong?”

“Charles said you were probably here. Hurry, you need to come with me.”

Myra was off her chair and right behind Annie, wiping her nails on the leg of her pantsuit. She dug in her pants pocket for some bills and tossed them on the receptionist’s desk. “We’ll call for another appointment,” she shouted over her shoulder.

The chattering in the shop was like that of a hundred magpies as the trio ran into the pouring rain to Myra’s car.

“You better say something really fast, Pearl, or I’m going to fly you to the moon,” Annie bellowed to be heard over the torrent of rain that was falling and flooding the small parking lot.

“Burn rubber, Myra!” Annie said, or we’re all going to get pneumonia even if this is July. Put the heater on. Spit it out, Pearl.”

“The clinic has been breached. That means my underground railroad has been breached.”

“Are you talking about the clinic Julia Webster set up before her death?” Myra asked as she pressed down on the accelerator.

“Yes! For God’s sake, yes! What other clinic would I possibly be talking about? The one you and Annie keep funding, have funded all these years. I just found out early this morning. I don’t know what to do. God, how could this happen? All these years, and nothing ever went wrong, and now, we’ve been breached. I just came from there. I shut the place down and sent the staff home. I’ve been there since six o’clock this morning. It’s after one o’clock now. I took the computers and as many files as I could load in my van. I didn’t get it all, but what’s left can’t incriminate any of us. At least I don’t think so. Lord, I am exhausted.”