Charles moved on to the massiveness of the identity theft ring. Until just a few hours ago, he had been convinced that Bonnie and Clyde were the second tier, with someone else heading up their ring. He’d changed his mind when absolutely no other intel came his way. The intricacies, the details boggled his mind. He thought about how many people he’d had to use to keep the vigilantes safe from harm. How Bonnie and Clyde kept it together without making a mistake was something he was never going to understand.

And they’d still be out there scamming people, stealing fortunes, and ruining lives if not for Harry Wong and his aversion to opening his mail. Harry was going to turn out to be a hero, and he didn’t even know it.

Maybe a surprise was in order for everyone. He needed to make some brownie points with the girls, and cooking a gourmet dinner on their return wasn’t going to do it.

Charles jerked around when the dogs at his feet barked. He looked to see what had warranted the alert. Then he smiled. It was the silence. The fax machine was quiet. There were no pings alerting him to incoming e-mails. The phones, all nine of them, were quiet—even the two specially encrypted phones in his pockets, the ones he was never without, were silent.

Silence to the dogs meant special time. A run, a walk, some treats. Charles obliged as he led the way out into the early evening. He inhaled deeply as he threw two sticks. The dogs raced after them. While he waited for their return, he sat down on the bench under the old hemlock tree. He fired up his pipe, puffed, then let his body relax. The dogs returned, panting but wanting more. He threw the sticks again.

In a truly relaxed state, Charles let his mind wander. What could he plan for his chicks? A surprise! A really wonderful surprise for them. And for himself as well. All he needed to do was work out the details.

The dogs returned. They’d had enough. They stood politely, waiting for the treats Charles carried in his pocket. Bacon-flavored chews that took a whole hour to gnaw down to nothing.

Charles puffed contentedly. Right then the world looked pretty darn good.

Chapter 20

Chapter 20