Roger stood in the Chestnut bedroom, scanning the area for the best place to position a camera. Crissy stood in the doorway with Henry and Sugar. Beyond them, Steve and the Boss stood by next to Misty and Ed. Roger paced the room as he searched. His eye was drawn to a large mirror hanging across from the bed. Roger's eyes narrowed as he took a position in front of the mirror. It was a huge mirror, one which took in most of the view of the room. Roger turned back to the others.
"When did you hang this mirror?"
"It's been there for a couple of years," Sugar noted, "we put it there not long after we moved in." Roger nodded and turned back to the mirror. He reached out and jostled it to test how heavy it was, then raised it off the nails which held it in place. There was a draft he could feel. Roger stepped back with the mirror in his hands. The group was stunned as they saw what had been uncovered. A good-sized hole had been cut into the wall, behind which was a space large enough for a man to stand next to the exposed pipe works.
Roger turned the mirror so the others could see where a portion of the backing had been scrapped off with a razor blade. This was it, no doubt. The position afforded a wide angle on the bed and the area around it. Sugar buried her face in her hands. Henry placed his arms around her to comfort her.
"I'm guessing there's an access hatch for the plumber," Roger explained, "the enemy must've seen the layout of the house, maybe the blueprints. At some point, they were inside, so they knew about the placement of the mirror. They may've staked it out one day while both of you were at the studio."
"Does this mean the man who did this works for the water company?" The Boss asked. "Is that how he saw the blueprints?"
"It's possible." Roger turned to the hole in the wall and poked his head inside before looking back to the others. "They didn't leave anything behind when they cleared out. Looks like it was just one guy. We'll see if there's a similar set-up at the Carter house."
"How could they get in there without us hearing the access hatch being moved?" Sugar was indignant.
"Given what's at stake," Steve offered, "the guy may've waited in there for hours before you came into the room. Five million is a good motivator for patience."
Over at the Carter home, a similar scene was uncovered. The enemy had opened an access hatch to the bathroom pipes, then used the space inside to position a man with a camera. This time, a hole had been cut into the wall and a camera lens pushed through a painting which overlooked the bed. Misty was doubly steamed. That painting was a gift from her mother.
"The pipes for the master bathroom tend to be close to the master bedroom," Roger explained, "if the enemy is careful not to push anything out of place enough to be noticed, they can get a camera into most places. This plumbing scheme would seem to point to someone working at the water company being involved. They'd have blueprints on file for any house they service."
"Our little spy sure gets around," the Boss inspected the painting, "the studio, the water company, a publishing outfit in Amsterville. I wonder how many men are in this plot."
"If it helps," Roger offered, "I don't think these guys are professional spies. They're clever, and they certainly know what they're doing, but this infiltration work is crude. I don't think it's a professional spy ring so much as some small-time hoods who had a few breaks go their way."
"Are you sure?" Misty asked.
"Not a hundred percent, Misty, but I'm reasonably sure this is just a case of extortion."
"Well," Sugar was relieved, "that actually makes me feel a little better. The stakes don't seem as high now."
"It makes Jeannie's idea even more workable," Ed mused, "we just have to move faster than the bad guys. We have to assume the inside man at the studio is still there, just to keep an eye on us. We know the printer has someone standing by. Would they still need a man at the water company?"
"I doubt they have much of a staff," the Boss figured, "most homes around here have wells. The water company services mainly the studio and the suburb area. If the man working there did leave after collecting the photos he needed, his absence would be noticed. So that means he had two options. Stay put and leave his job after the payoff, or figure they've already got the money and retire early."
"That note you showed me tells me they're pretty cocky," Roger noted, "but fairly bright. They may be sitting still for the time being. The studio employs more people than actually live in Creek Bend. Finding the spy there is going to be tricky. We may have a better shot at uncovering the mole at the water company or at Headliner Publishing. Given Headliner printed it's letterhead in the magazine, though, I think we can safely assume anyone who works there will be in on the scheme. In fact, it seems like obvious bait to draw you to the office in Amsterville."
"That part of it makes no sense," Misty noted, "why give us a name but make us track down the address on our own?"
"I think it was a test." The Boss mulled it over as everyone looked at him. "Not for us, but for them. If they tapped the studio phone, our hunting down the whereabouts of Headliner Publishing would tip them off as to exactly when we had the magazine in hand. From Headliner's office, they could run interference. If one of us showed up there, it would signal them to push the stuff they have standing by into circulation. They couldn't risk us stopping the packages from being mailed, so that tells me the packages aren't at the publishing company. They probably have a telephone system worked out to alert the others in case we get too close. If we just knew where the packages were waiting..."
"In the city someplace?" Crissy offered.
"Likely," Henry said, "but that's not a given. Let's assume there are at least three field men. One at the studio, one at the water company, and one at the publishing company. Possibly everybody at Headliner is in on it, but let's figure there's an inside man there like at every other location. Do we assume it's just those three, or is there a boss that they answer to?"
"It's conceivable that three men could do all this," Ed noted, "maybe the man at the water company got it started when he noticed the blueprints of our houses. Someone at the studio could tell him who the best targets were, and the third guy could crank out the magazine cheap in his off hours without being noticed. Being a printer, he'd know how to doctor photos."
"I hope you're right," Steve took a breath, "I'd rather deal with three men than an entire spy ring. Let's say you're onto the truth, Ed. One thing, though. The man at Headliner may not be the one who doctored the photos. Whoever did that did an extremely good job. Possibly it was the man inside C.B.I.P., particularly if it's someone who works in the publicity department."
"Yes," the Boss concurred, "that would fall together. I hate to think it's somebody on my payroll, but this does narrow down the possibilities. Who would be the most likely suspect? Working in the publicity department. Really good with touch-ups. Someone with a private office who could stay by their telephone. Someone maybe with some experience in the publishing field."
"Who also knows a man from the water company." Sugar sighed. "We'd have no way of knowing who it is without digging into their background, and that would draw attention."
"Are we all willing to take a calculated risk?" Misty asked. "Because I MIGHT know who it is, but I obviously could be wrong."
"What do you know?" Sugar was excited.
"About a month ago, I saw a man from the water company at the studio. I know that doesn't mean anything, but I did notice that he was eating lunch with Les Sutter from the publicity department." The others moved in a little. "I didn't think much of it at the time, but I remember wondering if that man was a real city worker or somebody in costume. Being a movie studio, you can never really be sure."
"Would you recognize him if you saw him again?" Ed asked.
"If his hair hasn't grown out. He had a crewcut at the time."
"Les Sutter...," Steve paced, "He's got the know-how, and he's good. I can't believe he'd be that desperate for money, though. He makes a good living."
"Five million dollars is a lot of incentive," Roger reminded, "he may want to retire early."
"I guess this is a good way to test Jeannie's plan." The Boss slapped his fist into his open hand. It was hard to accept. Les had always been so good at his job. He'd advanced rapidly through the ranks, and was now the head of his department. Still, those facts only made him a more likely suspect. "Actually, if you're game, I have a variation to Jeannie's suggestion I'd like to try."
Shortly, Ed Carter was parking his car on a rise a distance from the Creek Bend Water Company building. Misty sat in the passenger seat, staring through the binoculars Roger held up for her from the back seat. Crissy stayed close to Rog.
"Are we close enough?" Roger asked.
"I think so," Misty told him, "I can see the staff entrance pretty clearly. If he steps out into the light, I'm pretty sure I'll know him."
"Misty's always had a good head for figures and an eye for details," Ed noted, "a natural-born movie producer. She'll know the guy when she sees him."
"Shouldn't be long," Crissy checked Roger's watch, "quitting time is soon."
"Ditto for back at the studio," Ed said, "everybody better make their move right away."
At the studio, Steve casually walked into the publicity department. He held a bundle of envelopes under his arm. Les had an office which was enclosed, but large glass windows kept the main room in view. Steve knew Les could see him coming. He played it casual. Steve entered the office and handed the envelopes to Les. Les was puzzled.
"You'll have to take checks," Steve smiled, "five million in cash they don't have sitting around." Les bugged his eyes and reached for the telephone. Steve quickly swept his arm around Les and pulled him back before he could reach the phone. The two men struggled, but Les was a small man and not much of a match for Steve. "Do you want to make a scene? Right here in front of everybody?"
"How'd you figure it out?"
"Long story. You want to come quietly with me to the Boss? I know you don't want me to throw you through this window." Les relaxed and stopped struggling.
"Okay, I'll go. But you don't understand."
"Enlighten me on the way." Steve threw open the door and pushed Les out in front of him.
A man with a crewcut stepped out of the Water Company's staff door. Misty didn't take long to confirm that it was the man they were after. Roger took the glasses and looked through them. Now they knew for certain what their target looked like. Roger nodded and slid out of the car. Crissy waited. Misty continued to watch the man as he walked across the parking lot. Ed reached over and took her hand, a gesture to comfort her. Misty turned back to Ed and smiled. She relaxed a little.
Roger was anonymous to his target, which allowed him to approach without raising suspicion. As they got close to each other, Roger began to stagger and clutch at his chest. Crewcut moved closer and offered help, a nice gesture Roger didn't enjoy returning with a right cross. Swiftly, Roger scooped up Crewcut as he began to fall, then slung the criminal over his shoulder and marched back into the brush across from the parking lot.
Not long after, Crewcut joined Les in the Boss's office. Ed towered over the chairs of both men, ample intimidation to keep them in their seats. Lined up behind the Boss was Misty, Sugar, Jeannie, Beverly, Daisy, and Minerva. Crissy stood by to support them. Steve, Henry, and Roger stood by the exits and windows. These guys weren't getting out of the room without giving the assembly what they wanted. The Boss addressed the crooks.
"How could you do it? Why? What has any of these girls done to deserve this? You've worked with all of them, Les. You know them."
"Boss, don't get the idea that I enjoyed it." Les motioned to Crewcut. "He threatened to hurt my sister if I didn't do it for him."
"And just who are you, Crewcut?"
"The man in control of this situation," Crewcut smugly straightened his posture, "you can't bring us to court, and risk the whole affair becoming public. I've got all the cards."
"Really?" The Boss lit a cigarette. "Because you're surrounded by six women you've pulled into the mud, two angry husbands, four combat vets, and a professional spy. And then there's me. These people are family to me. I think of these girls as my daughters, when you get right down to it. The last thing you want to do is mess with a man's family, particularly his daughters."
TO BE CONTINUED...
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