Rick is once again thinking This is exactly what I want to hear. I feel better about this assignment with Jade's presence in the club. Hope it doesn't get to the place we need to have Kate dance, but if she does, at least Jade can probably get backstage quickly.
Rick feels better about how things are going, but that nagging little voice in the back of his brain just won't quiet down.
"OK, let's devise this plan so we can be sure we have covered all eventualities. We need to have a fool-proof plan before we send anyone into the club." Kate said to the team, which now included Jade. "Rick, where are you on the ID documents?"
"All done, you are looking at the latest multi-millionaire, Mitch Holder. I have created and sold three and am worth so much money I can't count it. I have come to NYC to meet with several young programmers that might need some venture capital, one of which is a young Irishman who is wanting to start a local Internet payment enterprise and a not so young Hispanic who wants to start a couple of Spanish based sites for Puerto Rico. Do you guys know any individuals that fit that description?"
"Rick, that is brilliant! The cover qualifies you for entrance into the club and you can take Ryan and Esposito as your guests. God I could kiss you, right now." Kate exclaims. Rick smirks in satisfaction and with just a little ego showing.
"OK, how do we get into the club tonight then?" Jade questions.
"Glad you asked," Rick offers, smirking again, "I have a letter of introduction from the owner of a similar club in L.A. and he gives me a glowing report."
Kate looks at him quizzically, wondering how he convinced Mr. Haverson from the club she danced in to supply the letter.
"What?" Ricks asks, "You of all people should know I know a guy, everywhere."
"We'll talk about this later," Kate glares at him. She still doesn't want anyone to know about her 'career' as a dancer on the West Coast. She knows if she has to dance at the club, her secret will be safe with Jade without a doubt, but she might be outed by someone at the L.A. club now. She can't take the chance, even now.
Rick speaks again, "Esposito will be a poor entrepreneur that has a couple of great ideas but speaks essentially no English and Ryan will be a brash young programmer working to start his own business. They will be interested in only the business talk between them and will remain in the lounge portion of the club. Jade and I will go to the back room and determine how the dance club process actually works. Do the dancers mingle with the patrons? Do they attempt any 'business' deals of their own?" he asks while looking at Jade. She simply smiles knowingly back at him and Kate alike.
"Is there access backstage that the patrons would have access to? Can we determine if there are communications between the club managers and certain of the club members; communications that would look suspicious if brought to the light of this investigation? Are the girls being pointed out or 'selected' in some way or the other? We have to check all this out. It won't be just a date or a lusty ruggedly handsome man out on the town." Kate glares at him on this one, a little of the green monster starting to rise from the swamp within this case path. She trusts Rick explicitly but for him to be in a nude, or she supposes full nude, dance club with a woman who could be a 'Courtesan of the Court' is not something she relishes thinking about for long. A woman who is the embodiment of sexual allure with him is not a happy situation for her to endure.
"Ryan and Espo will be listening for indication of any misdealing in the lounge area. They in fact may have more luck than Jade and I. You guys OK with that?"
They indicate agreement, but Rick can tell Espo and Ryan are wondering why Rick is in the dance club with Jade and a bevy of beautiful naked dancers and they are relegated to the lounge area with a bunch of stuffy rich ole codgers. They are not happy about the turn of events for them.
Kate picks up on their discomfort and suggests they call Lanie and Jenny to ask them to convince her to re-assign them to the dance club. Both quickly decline the offer and splutter their agreement with the plan. Kate, Jade and Rick simply cannot control their mirth at the chagrin of the two boys.
"Alright," Kate finally is able to say, "do you two have any more information on the club? How many entrances are there? Do the dancers enter through the main entrance or is there a dedicated door for them? Are there unprotected areas outside the club that can be used to ambush the girls if they are not taken from the club? Any of that type of data?"
Ryan answers a couple of the questions, "Well as far as we can tell, there are only two doors that are accessible from the outside, one the main entrance and the other is a side door that is used by the dancers and other employees. It can be seen from the street if the car is parked in the right spot. If there are doors that open only from the inside, we can't find them on security cameras from nearby business and ATM video. Traffic cameras are no good for this location."
"OK, if this is true, then we have only two entrances to watch. We can do this with undercover uniforms sitting on the street. I will get this approved by Roy," Kate says. "However, since this is only a surveillance job tonight, I don't think we will want them tonight. No need to rouse any suspicion before we actually start to talk to the girls themselves."
"Kate, can I talk to you a minute, in private?" Rick asks her.
Rick leads Kate to the break room and asks her directly, not mincing his words, "You are planning on going in as a dancer the night after Jade and I go to the club, aren't you? You know I don't like this approach unless there is categorically no other way to solve this case."
"Rick, I know you don't like my dancing in this club due to the potential danger inherent in the act. I can't think of any other way to actually speak to the dancers without them being intimidated by the management or club members except to get backstage with them." Kate gazes contritely and apologetically at the love of her life. She understands that he is not comfortable with her having to dance if not absolutely necessary. She sees no other way.
"Rick, we don't even know who the dancers are that work at the club. How can we question them when we can't even determine who they are? I have to go backstage to talk to them and there is probably no other way to gain access to them than to dance at the club. We discussed exactly what I would do at the club, dance, talk to the girls, come out to your table with no detours. OK?"
"I know what we talked about. Let's not make a decision until Jade, the boys and I return from the club. We will then have a lot more information about what exactly the layout of the club might be and what interactions the members have with the dancers. Is that agreeable with you?"
"Yeah, I can go along with that. I just want to solve this case, but want you to be comfortable at the same time with what might be required of me. Are you OK with me dancing if I have to?"
"You know, under safe circumstances, I don't have a problem with you dancing. I trust you totally and know you will not compromise your morals or values just for a case. What I don't trust is what might be happening behind the scenes at the club or with the individuals that frequent it."
"I promise you I'll be very careful and always maintain situational awareness. I have no desire to put myself in danger or in a compromising situation without your knowledge and without adequate backup. Now do you understand what I'm saying?"
"Yes, so if Jade and Ryan and Espo are ready for tonight, I guess I'm OK to go."
Rick and Kate made their way out to the rest of the team and Rick had a thought dawn on him. "If Kate has to go in as a dancer, how do we get her in that night?"
Jade replies, "You know, I can probably introduce her to the club manager, I know him and he is always looking for hot dancers. I know I can convince him to give Kate a chance on the stage. What happens after that is up to Kate."
Rick risks a glance at Kate and she has just a hint of a curl at the corners of her mouth. She knows if she can get on stage, she will knock the audience dead, just as she did in L.A. All that has to happen is Jade making the introduction to the manager. Kate will have her Emerald outfit with her when the introductions are made. So she is sure she will have the chance to dance, assuming she will have to for the case. It is looking more and more like her dancing is a forgone conclusion.
"OK, we have a plan. Let's get some rest and meet back her at 9:00 this evening to start this operation."