Lisa, driving Kris' Mustang, pulled up to the Munroe beach house. Jill retrieved her luggage from the trunk. Kris unlocked the house, and Jill followed her in.
"What happened to this place?" Jill said as she dropped her suitcases.
"What do you mean?" Lisa asked.
Jill pointed at the dirty dishes in the sink, an overflowing trash can, and a pizza box on the coffee table. "Did you even think of cleaning once you knew I was coming home?" she asked.
Lisa shook her head. "I've been kind of busy."
Jill poked her head in the guest bedroom. "Too busy to even set up my bed."
Lisa shrugged. "Yeah, not all of us can live the life of an international race car driver."
Jill pointed a finger at Lisa. "Remember, this is still my house. I let you live here, because you promised to take care of the place."
"Maybe I'm bored with the beach," Lisa said.
Jill was wide-eyed. "What is with you, Kris? I thought Charlie and Bosley were over-reacting, but now I'm glad I'm coming to Vegas to keep an eye on you."
"What?" Lisa was alarmed. She didn't need this woman snooping around while she was putting the moves on Kaufman. "I don't need a babysitter. I can do this job better than anyone else. I'm the hottest detective in LA. I expect Sabrina and Kelly to be jealous of me. But my own sister?" Lisa put her hands on her hips and looked at Jill with contempt.
Jill started to speak and stopped. "I think I better go before one of us says something she'll regret." She slammed the door and stormed out of the house. Lisa went to the window and watched Jill cross the parking lot and enter The Sandcastle. It worked; Munroe was out of the house. She went to the phone and made a call.
"Yes," Callaway answered.
"It's me," Lisa said slipping into her Texas accent. "We might have a problem."
"Having trouble maintaining the impersonation?" Callaway asked. "I warned you about the gum ch—"
"That's not it. Munroe's sister is back in town. Apparently, she used to work for Townsend and now she's coming along to Vegas with us," Lisa said. "I've got no trouble fooling the others, but the sister hanging around might prove tricky."
"You'll just have to do your best," Callaway said.
"I was thinking of a more proactive approach," Lisa said. "Like getting her out of the way. Maybe stash the Munroes together."
"That is not part of the plan," Callaway said.
"Me having a roommate who's known Kris Munroe since she was a kid wasn't part of the plan either," Lisa said.
"I'll figure out something," Callaway said. "In the meantime, don't blow it." He hung up the phone.
Lisa stared at the phone handset and shook her head. She was doing all the work. She was taking all the risks. Callaway and those two gorillas he hired didn't deserve any of the money. Lisa hung up the phone, grinned, and thought about all things she could do if she kept the full five million for herself.
#
Kris Munroe sat on the bed in the windowless room. She wasn't sure how long she'd been here, but based on the meals she had been served, she figured it was late Tuesday afternoon. For the twentieth time she inspected the room, looking for some way to escape or contact the outside world. But she found nothing. At least her captors were treating her well. There was a toilet and in sink in a small room to the side. The food had been adequate, if not tasty. The man who brought her meals, didn't try to take advantage of her or make threats.
Were they holding her for ransom? Her family didn't have any money. Or maybe they did. Or at least Jill did. She finished third in Tokyo. How much did she win? Or maybe they wanted Charlie to pay the ransom. Kris was still new to the agency, only been there a few months. She hoped if Charlie were asked, that he'd pay to get her released. After all Kris did help rescue him when he was kidnapped in Hawaii.
#
Wednesday morning, Sabrina, Kelly, and Bosley sat in the seats near the TWA departure gate.
"I rented four cars for us," Bosley said. He wore a brown sports coat over an open-collared white shirt.
"Four?" Sabrina wore a long-sleeved red top and dressy jeans. "That's unusual. You're usually pretty tight with the expenses, Bos."
Bosley chuckled. "Our fee, if we recover the full five million, will more than cover it and still leave us with a substantial profit. It's important that we all have the ability to move about Vegas freely and quickly. Sabrina, I got you an LTD, something a successful tech recruiter could afford."
"What about me, Bos?" Kelly wore a flowery print dress.
Bosley said, "Well, you are just making a waitress' salary. So I got you a Pinto."
Kelly frowned.
Sabrina pumped her fist in the air. "Yes, finally somebody else gets to drive a Pinto."
Bosley said, "For myself I got a—Oh, here comes Jill!"
Kelly squinted. "But I don't see Kris anywhere."
"Hi guys." Jill dropped her purse in an empty seat and sat next to Sabrina. Jill wore a yellow blouse, beige skirt, and black knee-high boots.
"How did you conversation with Kris go?" Bosley asked.
Jill shook her head. "I don't know if it could have been worse."
"That bad?" Sabrina asked.
Jill frowned. "We haven't argued like this since we were kids. I ended up walking out and getting dinner at The Sandcastle. By the time I got back, she was already asleep. Kris didn't say three words to me on the way to the airport."
"This makes no sense." Kelly said. "Why is Kris acting this way?"
Jill said, "I have an idea, but it really scares me."
"What is it?" Bosley asked.
In quiet voice Jill said, "I never told any of you about this, but our father had a drinking problem."
"You don't think..." Sabrina said.
"Where is Kris now?" Kelly asked.
Jill sighed and crooked a thumb over her shoulder toward the airport lounge. "She's at the bar."
#
Lisa, impersonating Kris, sat at the bar in the airport lounge. She wore a clingy white blouse with the top three buttons undone, a black skirt, black stockings, black heels, and her hair down. She finished her vodka and grapefruit juice and glanced around, looking for someone who might want to refill it. She spotted a likely candidate at the far end of the bar. She spun in her stool, crossed her legs, gave the smallest hint of a smile, and locked her blue eyes on the target.
The weight of her stare had the intended effect. The man looked up, then around. His eyes fell on Lisa, and he moved down the bar to the empty stool next to her.
"Can I get you a refill on that?" he asked.
"Certainly. I was wondering when my gallant prince would arrive." Lisa spotted the wedding band on his finger. She was like honey to a bear, impossible to resist. "Another." She held up her glass for the bartender.
"Prince Jack, That's me. Jack Rodgers, actually."
"Kelly Garrett," Lisa lied. Jack was rather ordinary looking: late 30s, brown hair, not in particularly good shape, but none of that mattered.
"So Kelly, what brings you to LAX on this fine day?" Rodgers asked.
"Waiting for my flight to New Orleans. I'm an architect heading to our national convention." Lisa was having fun spinning this tale. She grinned and the goofball couldn't help but reflexively smile back.
The bartender returned with Lisa's drink. She grabbed the glass and said, "You know what? Let's get a little more privacy." She stroked Rodgers' tie, then headed for a booth in a dark corner.
Rodgers licked his lips, swallowed hard, and hustled after Lisa.
Sitting in the booth, Lisa asked, "And where are you off to, Jack?"
"Seattle. Sales conference. I deal in aircraft par—Oh!"
Under the table, Lisa had slipped off a shoe, and rubbed her toes against Rodgers' shin.
"Do you like that, Jack?" Lisa downed the rest of her drink, slipped her shoe back on, and moved to his side of the booth. She leaned forward, pressing her body against his. She traced her fingers across his chest, then wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him hard on the lips.
Rodgers was too stunned at the turn of events to do anything than let it happen.
Lisa broke the embrace. She grabbed Rodgers' hand, lifting it high, showing off his wedding ring. "Try and not think about me, the next time you see your wife." Lisa giggled, slid out of the booth, and straightened her skirt.
Rodgers shook his head in amazement and disbelief, as he watched Lisa and her swishing skirt until she disappeared from sight.
Lisa headed out of the bar, then to the women's room. She laughed as she pulled Rodgers' wallet from her purse. She extracted the credit cards and cash, then discarded the wallet in the trashcan.
Lisa checked herself in the mirror, fixed her hair, and re-applied her lipstick. Back in high school she had no trouble using her looks and charm to get boys to do whatever she wanted. As an adult, she found it even easier to manipulate men. That poor loser in the bar was the latest example. Next victim: Keith Kaufman and his five million dollars.