As Lupin pushed a cleaning cart to the corner of the lobby, he found that the coast was almost clear.
The two receptionists who operated the front desk left for lunch, placing a sign in front of the desk that said, "Back in 10."
Lupin spotted the wires that powered the security cameras. He could temporarily cut the wires, pilfer through the desks, and reinstall the wires and be out before anyone could spot him.
He felt more confident about this plan as Bellman himself was at the resort. Bellman arrived yesterday and was presumably staying for the time being. Lupin wasn't able to track yet where Bellman was staying, but he did spy Bellman warmly greeting the receptionists and placing something in one of their desk drawers that could be opened with a lock and key.
Lupin pulled a duster from the cart, dusting the desk while sliding closer to the drawer.
He heard footsteps, but it wasn't the footsteps of the receptionists. A muscled, bearded man came beside Lupin, in the measured, casual stroll that Lupin recognized as someone who boded ill will but didn't want others to catch on.
Lupin felt himself tense as the man turned to look down at him.
"In case you didn't know, someone already came by to clean this area," the man said.
Lupin knew that was a lie. He had been assigned to clean the lobby and would have seen if anyone else had cleaned it. Lupin remembered he was Clara Rothwell, gentle but not a pushover.
"I appreciate this, sir. However, our team has specific assignments, and I was assigned the lobby."
"I've been here since this morning, and I saw someone clean up this lobby. You probably missed it," the man continued, his voice reeking of smoke and condescension.
"Perhaps I did." Lupin chose his words carefully. "That said, I still have an assignment, and I don't want to get in trouble."
The man inched closer. Lupin might not have noticed it. However, he did notice the knife the man pressed against his side.
"Listen, wench," the man said, his voice low. Lupin noticed that because the angle they were standing at, neither the man's knife nor his intimidating posture would be caught by the security cameras. "Someone has already cleaned this area. Best make yourself useful and do your assignment elsewhere."
"Oh, yes sir." Lupin said, keeping his head down. "I will do that now." He walked away. Lupin felt his heart thump in his chest, but he was more frustrated by being so close to a lead and having the chance slip past his fingers. That man must have been a hired hand, part of a gang of tough guys Bellman commissioned to keep his possessions safe while he was visiting. Bellman certainly wasn't an idiot.
His head still down, Lupin smiled. He wondered how long it would take the goon to realize that Lupin had not only stolen the second knife the man kept hung on his belt, but also had sliced off a generous portion of the man's beard.
As Lupin pushed the cleaning cart toward the other side of the lobby, hoping to get as far away from the bearded goon as possible, he was surprised to see Sarina at the lobby as well. Sarina and the other supervisors sometimes inspected different areas of the resort, asking the maintenance groups questions or marking things off on a clipboard. This time, Sarina wasn't with a group. More surprisingly, Lupin saw she was looking at him. She headed his way.
"Hi Clara," Sarina called. Once she was next to the cart, she turned to look at Lupin.
"I saw what happened with the guy back there. His conduct was completely inappropriate. I'm going to speak with him now, and make sure that he and the maintenance staff don't interact. Unfortunately, the security staff are taught to handle alarming situations, but some let the power go to their head, and unfortunately create more trouble than they solve."
"I appreciate it," Lupin said slowly. "I must say that I was quick to defend myself." He held up the chunk of the man's beard. Sarina's eyes widened.
"I will pretend I didn't see that," she said. She turned to walk away.
"Wait," Lupin found himself saying.
Sarina turned around.
"You are hell of a lot more competent than the management here. Why are you stuck here with us?"
Sarina's eyes widened, and she smiled.
"I really like to travel. I think each of us would be better people if we could work with people from different perspectives and backgrounds from us. I am working to potentially direct my own resort and make travel more accessible to everyone."
It was not often that Lupin felt guilty for the disguises he wore. It did not seem right for her to tell him the truth about something, and for her to believe he was someone he wasn't.
"Well, you would be great at it."
Sarina grinned at him. "Thank you."
Then she turned around and walked away.
Later that night, Lupin sneaked back to the lobby. It was empty, save for the same goon he had seen earlier in the day. Good to know, Lupin thought. He would need to find a way to work around him.
The next night, Lupin planted a sleeping gas in the air vent nearest the guard. The gas couldn't be detected through air or blood tests, so if Bellman suspected his guard was knocked out, he couldn't prove it. Once Lupin heard the thud that told him the sleeping gas worked, he crept to the drawer. He fiddled with the lock using lockpicks until he heard a click and opened the drawer.
An unmarked file caught his eye. Lupin opened it and saw blueprints. More than that, he saw photos of the underground facility itself. Typed out on one of the blueprints, one of the few pieces of text in the file, it read, "Diamond Hill."
Lupin knew where he needed to go. He pulled out his watch, snapped photos of the blueprints, placed the file back in the drawer and closed it. He slid noiselessly past the still sleeping guard and headed back to his room.
Lupin took a long look at the cozy room he had stayed in for nearly a week. This would be his last night in the resort, and today was his last day as the resort's temporary employee, Clara Rothwell. By the morning, Lupin would be gone, carrying away as many diamonds as he could hold. He still had a few hours before he'd head to Diamond Hill, so he decided to use the time he had to celebrate.
Lupin had observed the outdoor hot tubs before, noticing that they would still be operating but no one would be in them in late hours that he'd go to the slopes. As luck would have it, the hot tubs were empty tonight.
In the same rote manner that Lupin had wiped surfaces and cleaned floors during the day, Lupin disabled the outdoor cameras. Laying his extra clothes on a nearby lounge chair, he carefully lowered himself into the hot tub.
He took a moment to enjoy the experience. The hot tub was the perfect temperature, though it would almost be too hot, if not for the fresh air that blew through. The steam from the hot tub ensured that the air was cool, not cold. Lupin sank further into the hot tub. He should have done this sooner.
He popped up as he remembered something. Pulling out the communication device on his watch, he pressed the button and waited for Goemon or Jigen's voice on the other line. As it turned out, he heard both.
"Yes?"
It would be early morning in Tokyo. Goemon's voice sounded clear and well rested. Jigen's voice, not so much.
"I found the place. The underground factory is below the slope called Diamond Hill. I'll send you the coordinates and will be there in two hours. Think you can get the helicopter to the place we agreed on?"
"We will be there," Goemon said. Lupin also heard Jigen's muffled "yep."
"Good. Thanks you guys."
Lupin switched off the device, closed his eyes and sank into the tub yet again. When he opened his eyes, he saw a small figure obscured by shadows, holding a flashlight. As the figure came closer, he realized it was Nonnika, the four-year-old granddaughter of Bellman. She pointed the flashlight in his direction.
Lupin shielded his eyes from the light. He knew if she started crying he would need to be out of there in a jiffy. Using the free hand that wasn't shielding his eyes, Lupin gave her a small wave, then made a goofy face. She laughed.
Oh thank god.
Nonnika hung back, still holding the flashlight in front of his face. She started to walk toward the hot tub, pushing off her boots and stretching out her arms as though to climb in.
Nope!
Lupin jumped out of the hot tub, grabbing a towel to dry himself in record time. The fresh air outside the hot tub immediately become much less comfortable.
He watched, alarmed, as she grabbed the edge of the hot tub and pulled herself up.
"Just dunk your feet in," Lupin instructed, grabbing another towel he had packed with him. "And use this to dry off once you're done." If there was one thing he couldn't afford, it was the granddaughter of one of the world's premier billionaire getting sick on his watch.
He hastily pulled on his nylon suit, waiting for her to get bored and go back inside.
Nonnika eventually pulled her feet out of the water and started to scoot off of the ledge. Lupin helped her down. After drying off her feet she put on the boots she wore when she first came outside.
"FREEZE!"
Lupin suddenly found himself and Nonnika surrounded by several guards. One face looked familiar. They made eye contact. The goon from yesterday had a glint in his eye, and Lupin heard the clink of the gun he held in his hand.
Instinct kicked in. Without a second thought Lupin grabbed Nonnika and jumped off the ledge. He ran full speed ahead for the lift. It was only after they climbed onto the lift and started the ascent that he heard the shouts of the guards as they started trailing behind them.
"It's OK," Lupin told Nonnika as she slowly stopped wailing. "We'll see your grandfather in no time."
