Read Online In Plain Sight by Fern Michaels - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Fern Michaels
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table.”
“So it doesn’t die. Pearl is going to be moving someone else in here in short order. Don’t disturb yourself, Jack, I’ll do it.”
“Harry! You know what we didn’t find? Their purses. Every woman has a purse or a fanny pack. I didn’t find any down here. How about upstairs?”
“No. I looked, too.”
“Makes sense, I guess. A woman never leaves the house without her purse. Take Maggie. She carries her whole life in that backpack of hers. It isn’t exactly a purse but close to it. Nikki would never leave the house without her purse.”
“You’re right,” Harry said. “Yoko wears a fanny pack because she likes to have her hands free.”
“I guess we should check out the backyard. And that little porch. They might have buried something, but I’m not about to start digging up the yard. Jeez, there must be a thousand flowers out here. Those women must have loved gardening.”
“Jack, you know what else we didn’t find in the house? Trash. There was none upstairs. How about in the kitchen?”
“No. There is a garbage disposal. No other trash anywhere. Maybe outside in the can. We’ll check it when we leave. I saw it when we got here. There’s a little fence around it. To hide it, I guess. The girls are going to be really disappointed that we came up dry,” Jack said.
“We should leave, Jack. We’ve been here close to two hours. I’ll check the cars, you do the trash.”
While Harry poked around inside the two cars and the trunks, Jack flipped the lid on the trash can. He stared down into the can. A lone grocery-store bag sat on the bottom and was tied in a knot. He tilted the can and reached in for the bag and undid the knot. Candy wrappers, an empty apple-strudel box, and a copy of In the Know were the only things in the bag. He retied the knot and joined Harry in the driveway. He shook his head to indicate he had found nothing in either car.
Jack slapped at his forehead. “The mail, Harry! We didn’t check the mailbox!”
Harry raced to the end of the driveway and opened the mailbox. He shook his head to indicate there was no mail.
Jack pointed to the grocery bag in his hands. “They saw the tabloid. It’s here in the bag. That’s why they left. They were afraid possibly the neighbors or others would see it. I’m thinking they got out just in time.”
Harry gunned the Ducati, backed up, then hit the throttle. They flew out of the cul-de-sac like the Devil himself was on their heels.
Dinner over and the kitchen and terrace restored to normal, the gang headed back to the war room and took their places at the table.
“I have an idea if anyone wants to hear it,” Maggie said.
“Of course we want to hear it, dear. Tell us what it is,” Myra said as she settled herself more comfortably in her chair at the head of the table.
Maggie took a deep breath, then let it out with a loud swoosh. “Here it is. You all know the Post does a Man of the Year contest every year. We usually gear up for nominations around September and pick the leading entry at the end of December. Why can’t we start a little early under some pretext or other like this year there are so many nominations we need to start early so we can investigate the nominees. We can start by putting little announcements in the paper daily, then hit it full force a week later. Our lead nominee, of course, will be Lincoln Moss! What do you think, guys?”
“I love it!” Annie bellowed. “It’s perfect! You deserve a raise for that, Maggie!”
Maggie turned beet red as all the others congratulated her, saying it was the perfect way to get to the oh-so-private Mr. Lincoln Moss.
“Any other suggestions, plans, strategies?” Myra asked.
Dennis held up his hand as though he were back in grade school. “Jason Woods!”
“What about him, kid?” Jack asked.
“Don’t we need to know more about him? We think, don’t we, that he is the one who spirited the two women to safety? Jack, you said after you and Harry
“So it doesn’t die. Pearl is going to be moving someone else in here in short order. Don’t disturb yourself, Jack, I’ll do it.”
“Harry! You know what we didn’t find? Their purses. Every woman has a purse or a fanny pack. I didn’t find any down here. How about upstairs?”
“No. I looked, too.”
“Makes sense, I guess. A woman never leaves the house without her purse. Take Maggie. She carries her whole life in that backpack of hers. It isn’t exactly a purse but close to it. Nikki would never leave the house without her purse.”
“You’re right,” Harry said. “Yoko wears a fanny pack because she likes to have her hands free.”
“I guess we should check out the backyard. And that little porch. They might have buried something, but I’m not about to start digging up the yard. Jeez, there must be a thousand flowers out here. Those women must have loved gardening.”
“Jack, you know what else we didn’t find in the house? Trash. There was none upstairs. How about in the kitchen?”
“No. There is a garbage disposal. No other trash anywhere. Maybe outside in the can. We’ll check it when we leave. I saw it when we got here. There’s a little fence around it. To hide it, I guess. The girls are going to be really disappointed that we came up dry,” Jack said.
“We should leave, Jack. We’ve been here close to two hours. I’ll check the cars, you do the trash.”
While Harry poked around inside the two cars and the trunks, Jack flipped the lid on the trash can. He stared down into the can. A lone grocery-store bag sat on the bottom and was tied in a knot. He tilted the can and reached in for the bag and undid the knot. Candy wrappers, an empty apple-strudel box, and a copy of In the Know were the only things in the bag. He retied the knot and joined Harry in the driveway. He shook his head to indicate he had found nothing in either car.
Jack slapped at his forehead. “The mail, Harry! We didn’t check the mailbox!”
Harry raced to the end of the driveway and opened the mailbox. He shook his head to indicate there was no mail.
Jack pointed to the grocery bag in his hands. “They saw the tabloid. It’s here in the bag. That’s why they left. They were afraid possibly the neighbors or others would see it. I’m thinking they got out just in time.”
Harry gunned the Ducati, backed up, then hit the throttle. They flew out of the cul-de-sac like the Devil himself was on their heels.
Dinner over and the kitchen and terrace restored to normal, the gang headed back to the war room and took their places at the table.
“I have an idea if anyone wants to hear it,” Maggie said.
“Of course we want to hear it, dear. Tell us what it is,” Myra said as she settled herself more comfortably in her chair at the head of the table.
Maggie took a deep breath, then let it out with a loud swoosh. “Here it is. You all know the Post does a Man of the Year contest every year. We usually gear up for nominations around September and pick the leading entry at the end of December. Why can’t we start a little early under some pretext or other like this year there are so many nominations we need to start early so we can investigate the nominees. We can start by putting little announcements in the paper daily, then hit it full force a week later. Our lead nominee, of course, will be Lincoln Moss! What do you think, guys?”
“I love it!” Annie bellowed. “It’s perfect! You deserve a raise for that, Maggie!”
Maggie turned beet red as all the others congratulated her, saying it was the perfect way to get to the oh-so-private Mr. Lincoln Moss.
“Any other suggestions, plans, strategies?” Myra asked.
Dennis held up his hand as though he were back in grade school. “Jason Woods!”
“What about him, kid?” Jack asked.
“Don’t we need to know more about him? We think, don’t we, that he is the one who spirited the two women to safety? Jack, you said after you and Harry
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