Page 55 of Sunset Cove
Chapter Twenty
Her meeting with Chip came to a natural end when he got an incoming call from a plumber. Claire was able to excuse herself and check her phone. She had a message from Ken – something about dreaming big and acting bigger – and one from Lucy about hotel emails.
It confused her at first, but then she realized what Lucy meant. Claire had access to the hotel’s email account, so she acted quickly. Her laptop was in her bag, guarded by Gigi, and she fetched it before settling into a seat in the lobby.
The internet connection was agonizingly slow, but sure enough, there was an email with a warning about Marty. Claire deleted it, cursing the invention of the internet.
They could handle a fax machine, but the internet? No way. People were going to forward that email, print it out, hang it up – heck, the local news might even run with the story. There was no escaping this. Marty was on borrowed time.
They had a meeting set with the espionage attorney, but it was still two weeks away. Claire called the office again, leaving a message to see if there were any cancellations. She stressed that she was available any time, day or night.
Then, as much as it pained her, she forced herself to carry on like normal. She had a meeting with Linda, the events coordinator at the hotel, so Claire packed up her laptop and got back to work.
Their meeting took almost two hours. Linda was a vibrant woman, experienced in hosting events, and clearly didn’t want Claire messing up what she had built.
Claire had no intention of causing trouble. The weddings and parties that took place at the hotel were one of the few things that actually made money. They ended their meeting on a good note and Claire found a quiet seat at the hotel bar to check her phone.
She had two messages from Margie. The first said, “The eagle has landed in the nest!” Then, a few minutes later, “AKA I am home. See you again soon?”
Claire shook her head. Margie was a great help, but her spy skills were worse than Marty’s. She wrote back, thanking her, and saying she’d be in touch.
There was another nonsensical text from Ken saying he was “ready to see her fly,” and a short message from Lucy.
All it said was, “I have a plan.”
I have a plan.
Claire liked this message least of all. She called Lucy, but got no answer. Without any meetings for the afternoon, she decided it would be a good time to pay a visit to the cabin.
On her way, Claire called again, but Lucy didn’t answer. Claire’s mind started churning, and the drive grew longer with every minute Lucy didn’t return her call. She was halfway up the driveway when her phone finally rang.
“Hello?”
“Hey Claire! Where are you?”
She let out a sigh. Lucy sounded like herself. “I’m just pulling up to the cabin.”
Silence on Lucy’s end, then, “Oh.”
“Why?”
“Well…” She let out a laugh. “I’m at the hotel again.”
Claire got to the top of the driveway and spotted a black sedan. “There’s someone here.”
“In your car?”
Claire slowed and put the car into park. She could make out two heads through the back window. “No, at the cabin. Where’s...? You know.”
“With me. I’m getting a room for – er, me.”
“Lucy,”Claire whispered. She watched as Agent McCoy and Agent Alvarez got out of the car and started walking toward her.
“Something had to be done! There were visitors at the cabin earlier and – well, you know, I don’t like visitors.”
“Uh huh.” Claire forced a smile and waved at them. “I’m about to talk to them now.”
“Yikes!” Lucy dropped her voice. “Good luck.”
