A Flight of Fantasy (Sarah Woods Mystery 12) by Jennifer L. Jennings Read Free Book Online

confusion in my life right now but I did want to see him. I called him back and left a message, saying dinner sounded good to me.
    I tried to force the image of him from my mind. I made some coffee, jumped in the shower and was ready to go by the time Carter arrived at 10:00am.
    When I got in the Buick, I decided to keep the conversation all business. “So, we’re heading to the Cambridge Mall?”
    “Yep. I printed out a few more copies of Reece’s photo to show around to the people who work at the Panini sandwich shop. If one of them remembers seeing her talking to a man last Thursday, then at least we’ll know she’s telling us the truth.”
     
    It was a quiet ride down 95 south and Carter didn’t have much to say. I decided not to mention Max’s call for the time being. I’d deal with that subject later.
    It was a little past eleven when we parked outside of Macy’s and strolled through the store to where the mall began. Sure enough, Panini Heaven was located exactly where Reece said it was.
    We approached the counter and showed Reece’s photo to all the employees. Nobody recognized her at all.
    “Are you sure?” Carter asked them. “Her name is Reece Dutton. She says this is her favorite place to have lunch. Try to picture her with reading glasses and a ponytail.”
    Nope. No takers.
    As Carter and I walked back through Macy’s toward the Mall exit, he kept shaking his head. “This doesn’t make any sense.”
    “That’s because Reece lied to us,” I said. “There was no guy who hired her to sleep with Wayne. I knew that story sounded too fishy to be true.”
    Back in the car, we sat for a few minutes to collect our thoughts.
    “Maybe Reece is just stealing credit card numbers,” I said. “Think about it. She goes to bars to pick up wealthy men, men who are either gullible or appear desperate for female companionship. She gets them to bring her home and then steals their personal information. The easiest and fastest way to do that is to download computer files. Then she wracks up charges on their credit cards before the poor sap has a chance to know what hit him.”
    “She’d have to be a technical whiz to pull that off. She’d also need passwords to even access his computer files. If she’s only an escort/guidance counselor, then I doubt she possesses those skills.”
    I shrugged. “It might have nothing to do with computer skills. She’s well versed in human nature. She knows the right questions to ask. She is also beautiful and sexy, which most men can’t resist. She probably knew the passwords to all of Wayne’s devices before he even brought her home.”
    “If you’re right, then it’s likely she’s done this to other unsuspecting men.”
    “So, what are we gonna do about it? If Wayne is going to convince the police that Reece stole his information, we need more proof.”
    “Then let’s get it,” Carter said.
     
    * * *
    Since the Mazda wasn’t parked in Reece’s driveway, we assumed nobody was home.
    “It’s Monday, so Reece must be working her day job,” Carter said. “Her daughter must go to a special school if she has learning disabilities.”
    “Only thing I’m worried about is the neighbor,” I said, pointing to the small cape next to Reece’s. “That’s where she picked her daughter up last night and it looks as though she is home. One of us needs to distract her while the other gets inside Reece’s house. We don’t want the cops showing up.”
    “If you feel comfortable, why don’t you get inside her house,” he said. “It will look less conspicuous. If anyone comes over to ask what you’re doing, you could always say that you and Reece are friends and she’s asked you to pick something up for her.”
    “I like that idea,” I said. “Hopefully she doesn’t have a security alarm in place.” I reached into my purse for the ring of lock picks. “I’ll need at least ten minutes to look around.”
    “Don’t worry about the neighbor,” Carter