asked.
âNo.â
âYou gonna clean the bathrooms?â Nikki pondered.
â No ,â Claire said, a little chagrined that her life was so boring and predictable.
âWhat are you doing tonight, Mommy?â little George asked.
And here it was: For the first time in recent memory, Claire had to lie to her children. She gritted her teeth and wondered how George Sr. was able to spout mistruths so easily.
âMe and Becky are going to the movies,â she said.
Little George swallowed it easily enough, but Nikki said, âReally?â
âYes. Whatâs wrong with that?â
âYou never go out, Mom.â
âI know. But Iâm not in jail; I can if I want to.â
âWhoâs going to take care of us?â George Jr. asked.
Claire grinned at him. âYour sisterâs fourteen years old,â she said. âAnd Beckyâs daughter is coming over, too, to help out.â
âCourtney?â Nikki asked.
âYeah.â
âOoh, I like Courtney,â George Jr. said.
âThatâs good,â Claire said, and she meant it. It was hard enough leaving her children with a babysitter. She didnât think she could do it if they were opposed.
CHAPTER SIX
THE STAKEOUT
Claire got the kids started on their homework, and then she showered and changed for her night out with the girls. She had no idea what to wear to a stake-out , but she figured the less flashy the better. She put on blue jeans with a white T-shirt and white sneakers. She pulled her hair back in a pony tail and went back downstairs to start dinner.
Melanie called while she was rinsing carrots.
âHello?â
âHey, Claire. Itâs me. Iâm just now getting off.â
âIâm getting the kidsâ dinner ready,â Claire said.
âItâs still on?â Melanie asked. âYou havenât changed your mind, have you?â
âNo,â Claire said. âIâm still going. I already showered and got dressed. George will be here at six, and he leaves at six-thirty . We need to get in position before then.â
âIâm gonna go home and change, and Iâll be ready,â Melanie promised.
âYou donât have to cook dinner?â Claire asked.
âNo. I already told Rodney I was going out with you. How you feeling?â
âLike shit. My stomachâs upset. Stacy got caught cheating on a test today. I had to yell at her on the way home. Iâm already stressed.â
âYou need to beat her ass,â Melanie advised.
âMaybe,â Claire said, but they both knew she wasnât going to do it. In fourteen years of parenting, she hardly ever had to get physically violent with her offspring to get them to mind.
âYou still want me to go after him first?â Melanie asked.
âYeah,â Claire said. âWhen he gets here, Iâll tell him Iâm going to the movies with Becky. Iâll wait for him to leave, and you can get behind him as soon as he backs out of our driveway. When you call and say youâre on his tail, me and Becky will leave and catch up to you.â
âDamn, Claire, you sure you never did this before? You sound like you know what youâre doing.â
âGeorge told me a lot of war stories,â Claire said. âI guess some of those military tactics stuck with me.â
â For real !â Melanie agreed. âYouâre on some old, Desert Storm type of shit. Some counter-surveillance type of shit.â
Claire didnât bother telling her friend she was using that term inappropriately.
* * *
Becky called at 5:45 while Claire was setting the table.
âHello?â
âHey. Itâs me.â
âYou just get home?â
âYeah.â She sounded out of breath. âIâm changing clothes now. What time did you say we were leaving?â
âGeorge will be here in about fifteen minutes,â Claire said. âHeâs