Page 59 of Now or Never

“This is a really nice drone,” Herbert said. “It’s especially good for our purposes because it has a wide-angle lens. I’m going to take her over the main house and outbuildings at a relatively high altitude so we can get the lay of the land and see if anyone is out on the property.”

I’d been able to see some of this on Google Maps, but the drone had more clarity. We didn’t see any motion below the drone, so Herbert dropped it down and let it hover above the main house and guesthouse. A black SUV was parked in front of the garage. He moved the drone to the vineyards at the back of the property. There was a large outbuilding and a parking lot with several cars and trucks. Men were working in the rows of grapes.

“I went online and read about the growing season here,” Herbert said. “We’re at the tail end of grape harvesting. That’s probably why the gate was open. They’ve got workers going in and out. That could be to our advantage.”

He took the drone back to the main house and guesthouse, and we watched the screen. After forty minutes he brought the drone back, changed the battery, and sent it off over the trees.

Lula joined us. “It’s a real nice store,” she said. “I got to taste a bunch of wines and I got a couple bottles. And I got a T-shirt with the name of the winery on it and a ball cap.”

Lula currently was sporting a pink Afro, and I couldn’t imagine how she would get a ball cap on it. It was soft to the touch, but it wasa lotof hair.

“We have motion at the main house,” Herbert said.

“It looks like Lou,” I said.

He crossed the drive court and went into the guesthouse. Minutes later he came out with Jug’s wife. They got into the black SUV and drove off.

“She’s going shopping,” Lula said. “She didn’t have a lot of time to pack on account of they hustled her out of the house to get on the helicopter. She’s going to Saks. There’s gotta be a Saks store on Long Island with all these rich people. She’s going to come home with a Gucci bag and some Chanel flats for starters. And she’s taking Lou so he can carry her bags.”

Herbert and I looked at each other and shrugged. Sounded reasonable.

“If I have any luck at all, that leaves Jug in the guesthouse all alone,” I said. “I’m going in.”

Herbert took what looked like an AirPod out of his pocket. “Wear this so I can talk to you. I’m going to stay here and keep watch. If you touch the button on the top you can talk to me.”

I’d worn a similar device when working with Ranger. He always had the newest and the best technology. I expected Ranger to have a variety of listening devices. I was surprised that Herbert would be carrying this gizmo around in his pocket.

“That’s like CIA gear,” Lula said.

“Yeah,” Herbert said. “I got it online when I got the drone. There were all kinds of accessories you could get. This was part of something they called a Spy Kit. I didn’t think much about it when I originally got it, but now I’m thinking I might change my life plan. I might want to be a spy instead of an undertaker. Spies have really cool stuff. It would be easy for me to be a spy. I already have some of the equipment and I’ve seen all the James Bond movies.”

I took the earpiece from Herbert. “I’m going to cut through the greenbelt to get to the guesthouse. I’m sure they have security cameras everywhere, so this is going to have to go fast. Once I give you the signal, you don’t want to waste any time picking me up.”

“You could take the path,” Lula said. “You can’t see it on the screen because of the trees. It’s like a cart path and it goes from the back of the store into the woods. They have a patio out back where you can sit with a glass of wine. A picnic table and some benches. I’m thinking people sit out there in the summer or on weekends when there’s more wine tourists, but there wasn’t anybody out there when I looked. I asked about the cart path and the lady handing out samples of wine said it was for the winery next door to bring bottles over. This store is like a co-op. It’s got wine from three local wineries.”

“Brilliant,” I said. “If I can persuade Jug to come with me, I’ll bring him on the path. It’ll be safer than bringing the car up to the guesthouse and running the risk of being seen and having the gate closed on us.”

I walked around the side of the barn and found the cart path cutting into the densely forested greenbelt. The paved path curved slightly and was perhaps a hundred feet long. I walked the path and paused at the tree line. A small grassy field was directly in front of me. It served as backyard to the guesthouse. The path took a right turn and continued on to the large outbuilding at the edge of the vineyard. I could hear the faint insect whine of the drone overhead and some muffled chatter from the men in the vineyard.

Herbert was in my ear. “I don’t see you,” he said.

I touched the talk button. “I’m at the end of the path through the woods. I’m looking at the guesthouse. I’m going to try the back door. If that doesn’t work, I’ll go around to the front.”

“No activity in the front,” Herbert said. “I’ll let you know if that changes.”

I crossed the field and tried the guesthouse’s back door. Locked. I walked around the house and tried the front door. Open. I stepped inside and looked around. I was standing in a small foyer. Living room in front of me. Dining room to the side. I could see a family room through an archway, and I assumed the kitchen was attached.

“Hello?” I called out. “Anybody home?”

Jug appeared in the archway. “What the heck?” he said. “What’s going on?”

“Remember me? Stephanie Plum.”

“How’d you get in?”

“The door was open.”

“Stupid bimbo wife,” Jug said. “Doesn’t know enough to lock a door.”

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