Page 17 of Blind Luck

Rusty was already shaking his head. “No, no, no. You can’t use this place to spy on Mav’s neighbours. That would be awkward all around.”

“We’re not spying on anybody. There was a recent break-in, and we were hired to investigate the matter.”

“You mean a neighbour hired you?”

“Yes.”

“Then why can’t you sit in their house and do your surveillance?”

An excellent question. Rusty might look and sound like a Midwest farm boy, but he wasn’t stupid. Not that I thoughtallMidwest farm boys were dumber than three yards of dirt road, but when I was ten, a guy named Mikey had moved to the Promised Land from a farm in North Dakota. One time, I’d watched Mikey’s hat blow away, and he’d walked right into the path of a tractor to retrieve it. And then there was the day he tried to milk a bull…

“It’s complicated,” Ari said. “Not everybody in the home is aware of the situation.”

“Like kids?” Rusty rubbed his chin. “I guess I can see why a parent wouldn’t want to unsettle a child.”

Totally the wrong assumption, but Ari didn’t correct him. No, she just stayed quiet.

“Mav said his alarm activated one night a few weeks ago,” Rusty continued. “Not the house, but the perimeter sensor. You think it could’ve been the same people creeping around? Casing the joint?”

“It’s possible.”

That part, at least, was true. Jerry said two of the men came in from the back, and the cleanup crew had found broken plants at the rear of the yard as if someone had climbed over the fence. And honestly, extra security was a good idea. Last time, four armed men had failed at the task, so they’d probably send six next time.

“You’d only want to use one bedroom?”

“Possibly a bathroom too.”

“I’ll speak with the owner. Do you have a website? References?”

Ari fished a business card out of her pocket. “That has my website details. You can use the CEO of AnyBet as my reference—his name is Digby Rennick.”

“You got his number?”

“I could give you a number, but how will you be sure it’s his? Better to get the number from AnyBet’s corporate website, and I’ll let him know to expect a call. What’s your friend’s name?”

“Mav Johansen. Maverick.”

“I’ll speak with you in the morning.”

“There’s no guarantee he’ll agree to this.”

“Let’s think positive, okay?”

“Sorry about the hospital thing,” I said as we drove toward the Galaxy. “If I’d known those girls were crazy, maybe I’d have given them the table.”

Ari chuckled softly. “No, you wouldn’t.”

Okay, I wouldn’t. I’d spent half my life letting people walk all over me, and now that my brother, and Ari, and Zach, and Maya had helped me to grow a backbone, I wasn’t going to bend for three vacuous bimbos. They could go buzz themselves.

“I won’t get into any fights tomorrow, I swear.” I checked my watch. “Today.”

“You’d better not. I need you to help Rusty with his surveillance.”

My stomach clenched. “What? I mean, what about the Library? Who’s gonna watch the staff door?”

“I have an idea for that, and it’s a long shot anyway—if I were Jimmy, I wouldn’t risk a third visit. Too many people and cameras around. The house is the more likely target. Jerry was talking about putting backup in a cargo van, but it’s the sort of neighbourhood where folks will call the cops if a strange vehicle parks at the side of the street for hours.”

“We don’t even know if Rusty’s friend will say yes.”

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