Page 4 of Wired Target

The Master of the Yam Khûmk?n was different since Raveaux had seen him last.Happier.Healthier.More relaxed.That was Sophie’s doing, most likely.

Jealousy was a cold blade to his heart.

“Hello, darling.”Sophie was smiling, too.“Pierre is here, and we’ve got you on speakerphone.We were out investigating a new case together when we got your messages.”She tilted the device politely so that Raveaux was included in the frame.

Raveaux made a little half wave.“Bonjour.”

“Ah, our French connection.”The happiness that emanated from Connor’s visage dimmed.“Glad you’re there to keep an eye on Sophie and the kids.I appreciate it.”

Raveaux bristled at the man’s patronizing tone.He didn’t respond.

Sophie glanced at Raveaux and frowned at the phone.“What’s so urgent that you reached out to both of us in the middle of a workday?”

“It’s your mother, of course, Sophie.”Connor was all business as his eyes flicked down and to the left; Raveaux heard the rattle of a keyboard.“I’ve had surveillance attached to Kaleidoscope Tastemakers Ltd., that murder-for-hire front, ever since we found out about Pim Wat’s relationship with their CEO, Enrique Mendoza.We haven’t had so much as a glimpse of Pim Wat since she escaped Phi Ni months ago, but I think I found a hit she fulfilled for Mendoza—in Bali, of all places.”He looked up and made eye contact with Pierre.“Raveaux, I want you to go to Bali and check out this lead.”

3

Day 1

Lisabetta Scartuzzi walked along a stone-paved street, carrying a gilded shopping bag from a designer baby store.Lisabetta’s white sundress caressed her freshly shaved legs; she enjoyed the way the breeze of her brisk strides blew air up her skirt, a sensual feeling.

Sunshine poured over her in an extravagant flood; she hid from it beneath a wide-brimmed straw hat.She loved the heat and light—had insisted, in fact, that her employer place her somewhere warm; even so, protecting her skin was a priority.

A workman on a scaffold, painting one of the buildings, paused mid-brushstroke to watch her pass; she smiled and waved, and the man almost fell off the ladder.

“It’s the little things,” Lisabetta murmured aloud, well-pleased.She might be a grandmother twice over, but she turned heads, and always would.

She reached the gate of her secure compound and keyed in a code that opened the side door beside a larger gate for cars.She took off her sunglasses and tipped her face up to the surveillance node so her guard could get a visual on her.Her newest face was reflected for a moment in the camera: wide cheekbones to match a wider jawline, with a pointed chin and full mouth.Her eyes and hair were a new color; even her skin was lighter, thanks to nightly applications of a bleaching solution.

She was no longer Pim Wat; she was Lisabetta now, and she was enjoying a new, softer personality to go with her looks.

Lisabetta blew a kiss with a smile to her guard; Pim Wat would never have done that.

Inside the wall, she relaxed her shoulders and surveyed the pretty garden borders that surrounded the parking courtyard before her house’s elegant entrance.The place was a rental, but perfect for her purposes.Finding and outfitting it had taken months after an extensive search.She’d had it made over to Lisabetta’s tastes—and on one suite, she’d lavished extra care and attention.

After greeting her housekeeper, hanging up her hat, and accepting a glass of cool ice water with a slice of lemon, Lisabetta clicked her way on designer sandals up the tiled steps to the second floor.She turned left and headed down the hall to the children’s room, still holding the shopping bag.

Once in the doorway, she paused to evaluate: had she duplicated everything correctly to match her latest video of the nursery at her daughter’s house in Kailua?

The wall colors were perfect: one side a pale lavender for the girl, the other a tender aqua blue for the baby boy.Their beds were duplicated right down to the choice of sheets.Across the room, shelves of books and bins of their favorite, familiar toys were in place.The colorful throw rug in the middle of the room, with its circular pattern of alphabet letters, was the same; the changing table for the baby was equipped to the last identical detail.

Lisabetta walked over to that changing table and reached inside the gilded bag.

Finding baby Sean’s favorite rattle had been a chore way out here in this corner of the world; she’d had to work with the fancy baby store to get the thing ordered.Now, she set the rattle on the changing table at an inviting angle and turned from there to gaze at the room.

Everything was ready for her grandchildren.

It was time to execute her plan to bring them to live with her permanently.

4

Day 1

Lei swiveled her office chair restlessly, tapping one of the department issue Bic ballpoint pens against her teeth as she read a message forwarded to her through the Maui Police Department’s e-mail server.

“Dear MPD: please, please do something to help us find out who has stolen three eggs from the endangered Laysan albatross (moli) sanctuary here on Maui!We have reported the crime, but no one seems to be taking it seriously.These birds are sacred to the Hawaiian people as ‘aumakua, and we have fought hard to create a nesting sanctuary out near Waihee for them, investing in buying the coastal land they historically nest in and fencing out feral cats and mongooses so the chicks can hatch—but that wasn’t enough, as recent events unfortunately show.We need to find out what happened to these priceless eggs, before the few birds we’ve coaxed to settle here give up coming to Maui altogether.

Considering the recent massacre on Oahu, MPD’s support is more important than ever.

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