“Checking out?” asks the clerk. The man nods. “Room number?”

“Fourteen-ten.”

“You’re all set,” says the clerk.

“That’s him,” says Belle, holding up her phone as if to dial.

“Should we follow the other fellow?” asks Nicholas. “We don’t know who may have the gems at this stage.”

“That means we’ll have to split up. You follow the other guy and if nothing happens in the next twenty-four hours, go home. I will do the same.”

Nicholas gives her a kiss on the cheek. “You take care.”

Belle hails a cab and instructs the driver to wait.

——————————————————————————————–

“Why can’t we just split the money and be done with it?” asks Justin.

“Don’t be a fool,” says Buster. “There’s a whole lot to be made from just this.”

“This is more money than any of us has ever seen,” continues Justin.

“The operation gets bigger and bigger each time,” says Gregory. “Everything is in place and we can’t just break loose.”

“Besides, The Bandit will be here shortly and he is a dangerous man to mess with,” says Buster.

Meanwhile, Gavin is frustratingly jogging up and down the street for the third time.

——————————————————————————————–

“Damian Stone is set to go on trial,” says Frank. “I want you to cover it, Rachel.”

“It’s a tall order, Mr. Steele. This should be Nicholas’s story.”

“It would be if he was in town. You’re my top writer right now. If Nicholas returns, he can join you.”

——————————————————————————————–

“Are you ready for the trial?” asks Michael.

“As much as I can be,” Amanda replies. “Never having been in this position, I don’t know what to expect.”

“He’s pleading temporary insanity.”

“Will anyone in their right minds buy that?”

“Who knows what the defense has up their sleeves.”

“Do you think they’ll try to air all the dirty laundry?”

“I think it’s safe to say that we should be prepared for anything and everything.”

“How is this going to affect Lucas?” asks Amanda.

“We can’t wrap him in cotton wool, but I don’t think he should be exposed to any publicity. If only there was some place we can send him for the time being.”

“He’s finally coming out of his shell, so now is not the time to do that.”

——————————————————————————————–

Belle follows the man to the airport, where he boards a plane for Vegas. Having checked in, Belle changes her disguise again, this time a blonde. On arrival, she rents a car and boards the same shuttle, keeping a watch on the man out of the corner of her eye and making note of his appearance. He, on the other hand, is observing everyone carefully.

Once inside her car, Belle changes for the third time, and wearing sunglasses to keep the glare out, she trails her man. As they head into a neighborhood, the man turns into a driveway while Belle continues on. At the end of the road she sees a jogger just turning around.

“Get in,” she says.

Gavin turns to her, startled, unrecognizing. Belle takes her red wig and sunglasses off. Gavin hops into the passenger seat. “What are you doing here?”

“Trailing my man.”

“What?! He’s here, too? Where’s Nicholas?”

“Actually, our original man is now being followed by Nicholas. They met up at a hotel in D.C. and split up.”

“Did you catch any of their names?”

“No,” says Belle. “Apparently, the man paid in cash for his room and the clerk was not being helpful. But I’ve got a picture.”

“What did he look like?”

“Tall, dark brown straight hair, medium build, handsome with chiseled features, about thirty.”

“So he’s the one that just pulled into the house I’ve been watching.”

“Your man went in there?” Gavin nods. “Then let’s just wait here and see who comes out.”

“We’ll need backup to follow the ones staying behind. We have no clue at this stage what is going on. This neighborhood is not made for easy spying.”

“You call. I’ll drive. Looks like my man is leaving.”

——————————————————————————————–