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“They think they have us fooled. I say we let them keep right on thinking that. We call the FBI from a pay phone. Arrange a meeting. They’ll take it from there.

“Do you want to know something else? This all would have gone off without a flaw except for one thing. Asa Able sold out to me and didn’t tell anyone, not even Lex, until it was a done deed. The hijackings were just a . . . just a way for Andrews to get back at Lex. That was personal. The biggie was . . . is Marino. He wants the whole thing and if I hadn’t come along, he would have gotten it and there would be no trail leading back to him. He would be just another businessman taking advantage of someone else’s misfortune. He’d have his fifteen minutes of fame and then he’d be plain old Drew Marino, wealthy rancher. It’s making more and more sense. I’m taking the back road and heading back to the lot. We need to come up with a story for those jerks in the truck. Let’s say you had an ulcer attack and I had to get you back to your doctor. Practice looking sick.”

“I don’t have to practice—I
am
sick. They snookered us, Ariel. How’d that happen?”

“I can’t tell you exactly, but I imagine it was when Dave Dolan said he was calling the FBI. Somebody must have intercepted or made the call. Offered to make it, I should say. Then these two guys show up, flash their badges, and that was it. I should have checked it out. It’s my fault. I can’t believe I was so stupid.”

“It wasn’t just you, Ariel. No one else picked up on it. Lex talked to those guys for a while. Stan talked to them, and so did Bucky, the dispatcher. Hey, I went to bed with Harry! That should show you how smart I am. Don’t blame yourself, Ariel.”

“Easy to say, Dolly. Let’s get our stories straight. We’ll be back home in about twenty minutes. So, this is what I think we should say . . .”

“
Now
what the hell are they doing?” Lex demanded.

“This is just a guess on my part, Lex, but I’d say they’re heading back to the lot. I think something’s wrong. I don’t mean something physically wrong. I think their plan, whatever it is, has gone awry or else Miss Hart has had enough of this game playing—and that’s what it is, Lex, game playing,” Asa said.

“It’s funny that you should use that term, Asa. For the past hour I’ve been thinking the same exact thing. It’s all a game, the whole thing. The hijackings, the workers walking off, this stupid run, us chasing them. Think for a minute. Who comes out on top when this comes to an end? Not me, that’s for sure. Not the other ranchers. Not only will I be ruined, but so will Able Body. Ariel can’t operate without insurance. I can’t, either, but then I won’t have to worry about that because I won’t have anything to insure. The only person who wins is that guy who bought up Tillison’s ranch. This might be a bit farfetched, but I’d wager he’ll try to buy Ariel out when she starts to go under. Then he has a lock on the whole thing. Andrews will probably run the trucking company. Five bucks says that’s his payoff for all the dirty things he’s been doing. Does it make sense, Asa?”

“Christ Almighty, it does, son.”

“Well, it ain’t over till it’s over, Asa. I’m not giving up. There has to be a way to outwit those bastards.”

“You only have a couple of days till picking starts. If you can get the fruit picked are you willing to send it out in Miss Hart’s trucks with no insurance? Only a fool would do that. You ain’t no fool, son.”

“I can cross the border, Asa.”

“And open another can of beans? The border patrols will be down on you in the time it takes your heart to beat.”

“There are ways.”

“Not legal, there aren’t. Don’t you go doing something stupid, now. It’s damn unfair is what it is. Somehow we’ll work this out. I have a hunch Miss Hart is on to something. She didn’t follow instructions and she’s heading back to the terminal. That has to mean she’s taking the reins. I say we take her out to supper.”

Lex told him about Snookie.

“So, I’ll pretend I can’t see good. I can’t, you know. Got a cataract on my left eye. Can’t take it off till it gets ripe. Did you ever hear of such a thing?”

“Yeah, yeah, I did. I’m sorry about that, Asa.”

“It makes no never-mind, Lex. Got one good eye. My hearing’s good and so is my sense of smell. When you’re my age that counts. Another mile to go.”

Ten minutes later, Lex swerved into the terminal lot. The first thing he saw was Ariel’s Range Rover parked in her usual space. So, someone had driven it back. He’d wondered about that. The second thing he saw was Ariel climbing down from the cab, Snookie behind her. She walked to the rear of the truck where Dolly met her. She opened the trailer. The two agents emerged, rumpled and disgruntled. The third thing he saw was Snookie heading straight for him at a dead run. He planted his feet firmly on the ground, grabbed Asa’s arm for added support, and waited for the big dog to pounce on him. It occurred to him to wonder why Ariel wasn’t calling her back. Then he saw the note in the dog’s collar. He palmed it as he stroked her sleek head. “Good girl,” he whispered. Snookie took a second to sniff his shoes and then raced back to Ariel.

With his back to the two agents, Lex read the note.
Meet me where you first saw Dolly and me. Bring Mr. Able. Leave now.
He stuck the note into his breast pocket before he motioned for Asa to climb back into the truck. With the engine running, he leaned out to shout to Ariel, “How about lunch tomorrow at the ranch?”

“Sure thing,” she called in return, waving airily.

“Well, this was certainly an exercise in futility,” Ariel said. “Tell me something, did either one of you or your superior, whoever that might be, think this through?”

“Of course we thought it through. We also told you it might come to nothing. My question to you is, why didn’t you follow orders and head for the Sanders ranch?”

“Because it was a stupid order and I’m not a stupid person. Even I knew nothing was going to happen on that stretch of road, and I was right. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I want to find out if Mr. Sanders’ load is safe. Until now I thought the FBI was a top-of-the-line government agency. At this point in time I wouldn’t give you five cents for the whole outfit. Maybe what I’ll do is call the FBI personally and complain. They need feedback from ordinary people like me. Yes, that’s exactly what I’ll do. I’ll be sure to say flattering things about you so nothing derogatory goes into your file. I played a female FBI agent once, so I know the drill.”

Navaro’s face took on an intense look. Harry looked green in the dim twilight. The sound of cars and trucks rumbling in the background seemed to add to both men’s discomfort. The sensor lights outside the offices sprang to life, lighting up the entire parking lot.

“That probably isn’t a very good idea. My people take a dim view of calls like that. You’re wrong—it will go on our records. It won’t look good for either of us. I need to remind you again that we said it was a long shot. Everything’s in place—you just need to be patient. Why don’t Harry and I buy you ladies dinner and discuss this whole matter and see if we can’t come up with something we can sink our teeth into. We do need to rest up a little, though, and I need to check in with the office. The biggest steak in San Diego—how does that sound? With the government picking up the check.” Navaro chuckled to show how amused he was.

“Not tonight. We’ll take a raincheck, won’t we, Dolly? I’ll decide tomorrow whether I’ll call and complain. I want to present my side. Why don’t we schedule a meeting here, let’s say, tenish? Is that okay with the two of you?”

“Well, sure. Ten it is.”

The women watched the men walk over to a dark green sedan, climb in, and drive off. “What do you think the odds are they’ll show up tomorrow at ten? Did you see that look on Navaro’s face? He’s pissed off, big time. Another thing—when we get into the Rover, don’t say anything. Just follow my lead. If this was the same script we were playing with on the ride down here, someone would have planted a bug in the truck. I want to check with Stan to see if there’s any news on Lex’s jukebox. Oh, and when I stop the truck at the restaurant, I’ll just say, we’re here, or something like that. If there is a bug whoever is listening will think we’re home.”

“What if they follow us? Don’t they have to follow you within a mile or something so they can listen? They might be brazen enough to show up. This is getting scary, Ariel.”

“Tell me about it. Things like this only happen in the movies, Dolly. I don’t know how it works in real life. I guess we’ll find out soon enough. My big worry right now is how I’m going to get Snookie into the restaurant. A hundred dollar bill and the promise that she’ll sit under the table might do it. If that same waitress is working, maybe Lex can charm her.”

Ariel motioned for Stan Petrie to join her. “Have we heard anything from the driver with Lex’s load?”

Stan massaged his whiskered chin. “Not for the past two hours. Can’t reach him on the CB. I called the ranch and he hasn’t arrived. Didn’t think he would, but sometimes those fellows can burn up the highway. Tim Ryan is a hell of a driver and he knows the score. He did say something funny, though. Guess he thought I’d catch on. I don’t know what it means. He said R. R. Hood was heading east with all her goodies. Do you know what that means, Miss Hart?”

“Who’s R. R. Hood?” Dolly asked.

Ariel laughed. “Dolly, shame on you. Don’t you remember when I played that FBI agent, my code name was Red Riding Hood or R. R. Hood? The goodies are Lex’s collectibles. East probably means Ryan is taking a different route, but east could just as easily mean north, south, or west. My guess would be he’ll come in from the back and drive that rig through the fields. Something like that. I’m not saying . . . listen, if you can come up with something better, let’s have it. It’s a damn possibility. We’ll spring it on Lex and see what he thinks. This is where we’ll be for the next hour or so, Stan. Get the number from information. If you hear anything, have us paged.”

“Sure thing, Miss Hart.”

“See you tomorrow, Stan. In the truck, Snookie.”

Cold, frosty Corona beers sat on the table waiting for the women the moment they sat down. Snookie settled down under the table and went to sleep.

“Thanks for taking care of Snookie’s arrangements. How much did it cost you?”

“A hundred bucks.”

“She’s worth every penny. I’ll pay you back.”

“If you don’t, I won’t be able to sleep tonight.” Lex did a Groucho Marx thing with his eyebrows. Ariel smiled.

“Listen up,” Ariel said as she motioned the others to lean in toward the center of the table. “This is what I think. Just hear me out.” She spoke quickly, ending with, “I’m sure there’s a bug in the car. What I think you need to do, Lex, and this is just my opinion, but I do think it will work. When we leave here, you and Mr. Able head out to all the other ranches and tell them Hollywood is coming on Thursday. Actually, they’ll probably start arriving tomorrow. There have to be accommodations. We’re going to get your avocados picked and we’ll get them to market, too. Trust me.”

“Jesus. How’d you do that, Ariel?”

“I asked. That’s all it took. I think I have it all covered, but there are bound to be some screwups. Food, sanitation, sleeping arrangements are up to your ranchers. Tents are coming tomorrow. You’ll need Tiki and the other cooks to keep the flow going. I’d go real easy on the beer until we’re done, then you can have it flow like a river. Did I forget anything?”

“This is amazing, isn’t it, Asa?” Lex said in awe.

“Yep. All of Hollywood? Who’s going to make pictures while all of this is going on? Will they really shut down?”

“You bet. Hollywood loves a cause.”

“You must be somebody real important for them to do this,” Asa said.

“No. I’m just somebody who sold them short. I’m sorry about that. Maybe it’s because I never asked for anything for myself. Maybe they feel they owe me, but I don’t think so. They’re doing this to help, pure and simple. They’re good people. You’ll see.”

“Here’s our food. I took the liberty of ordering filet mignon for Snookie. I figured you could cut it up and she wouldn’t mess the carpet with the bone. Her french fries and ketchup are on a second plate.”

“Thanks.” Ariel cut the meat in small pieces, then squeezed the ketchup on to the plate and slid it under the table. “Boy, is this good. I’ll have another beer, if you don’t mind. I want Sinful Chocolate Thunder for dessert. With vanilla ice cream and soft marshmallow drizzled all over it.”

“You got it!” Lex chortled.

“When are you calling the FBI?” Asa asked.

“When we’re ready to leave. There’s a pay phone by the front door.”

“I don’t think you Should go back to the house tonight, Ariel. Go to a hotel. I’ll call a friend of mine who’s a cop and have him watch over you guys. Asa and I will head out to the ranches. It’s going to be a long night and I don’t want to have to worry about you.”

“That’s sweet,” Ariel said as she scraped the last of the potato out of the skin.

“That’s because I’m a sweet guy.” Lex grinned from ear to ear. “If this was a movie, what would come next?”

A devil perched itself on Ariel’s shoulder. For a moment she looked thoughtful. “Well, the script writer would probably clear out this place for starters. He’d make sure there was a very, as in very nice, lounge area inside the ladies’ bathroom. He’d have me say I was going in to powder my nose. Then he’d want me to look over my shoulder, enticing you with my bedroom eyes. You’d get up and trip over Snookie who’d be trying to chew off your leg. You’d give her the rest of your steak. You’d race to the lounge. We’d both lock the door. Because this is the 90’s, I’d take off your clothes. Little by little. All the while I’d be nibbling your ear and whispering sweet nothings.”