Three Fates

cab, Cleo chilled out with Queen blasting through her headphones.
    “I don’t know how she can do that,” Tia commented. “Relax that way.”
    Malachi flipped a glance over his shoulder to where Cleo sat back, body swaying to her music. “Storing energy. She’ll need plenty of it later.” He hit a switch and spoke to Rebecca on her two-way. “Gideon says there’s heavy traffic on something called the Van Wyck. He still has them, but they’re moving slowly just now.”
    “That’s fine. We’re nearly at the parking lot.”
    “You be careful, darling.”
    “Oh, I’ll be better than careful. I’ll be good. Over and out.”
    Rebecca tucked the two-way back into the holster on her belt. She stored energy her own way as Jack pulled the van into the parking lot. She went over every step of her assignment in her head.
    When she got out of the van, walked around to Jack, he held out a hand. “Holding hands as we return to the scene of the crime.” She gave an exaggerated sigh. “It’s so bloody romantic.”
    “Nervous?” he said as they walked.
    “More revved up, I’d say. That’s a good thing.”
    “Don’t rush. We want to move through this stage quickly, but we’ve got the time to do it right.”
    “Do your part. I’ll do mine.”
    Together they walked directly to the front entrance of Morningside. Casually, Jack keyed in the new code he’d programmed into his palm converter, then took out the keys he’d had made as the security system shut down.
    “We’re clear,” he said softly, then unlocked the door.
    After they slipped inside, he relocked the door, reengaged the outer alarms. “And we’re in. Go,” he ordered, but Rebecca was already dashing for the stairs.
    Guided by the beam of her flashlight, she raced up to Anita’s office. She took the key out of her pocket and, trusting she and Jack had succeeded in realigning the security, unlocked the door.
    After closing the drapes over the window facing Madison, she switched on the desk light, then sat down at Anita’s computer. And rubbed her hands together.
    “All right, handsome, let’s make love.”
    Downstairs, Jack reconfigured the security system. It would go back on-line, complete and better than ever, after he and Rebecca were clear. While he worked, he listened to Malachi through his headset.
    “They’re at the airport. She’s been dropped off at the curb. Gideon’s finding a place to park. He’ll pick her up again inside the terminal. What’s your status there?”
    “Coming along. Put Tia on. I want to run the first checklist.”
    “You’re up.” Malachi handed her a headset.
    “Jack?”
    “I’m giving you the first encryption. Key it in.”
    Behind her, Cleo yawned. She lifted one earpiece so the muffled sound of bass and drums beat into the air. “Everything cool?”
     
     
    AT THE KEYBOARD, Rebecca hacked her way through Anita’s computer security. It was, she thought with some glee, pathetic. No more than a simple password lock and easily dispatched. She found the insurance file in her first document search. Opening it, she searched out the inventory list and claim form Anita had generated that day.
    “Tsk-tsk. Padded the claim already, didn’t you? But so conservatively. We’re going to improve on that.” Out of her pocket she took the short list Jack and Tia had made. And got to work.
    As she doctored the claim form, she heard her brother’s voice in her ear. “He’s caught up with her. She’s just walked into the first-class lounge. There’s an hour and fifteen before her flight.”
    “I’m into the file. I wonder what the devil the Nara period is, and why some plaque from it’s worth so flaming much money. Jack, you can check that piece, and the Chiparus figure. Are you going to get to the earbobs?”
    “I’ll get them. Log them in.”
    “Don’t forget the bugs Tia planted.”
    “Working on it. Be quiet. Tia, set to run next encryption.”
    Within fifty minutes, Rebecca finished listing and detailing the items Tia had selected on her wanderings through Morningside, had adjusted the computer’s date and time to stamp the work for earlier in the day. At a time, thanks to the little mic under the chair, they knew Anita had been alone in her office.
    After printing out the claim, she wiggled her fingers, then signed the bottom of the form with a fine—if she did say so herself—forgery of Anita’s signature. She dated it, then typed up a detailed instruction list for the