20
Lightning burned through the sky in white-hot branches, scattering through roiling blackness. Adriana had hoped for a little thunder and lightning to cover their entry into Immelman’s home. This, however, was over the top. The storms came fast and with a torrid ferocity as if Thor himself had risen from Nordic legends and come to wage war through the heavens.
Adriana peered through the windshield half a block from Immelman’s driveway. She’d shut off the sedan’s engine and headlights before coasting to a stop within a safe distance. Rain pounded the glass in heavy drops. Seconds after the searing lightning, thunder roared through the sky and shook the earth beneath.
“Nasty night,” Allyson said, staring out the windshield in the same direction as the driver. Her counterpart didn’t respond.
It hadn’t taken long for Adriana to procure a rental car, stepladder, and a few other odds and ends — most important of all, a large plastic shipping bag. It was folded neatly into her rucksack at the moment, but when the time came, that plastic would be used to keep a priceless work of art safe from the elements. And the elements were bringing their best tonight.
Allyson spoke up again, interrupting the steady sound of the rain against metal and glass. “You realize that if you’re wrong about this, we’re completely screwed, right?”
“Like I said before, it’s the only lead we have. And we’re out of time.” Her stare diverted to the clock on the car’s dashboard. It was nearing 10:30. Immelman struck her as an early riser, which meant he would probably be going to bed soon.
“Remind me again what we’re waiting for? I don’t know how much longer this storm is going to last.” Allyson was growing more and more impatient by the second.
Adriana pointed through the windshield at the front and rear corners of the house. “Those floodlights are extremely bright. I can’t imagine he goes to sleep with those on. They’d keep him up all night. When he goes to bed, my guess is he’ll turn off those lights. When he does, we make our move.”
“And if he doesn’t turn them off?”
Adriana turned her head and smirked at Allyson. “Then we could be in for some trouble.”
The answer didn’t satisfy her partner. “Well, how much longer are you going to—”
“Wait,” Adriana cut her off. The radiant glow coming from the house darkened, leaving the mansion more a stark outline against the black backdrop of the sky beyond. The floodlights were out.
“Oh.” Allyson felt a little foolish. “So we go in now?”
“Let’s give it another minute or two. Sometimes, people forget to do something before they go to sleep. Maybe he’s brushing his teeth. Who knows? Just be patient. We’ll be inside soon enough.”
Allyson sighed. She couldn’t argue with the logic, but sitting around and waiting wasn’t her idea of a good plan. She preferred action. And she’d done enough waiting for one week. Not to mention that being stuck in a car was also getting old pretty fast.
Five minutes passed, and there was no sign of any movement in the house. The lights remained off. If there were guards on the inside of the eight-foot wall, their whereabouts would be unknown until the two women went over the top. The possibility of dropping down right on top of one was certainly there.
“Okay,” Adriana’s voice cut into the tempered silence. “Get the ladder. We go over at that back corner there.” She pointed at the wall. “Once we’re inside the perimeter—”
“Move fast. I know.”
“If one of the guards sees us, take him out. I’d prefer not to use lethal force but I doubt we’ll have much choice.”
Allyson kept her comment to herself. She didn’t like being told what to do. Using lethal force wasn’t something she had a problem with. Most of the time, in fact, she enjoyed it. She acknowledged Adriana’s words with a nod. “Sure. Understood. Though I would feel a lot better if I had a gun.”
“No guns this time. We need to keep it quiet.” Adriana purposely kept her weapon tucked away in the rucksack. It was there for emergency use only. Even with a sound suppressor attached, it would make enough noise to alert the guards, or perhaps Immelman himself. The quieter they operated, the better.
Adriana handed her a long knife concealed by a black sheath. Only the matching black handle with a steel butt were visible until Allyson unfastened the button holding it in place. She pulled it out and inspected the blade. Its curved edge and pointed tip were intimidating.
“I can use this,” she said with a wicked grin. “Let’s move.”
Adriana nodded. She didn’t feel comfortable handing her partner a weapon, but it was the only play she could make right now. She had to trust that Allyson’s greed, and her own leverage, would take care of the rest.
The two exited the car and quietly eased their doors shut. Allyson opened the back and removed a small metal stepladder. It was only four feet tall, but they didn’t need anything larger to be able to reach over the perimeter wall. Adriana grabbed her rucksack and a knife matching the one she’d given Allyson. After strapping the weapon to her side, she slung the bag over her shoulder and took off across the street.
Hundreds of cold raindrops soaked the two women instantly. Among the other items Adriana had picked up while shopping were some black clothes — pants and shirts that would keep them better concealed in the dark of night. The lightweight materials soaked up the rain but did little to disperse it. They both squinted as they cut across the street, the driving wind pummeling them constantly.
Immelman’s property was adjacent to a large white manor that appeared to be much older than the contemporary style of his home. The home was fronted by at least two acres of lawn. Enormous hedges surrounded an iron fence with sharp arrow points along the top, wrapping all the way around the premises. Adriana had already decided that the hedgerow would be their cover until they got to the back of Immelman’s land.
As soon as she reached the hedge, she turned off the driveway and ducked in behind the bushes. The space was extremely confined, only providing enough room for the thin women to slide along sideways. Adriana took her rucksack off her shoulder and held it to her side. Allyson did the same with the little aluminum ladder.
The going was slow, and they had to shuffle a foot at a time while keeping their backs to the fence. More than once, a branch scraped their faces, but they kept moving, shifting through the narrow gap and around the corner. The hedge ran a few hundred more feet until it stopped at the cliff edge, overlooking the lake. As they could only move sideways a short distance at a time, getting to the other end took several minutes. Adriana kept her eyes on the property next door. The wall surrounding Immelman’s house was imposing even though she’d seen much taller. It was the thought of what was on the other side that concerned her. The unknown was much more dangerous, sometimes, than a known threat.
“I wonder how long it took them to plant all these bushes.” Allyson whispered just above the rain and wind.
Adriana shook her head. No time for chitchat about the inconsequential. They needed to stay focused on the job at hand. One little slip, even the slightest loss of concentration, could cost them everything.
Finally, after the long sideways journey, the two women reached the end of the property. Down below, the lake churned, foaming at the waves’ crests in the tumultuous weather. Lightning flashed suddenly out over the water. A white stem shot down into the water and disappeared as quickly as it had come.