“Catch you on the other side,” Nikki said as she pulled her black knit hat over her head.
London pulled away. “At least wearing a hat isn’t suspicious now that it’s cold out. That would’ve been something for her to explain back in July.”
“I’m sure she has a whole book of stories to explain away things.”
“You know it,” Nikki said in their ears.
“Turn here,” Audrey said. “I need to stay close enough to make sure I have control of the alarm system.”
“You got it.” London drove around the block, slowly but not too slow because someone might notice. The cold weather was good for keeping people inside and the street was far enough from the front windows that even if someone looked, they would just see a van.
“Ready?” Nikki asked.
“Thirty seconds,” Audrey answered.
“I would love to see how she’s doing this,” London commented.
“Done,” Audrey said and climbed into the front seat. “I can tap into the indoor cameras. There’s gotta be one that will catch her.”
“I’m not here for your entertainment.”
“Who are you kidding? You love to be the star,” Audrey said. “You’re very entertaining.”
Nikki didn’t respond, probably because she was climbing a wall. London turned the next corner. “I’m through the door. I love it when people don’t worry about locking upstairs doors.”
“Pull over by those bushes,” Audrey directed.
London left the car running but turned off the lights. If a cop rolled up, they would just claim to be lost.
“Here you go,” Audrey said, turning her laptop so they could both see the screen.
A moment later, Nikki’s skulky form shifted in the shadows. She hooked her rigging to the rail and tugged. Then, she smiled and gave the camera a thumbs-up before sliding over the side of the rail. Upside down.
“How the heck does she do that upside down?” London whispered to Audrey. She didn’t want to break Nikki’s focus.
It took less than two minutes for Nikki to swap out the tree toppers. She flipped herself upright, tucked the topper into the box, and climbed back up. She disappeared into the shadows on the second floor.
“Okay. Time to roll. Take a left out of the house so you’re not going the same way. We’ll meet you.”
“Yep,” Nikki acknowledged.
Audrey kept her focus on the exterior cameras to keep an eye on Nikki in case something went haywire. London coasted down the street and turned the lights back on when she got to the corner. Nikki emerged from the shadows beside some bushes.
Her sudden appearance startled London. “Shit. Where did she come from? I thought we were going to have to wait for her.”
“You get used to it.” Audrey climbed into the back as Nikki opened the passenger door.
“Get used to what?” Nikki asked as she sat down.
“You popping up unexpectedly and scaring the shit out of everyone.”
“Tools of the trade.” Nikki took off her hat and then shook out her limbs. “It was almost too easy. I don’t trust it. Are we sure this is the real thing?”
“Don’t curse us by saying stuff like that.” Audrey tapped away to reset the alarms and remove any evidence of Nikki. “Why would you complain when things go smoothly? That’s like telling an actor good luck before going on.”
“Psh. I don’t believe in that superstitious crap. Let’s go celebrate. Champagne is chilled and waiting for us.”
London drove back to the apartment. Jared was waiting for them.