"They're what you might call, 'a new random element'.", Buckner explained, pausing to light a cigarette before going on from his usual place on the arm of the couch. "That's best case scenario. Worst case scenario, they're potential rivals, since I've had some trouble that started around the time they, ah, organized, or moved in, whatever the case may be."
Janet nodded, paying close attention while Victoria sipped her coffee.
"So, what I need is information. What I need is for you two to get into their clubhouse and plant a couple bugs, just like on TV, right?"
"Umm,... this won't be dangerous, will it?", Janet asked, noticing Victoria being more attentive from the corner of her eye. "What if we get caught?"
"You won't, this is all worked out. Upstairs, in your suite, are laid out two sets of clothes, including bras. The reasons you'll be wearing these clothes is, first, because they'll make you as, uhhh,...
white
as you can be and because the bugs are hidden inside the bras. Don't worry, they're very small, just make sure the bras stay there and end up in a place where they won't be noticed and picked up later. Get them someplace like behind a couch, or something. Don't worry about sensitivity, either; they may be small, but they'll pick everything up from a place like that, nice and clear."
"But how will we get in?" Victoria asked.
Buckner smiled a little and replied, "They'll take you there. See, one of my girls would be spotted for a spy in no time, but not you two. That's why I'm afraid you'll have to go without the benefit of the potion, as you call it. More realistic that way, you understand. So, I'll need one of you to write this address down on a piece of paper, so you'll have it in your own handwriting, then I'll give you your cover story before you scoot those great asses of yours upstairs to get changed. After that, we'll call you a cab to take you where you need to go and the rest of the show will be yours."
----- ----- ----- ----- -----
The yellow cab sped off before they could even close the rear door, but not before the driver called them 'tourist meat'. He'd warned them all the way over of what kind of place he was taking them to, even had to be paid extra to drive to the area, which didn't bode well at all in the minds of the two suburban wives.
They stood close to one another, surveying their surroundings while trying not to make eye contact with anyone who passed. The passing inhabitants, however, were all looking them up and down, probably because they were the only white people as far as the eye could see.
It looked like any lower to middle class neighborhood with shops just off the sidewalk, cars parked along the four lane, main thoroughfare, apartment buildings behind the businesses and low, single story houses squatting further behind them.
"
Wrong
side of town, bitches." a woman warned on her way by, holding the hand of a child walking along beside her, presumably hers.
"Wh-? Did you just hear th-?"
"Just shut up and forget it.", Victoria murmured, digging the address out of her purse.
She wore a white, sleeveless, wrap style summer dress that showed a modest amount of cleavage and sometimes the short, lacey section that connected the cups of her white bra. The dress stopped just above her knees over a pair of sheer, white stockings and was accented at her waist with a wide pink belt that matched the pink sunhat on her head.
Janet was dressed a little more provocatively in the same style. She wore a pleated navy blue skirt that fit snugly around her hips and stopped less than halfway to her knees with a thin, white pullover top with colourful little flowers embroidered around the modest, flat neckline. A light, navy blue sweater she wore as a cape, buttoned at the top, finished her look. One could somewhat easily see the heavy seems and more solid white area that represented her bra, accentuating her chest in a respectable way. She wore no hat but, like Victoria, she wore white stockings with the matching garter belt, heeled white shoes and jewelry that spoke of the upper middle class.
They definitely looked the part.
Through her pink, eighties style, horn rimmed shades, Victoria read aloud, "1775 Fair St.. Let's just get looking and get this over with, and don't talk to anybody that doesn't seem like,... you know.
Them
."
"Don't worry about that." Janet assured her, also in a prudent mumble as she quickly scanned the buildings in front of them for their street numbers. "Other side of the street, up that way."
"Let's not be too quick about it. We have to give them time to spot us."
"Great."
Crossing the street was quite helpful in getting them noticed. It seemed everybody was looking and those who weren't were soon alerted by others to join in, staring at the two lily white ladies from the right side of the tracks.
"Oh, my god!" Janet murmured, bothered by this more than the woman's comment on the sidewalk a minute earlier. It was as if she'd just been dropped off in a different country.
"It's okay, just staaaay cool, baby. We can do this."
A few minutes later, they stood in the forgiving shade of a shop awning that had seen better days, looking at their little piece of paper and then at the shop with some discussion and confused expressions. They saw the six young black men ambling down the sidewalk towards them with predatorial grins and wondered if these were the fish they were supposed to lure.
"Aft' noon, ladies. I don' gotta ask if you're lost." said the largest of the group.
"Uhh,...", Janet started, glancing at her friend for an instant. "You're right, I guess. Either that, or we were given the wrong information." she finished with a hesitant smile.
"What're yas lookin' for?"
"A beauty spa,
'Esther's Esthetics'.",
Victoria replied uncertainly, glancing at Janet in turn. "It's, uh, supposed to be at 1775 Fair St., but this is obviously not it.", she finished, gesturing to the Pharmacy they were stopped in front of.
"Esther's Esthetics?"
another asked, scratching his chin thoughtfully before turning to another to inquire, "Isn't that on Claire St.?"
"The new place, yeah. Lemme see dat paper."
Victoria handed it over and they waited while he peered at it.
"Yeah, shit. You two are eight blocks away from where yas wanna be. Ya got bad info, girl."
"Eight blocks?" Victoria asked, acting surprised.
"Oh, dammit." Janet complained, her face falling.
"Wass' wrong?" the first one asked.
"We have to get another cab, now. Do you think they'll let us use the phone in the Pharmacy?"
He looked at the others, laughing under his breath as they did and answered, "Prob'ly not. Look, no offense, but you two don't
belong
here, or up on Claire St., neither."
