Selina had okay-ed the arrangement. She had given a hundred advices, though. Among them, 'be careful' and 'do not accept any jobs'. It had been extremely suspicious that Connie had wanted to meet Sandy alone. And Sandy could not cancel the meeting - she did not have Connie's number.
Sandy took along a little figurine of a grinning monkey that Selina had given her before the spring break. If she needed help, she could pull and twist the monkey's head. Selina would then know that Sandy was in trouble. That monkey was at the moment clipped onto her wallet.
Sandy arrived at the park before Connie did. She sat on a bench to wait.
It was a cold windy day with clear skies. There were a few children playing in the playhouse on one side of the playground, watched by a mother. That playhouse had not been there when Sandy was a little girl. Too old to play, Sandy could only watch with envy as the little children enjoyed the playhouse.
There were not many people in the park. Among the few people walking along the paths of the park, Sandy spotted an elderly couple. That couple had frequented the park for as long as she could remember.
From a distance, Sandy spotted Connie walking from the direction of the bus stop. Stylishly dressed with her green beret, yellow jacket and stripped scarf, the redhead was readily noticeable. Connie also had a thick skirt and ladies' boots.
Sandy walked up to greet the redhead. "Hey, Connie." She pulled her jacket tighter when the wind blew again.
"Hi, Sandy," Connie greeted brightly with a smile, "So you live around here, huh?"
"Yeah." Sandy nodded.
"I'm not familiar with this area," Connie admitted, "Is that the takeout you mentioned?" She pointed at the small business at the end of a row of buildings opposite the park.
Next to the takeout store, within the same row of buildings were a convenience store, a laundromat and a real estate office.
"Yeah, that's the one," Sandy confirmed.
"I know I said ice cream yesterday, but let's get something warm instead," Connie suggested, "It's really cold today. My treat, of course."
"Okay," Sandy agreed. Happily, since she did not have to pay.
Connie bought them each a cup of hot chocolate and a sausage roll. They returned to the park to sit on a bench and enjoy their food and the weather. While eating, Connie made small talk about recent events in school.
Yes, Connie knew about Annie's sister chasing Saki. No, she had no idea why.
No, Connie had not noticed a police patrol car outside the school at any time.
Yes, Connie did okay for her term exam. Yes, she did better than Annie. Yes, she was very pleased about that.
Sandy was happy with her snack. Good conversation and warm food was a good combination for a cold day in the park.
"About Annie," Connie said as she crumpled the oily wrapping of the sausage roll she had just finished, "want to play another trick on her?"
In the past, Sandy would have been mildly interested. At that time though, her mind was on her inheritance. So she replied evenly with a question, "What do you have in mind?"
"Well, it's going to be something big and I'll need your help. I'll pay."
In the past, Sandy would have been very interested at the word 'pay'. But her mind was still on her inheritance. "How much are we talking about?"
Connie mentioned a considerable sum, more than what Annie had ever given her for a single job.
In the past, Sandy would have been extremely excited at the amount of money offered. Instead, at that moment, she was merely interested. "So what do you want me to do?"
"Help me pull a prank on Annie," Connie said, "I've come up with the perfect plan to finally get her!"
"What is it?" Sandy asked noncommittally.
Connie leaned closer to whisper, "We're going to strip Annie naked..."
"What?"
"You heard me, we're going to actually pull the clothes off her."
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