"So... you're a witch?" Genie asked.
The lingering summer heat had long ago banished the deathly chill from Jenny's apartment. Genie and Orange, called over after they'd each finished work, had listened as she gave her enthusiastic explanation of the day's events, and reacted with joy, outrage and surprise at all the right parts of the story.
"No," Jenny laughed. "I'm an actress. I just made George's goon think I was a witch."
"How did you manage the special effects?" Orange asked, chuckling at the idea that some tough gangster believed in witches and magic.
"Oh, that wasn't me," Jenny said. "That was the ghost. My apartment's haunted."
"The... the ghost?" Genie asked, finding herself looking around for a hovering specter. She couldn't see one, but she'd not-seen ghosts before. It hadn't stopped them from being there.
"Olivia. She lived her before me," Jenny explained. "I guess she died here too. She was murdered by an intruder. So, she's really protective and doesn't like it when guys try to barge in."
"You're serious," Orange blinked.
"Why do think my rent is so low? Why do you think the TV's always on at night?" Jenny smiled. "Olivia's OK. Most of the time, she just hangs around. Sometimes she makes breakfast. And, this isn't the first time she's scared some jerk off."
"So, she's a friendly ghost," Orange said carefully. "Well... um... thanks, Olivia."
"Well, the important thing is that you're safe," Genie said. "And that Corrie managed to get away from that scumbag."
"I want to hit him," Orange admitted. "I know it's not very mature or evolved of me, but I want to punch George T right in his smug, scarred face."
"Well, don't," Genie said with a little smile. "I've seen you try to hit a punching bag at the gym. I throw a better punch than you do."
"That's 'cause Mariah taught you all that kung-fu stuff she knows," Orange said.
"Well, I don't care if it's evolved or whatever," Jenny said. "I like that you want to hit him."
"Yeah, I know Genie's right... but I really want to hit him," Orange said passionately.
"Corrie, hi. I'm Genie," Genie said gently as Corrie quietly took a seat on the couch. "How are you?"
"I'm... I'm OK," Corrie replied. "I... I feel a little better for getting a nap."
"Orange was just..." Jenny said.
"I know. It's OK. I wanted to hit him too," Corrie said with a small smile. Her fingers rose to her face, brushing the edges of the bruise mostly hidden by Jenny's makeup. "I did hit him," she whispered.
"He can't hurt you anymore," Orange said gently. "We can get you to the women's shelter, if you want. They can keep you safe."
"I... I feel safe here," Corrie said.
"Then you can stay here," Jenny said firmly. "I've got good neighbors and that very protective ghost I told you about. I don't think that goon will be back anytime soon. When you're ready, I know some good people you can talk to... if you want to. People who helped me."
"So, now what do we do?" Orange asked.
"I don't know," Genie sighed. "I just really don't know."
"Well, the basic plan hasn't changed, right?" Jenny said. "We get the dirt on Max V, on George and on the Altos. Genie brings it all out in the open and they all end up in jail or the run, so they can't go after Miranda and Mariah... or Corrie... or us."
"Yeah, but how?" Genie groaned. "First, I thought I could what I needed from my grand-père's files, but my mom has hidden those away. Then you tried to seduce it out of George, and that was..."
"I think Jenny had it right last night with 'total disaster,'" Orange said.
"Thanks a lot," Jenny sighed.
"I'm agreeing with you," Orange said.
"Your... your what files?" Corrie asked Genie, then hastily added, "I... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have interrupted."
"You're fine," Genie said gently. "Please, we could use some ideas. My grand-père... my grandfather. Jacques Villareal. He was this big time gangster and he had these files filled with dirty secrets and the names of everyone he'd done business with."
"Like a ledger?" Corrie asked.
"Kind of, I guess," Genie mused. "A ledger of all his dirty deals."
"Like the one the Altos have," Corrie said.
"The what the who have?" Jenny blinked, startled.
"The Altos... they have this ledger of all their shady business deals, all the names of the people on their payroll and everything," Corrie said. "George showed it to me once. I... I don't think he was supposed to but it was when we just started... ummm... dating. I... I think he was trying to impress me because he said his name was all through it. I... I'm sorry. It... it... it's not important."
"Not important?" Genie gasped. "It's everything. We could take down the entire Alto family with that."
"I don't think it would that easy, Genie," Orange pointed out. "I mean, something like that... they'd keep it safely under lock and key."
"Yeah, they... they do," Corrie nodded. "It's in this hidden safe in Marco's office... and it's got this really complicated combination too."
"Great, even if we had the combination..." Jenny said.
"Which we don't," Genie sighed.
"I... I know the combination," Corrie said softly.
"We'd still have to get into Marco Tenari's office," Orange sighed.
"Wait, Corrie, what did you just say?" Jenny asked.
"I... I know the combination to the safe," Corrie said. "I... I'm kind of good with numbers."
"That's amazing," Jenny smiled. "Unless they change it, I guess."
"Oh, they change it every week," Corrie said. "But it's always based the same formula and I... I... I'm sorry... it's dumb. I shouldn't..."
"Corrie, you worked out the formula didn't you?" Genie said, stunned.
"I... um... yeah, I did," Corrie said. "I know... it's dumb... it's just, they were all talking and I was bored and I... worked it out in my head... as something to do. It's so dumb. I know girls aren't supposed to do math but sometimes I..."
"Corrie, you're a genius," Genie said.
"So, we can get into the safe," Orange said. "But how do we get into the office. It's not like the Alto crime family is going to invite us over for a dinner party."
"Or have one we could crash," Jenny chuckled.
"Well..." Corrie breathed.
"Corrie," Genie smiled. "Are the Altos having a party we can crash?"
"I don't know about a party," Corrie said, "but last night I overheard George and this other guy, Max, talking. Marco is having a big meeting with his senior guys and some other bosses. It's kind of a big deal. I guess some people are upset that Marco hasn't caught Mariah and Miranda yet. So, they're having this big meeting to talk about it."
"Not exactly a party," Orange said.
"Yeah but... they... they usually have... girls... at these meetings," Corrie said softly. "For..."
"Entertainment," Genie finished for her.
"Why do I get this weird feeling," Orange mused. "Like everything is coming together."
"Wyrd feeling you mean," Genie said. "That word that Miranda would use for spooky fate stuff... wyrd."
"Guys, I know you're not going to like it... especially you, Orange... but I think I have a new plan," Jenny said.