The Big Kahuna

1

Kate O'Hare's favorite outfit was her blue windbreaker with the letters FBI written in yellow on the back, worn over a black T-shirt and matching black Kevlar vest. She had reluctantly relegated the outfit to the back of her tiny closet, which now overflowed with an assortment of designer clothes and resort-casual beachwear. The designer clothes and beachwear were all acquired during her recent stint of undercover work. Tools of the trade, she told herself. Unfortunately, it was Nicolas Fox's trade. He was a brilliant con man and a world-class thief. She'd arrested him two years ago, and he'd charmed his way out of a lifetime in prison by offering up his unique talents to help the FBI take down the worst and most elusive criminals.

Now she had the impossible job of acting as his handler. When conventional police work couldn't get the job done, the FBI set Fox loose to run questionably legal cons and undercover operations on out-of-reach bad guys.

Some days Kate wondered whether she was managing Nicolas Fox or he was managing her. Today was one of those days. It was noon, and she was standing in the middle of the Beverly Hills Saks Fifth Avenue dressed in black slacks, a black-and-white striped shirt, red suspenders, white gloves, and a black beret. Her face was painted completely white, except for her bright red lipstick. She was surrounded by a sea of similarly dressed men and women, possibly hundreds of them. It was a flash mob of mimes, and they were all doing classic mime stunts, trying to get out of invisible boxes and climb invisible ladders, struggling not to get blown away by nonexistent wind.

"This is ridiculous," Kate said to the mime standing next to her. "In fact, this has got to be the most ridiculous, humiliating plan you've ever devised. And that's saying a lot."

The mime next to her was Nick Fox. "You have a short memory," he said. "Dressing as mimes can't compare to some of the humiliating situations we've experienced together. And

Janet Evanovich and Peter Evanovich