04 - Shock and Awesome (30 page)

 
   
No, I decided, it had to be on someone's person, but whose?

 
   
Chapter Fourteen

 
   
Helen
Callery
was a consummate professional. It probably had a lot to do with the sinking ship her dating agency would become if her clients realized they were all suspects. Even worse, if they all realized they were actually targets. So, as soon as Claudia was placated and escorted from the room by a couple of handsome waiters, the hubbub died down, and the auction resumed.

 
   
I noticed Helen's assistant, Madeleine, moving around, ensuring drinks were flowing freely, and prompting the applause every time a winner was announced. She was a one-woman cheer team: making small talk, laughing, showing everyone what a wonderful time everyone else was having, and allowing her infectiously pretty smile to turn worried faces into happy, forgetful ones. Most of all, I think the guests were relieved they weren’t robbed, which certainly encouraged them to be a little more forgiving. Plus, each and every one had an exciting story to tell about the time a dramatic jewel theft occurred. From what I gathered, everyone was no more than a few feet away from Claudia.

 
   
"I guess I didn't win," said Ben with a disappointed shrug as the last lot winner was called.

 
   
"Me neither."

 
   
"Let's commiserate together?" Ben raised his eyebrows and if I didn't know better, I might have thought he was being suggestive. Oh wait, he totally was. Awesome!

 
   
"Do you have something in mind?" I replied, flirtatiously swirling a lock of hair with my forefinger.

 
   
"A nightcap? Somewhere quiet... somewhere sexy..."

 
   
"Well, I, uh..." I wanted to say yes. I wanted to say, “Hello, okay, right now? Yippee yay. Let's go.” But I had a job to do, which involved tracking down a thief, not enjoying a sexy nightcap with one of the top suspects. On the other hand, what better way to get a frisk search completed? Uh, on him. Not me. I hadn't stolen anything.

 
   
My phone vibrated and I opened my purse just enough to glance down. Somehow, I forgot the phone was there. “Go,” was the single word on the screen.

 
   
Oh, well, fine, if my boss insisted, I guess I would just have to take one for the team.

 
   
"Sure," I said, "Let's get our coats."

 
   
There was no queue at the cloakroom, but before we got there, the two of us were pulled to one side.

 
   
"If you'll just come with us one moment, sir," said my colleague, Fletcher, nodding to me politely as if we were strangers.

 
   
"What's going on?" asked Ben.

 
   
"Just a routine search in light of this evening's events," Fletcher explained.

 
   
Ben held his hands up. "Search away."

 
   
"If you'll just come into this room, sir. We'd like to be discreet."

 
   
"Ma'am, if you'll follow me." Delgado stepped in front of me. I hoped he didn't have plans to search me. After all, I was pretty certain he recently played strip search with my sister... and some other games I wanted absolutely no knowledge of. Ever.

 
   
"Yes, of course," I agreed. "See you in a moment, Ben."

 
   
Ben simply nodded and followed Fletcher into a side room where the door closed behind them.

 
   
Delgado inclined his head to me and I followed him to the small room opposite, smiling when I saw Solomon waiting inside, his arms folded as he leaned against the wall. We weren't in a closet, but some kind of utility room or office. A table and a couple of chairs were against one wall, but otherwise, it was bare. Delgado shut the door and I leaned against the wall.

 
   
"Where were you?" I asked, raising my eyebrows at Delgado. I figured I'd ask first, before I got twenty questions.

 
   
"Bathroom," he said, with a shrug.

 
   
"Peeing in the dark. Awkward." Delgado cracked a smile. "So what happens now?" I asked.

 
   
Solomon spoke quickly. "We're searching every guest as they leave so they don't return to the ball and inadvertently alert the thief. Claudia is giving a statement to the police. Fortunately, she has a paste replica of the jewels at her home so she'll be able to show exactly what they look like, and her insurance is paid up. She's not happy, or at least, she won't be when she sobers up."

 
   
I blinked. "She's got a paste set?"

 
   
"Yeah. Apparently, some women get replicas made for less fancy occasions." Solomon glanced to the door. "Helen
Callery
seems to be taking it well."

 
   
I shook my head. "She's freaking out."

 
   
"She's okay," insisted Delgado.

 
   
"No, she's not. She's doing that false 'everything's great—
lalala
' thing my mother does when she's worried that everything is falling apart. I can see it on her face," I told them. "Duh. Do you two not know women at all?" I asked when they both gave me skeptical expressions.

 
   
Solomon and Delgado eyed each other, then me. Both mumbled something about knowing women just fine before shutting up.

 
   
"Anyway, that's not it. I mean, she, Claudia, has a paste set!" I continued, ignoring them. Again, Solomon and Delgado exchanged glances before turning to stare at me. If I weren't used to it, I would have been uncomfortable. "Don't you see? That's how you can squash any rumors from this evening. If you can ask Claudia to get us the paste replicas, we can show the guests before they leave, and say it was all part of the evening. A staged robbery with Claudia as the amazing actress. She's an actress, darling," I mimicked.

 
   
"It could work, Boss," said Delgado, one side of his mouth lifting into a smile, like he couldn't decide if he were happy with the idea or not. "No one's left yet, '
cept
these two."

 
   
"Who's going to act as the thief?" asked Solomon

 
   
"Tip one of the waiters a hundred bucks to pretend he was the thief. Oh, and get him to sign a nondisclosure too. There has to be an out-of-work actor among them. They're all too good looking not to be."

 
   
"You were checking out the waiters?" asked Solomon, his face returning to its stony setting.

 
   
"Hell, no. Me? No!"

 
   
Solomon rested his chin in the gap between thumb and forefinger and stroked his jaw. "Okay," he said, nodding. "It could work. You and Ben are the first to leave. If Helen agrees and Claudia complies, we'll encourage everyone else to stay with the promise of a big finale."

 
   
"Exactly," I added, excitement urging my mind and mouth to race. "Make the guests feel like they're part of it. Search them, conduct mini interviews, do everything you need to for a real investigation, but, at the end, tell them it's all show. A big charade for their benefit. Like one of those murder mystery evenings."

 
   
"Helen will like it," Solomon decided. "It'll appeal to her flair for the dramatic. Delgado, I'll find Helen and you get a waiter."

 
   
"But don't terrify him," I interrupted, mostly to Delgado, who looked like he might take a waiter to one side and knock him down. "Find out how many of them are out-of-work actors. Get the one who can put on the best show. And if Claudia doesn't seem interested, you might want to point out the Hollywood producer on the guest list."

 
   
Solomon checked his watch. "Time for you to go. You can only get frisked for so long," he said, his voice velvet smooth.

 
   
A blush rose on my face and I turned away before Solomon or Delgado could see it, not that it mattered because Solomon's cell phone beeped.

 
   
"Ben's clean," said Solomon. I glanced over and saw him studying the screen before slipping the cell phone into his pocket. "Let us know where you go. I have to stay here a while. I don't want to have to search Montgomery for you if you get out of range."

 
   
Something told me he would though. "Okay. Hey, Lord Justin was standing real close to Claudia before the lights went out. I think he was a little further away when the lights came back on; and you heard what happened with the women in the restroom. He's playing them, as well as me."

 
   
"I heard. We've been watching and he's been very busy with the ladies this evening. Delgado will frisk him," said Solomon. Delgado cracked his knuckles. Somehow, I didn't think Lord Justin would be enjoying the rest of the evening.

 
   
"Justin definitely needs to be searched thoroughly. My money is on him. I don't think he's the man he pretends he is. Something about his story doesn't sit right," I told them and they both nodded, but made no move to do otherwise. "Okay, so I'll check in soon," I told them, waiting for Solomon's nod before I slipped out, closing the door behind me.

 
   
Ben was waiting at the cloakroom. He clearly got there a minute or two before me because he already had his coat on, and mine folded over his arms. "Let me take those," he said, relieving me of my purse and phone before I had a chance to protest. He lay them on the counter and held my coat up. I spun around to slip my arms into the sleeves, adjusting the lapels as I turned. Ben picked up my purse and phone and handed them to me. I tucked my cell phone into my pocket and slid my arm through his, smiling up at him as we left the building, and a performance the likes of which Montgomery had never known.

 
   
~

 
   
Ben's idea of moving on somewhere else, turned out to be a bar across town, only a couple of blocks from where Lily's bar was. I felt a little over-dressed in my glamorous gown, but Ben didn't seem at all bothered by the sideways glances many women shot at him, and one or two guys too. All he did was settle us in a suddenly free booth — these things just seemed to happen for him – and order us drinks, as he loosened his bow tie, letting it hang limply about his neck. He also tweaked open the top button of his shirt. There was something devilishly handsome about him, more so in the low light of the bar.

 
   
"Champagne cocktails. Bar Raphael. Mr. Rafferty, you do know how to show a girl a good time," I told him, leaning in so I didn't have to yell. Really, yelling couldn't be any further from unsexy, and I was doing my best. Also, I had to throw in the bar name just to tell my sanctioned stalkers-slash-colleagues where I was, in the event they were roaming around looking for me. Honestly, it was like knowing my dad was waiting outside, ready to leap in the moment our kissing moved beyond the peck on the cheek stage. I tried to recall if that ever happened. Maybe two uncles, several cousins, my brother, Daniel, and one time, Grandma O'Shaughnessy, when she visited — shudder — but never my dad. He just wasn't fast enough to catch me.