Home for the Holidays (15 page)

“Ahem.”

Gloria had almost forgotten about the rest of the girls, who circled ‘round.  Gloria quickly introduced them one-by-one, except for Andrea, whom Mitzi had met previously.

Mitzi shook each of their hands.  “Wonderful,” she gushed.  “Thank you so much for helping me.” She looked at Gloria.  “Us - out.”

“Thank you for inviting us.” Ruth, never one to mince words blurted out.  “You got quite the crib here.”

Mitzi laughed.  “Crib?” She looked around, as if seeing it for the first time.  “Yes.  I guess I do.” She glanced at each of the women.  “Do any of you ride horses?  You should come by sometime and we can ride.”

Lucy clasped her hands to her chest.  “I would love to!” she gushed.

Gloria took a step back.  No way was she getting on a horse.  It seemed the others were taking a pass, too.  Lucy, as usual, was ecstatic about the prospect.

One of the caterers approached Mitzi.  “We have a small…uh, problem.”

“I’ll be back.” Mitzi followed the caterer and the two of them disappeared inside the kitchen. 

Gloria glanced at her watch.  The countdown had begun. They had less than half an hour before the first guests started arriving.  It was time to get a lay of the land and Mitzi had told them they had free reign to look around.

Since they were in the foyer, the girls headed up the grand staircase to the second floor where there was a hall to the left, a hall to the right and a hall straight ahead. 

Gloria veered to the right and the girls went from room to room inspecting each one.  It was an entire wing of bedrooms.  Some had adjoining baths while others had Jack and Jill baths. 

When they finished the right wing, they headed to the left.  There were three more bedrooms, all with their own private bath.  At the end of the hall was a double set of doors.  Gloria reached for the handle and stopped.  What if this was Mitzi’s private suite?

Mitzi had given Gloria the green light to tour the entire house.  Gloria twisted the knob and pushed the door wide open.

She gasped at her first glimpse of the room. The room was huge!  It wasn’t Mitzi’s private quarters.  It was a movie theater.  A large center aisle led to the front.  Covering the front wall was an enormous projection screen.  On both sides of the aisle were several rows of plush, padded theater seats.  There was easily room for close to a hundred guests.

Near the back and in the corner was a concession stand, complete with an enormous popcorn machine, soda fountain and snack bar.

Margaret made a beeline for the snack bar.  She ran her hand along the smooth, granite top.  “Wow!  Check this out!”

The palatial theater made Margaret’s movie room look like a lemonade stand on a street corner. 

“I still like yours better,” Gloria said.  This one was bigger and fancier, but it didn’t make it better.  Without friends, it was just another room.

The others agreed. It was nice, but perhaps a tad over the top…

They stepped back into the hall and wandered to the landing.  The only wing they hadn’t explored was the one straight ahead.

Gloria took the lead and the girls followed behind.  She had a hunch this was Mitzi’s private quarters.  There were two small doors…one on the right and one on the left. 

Andrea opened the door on the right.  It was a linen closet.  The one on the left was the same.

At the end of the hall was a double set of doors, similar to the ones leading into the movie theater.

Gloria grasped the handle and turned the knob.  The door was locked.  “This must be Mitzi’s room.” She was almost relieved it wouldn’t open. 

The girls retraced their steps, made their way to the main level of the house and finished their tour of the formal living room, formal dining room, sitting room, library, opulent office, along with another spacious guest bedroom and bath. 

They wound their way through the kitchen to the only place they hadn’t been…the indoor swimming pool. 

The girls found the entrance to the pool area through the back breezeway.  The pool area had its own private entrance off to the side. 

Gloria opened the door and stepped to the side to let the others in.  She closed the door behind them and gazed at the Olympic-size pool.  The pool was not square but rather rounded on both ends.

Gloria strolled over to the end.  The pool was zero entry, meaning it sloped into the water instead of having a sudden drop off. 

Near the front of the pool area were several luxurious lounge chairs.  Tucked in one corner was a tiki bar.  Torchlights stood sentinel on each side of the bar.

In the opposite corner was a wooden door with a large glass front.  Gloria stepped over to the door, cupped her hands to her eyes and looked inside.  “It’s a sauna.”

Gloria walked all the way around the pool.  When she reached the back, she noticed another door.  She wandered over to the door and pushed on the handle.

The door swung open and Gloria stepped inside a game room.  It wasn’t just any game room, but a game room Gloria’s grandsons would love!  There was a foosball table, air hockey, arcade machines, pinball and even a jukebox.  It was every kids dream…or even every “adult” kid’s dream.

“Cool man cave,” Andrea said.

The grand tour had ended and if Gloria had been impressed by the sheer size and grandeur of Mitzi’s “country” home before, she was now dumbfounded.  She wondered how much money it would take to keep a place this size running.  There would be water, electric, upkeep, not to mention taxes…or the horse farm and taking care of all those animals.

It seemed sad to Gloria the woman had tons of money and lived alone.  Maybe Mitzi was content with her life.  Obviously, she was.  On top of that, she used her money and position for worthy causes, including the fundraiser tonight.

Still, Gloria thanked God for each of her blessings.  Sometimes money could be more of a curse than a blessing.  She remembered the reason she was there.  Money put a target on one’s back.

Gloria turned her attention to the task at hand.  The countdown had begun and it was time for the girls to get into position. 

Ruth slipped out of the house as she made her way down to the mailbox.  She tucked a small, square device in the cover of the mailbox, closed the lid and darted out of sight.

Next, she moved the golf cart Mitzi had loaned her into position, backing it underneath a large pine tree in the corner of the yard and out of sight.  She rearranged the tree branches so the surveillance camera had an unobstructed view of the mailbox. 

Ruth jogged up the front lawn and onto the porch before making her way inside and over to the coat closet, although it didn’t look like a coat closet.  The space was more like an enormous walk-in storage closet.  It was the perfect spot to set up her laptop, turn it on and tune in to keep tabs on the mailbox.

Ruth checked to make sure everything was in working order and then tracked Gloria down.  It was time for Mitzi to put the envelope and the cash inside the mailbox. 

Mitzi ran up to her room and returned with a small satchel.  She met Gloria on the front porch.  “You’re sure this is going to work?” she asked nervously as she glanced around.

Gloria shook her head.  “No.  I’m not sure it will work.  It may not work, but what other options do we have?”

Mitzi frowned.  “True.”

Gloria tapped the top of the satchel.  “You didn’t…” She had instructed Mitzi not to put $255,000 inside the envelope.  She had convinced her to put $2,500 inside and if the culprit wasn’t caught, she could tell the person the note she received said $2,500, not $255k.  She wasn’t sure if that strategy would work, or if it would enrage the extortionist. 

Mitzi had placed a one hundred dollar bill on the top, another one on the bottom and a bunch of ones in the middle of the banded packs.

Gloria waited at the top of the drive while Mitzi drove down to the end, shoved the money in the mailbox and closed the front.  She drove back up the drive and parked her Range Rover in front of one of the garage doors.

“It’s time to get this show on the road.” Gloria linked arms with Mitzi and the women stepped into the house to wait for the guests.

Chapter 17

The place went from empty to full in a matter of minutes.  Mitzi stood near the entrance shaking hands and kissing the air for what seemed like forever. 

Gloria stepped to the side and kept one eye on Mitzi and the other eye on the door.  The line had no end. 

Certain everything was going as planned she made the rounds, checking on Margaret, Andrea, Ruth in the closet, Dot in the kitchen and Lucy who was keeping a watchful eye on security.

Everyone was raring to go and the party kicked up a notch and into full swing. 

Uniformed butlers circled the main level of the house with silver trays full of exquisite hors d'oeuvres while other butlers made the rounds with trays full of flutes of expensive champagne. 

In addition to the free flowing champagne, there was an open bar in the foyer and another in the library.

Mitzi knew how to throw a party and all of the guests seemed to be enjoying themselves.  Of course, practice made perfect. 

Front and center, next to the beautiful floral centerpiece Mitzi and the florist had battled over, was a silent auction event. On the other side of the table was a donation box, shaped like Santa’s sleigh where guests could slip their cash donations inside.

Not only was there the silent auction and donation box, each guest had paid $100 to attend the fundraiser. 

The silent auction offered a variety of items including a couples’ massage, dinner at upscale restaurants, tickets to the theater.  There was even an auction for a new golf cart with a year’s membership to Green Springs Country Club thrown in. 

Gloria worked the crowd.  It was a shame the guests weren’t wearing nametags.  It was tricky for Gloria to figure out who the list of possible targets might be.  Mitzi had explained she no longer used nametags since the pins and fasteners tended to damage the clothing of attendees.

Not only that, but also this event was more intimate than most and Mitzi knew all of the guests, which didn’t help Gloria one iota. 

Of course, most of Gloria’s suspects worked security.  She wandered over to Lucy.  “How is it going?”

Lucy nodded.  “Good.  I’ve picked up on all your suspects including Jason Endres, the Stone woman and Stan Wosz…Wosz.”

“Woszinski,” Gloria said.

“Yep.  Him.”

“Any suspicious activity?”

“Nope.” Lucy shook her head. 

Gloria patted her arm.  “Keep your eyes peeled.”

She wandered into the kitchen to check on Dot, who was taste testing a canapé.  The petite treat was a towering mound of cheese spread with what looked like a sprig of arugula on top. 

Dot popped it into her mouth.  “This is so good,” she moaned.  “Here, try one.” She handed the bite-size morsel to Gloria who nibbled on the edge.  It was delicious.  It sure didn’t taste like the pasteurized cheese spread Gloria was familiar with.

“See anything unusual?” Gloria asked.

Dot’s eyes darted around the room.  “Oh!” Her eyes grew wide.  “There was this one guest who came out here raising a ruckus.  Something about peanut allergies and he almost ate something with nuts.”

She rolled her eyes.  “He seemed like a real jerk.”

Dot tugged on Gloria’s sleeve.  “Hey!  There he is!”

A tall man, wearing a black and white tuxedo strolled out of the kitchen, down the steps and out the back door.  “I think he smokes,” Dot guessed.

That would be Gloria’s guess, too.  Now that Gloria thought about it, Dot had a perfect view of the back door and could easily keep an eye on who went out and came back in.  “Anyone else?”

Dot nodded.  “Yeah.  There have been a few.  A few of the cops on your list, the guy I just pointed out, along with a couple women.”

“Keep up the good work.”

Gloria wondered if Ruth had a hit yet.  She wandered out of the kitchen, past the throngs of guests to the makeshift surveillance room in the front.  She tapped on the closet door and it opened a crack.

“It’s me.  Gloria,” she whispered.  The door swung open, Gloria slipped inside and closed the door behind her.

“See anything yet?”

The glow from Ruth’s computer screen was the only light in the small space. Ruth studied the monitor.  “Nope.  Not yet.  Seen a few cars stop at the end of the drive but nobody got out.”

Gloria eased onto her knees and scooched close to Ruth.  “How does it work?

“Well, I put a small motion activated device in the door of the mailbox.  When someone opens the door, a small alarm sounds.  Not in the mailbox mind you, but on here.” She pointed to the computer.

“Once the alarm sounds, I flip on the infrared camera attached to the front of the golf cart hidden under the large pine tree near the mailbox.  The camera will capture a picture of the person, clear as a bell, as if it were the middle of the afternoon.” Ruth snapped her fingers.  “Voila!  We’ve got ‘em.”

Gloria glanced at Ruth’s outfit.  She was wearing a black pantsuit and…white sneakers.  “Ruth!” She pointed to the shoes.

“What?  I can’t run in heels,” Ruth argued. 

Gloria had never seen Ruth wear heels…or a dress for that matter. 

Gloria grinned.  She pushed herself to a standing position and patted Ruth on the shoulder.  “I’m sure you’ll catch something on that camera.  I have faith in you,” she said before she stepped out of the closet and quietly closed the door behind her.

She passed Margaret in the living room on her way to track Andrea down.

Andrea was in the corner, trapped by a middle-aged couple.  She gave Gloria a look that screamed for help.  Gloria made her way over.

“There you are.” Andrea reached for Gloria’s hand.  “I was telling Commissioner
Evergreen
and his wife, Beverly, we are planning a cruise early next year.”

Gloria lifted a brow.  City Commissioner Cal Evergreen.  The same man Dot pointed out who kept going outside.  Gloria leaned in.  She could smell the lingering scent of cigarette smoke on his jacket.

Gloria held out a hand.  “Pleasure.” She wasn’t sure if it was a pleasure or not.