janet maple 05 - it doesnt pay to be bad (23 page)

“Grr, I can’t wait for tonight to be over with.”

“Let’s make sure everything goes off without a hitch and then we can celebrate,” Janet said playfully, but then the smile disappeared from her face. It was show time and they had to put their game faces on.

Chapter 18

“We’re on,” said Janet as their car pulled up in front of Bassand’s mansion.

“It’s show time, baby.” Dennis got out and held the door open for her. “We’ll take Bassand’s car from here, so no need to wait around,” he added to the driver.

“Ready?” Janet whispered to Dennis as they climbed up the front stairs of Bassand’s townhouse.

“Of course we’re ready,” Dennis assured her. “This guy is child’s play compared to the reprobates we’ve dealt with in the past.”

“That’s true enough,” Janet muttered. Even though their past cases had involved tackling gangsters way rougher than Bassand, who despite his vast criminal activities had a very refined demeanor, she couldn’t help feeling uneasy. It was too late to say anything to Dennis now—he was already ringing Bassand’s doorbell.

“Mr. Bassand is expecting you.” The butler bowed as he opened the front door.

“Good.” Dennis nodded. “Because we’re kind of in a rush and we don’t want to be late.”

“Right this way.” The butler weaved his way down the hall, leaving Janet and Dennis no choice but to follow him.

“Err, we really do have to get going. Perhaps you could remind Mr. Bassand that we have a special invitation for the private viewing of the attraction before the gala begins. We wouldn’t want to be rude to the host,” Dennis said, but the butler kept on walking.

“My apologies, but I believe it will be best if you relay your concerns to Mr. Bassand directly.” The butler bowed as he opened the door, unveiling an upholstered sitting room.

“Janet, Dennis, come in, come in,” Bassand greeted them heartily. He was dressed in a tailored tuxedo with a perfectly tied bowtie and patent black shoes. There was a small red carnation in his left buttonhole. “That will be all, thank you.” He nodded briskly at the butler and the latter departed seamlessly. “Please, make yourselves comfortable.” Bassand gestured at the sprawling couch.

“Thank you.” Janet perched herself on the edge of the couch, realizing that this room was different from the previous rooms where Bassand had met with them.

“I think it’s time we end this charade.”

Janet instantly recognized the cold voice carrying through the air as that of Nicole Sheridan’s. She looked up and saw Nicole enter the room dressed in an off-the-shoulder floor-length black evening gown. She was pointing a gun at them.

“Nicole, I understand you have plenty of reasons to hold a grudge against us, but please let’s not get carried away—” Dennis began.

“Shut up and sit down,” Nicole barked, her gun aimed squarely at them. “Leonard, you know what to do.” She jerked her head at Leonard who had appeared from the back of the room with a thick coil of rope under his arm. “Tie them up quickly. We’ve got to get going.”

“What’s going on here?” Janet asked, shivering inside and doing her best not to show it. Their plan had gone horribly awry.

“We’re on to you. That’s what’s going on here,” Nicole sneered. “Did you really think we’d be stupid enough to buy into this lame scheme of yours after you cheated us out of the Monet?”

“But we didn’t cheat you out of the Monet,” Janet pleaded, her heart pounding. “We wired the money, just as Armand requested.” This part was true. The FBI did transfer a hefty sum to Bassand’s offshore account as part of the entrapment operation. “We have the perfect plan to get the Eternal Light. Don’t ruin it.”

“You double-crossed us,” Nicole seethed. “No one double-crosses us. No one. Now you’ll pay the price.” She eyed Leonard imperiously. “What are you waiting for? Tie them up, Leonard. Armand and I have a party to go to.”

“Whatever you think is going on, you’re wrong,” Janet went on. “You can’t just show up without us. I have a special invitation from Garrett’s fiancée for a tour before the gala. Garrett was going to give us a private viewing of the Eternal Light, which would give us the perfect opportunity to scope out the place.”

“As tempting as that sounds, we have a better plan,” Nicole scoffed. “We won’t be staying for the tour or the festivities. We’ll just pick up the Eternal Light and be on our way.”

“Nicole, you got it all wrong,” Dennis tried to reason with her. “We want the Eternal Light as much as you do—”

“I know you do,” she cut him off. “But you’re not going to get it.” Her eyes flashed at Leonard. “I don’t like repeating myself. Don’t tell me you can’t follow basic instructions.”

“Sit down, both of you,” Leonard spoke with gruff assuredness he’d never exhibited before.

“Lenny, you’re making a mistake,” Dennis whispered. “Think about what’s at stake here—”

“What are you two whispering about?” Nicole pointed her gun at Dennis’s face. “Don’t even think about luring Leonard with some pathetic promise of a larger share. He knows Armand and I will take care of him.”

“I’m sure,” Dennis shot back. “Like the two of you will take off with the profits and leave Lenny here to face the consequences.”

Quick as whiplash, Nicole hit Dennis on the corner of his mouth with her gun. “That’s for talking too much—”

Janet thought she saw an opening and, remembering the self-defense moves Tina had taught them, was about to ambush Nicole when Armand uttered a warning sound and Nicole pointed the gun right at Janet’s temple. “Not so fast. Now, sit back down. Tie them up, Lenny.”

“Hold out your hands,” Leonard demanded and Janet and Dennis did as they were told. His movements quick and rough, Leonard tied their wrists and ankles with the thick rope he’d brought with him.

“Make sure the knots are tight,” Nicole instructed him.

“They’re tight,” Leonard gritted through his teeth.

Nicole bent down to examine the restraints. “Good.” She nodded in satisfaction. “Now Armand and I have to go. You stay here and watch these two. Once we have the diamond, we’ll meet you, as agreed.”

“Can’t I come with you?” Leonard pleaded.

“And who’s going to watch these two?” Nicole asked.

“We talked about this, Leonard.” Bassand stepped into the center of the room. “This is your chance to redeem yourself for all your misdoings. I’ve dismissed all the servants. After we leave, handle these two as we’ve discussed. Prove yourself to me and you shall be rewarded.”

“Yes, Armand.” Leonard bowed sheepishly.

“I would say it was a pleasure knowing you, except it wasn’t,” Bassand said dryly, looking down at Janet and Dennis. “Smalltime amateurs like you don’t make deals with someone like me. Oh, and don’t even bother trying to call for help. This room is sound and signal-proof. No one will ever know you’re here.” Bassand offered his arm to Nicole. “It’s time, my dear. We don’t want to keep our host waiting.”

“Yes, Armand.” Nicole took Bassand’s arm and together they walked out of the room without as much as a glance at Janet and Dennis.

“Et tu, Brute?” Dennis asked once the door closed behind Nicole and Bassand. “How could you betray us after everything we’ve been through—”

“You don’t exactly inspire loyalty,” Leonard snapped. “But you’ll be glad to know—”

“What do you plan to do with us now? Gas us, feed us to the stray dogs?” Dennis went on.

“Stop giving him ideas!” Janet exclaimed. Even now Dennis couldn’t stop needling Leonard—in all fairness, she could hardly blame him for switching allegiance to Bassand.

“Shhh!” Leonard pressed his index finger to his lips. “Keep it down. Are you sure they’re gone?”

“They’re gone all right,” Dennis carried on. “So what now? Are you going to do your master’s bidding and dispose of us? The only question is, are you prepared to serve a life sentence while Bassand enjoys himself somewhere in the Caribbean or the French Riviera?”

“Stop winding him up,” Janet cut in. “You’re making it worse.”

“No I’m not. I’m making him realize that he doesn’t have the guts to go through with this and that he should untie us and let us go. And then maybe, just maybe we’ll put in a good word to the FBI for him and he might still get the deal he struck with the feds.”

Dennis was so busy talking, he failed to notice that Leonard was hard at work undoing Janet’s restraints he’d tied so meticulously just a few minutes ago.

Once Leonard had removed the rope, Janet rubbed her wrists. “Thanks. My hands were beginning to get numb.”

“Sorry about that,” Leonard said guiltily. “Nicole was watching my every move. I had to make it believable.”

“You’ve certainly succeeded in that,” Dennis snapped. “Wait, what’s going on here?”

“Leonard’s on our side, that’s what’s going on,” Janet explained. “Isn’t it, Leonard?”

Leonard nodded and started undoing Dennis’s restraints.

“So you didn’t tell Armand about us working for the FBI?” Dennis asked, looking dumbfounded.

“Nope.” Leonard shook his head, busy untying the ropes on Dennis’s wrists.

“So what did Nicole mean when she said she and Armand were on to us?” Dennis demanded.

“Just that—they think you plan to cheat them out of their share of the Eternal Light. They don’t know anything about the feds being on to them.”

“How do we know you’re not lying?” Dennis eyed him suspiciously.

“Would I untie you if I were lying?” Leonard shot back.

“Maybe you’re playing both angles. Why didn’t you warn us about this if you knew it were going to happen?” Dennis countered, staring him down.

“I didn’t know. I swear,” Leonard protested. “Bassand and Nicole told me about their plan minutes before you arrived. They gave me an ultimatum—do this or get out. I figured it best to cooperate to keep my cover going.”

“Good thinking,” Dennis praised him.

“And by the way, since I didn’t say a word to Armand about the feds, my deal with them stands,” Leonard added.

“Of course it does,” Janet assured him. “Now let’s call Agent Norris for backup.”

Chapter 19

At six forty five p.m., Tina walked down the winding staircase to the ground floor of Daniel Garrett’s mansion. She had to take extra care not to trip on the floor-length ballroom gown she was wearing. The flowing, ruffled skirt and the exquisite silk material made her feel like a princess rather than a bodyguard, but the gun she had strapped to her thigh reminded her of the real reason she was playing dress up in Daniel Garrett’s mansion. And if that were not enough, the stylish, but also extremely practical side slit in the gown’s skirt would make it easy for her to pull out the gun at a moment’s notice.

In about fifteen minutes the most notorious art thief in the world was going to walk through the door, and it was her job to make sure that no harm would come to Daniel. Still, despite the somber nature of her task, it had been hard to ignore her reflection in the mirror after her transformation into Daniel Garrett’s fiancée had been completed. The bureau had sent over a beautician to do Tina’s makeup and hair, and she had to admit that she was pleased with the result. The emerald green silk of the gown made a striking contrast with her auburn hair, which was pinned up elaborately and brought out the color of her eyes, artfully accented with makeup. She felt giddy at the thought of Daniel’s reaction—she was going to take his breath away, even if it was going to be only as a pretend fiancée. Dammit, she bit her lip, wishing she could get these ridiculous thoughts out of her head. It was all the dress’s fault. How could a girl keep a cool head in a dress like that? She wished she had jeans and a T-shirt on—this way she could concentrate on her job.

“Wow!”

She turned around at the sound of the familiar voice and felt her face grow warm under Daniel’s admiring gaze.

“You are truly a vision tonight.” He smiled at her—the old flirtatious smile of their first encounter rather than the perfunctory, cool one he’d been hiding behind of late.

“You’re too kind.” She felt her throat tighten, as her eyes locked on Daniel’s. He looked dashing in a tailored tuxedo and bowtie.

“But I believe there is one thing missing—”

“What is it?” She ran her hand through her hair self-consciously, wondering if her updo was too casual or her makeup not glamorous enough for the occasion.

“This.” He held up a velvet jewelry case, popping it open and revealing a diamond necklace with an oval sapphire centerpiece.

“It’s beautiful,” she gasped.

“But don’t you think the gown is enough?” she asked, mesmerized by the striking necklace. The sapphire had to be at least twenty carats. It had to be worth a fortune. What if she had to get into hand-to-hand combat and the clasp got loose or something? She already had so much to worry about.

“It would give me great pleasure if you’d wear it tonight. Please, allow me.” He held the necklace, taking a step closer toward her.

Breathless, she turned around for him to fasten the necklace clasp.

“Stunning,” he said, taking a step back for a better view.

“It is incredible.” She nervously patted the heavy pendant.

“Just one of my latest acquisitions. It used to belong to a famous movie star in the fifties, but I dare say, she couldn’t hold a candle to you.”

“I’m sure that’s not true.” She smiled shyly at him.

“You’ll just have to take my word for it.” He checked his watch, looking concerned. “It seems our guest of honor is delayed. I certainly hope he’s going to show up.”

“It’s probably just bad traffic—not everyone has a helicopter at their disposal.”

“I’m sure Bassand could afford one if he wanted to. In any case, we’re going to enjoy this gala, with or without his presence. Should we take one more tour of the grounds to make sure everything is in order while we wait for the guests to arrive?”

“Great idea—one can never be too careful.” She nodded.

Just then the doorbell rang and Garrett’s butler hurried to answer the door, but Daniel waived him away. “I believe this is our guest of honor arriving—I will greet him personally.”