Nellie shook her head. “I didn’t know about the wedding. Sugar babies don’t get involved in that sort of thing. I’m sure Richard is going, but he’ll take his wife.”
“Paul will probably be there, too,” I guessed.
“Oh, I’m sure. Libby, the planning for this wedding has probably been in the works for six months to a year. It’s like turning an oil tanker. You can’t just change things overnight. Besides, Tremaine’s daughter is only eighteen or nineteen, and I’ve heard she’s a little wild. They probably want to get her married off before she gets fat, like that girl who was killed the other day.”
“I can’t think of a better opportunity for Grenier to carry out a massacre.”
“True. Maybe you should tell Wil and Donofrio.”
That was exactly what I intended to do. I called Wil first, then Donofrio. Then I called Pong, who already knew about the wedding and somehow hadn’t considered the possibility of Grenier crashing the festivities. I, on the other hand, could imagine the worst of scenarios, such as a bride mutilated and pinned to the wall.
We only had two days to plan. Considering how I’d been attacked at Kandi’s apartment, I was all for sealing the Latour estate off as soon as possible. And what I meant by sealed off was a solid dome over the place. That was immediately ruled out as silly.
“If it was my life at stake, a few extra million for security wouldn’t be an issue,” I told them.
“Next cheapest option,” Pong said.
“Thermal detection with twenty-four hour monitoring.”
“And how quickly can you get that in place?” Wil asked.
“Okay, next option,” I said. “I can put laser detection in place on top of their wall and on all entrances by tomorrow night if I can get a few men to help. Grenier may be invisible, but I can testify to the fact that he’s still solid.”
Everyone looked to Pong, who sighed. “You have the equipment already?” he asked me.
“No, but I can have it in two hours with a phone call. I can even get it delivered to the Latour estate.”
Pong looked confused. “The wedding is at the Tremaine place.”
“Oh, well, I can have it delivered there.”
I must have looked confused, because Wil leaned close and said, “The bride’s parents usually pay for the wedding, or at least for most of it.”
“Really? That’s stupid. Why don’t they split it? Does that mean they have to host it, too? Isn’t the Latour place larger?”
“That’s just the way people have done it for a very long time,” Donofrio said.
“Hell, that sucks. One more reason not to get married. I couldn’t afford it.”
“I think it originated with daughters like you,” Wil said. “Fathers had to pay to get rid of them.”
I hit him in the arm. I grinned when I did it, and everyone laughed. Except Wil. He deserved the bruise.
“Order the equipment,” Pong said. “I’ll call you when it’s delivered and provide some men to help you install it and wire it into Tremaine’s system.”
Tremaine’s estate surprised me. I expected a place out of town, but instead it was in the York Mills area, one of the most exclusive and expensive neighborhoods in Toronto, dating back to before the troubles.
We managed to install all the projectors and contacts by about eight-thirty that evening, but it took me until midnight to integrate them into the existing security systems. I took the opportunity to set up a backdoor for myself while I was at it. One never knew when such a thing might come in handy.
At one point, Wil, Pong, and Donofrio approached me.
“Libby,” Wil said, “if you were a chameleon, how would you approach this event?”
I thought he phrased that question very nicely, considering he was one of the few people who knew about my mutations.
“It depends on how much mayhem I wanted to create,” I said. “Sneaking in here early, with all this chaos going on,” I swept my hand to indicate caterers, landscape people, and the Lord only knew who else, “and planting a few bombs would be the ultimate terror attack. One right under that gazebo thing over there, set to voice trigger on the phrase ‘I do’ would be a nice touch.”
They eyed each other and shuffled their feet uneasily.
“If I wanted targeted assassinations, I’d climb one of those trees with a rifle.” Two trees grew inside the walls, and three large trees outside were close enough to offer an unobstructed view of the grounds. “I don’t know if Grenier is a sharpshooter, though. He’s only used a pistol at close range so far.”
Donofrio nodded. “That could either be a lack of expertise with firearms, a reliance on his chameleon thing, or a need to get that close and personal for gratification.”
“One thing I would consider,” I continued, “is that he’s already here and doesn’t plan to leave.” I looked at Wil. “Remember the intrusion scenario I ran in Chicago?”
He nodded, and I turned to the others.
“I put in a security system for an art museum in Chicago. As part of the testing, I sat in a janitor’s closet until after midnight, then came out and swiped a Van Gogh. I didn’t really take it, of course, but did it to demonstrate a deficiency in their security plans. In a place this big, I’m sure there are a lot of places to hide. The roof would be closer than the trees for a sniper.”
Pong studied me, then said, “I would like to talk to you sometime about a long-term consulting contract.”
“Sure! I’d love to. I have relationships like that with a few firms.”
Donofrio and Wil each gave him a questioning look.
Pong smiled. “I don’t have anyone quite like her on my payroll. I think an insight into larceny and murder is an important area of expertise to have access to.” He looked around. “While this is a very extraordinary circumstance, entertainers get stalked all the time, and not all of their fans are harmless.”
Wil rolled his eyes.
“Director Wilberforce and the Chamber have contracted me for just that reason in the past, haven’t you, Wil?”
His bronze skin always turned such a fascinating shade when he blushed.
Chapter 20
Everyone thought I was joking about never having been to a wedding, but I’d never had the pleasure. No one I was close to had ever been dumb enough to get married. Mom and Dad never married, and the custom had pretty much died out among the lower classes. I’d seen weddings in vids, of course, but in a vid they showed bits and pieces, not the whole, dreary, drawn-out process.
Nellie and Mike helped me pick a dress from my closet, and I wore expensive but understated jewelry that shouldn’t attract too much attention from the corporate crowd. James seemed to approve when he picked me up.
“Oh, my,” he said with a big smile. “Libby, you get more beautiful every time I see you.”
“And you are full of bullshit,” I replied with an equally large smile and felt my face grow warm.
“That may be,” he said, “but you’re still gorgeous.” He took my arm and kissed me on the cheek, then led me to his car. To my surprise, he had a driver.
“Getting too rich and powerful to do such menial tasks for yourself?” I asked, motioning to the man behind the wheel.
“No, but I expect the booze to be flowing freely, and even with autopilot, I would rather someone else drove.”
For his part, he wore the same suit as the night we met—dark, tailored, and obviously expensive. I’m not terribly vain, but I always loved the reactions I got when I went out with him. Women definitely noticed him. When they found out how much money he had, they tended to fall all over him, even with me present.
We turned the car over to a valet, presented our invitation, and James went through the security scanners. Director Pong walked me through, since I set off everything they had.
“You couldn’t leave your weapons at home for one afternoon?” James asked.
“If I did, who would protect you from all those voracious bridesmaids?”
/> The first thing I noticed was that people weren’t wearing their filter masks. It was incredibly expensive to fill an outdoor area with clean air, and hold it in, while holding the natural air at bay with powerful fans outside the walls. They might have been better off with my dome idea.
“What do you think this whole affair is going to cost?” I asked James.
He looked around. “Probably a million or so. I heard the bride’s dress alone was fifty thousand.”
“Is this common?”
He shrugged. “Two Entertaincorp kids? Most people would have to pay for a lot of what Tremaine is getting free or at cost. I heard about a vid star who rented an island for her wedding with helicopters to shuttle in the guests.”
Paul overheard us and walked over. “That wedding cost six mil, but Richard O’Malley sold the vid and still pictures for more than that. It’s amazing what the public considers entertainment.”
As we mingled with the other guests, I saw most of the upper elite of Toronto, many of whom I knew either from social engagements, as clients, or because I’d researched them prior to removing some of their possessions. It was like a street fair, only in formal dress, with people talking and laughing and drinking while a band played. Human servants circulated with drinks and hors d’oeuvres, and a huge buffet was set up near the house.
Donofrio was in charge of the security outside the walls, Pong handled it inside, and Wil’s Chamber forces were stationed as reserves inside the walls and on the roof. Drones patrolled overhead, and two Chamber helicopters circled along with those of the media.
I made a note to start paying attention to society weddings. They wouldn’t all have that level of security, but most people’s whole family attended, even the kids, so that meant their homes were vacant, or only occupied by servants, unless they gave the servants the day off.
I kept checking my chrono, and it was almost two hours past the invitation time when someone got up on the bandstand and announced the wedding would start in fifteen minutes. The lawn on one side of the house had chairs in neat rows facing a gazebo. All the chairs had people’s names on them so I looked to James.
With a shake of his head and a grin, he said, “We get to stand. They only have seating for the bride’s and groom’s thousand closest friends and family.”
I had to admit, the bride looked beautiful, like a fairy tale princess, but she was so, so young. I had gone to university, and most of the girls I knew delayed marriage at least until after graduation. Her groom was probably my age or a little older. My friend Paul and a couple of other men stood talking to him near the gazebo.
The crowd drawing closer together started to make me nervous. If I wanted to create the greatest mayhem, this was when I’d toss a bomb or two.
“Let’s go stand by the house,” I suggested to James. “I’m feeling a little claustrophobic.”
We found a spot where we could lean back against the wall, and I scanned the walls looking for a telltale blurring.
“I didn’t expect this many people,” I said. “You know, a couple hundred, maybe.”
James laughed. “You underestimate the level of boredom among the upper classes, as well as the need to see and be seen by our corporate masters. Your grandparents’ wedding was probably this big.”
“I guess. I don’t really talk to my grandparents.”
“Oh? When was the last time?”
“When I called my grandmother to thank her for my graduation present.” After that conversation, I never had the desire to hear the old bitch’s voice again.
I looked over the crowd. Everyone from old people in hoverchairs to kids still in diapers. “This is going to be a major mess when it’s over,” I said, envisioning the crush to leave and the long line of cars the valets would have to deal with.
“It won’t be so bad,” James said. “People will kind of dribble out during the reception, and more will leave when the bride and groom leave, and then the party will probably go all night.”
I stared at him. “I thought they’d get married, have a toast, throw the bouquet, and it would all be over.”
It was his turn to stare at me, then he barked out a laugh. “You’re serious, aren’t you? Haven’t you ever been to a wedding before?”
I felt my face heat up and knew I was turning red.
“Oh, my God, you haven’t!”
“I avoid weddings and funerals,” I muttered. “I told you that.” Then something he said hit me. “The bride and groom leave?”
“Yeah. Probably an hour or two after the ceremony. Why?”
“I’ll be right back.”
I found Wil leaning against the house in a place that gave him a view of the wedding, the front entrance and the back wall. Two young women flanked him on either side, and a few dozen more hung around within drooling distance. The man looked good, no matter what he wore, but that day he could be selling business suits.
I dragged him away from his fan club and said, “Are you aware that this shindig may go on until tomorrow? And that people will be leaving the whole time?”
“Yes.” He peered at me. “Haven’t you ever been to a wedding before?”
“I keep telling people I haven’t. Don’t any of you listen? No, and right now, I understand why. Wil, the bride and groom are leaving early. Grenier will know that. He got married once.”
Wil nodded. “Relax, Libby. Unless Grenier has a surface-to-air missile, they’ll be all right. Pong arranged for all the Entertaincorp people and their families to arrive and depart by aircar. There’s a landing pad on the roof.”
“Oh. Well, that’s good. As long as Grenier isn’t on the roof, or running the elevator.” I never seemed to anticipate aircars, maybe because they were so far out of my price range, or that of anyone I hung out with.
“Wil, that means we probably have to carry this operation on through tomorrow.”
“Yes, that was the plan.”
Big sigh. “Not my plan.”
“You can take off with your boyfriend whenever you like. I think we’ve got this.”
I could tell the comment was meant to be light hearted, but there was an edge to his voice.
“Oh, okay. I was hoping you’d take me home, but I’ll just tell James my plans have changed.” I gave a dramatic sigh, pathetically puffing my chest out to enhance my cleavage as much as possible. Yes, it was mean, but he deserved it.
I flounced back to where James was flirting with a pretty young redhead and ruined both their days by taking him by the arm, kissing him on the cheek, and giving her a pointed look. She took the hint.
We watched Tremaine escort his daughter—tall, blonde, and busty—down the aisle and give her away. The priest gave his blessing for them to do what they’d probably already been doing. Then everyone cheered and started drinking. I noticed a lot of the teens and university-age kids sneak around back to the swimming pool, and pretty soon a cloud of smoke hung over that area.
“So, now what?” I asked James.
He snagged a couple of champagne flutes off the tray of a passing waiter, handed me one, and clicked his glass against mine. Not clinked. Clicked.
“Now everyone gets hammered.”
“Plastic?” I flicked my nail against the flute.
“It would be hazardous to use glass.”
“I suppose so. It just seems so cheap when you’re spending this kind of money.”
He laughed at me, then pointed. “Now the wedding party takes pictures. Later, they’ll have an official toast between the bride and groom, cut the cake, and her father will take the first dance with her.”
“Isn’t that a little incestuous?”
He laughed again. “Haven’t you ever danced with your father?”
“When I was younger, before his accident. It was a little awkward, since I’m eight inches taller than he is. But seeing as a priest just told the bride to go forth and fornicate, it seems a little weird.”
“You have the strangest thoughts.”
�
��You’re the one who asked me to come to this pagan ritual. Is that it? Tremaine dances with his daughter and then what? The bride and groom do it on the buffet table so everyone can testify the marriage was consummated?”
“No, there will be dancing and partying until the new couple decide to go, then she’ll toss her bouquet, and he’ll toss her garter.”
“I know about that. That’s when all the bridesmaids get into a brawl, right?”
“Pretty much.”
“I want to watch that from a distance.”
About that time, John Tremaine walked by, did a double take, and stopped.
“Miss Nelson. I wasn’t aware you were invited.”
“I asked her to come as my guest,” James said, stepping forward and extending his hand. “Congratulations, John. Oldest out the door.”
Tremaine shook James’s hand. “I almost wish she’d gone to university. At least the expense would be spread over four years.”
The two men laughed, and I smiled politely. With a final glance at me, Tremaine said, “It’s good to see you, James. Enjoy yourselves.”
“My, that was friendly,” James said as we watched Tremaine walk away. “What did you do, turn down his proposition?”
“Actually, yes. I guess I did. He wanted me to call him, but I never got around to it.” Tremaine had been a little hostile, but his eyes told a slightly different story. He’d always seen me wearing a business suit before. I was willing to bet I would get a call from him soon.
“Do you know him well?” I asked.
“Fairly well. I don’t get invited to his poker parties, but we serve on a couple of charitable committees together.”
“And he hits on the ladies a lot?”
James chuckled. “I wouldn’t say a lot, but you’re definitely his type.” James let his eyes drop and linger on my décolletage. “Especially in that dress.”
Chameleon's Challenge (Chameleon Assassin Series Book 3) Page 16