“Everybody has a bad day now and then,” Layla/Lois said. “It was a long time ago and I’ve paid my debt to society. I went to jail for five years, and when I came out I started my business and it took off like gangbusters. I think I deserve some credit for making a new start.”
“New start!” Miss Tilley scoffed. “Is that what you call stealing your client’s jewels?”
“You didn’t!” Noelle hissed.
“Of course I didn’t,” Lois insisted, picking up the Birkin bag she’d left on a chair. “She’s all wrong. I didn’t have anything to do with the theft.”
“I think you did,” Elizabeth said, remembering the confusion after the photo shoot. “You pretended to lose the key to the case—that’s when the jewels were taken, when we were all scrambling around, looking for the key.”
“That’s enough!” Lois said, reaching into her bag and producing a small pink handgun. “All of you, get out on the terrace.”
“Not me!” Noelle protested.
“You, too,” Lois snarled.
“But I thought we were friends,” Noelle whined.
“Friends? Is this what you call being a friend? Nattering on endlessly about your problems, about how Jonah doesn’t love you? Do you have any idea how self-centered you are? Do you?”
Noelle’s face crumpled. “You’re the rat! You’re the one who stole my jewels!”
“Shut up! Now, out, all of you.” She waved the gun, and Noelle darted across the room and out onto the terrace. Elizabeth followed, more slowly, helping Miss Tilley. Once they were outside, Lois slammed the door shut and locked it, leaving them to face the elements.
“We can call for help,” Noelle suggested, leaning over the edge. “Yoo-hoo,” she screamed. “Help!”
“Save your breath,” Miss Tilley advised. “We’re too high up, and it’s too breezy.”
In fact, Elizabeth noted with dismay, the sky had clouded over and the wind was kicking up, signs that a tropical downpour was coming. She was looking for a means of escape, looking for a way to cross the gap to the neighboring terrace, when she heard a shriek from inside the suite. Peering inside, she recognized Dan Wrayburn and—could it be?—Chris Kennedy.
Noelle immediately began banging on the glass and yelling, to get their attention. Wrayburn busied himself cuffing Lois and Chris unlocked the door.
“What are you doing here?” Elizabeth asked, confronting him.
“Yeah!” Lois exclaimed, pointing at Chris. “He’s the thief! And they’re his accomplices,” she added, swinging around to indicate Elizabeth and Miss Tilley. “You’ve got this all wrong. They broke into the suite! They’re the thieves, not me.”
Noelle’s face was a cold mask of fury. “I’m a thief? I don’t think so. This is my suite. You took advantage of me, of my friendship, and you locked me out. Locked me out of my own room, left me to rot on that terrace.” She started to move toward Lois, but Chris intervened.
“It’s over. The jewels have been recovered,” he said. “Your partner in crime, Sammie Wong, was arrested at Teterboro this morning, about to leave for Dubai.”
“Sammie had the jewels?” Noelle asked.
“Most of them were hidden in his camera cases, but the Star of Bethlehem was concealed in a jar of Crème de la Mer.”
Elizabeth’s jaw dropped. “I got that for him,” she said. “Maybe I am a conspirator after all.”
Chapter 10
Suddenly the suite was filled with uniformed cops. Jonah Gruber had heard the news at the airport just as he was about to board and had returned to embrace a tearful Noelle. Chris Kennedy was explaining the situation to a police detective and Dan Wrayburn was talking on his cell phone, reporting to the hotel manager. Lois, handcuffed and sullen, was seated in a corner of a huge couch; her pink handgun was tagged and bagged and lay on the wet bar’s polished pink granite counter.
“I don’t think we need to linger,” Miss Tilley said. “We’re not needed here.”
Wasn’t that the truth, Elizabeth thought. Chris Kennedy hadn’t given her a glance. It was obvious he didn’t care a fig for her. He was some sort of investigator and he’d used her to get inside information. And besides, she wasn’t eager to explain her presence in a Cavendish maid’s uniform to Wrayburn. “Let’s go,” she whispered. “I’ve got to get out of this uniform and return this pass before they figure out I shouldn’t have it.”
The two women worked their way through the crowded room to the open door, unnoticed in the confusion. The elevator was waiting for them and they descended without incident and made their way to the locker room where Elizabeth slipped the pass into locker thirty-four. They were making their way down the hallway and had almost reached the exit when Mr. Dimitri hailed Elizabeth.
“You know they caught the thieves!” he exclaimed.
“I heard,” she said. “It’s wonderful news.” She stood awkwardly, unreasonably hoping he wouldn’t notice the maid’s uniform.
“Dan Wrayburn tells me you were instrumental in solving the case,” he continued, speaking excitedly. “He said you went undercover, that the maid’s uniform was a brilliant disguise and you will be able to testify against that awful party planner the Grubers hired.” He shook his head and shuddered. “He said she is a convicted criminal and I don’t doubt it. Those absolutely awful fake white Christmas trees were a crime! Talk about tacky.”
Elizabeth found herself unable to speak, but Miss Tilley was only too happy to fill the void. “I’m proud to be Elizabeth’s friend,” she said. “Let me introduce myself. I’m Miss Julia Tilley, from Tinker’s Cove, Maine.”
Elizabeth blushed in embarrassment. “I’m so sorry. I should have introduced you. This is Mr. Dimitri, the hotel manager.”
“Pleased to meet you.” Miss Tilley extended a knobby hand and Mr. Dimitri took it in both of his, then bent down and kissed it. “My goodness,” she said. “No one has ever kissed my hand before!”
“It was my privilege,” Mr. Dimitri said, oozing the charm he was known for. “And, Elizabeth, I hope you will return to work tomorrow?” His eyes twinkled. “In your green blazer at the concierge desk?”
Elizabeth was suddenly aware that quite a group of employees had gathered around them and were listening to every word. She recognized the faces of Kieran, Ada, Marketa, and so many others who had become her friends.
“Of course,” Elizabeth replied.
“I’m not sure that’s wise, dear,” Miss Tilley said, patting her hand. She turned to Mr. Dimitri. “Elizabeth has been through a great deal lately and she needs some time to recover. Let’s say she takes her scheduled vacation and starts her new position on January third.”
“A much better idea,” Mr. Dimitri agreed. “January third it is.”
The group broke into spontaneous applause, causing Elizabeth to turn quite pink with pleasure. Mr. Dimitri leaned close and lowered his voice. “You’ll be paid for the days you were on leave and you will find a generous bonus, too.”
“Thank you, thank you so much,” Elizabeth said.
And then, much to her surprise, Mr. Dimitri took her hand and kissed it, too. Over his sleek, oiled hair she caught sight of Toni, watching with an expression of shocked disbelief, and she smiled.
“À bientôt,” Mr. Dimitri said.
“À bientôt,” Elizabeth replied, taking Miss Tilley’s elbow and walking out the door. It didn’t feel like walking on stained and spotty concrete, she realized. She felt as if she were walking on a cloud.
Back at the apartment, they found Lucy putting the finishing touches on the Christmas tree. The origami cranes bobbed on their thread hangers and the little white lights twinkled and Christmas music was playing. “It’s about time you got here!” she exclaimed. “I’ve been frantic with worry.”
“We were stuck in a closet,” Elizabeth said.
“And then we were discovered and Lois locked us out on the terrace,” Miss Tilley added. “She locked Noelle out, too.”
“It was scary. Lois had a gun, and the weathe
r was turning nasty. We could have been stuck out there for hours until somebody noticed us.”
“Chris Kennedy saved us,” Miss Tilley said, seating herself on the futon. “He was on the case all along. They caught Sammie Wong trying to get to Dubai with the jewels.”
“My goodness,” Lucy said, blinking. “That’s quite a tale.”
“It was quite an exciting afternoon,” Miss Tilley said, looking cool and collected with not a hair out of place. “I think I’d like a glass of that sherry now.”
“I got my job back.” Elizabeth reported the fact without any expression. “And a bonus, too.”
“You don’t sound very happy about it,” Lucy observed, opening the bottle.
“I should be, shouldn’t I?” she asked. “I don’t know what’s the matter with me. Thanks to Miss T I even got my Christmas vacation.”
“That’s great!” Lucy exclaimed, filling three glasses.
“You’re probably feeling a bit let down after all the excitement,” Miss Tilley speculated, taking the sherry glass from Lucy and tossing back most of the contents in one gulp.
“It’s more than that.” Elizabeth leaned her elbow on the dining table and rested her chin on her hand. “I feel used. Chris Kennedy didn’t really like me, he just wanted to get information from me. And he got me in trouble at work. I was going crazy, worrying about paying the rent. And worse than that, wondering if I’d ever get another job with my reputation ruined.”
Lucy gave her daughter a hug. “Well, all’s well that ends well,” she said, kissing her on the cheek. “Now, it’s after six. What shall we do for dinner? There’s nothing in the house and I was too anxious to go shopping.”
Elizabeth knew that dinner was always at six in the Stone household; her father insisted on it.
Just then the doorbell rang.
“I bet it’s Toni, come to apologize.” Elizabeth opened the door and gasped, finding Chris standing there. He was holding a huge pizza box and an enormous bouquet of long-stemmed pink roses.
“I’m so sorry,” he said. “Will you forgive me?”
Elizabeth thought about the sleepless night she’d spent, and how she’d worried she would never be able to get another job, but that wasn’t what had really bothered her. It was the hurt she’d felt when Chris didn’t call, when he seemed to lose interest and dropped her. She didn’t want to go through that again, not with this guy, she decided, starting to shut the door in his face.
“Elizabeth,” her mother said, “he’s brought food.” Then Lucy was pushing her aside, taking the pizza and flowers. “I think I smell pepperoni, my favorite,” she said. “Do come in and have some with us. We’re dying to hear all about how you tracked down Sammie Wong.”
Chris didn’t hesitate. He was inside the apartment and casting sad eyes in Elizabeth’s direction. She wasn’t moved, however, despite his contrite expression. It reminded her of the looks Libby, the Labrador back home in Maine, would make when she knew she’d done something wrong, like chewing up a favorite pair of shoes. It didn’t mean she was actually sorry or that she wouldn’t do it again, it was simply a manipulative tactic she used to avoid punishment.
“Put these flowers in water,” her mother said, handing her the bouquet.
Elizabeth left Chris standing awkwardly in the living room with Lucy and Miss Tilley and went into the kitchen to get a vase for the roses. She supposed her mother was right and she shouldn’t let the flowers die of thirst even if she didn’t much like their giver.
When she returned with the vase of flowers she discovered her mother had found the place mats and set the table on the deck, and was opening the pizza box. The rich, spicy aroma filled the air. “Come on, everybody, sit down before it gets cold.”
“Elizabeth,” she instructed, in her bossy mother tone of voice, “I think there’s a bottle of soda in the fridge. Could you get it, please? And some glasses?”
When Elizabeth returned with the soda she discovered the only free seat was opposite Chris, who was waiting politely for the others to serve themselves. She sat down but made a point of not looking at him.
“I assume you were working for the insurance company all along?” Miss Tilley inquired, attacking her piece of pizza with a knife and fork.
“That’s right,” Chris said, finally taking a piece that was loaded with pepperoni. “When Gruber took out the policy I was assigned to keep tabs on the jewels. That’s company policy when somebody insures an exceptionally valuable item. If it’s a painting, we check out the security system, stuff like that. If they’re going to loan it to a museum or something, they have to inform us. It’s the same with jewelry. They have to agree to keep it in a safe that we’ve approved and they have to inform us whenever it’s taken out of the safe. So when Gruber announced this Blingle Bells Ball I went undercover here at the hotel.”
“So you’re not a conservation lawyer after all?” Elizabeth asked, narrowing her eyes.
“I lied to you,” he said, looking miserable. “I didn’t want to but I had to. I was undercover. I couldn’t risk being discovered.”
Elizabeth, expressionless, chewed her pizza.
“When did you begin to suspect Sammie Wong and Lois Feinstein?” Miss Tilley asked.
“Pretty much right away,” Chris replied. “We did background checks on everybody connected with the ball and they stood out like sore thumbs—both had criminal records.”
“You’d think Jonah Gruber would have checked, too,” Lucy said. “After all, he’s supposed to be some sort of computer genius.”
“We informed him and he was going to get rid of them but his wife put up a fuss. Noelle insisted on hiring Layla/ Lois, said nobody else would do, and Lois insisted on Sammie Wong for the photos.”
“And the switch took place at the photo shoot,” Miss Tilley said.
“That’s right.” Chris was reaching for a second slice of pizza. “The jewels were stashed in the photo equipment and Elizabeth took an empty case back to the safe.”
“I can’t believe I was that stupid,” Elizabeth said, nibbling on the crust, her favorite part. “I should have checked the case. I just assumed they were inside when Layla locked it.”
“It’s a good thing you didn’t question her,” Chris said. “They might have harmed you.” He looked into her eyes and reached across the table, covering her hand with his. “That’s when I was most worried, when you were alone with them in that suite after the photo shoot. I was terrified something would happen to you.”
Elizabeth snatched her hand away. “You could have told me. You played me for a fool. You even made it look like I was involved in the theft.”
“That was for your safety,” Chris explained. “We wanted you out of the way, safe at home. But it had the advantage of creating a smoke screen. As long as Sammie and Lois believed the police thought you and I were the thieves, they figured they’d gotten away with it. Sammie was headed off to Dubai with the jewels, on a private jet to avoid screening, and the New Jersey cops were able to nab him. Case closed.”
“I guess you’re pretty proud of yourself,” Elizabeth said with a scowl.
Miss Tilley gave Lucy a significant look and stood up. “Lucy, dear, let me help you with the dishes.”
“Oh, right,” Lucy said, catching her drift. She picked up her plate and glass and followed Miss Tilley into the tiny kitchen, leaving Elizabeth alone with Chris.
It was warm on the balcony, the moon was rising and the air was fragrant with the sweet scent of Elizabeth’s night-blooming nicotiana.
“Please understand,” Chris pleaded. “I couldn’t risk telling you, telling anybody. I had enough trouble with that friend of yours, that Toni.”
“She was on to you right away,” Elizabeth said. “She knew you were a Kennedy imposter.”
“Imposter! I am a real Kennedy. My dad is Joe Kennedy from Dorchester, proud owner of Kennedy’s Transmission Service.”
For the first time since he’d arrived, Elizabeth smiled.
&nb
sp; “Fake! That’s something. Do you know how many Kennedys there are in Massachusetts?” he asked, cracking a grin.
“Quite a lot?”
“Yeah,” he said, leaning across the table and taking her chin in his hand. “And I can’t wait for you to meet the whole family.” Then they were kissing, a hot, spicy, pepperoni-flavored kiss.
When it finally ended, Elizabeth came back for another. “I really, really like pizza,” she said.
“Me, too,” Chris said.
Dear Reader,
When I was in London a couple of years ago I visited the British Library where I was thrilled to see the page from Charlotte Brontë’s manuscript for Jane Eyre. It was written in her own clear hand, open to the page that begins, “Reader, I married him.” I don’t know if Elizabeth will marry Chris, but I have enjoyed spending time with my series heroine Lucy Stone’s oldest daughter, Elizabeth, and I hope you did, too.
Elizabeth has been part of the Lucy Stone Mystery Series since the beginning (Mistletoe Murder) and we’ve watched her grow up, go to college, and begin her career. She’s always been the most cantankerous of Lucy and her restoration carpenter husband Bill’s four children, and I suspect Lucy has a special place in her heart for her. I know that I do.
Of course, Lucy and Bill have three other children, Toby, Sara, and Zoe, and they’ve all had parts to play in the Lucy Stone Mystery Series, which is set in the entirely fictional coastal town of Tinker’s Cove, Maine. Lucy is a part-time reporter for the local newspaper and her job often leads her to uncover crimes. Tinker’s Cove is postcard-pretty but is, unfortunately, not immune to present-day problems such as poverty, drug addiction, and organized crime. Individual citizens also wrestle with their consciences, and sometimes succumb to their baser instincts, such as greed, revenge, and jealousy. All of that means there’s plenty for Lucy to investigate.
In addition to uncovering crimes, Lucy is a busy mom, deeply involved in town events and holiday celebrations. That is the case in Easter Bunny Murder, coming out in February 2013, when she takes her grandson, Patrick, to the annual egg hunt at the Van Vorst estate—a hunt that, I am sorry to say, ends tragically. Lucy’s determination to solve a puzzling death leads her into a dynastic drama rife with conflicts and rivalries, jealousies and secrets.
A Winter Wonderland Page 29