Fool Me Once

by Fern Michaels

  My investigator is on the case and has three promising leads. Person resembling subject seen at Memphis, TN, airport. It’s not easy getting a passenger manifest. We guarantee results, as I’ve told you. Your next report will be sent in twenty-four hours.

  The message was signed with the initials MK.

  Olivia ignored the rest of the e-mails, going to the Net, where she typed in Great Rock Insurance Company of Mississippi. Her printer whirred as she printed out everything that popped on her screen. She searched out the 800 telephone numbers and made a note of them. Maybe, if she was lucky, she could find the insurance investigator who authorized the payoff on the bearer bonds forty years ago.

  Olivia left the computer once, around noontime, to let the dogs out and fix herself a sandwich. While she was chewing her ham and cheese, Jeff called to tell her he loved her and was serious about his proposal and couldn’t wait for evening. Before he hung up, he asked about Cecil. Olivia laughed all the way back to her office.

  Perusing the papers from the printer, she saw that Great Rock was a very large insurance company these days. Forty years ago Mississippi Rock, as it was known then, was a rinky-dink company with five office employees, two agents, and an office in Oxford. Today the home office was in Biloxi and had over four hundred employees, as well as eighteen full-time insurance investigators and four investigators on a part-time basis. A payout like the one they’d made to the bank forty years ago would have hurt the small company big-time. How had they managed to stay in business by paying out close to a million dollars when they insured small life insurance policies and some homeowner policies? Damn, maybe it was all a scam, and the insurance company was in bed with the man who owned the bank? Olivia was smart enough to realize she’d probably never be able to find out the truth.

  She leaned back in her chair, propped her feet on her desktop, and tried to think. How hard could it be to track down two insurance agents? If the agents had been in their twenties, or even their thirties, they would be in their sixties or seventies now. There was a good chance that they were dead. She needed names. Without names there was no way she could do a search.

  Jeff had said he vaguely recalled seeing something about an insurance company among Adrian’s papers. Maybe Adrian had the agent’s name. She was certain there was nothing in the diary she’d read in regard to Great Rock.

  Olivia looked at her watch. There was no point now in trying to read Adrian’s computer files. Tomorrow would be soon enough. She wanted to take a scented bubble bath, get dressed up, and be ready for Jeff’s formal proposal. The thought left her giddy and light-headed. What to wear?

  A little before three o’clock, Jeff raced home to his apartment, where he quickly showered and shaved, splashing on a woodsy-scented aftershave his brother said would drive women wild. He wondered what a wild Olivia would be like as he changed to a fresh suit and clean shirt. He knotted the same power tie at his neck and nearly flew out of the apartment. His first stop was Goldman’s Jewelry, where he stewed and fretted over the wide selection of engagement rings, called his mother twice, then chose a two-carat diamond engagement ring that seriously depleted his bank account. It winked and sparkled against the black velvet cloth the jeweler had placed it on. Jeff closed his eyes, trying to picture it on Olivia’s hand.

  Suddenly Jeff was having trouble with his breathing. Was he going to pass out right there in the jewelry store? He forced himself to take deep, steady breaths. He’d done it! He’d picked out an engagement ring! He’d asked Olivia to marry him. God Almighty!

  The red, velvet-lined box felt scorching hot in his hand. He shoved it into his pocket. He started to sweat profusely when he slid into the driver’s seat of his car. This was serious business. He’d just committed himself to a woman. A woman he’d known less than two weeks. Did time count when you were in love? He’d always known that someday he’d find someone he wanted to spend his life with. For some reason he thought it would be a long courtship with fights, breakups, then kissing each other and professing undying love. None of that was happening.

  Jeff’s foot started to shake on the gas pedal. He was getting dizzy again. He needed to keep his wits about him or he was going to go off the road. Think about Cecil. If it wasn’t for Cecil, he never would have found Olivia. Good old Cecil. “God, I love that dog,” he mumbled. Maybe he should stop and buy Cecil and the other dogs a hamburger at Burger King in thanks. Yeah, yeah, he’d do that. Some french fries, too. Maybe even some chicken nuggets to round out the meal. Yeah, yeah, Cecil loved chicken almost as much as he loved burgers. Lillian Manning always cooked for Cecil—chicken livers, filet mignon, lamb chops.

  Jeff fumbled on the seat for his cell phone. He called information for the number of the Colonial Flower Shop on Valley Avenue. He punched out the number, spoke to someone named Mary, and ordered two dozen yellow roses. “Put a big bow on the box, and put lots of that green stuff in them. I’ll pick it up in twenty minutes.” Before he hung up, he rattled off his credit card number. Candy? Should he order candy, too? Nah. Champagne! With no idea where a liquor store was, Jeff redialed the Colonial Flower Shop and asked Mary where he could purchase a bottle. A minute later he had the phone number. A man named Peter promised to have a bottle of his best champagne ready when he stopped by before closing. He rattled off his credit card number for the second time.

  Jeff wondered if he was losing his mind as he screeched into a Burger King and ordered the little dogs their burger and chicken nuggets. The moment the young boy held out the bag, he snatched it and peeled out of the drive-through.

  Damn! Jeff slapped at his forehead. Was he supposed to bring dinner? For the life of him, he couldn’t remember. He was nuts, he was sure of it, when he swerved into the lot of a Chinese restaurant called Pagoda. He was so rattled he just said, “Give me some of everything!”

  The food smells in the car were so strong, he rolled down the window as he headed for Loudoun Street—the florist’s and the liquor store. He was so jittery, he made two wrong turns and had to backtrack before he finally turned onto Eagle Drive. The moment he stopped the car he heard the dogs barking.

  Jeff stood still, rain pelting him and his new suit. He could cut and run if he wanted to. He jammed his hand into his pocket to check the little box. It still felt hot. The dogs were barking louder. The front light came on. He reached into the car for the flowers and the champagne. He tucked both under one arm. The Chinese shopping bag with one of everything and the Burger King bag were in his other hand. He kicked the car door shut with his foot before he ran to the front door.

  He felt loved and wanted when the dogs circled his feet, trying to snatch the Burger King bag. He sighed with happiness when Olivia’s lips locked on his.

  What could be better?

  Nothing, he answered himself.

  They were both breathless when the kiss ended, both their eyes full of wonderment. Hand in hand, they walked into the great room, suddenly shy. Jeff took charge, feeding the dogs while Olivia ooohed and aaahed over the yellow roses. She put them in two vases, fluffing out the greenery. “They’re gorgeous!” she said, awe ringing in her voice. “Champagne! Oh, I have some beautiful glasses to drink this out of. I love drinking out of fragile glasses, don’t you?”

  Jeff wanted to say a paper cup would do it for him, but he knew it was a girl thing, so he said, “Me too.”

  They looked at each other.

  “Should we get officially engaged before or after we eat? I brought Chinese, and it will get cold if we wait.”

  “Then let’s eat! You’re spoiling those dogs, you know that, don’t you? I set the table in anticipation of you bringing dinner even though I couldn’t remember if you were to bring it or not. If not, it was going to be peanut butter and jelly. There’s something about peanut butter and jelly with candlelight.”

  “I love peanut butter and jelly with or without candlelight. Need any help?”

  “Not really. Since they packed everything so nicely, let’s just spoon it
out onto plates, unless you want to wash a bunch of bowls. Let’s put the flowers on the table. They’re so pretty, Jeff. Thank you. Yellow is my favorite color.”

  Jeff’s face was full of amazement. “It’s my mother’s favorite color, too.” A girl just like Mom. Olivia smiled at him as she filled his plate.

  Jeff slipped out of his jacket and hung it over the back of his chair as he unbuttoned the top button on his shirt and loosened his tie. Just to be sure the red, velvet-lined box was still in his pocket, he stuck his hand in his pocket to feel it. For some reason, it still felt hot to the touch.

  The dogs raced into the kitchen the moment they smelled the food. They circled the table but didn’t beg. Sooner or later, they would get something. At least that’s the way it usually worked.

  Jeff, his eyes on the woman across from him, paid no attention to the dogs. Cecil or Loopy started to sniff his shoes, working his way around to the back of the chair where Jeff’s coat was hanging. One little paw swatted at the bulge in the jacket pocket. Alice, seeing the Yorkie dancing around on his hind legs, meandered over to see what was going on. She, too, swatted at the bulge in the pocket. When nothing fell to the floor, she stuck her snoot into the pocket and brought out the small red box. All the dogs circled around the prize that Alice dropped to the floor. Food? Treats? Bea wiggled her rear end closer, sniffed the box, pushed it around a little to see if it bit back. When it didn’t, she picked it up and trotted out of the dining room, down the hall to Olivia’s bedroom, where she once more dropped the box. The other dogs crowded closer, sniffing and pawing at this sudden new treasure. A toy, a new ball that didn’t bounce.

  The dogs took turns rolling the little red box all over the floor. Cecil snatched it up, biting down hard so as not to lose it, which caused the lid to pop open. He dropped the box and backed away, as did the other dogs. When the four of them realized the box wasn’t going to do anything, they moved closer to eye the sparkling gem winking at them in the overhead light.

  Alice, queen of 509 Eagle Drive and top dog, stepped forward and picked up the box, ring and all. She headed back down the hall to her basket of toys in Olivia’s office. This was her treasure and would go in her basket. Cecil or Loopy, not liking the arrangement, waited until Alice buried it under a fluffy stuffed bird before he snatched it and ran down the hall to where his basket of toys rested. He rooted around till he found a spot and dropped it in. Bea barked, as did Loopy or Cecil. Cecil or Loopy growled. Alice swatted him so hard he stopped growling just long enough to give Bea time to snatch the box, the ring almost out of its snug position. Halfway down the hall, the ring fell out of the box, and Loopy or Cecil snatched it up and ran to the bathroom, where he hid behind the toilet. The others growled at him, but he ignored them, enjoying being the center of attention. He did his best to dig into the shaggy carpet to bury his treasure before he pranced out to race down the hall again. Bea dropped the red box, Alice picked it up, and the game was on again as she looked for a better hiding place.

  In the dining room, Jeff’s heart kicked up a beat when Olivia cleared away the dishes. Dessert was a fortune cookie and the ring. His mouth was suddenly dry, and he poured more champagne into his flute. He eyed the woman bustling about. She looked as pretty as his mother, maybe prettier. Her blond hair curled around her face in little wisps. He’d never really seen her dressed up before. She was what his brothers, all five of them, would call a knockout. She wore a simple lavender dress with long sleeves. In her ears and around her throat were pearls. His mother always wore pearls. She’d gotten dressed up for him just the way he’d gotten dressed up for her. He was still waiting to see if his aftershave would drive her wild. Her perfume was driving him nuts. He felt like a caveman. He hoped she’d catch up soon. He poured more champagne into her glass the moment she sat down.

  This was the moment. The moment! First, though, they had to open their fortune cookies. He handed Olivia hers. He laughed nervously when she read her fortune.

  “Mine says the gods of fortune will smile upon me.” Olivia giggled. “What does yours say?”

  Jeff broke open his cookie and read his fortune. “Mine says, ‘You will eventually find that which you seek.’ What do you suppose that means?”

  Olivia smiled. She loved fortune cookies. “Did you lose something lately?”

  Jeff loved fortune cookies, too. And wouldn’t admit it to anyone, but he always read his horoscope in the daily paper. “No, not that I know of.” He got up, walked over to Olivia’s chair, and dropped to one knee. “I want to do this right. My mom said my dad proposed to her on his knee. So, here I am.” He reached for Olivia’s hand. “Will you marry me, Olivia? I promise always to take care of you. I promise to love you forever and ever. I’ll do everything in my power never to disappoint you. Please say yes so I can get off my knees.”

  Olivia gurgled with laughter. “Yes, yes, a thousand times yes. You can get up now.” She stood up and kissed him, a long lingering, sweet kiss that spoke of wonderful things yet to come.

  “Oh my gosh, the ring! I bought you an engagement ring today. If you don’t like it, we can exchange it. I picked it out myself. I thought it would…Oh, God, where is it?” he said, rummaging in his jacket pocket, then his pants pocket. “It must have fallen out. It was in my pocket when we sat down. I felt it when I took off my jacket. Do you see it anywhere, Olivia? It’s a little red box.”

  An engagement ring. Lordy, Lordy, this was it, what most women waited for from the time they were toddlers. An engagement ring. “Wait a minute, Jeff. Calm down. Are you sure it was in your pocket when you took off your jacket and hung it over the back of the chair?”

  “I’m sure, Olivia. I was nervous about giving it to you, hoping you would like it. I touched it. It was there.” His voice was so desperate-sounding, Olivia thought he was going to cry.

  “I didn’t take it, Jeff. Now, think, who does that leave?” Olivia reached behind her to open one of the drawers under the counter. She pulled out a whistle and blew three sharp blasts. The dogs came on the run. “I would almost bet the rent these guys are the culprits! Okay, here’s where you have to show them you’re the boss. Point to your pocket, show them the jacket. Then tell them to fetch it. Maybe they will, and maybe they won’t. I’m betting they hid it.”

  “They hid it?” Jeff said in a choked voice. “Are you saying we might not find it?”

  Olivia shrugged. “There are a hundred places in this house to hide things. They all have a basket of toys, but that’s way too obvious. Go on, show them who’s boss!”

  Jeff felt like a fool when he stood up, his jacket in his hands. “Listen up, you guys. You took something out of my pocket, and I want it back. Right now! Fetch it!”

  Alice looked up at him and barked. Bea lay down and closed her eyes. Cecil and Loopy growled, not liking his tone. Then they started to yap. Bea and Alice joined in the barking before they all turned tail and ran out of the room.

  “They aren’t going to fetch it, are they. They were toying with me, right?” Jeff said miserably.

  “Nope. And yep. Told you, dogs are smart. When they get tired of guarding it, they might bring it out. Then again, they might not. I’ll take this end of the house, you take the back end.”

  “This isn’t how I wanted us to spend the evening, Olivia. I wanted it to be just a romantic evening.”

  “Oh, Jeff, it’s all right. For sure neither one of us is ever going to forget this night. Let’s view it as a treasure hunt. It’s going to be a wonderful memory for us in years to come.”

  Jeff laughed. “Okay. You’re a good sport, Olivia. I’m glad you aren’t upset.”

  “Pretending I have a ring on my finger is almost as good as having one. Come on, let’s start the search.”

  Chapter 20

  The fire was almost out when the grubby young couple sat down next to each other, glasses of wine in hand. Jeff tossed two oak logs on the fire. A shower of sparks shot upward. “I am so sorry, Olivia. We’ve crawled over every in
ch of this house, and we still can’t find the ring. What if we never find it?”

  Olivia placed a finger on Jeff’s lips. “Shhh, don’t think like that. We’ll find it. We have to figure out a way to trick those four little rascals. Alice doesn’t have it, that’s a given. She’d give it up in a heartbeat. I haven’t had Loopy and Bea long enough to know what all their little quirks are. When it comes to Cecil, I really only know what you and Lillian Manning told me about him. It’s one of those three, I’m sure of it. Now, understand this—Yorkshire terriers are incredibly smart. Sometimes they can outthink you. That’s what Lillian said. Which means we have to use trickery. Oooh, that fire feels so good.”

  The dogs cuddled in both their laps. Olivia made a production of taking off a birthstone ring her father had given her on her tenth birthday. She winked at Jeff as she showed it off. Instead of putting it back on her finger, she placed it on the hearth. “Let’s see which one of them snatches it up. It’s a good chance one or the other of them will take it to their lair and, voilà, hopefully, we’ll find the other one. We also have to pretend we aren’t watching them.”

  “Sneaky little rascals, aren’t they?” Jeff grinned as Bea wiggled off his lap. The others followed suit. Jeff pretended to lean toward the fire while Olivia slipped off her shoes. Loopy or Cecil snatched up the ring and ran out of the family room and down the hall, the other three dogs right behind him.

  Jeff looked at Olivia, his face full of awe.

  “We have to be as sneaky as they are. Don’t make a sound,” she said, and she began running softly down the hall. “Aha!” she called out to Jeff. “The bathroom! Quick! Quick! Shut the door! Where could they possibly hide it in here?”

  Caught in the act, the four dogs lay down. Cecil or Loopy dropped the ring on the tile floor. Olivia swooned when she heard the plinking sound of a ring hitting the tile. “Quick, put it on my finger. I’ll never take it off. Never!”