by L. A. Kelley
Rosalie’s breath faltered. “More than I believed possible.”
“Like who?” Ross bounded up with Miss Delia in tow.
Rosalie greeted Mittens warmly. “I thought you’d be with family for the holidays.”
“My daughter and her fiancé are in town to help with the packing. You wouldn’t believe how much stuff a person accumulates over a lifetime. I need another week simply to sort through everything. My realtor says I need to stage the apartment which is sales-speak for toss the junk but,” she explained with twinkle, “she doesn’t understand I love my junk. Tina and Evan are ruthless, making me discard the crappiest crap. Ross kindly invited us for dinner, so we wouldn’t have to cook.”
Ross winked at her. “Don’t change the subject, Miss Delia. What did you say about a young man, Rosalie? You need to bring him by so we can pass judgment. He may not be good enough for you.”
Rosalie fought to maintain an indifferent expression. “He returned to New York. We weren’t meant to be.”
Mittens eyed her shrewdly. “True love always finds a way, my dear. As long as he’s not another Randall Penrose, everything will work out.” She gave a disparaging sniff. “I always felt so sorry for his wife.”
Ross flashed a wicked grin. “Fess up, Miss Delia. He had a thing with Stephanie, didn’t he? She blackmailed him for the promotion.”< Sromfy"/p>
Rosalie suspected the same, but to her surprise Mittens didn’t agree. “She may have blackmailed him, but not because of any affair with her. I heard talk about others, mind you, but Ms. Crowder’s name was never mentioned.”
Rosalie gaped at her. “How do you know all this?”
“I told you before, I’ve been around for a while. Also, Arthur left me stock in Penrose’s so I attend the shareholder meetings. You go. You meet people. You hear things. Randall was suspected of a roving eye for a long time, but he covers his tracks well. At least well enough to keep his wife from filing for divorce.” She lowered her voice and glanced around. “I could snoop around more if you like.”
Marissa hugged her. “Don’t worry about us, Miss Delia. You have more important things to do.”
“Nonsense, snooping is way more fun than cleaning out a closet. Everyone expects little old ladies to be nosey. No one will suspect a thing.”
“Well, I want to know,” Rosalie declared stoutly.
“Then the matter is settled. I’ll report back when I uncover some big, fat, juicy gossip.” Her daughter called her over and Miss Delia excused herself.
Marissa shook her head in mock despair. “You corrupted her.”
“I feel absolutely no guilt,” protested Rosalie. “If Stephanie has a Sneaky Shopper, then I can recruit Secret Agent Mittens.”
Ross summoned everyone to dinner. The food was excellent, but Rosalie picked at her plate. What remained of her holiday spirit was stomped out by Marissa’s revelation of a possible move. She had no desire to ruin Thanksgiving by her sour mood, so Rosalie pretended to enjoy herself. If anyone commented on her lack of appetite she made a lame excuse about being tired. Yesterday was so busy, you know, blah-blah-blah, Black Friday will be worse. No need to go into details. Everyone in retail understood.
Throughout the evening Rosalie said the right things to everyone, but her mind wandered a million miles away. No, only a thousand miles. Somewhere in New York, worrying about a man she barely knew. As the party wound down, she insisted on helping Ross and his kids clean up. In truth, the idea of returning to an empty apartment held no appeal. As a result, Rosalie stayed later than planned and was the very last guest to leave. Ross offered to walk her to the car, but she didn’t want to explain the expensive sporty model she couldn’t afford.
Rosalie unlocked the door and slumped into the bucket seat. She didn’t have to pretend to be happy anymore. The clock on the dashboard read 12:01. Black Friday. How appropriate. The name fit her mood.
The key dangled in her hand, but Rosalie hesitated to put it in the ignition. You should take the car to the airport. You should go right now. Why hang on any longer? Instead, a heavy lethargy settled around her bringing a suffocating malaise. What was the point of moving? The workday started in a few hours, anyway.
She sat in the car, hollow emptiness clawing at her. David was gone forever. They only just met and she felt as if a part of her had been torn away. Rosalie’s thoughts drifted to the E.L.F. Even with all the worries piled upon him, he tried to make her smile. He only asked for a little help in return. “You were his last hope, Rosalie,” she moaned, “and you were an utter failure.” Despondent, she leaned back in to the headrest and closed her eyes.
Her head jerked forward. What? Where?
Rosalie had dozed off. A line of drool trickled down the side of her mouth. She swiped it away i Spedy will be n disgust. Although still dark, cars poured into the lot. Penrose’s opened at seven on Black Friday for early bird shoppers. The display on her phone read 6:32.
A familiar car drove up and parked in a reserved space near the back door. Stephanie slid out and readjusted her too-tight skirt with a tug at the fanny. Anthony exited from the passenger side. She slipped her arm through his.
Rosalie’s emotional malaise snapped like a dry twig. Who does she think she is? Why should Stephanie be rewarded with a handsome guy and a happily-ever-after? If anyone belongs on the Naughty List, she certainly does.
Her eyes narrowed suspiciously as the pair entered Penrose’s. She tapped her fingers against the steering wheel, deep in thought. Ross was right. Stephanie’s promotion came out of nowhere. What would happen, she mused, if an unscrupulous someone accessed The Book? What kind of secrets were inside? A corporate suit with the reputation of Randall Penrose had plenty of skeletons in the closet. What would a man with tons to lose trade in order to keep Stephanie’s mouth shut?
A promotion, perhaps?
How could Stephanie have gotten hold of a magical book from New York City? Suddenly, Rosalie remembered Stephanie’s chocolates also sported a New York return address. The two items were too much of a coincidence. She glowered at the building. Suspecting Stephanie’s involvement in the theft was one thing, finding proof was another.
****
Grace met Sadhri in front of the headquarters building. “How’s David?” asked the shiva.
“He’s as well as expected. Carlos let me speak to him.”
“He’s not half-bad,” she grunted, “for a medusa. Did you find out anything?”
“David said he talked to Kym and CeCe at the Odin’s party right before The Book disappeared. I need to chat with them.”
The shiva curled her lips in distain. “Not dryads. Damn, I hate dryads.”
Grace hid a smile. “You should be more accepting. Don’t worry. I’ll do all the talking. You stand next to me and glower.”
“Great. I hear them now… Oh, like, you know, like, we can’t talk now, like, we have to get our butts waxed or something, you know.”
Grace chuckled. “Not all dryads are like that.”
“Yeah, some are even worse.” She hailed a cab. “Let’s get this over with.”
Kym and CeCe’s mother, Elsbeth, was a dryad. Daddy was human, a high powered lawyer with a six-figure income. The girls spent their days working at their mother’s second-hand clothing boutique. Elsbeth sold high-end designer wear on consignment. Of course, she scarfed up the best pieces for herself and her daughters. Grace couldn’t recall ever seeing any of them in the same outfit twice.
Elsbeth greeted Grace with a double air kiss. “Darling,” she gushed, “how awful what happened to poor David. Are you holding up?”
“I’m fine, Elsbeth.”
She hugged Sadhri. The shiva stiffened much to Grace’s amusement. Elsbeth didn’t notice the cold shoulder, of course. A dryad’s nature was to be overtly friendly and believe everyone loved them. Strangely enough, most people did.
“Sadhri, darling, I got in the yummiest hot pink cocktail dress yesterday. It will look divine with your coloring.” She
scrutinized the shiva up and down. “Your wardrobe seriously needs updating. You dress like the communist party leader on the local potato cooperative.”
“I don’t do yummy,” she growled.
Grace stepped in before Sadhri slapped her silly. “Elsbeth, are Kym and CeCe around? I need to speak with them.”
“Of course, darling. They’re in the office checking in new merchandise. Go on back.”
“Sadhri, why don’t you stay here and try on that dress? I won’t be but a moment.” Grace swallowed back a snicker at Sadhri’s horrified look.
“Wonderful,” Elsbeth gushed. “You’ll look scrumptious, darling. I’m always right about these things.”
“I don’t do scrumptious, either,” Sadhri barked as Elsbeth dragged her away.
Kym sat at the computer while CeCe put price tags on two designer purses. They both looked up and greeted Grace warmly. Did a dryad ever not greet anyone warmly, she wondered idly. “Hello girls, I need to ask you a few questions about the Odin’s birthday party.”
“So awful about David,” murmured Kym sympathetically. “Prison must be awful.”
“Awful,” echoed CeCe.
“Yes, it’s quite awful.” Grace agreed patiently, thankful Sadhri was otherwise occupied. “I understand you talked to David about The Book. Why?”
Kym and CeCe exchanged looks. Something Grace couldn’t catch passed between them. “I-I don’t understand,” said Kym.
“Why did you decide to ask about The Book on that particular night?”
Kym dropped her gaze. “Well, you know, we were being friendly, you know.”
A faint pink tinge colored CeCe’s cheeks. “Yes, just talking, you know.”
Grace narrowed her eyes. “Girls, my son is in trouble—”
“We didn’t think he’d take The Book,” Kym said.
Grace’s expression grew hard. “He didn’t. Tell me what happened, Kym.”
The dryad looked embarrassed. “We were joking around. He said he could get us into Club Avalon, but only if our names were on the Naughty List. CeCe and I had a teensy bit to drink and thought how funny if our names were actually there.”
“Club Avalon is the hottest place in town,” CeCe added. “We’ve tried like forever to get in.”
Grace was completely thrown. “David said he could get you into Club Avalon?”
CeCe blinked in surprise. “No, the Baal, of course. His uncle golfs with the owner. That was so totally unreal. All this time we told like everyone we knew we wanted to go and he could have gotten us in all along. Isn’t that funny?”
Grace gritted her teeth. “Hilarious.”
“Kym said we could prove we were on the Naughty List and we immediately went to ask David. He said he’d look us up. We wanted to go with him,” CeCe sighed. “I love the repository. Mom takes us into our vault when she needs jewelry for a formal affair, but David wouldn’t let us come.”
“You didn’t wait for him to get back?”
“No. After David left, Dominic said we could go any time. We all left together.” Her face puckered up in a frown. “Club Avalon wasn’t as hot as I expected.”
“I was seriously disappointed in the DJ,” chirped Kym.
“Thank you, girls,” Grace said. “You were very helpful.”
They beamed at her. “I hope so,” gushed Kym. “Tell David he was totally screwed.”
“Totally Sy">tify">They,” agreed CeCe. “All the dryads think so.”
Grace found Sadhri standing awkwardly in front of a mirror wearing the hot pink dress. “Doesn’t she look fabulous?” gushed Elsbeth. “It’s a perfect fit.”
“Actually,” Grace admitted, “she’s right. You are drop dead gorgeous.”
“It’s so pink,” sputtered Sadhri.
“Take the dress anyway,” whispered Grace. “Consider the price a payment to the dryads. They were very helpful.”
Back in the cab, Grace filled Sadhri in. “Dominic,” the shiva growled, “I might have known. He stole The Book.”
Grace shook her head. “That’s just it, he didn’t. Dominic was with the dryads all evening.”
Sadhri rolled her eyes. “Don’t tell me you think he’s innocent.”
“Hell, no. Dominic is knee deep. The Baal didn’t corner those girls at the party by accident.” She drummed her fingernails against the armrest. “Stephen will listen to me, but I’ll need more than my suspicions to convince the rest of the wardens of anything.”
“We talk to Stephen?”
“I’ll talk to him. I want you to find out if any of the Three D’s has any connection to a department store in Florida called Penrose’s. The trail ended there.”
The shiva eyed her hopefully. “We could send others to search.”
Grace stared blankly out the window. “The trip would be pointless, Sadhri. If David can’t find The Book, no one can.”
Chapter Seven
Throughout the hectic Black Friday morning, Rosalie strained to keep her mind on the job, but couldn’t stop brooding about the New York City connection. Could Stephanie have gotten hold of The Book? If she did, where the hell was it now? Her thoughts drifted back to the last agonizing sight of Billy holding the supernatural manacles. When Rosalie closed her eyes, she could still feel the soft touch of David’s lips against hers.
Rap-rap-rap. The Sneaky Shopper knocked sharply on the counter. “I’m waiting for service,” she demanded hotly.
Rosalie clenched her fists. She was tired of being spied on. She was tired of Stephanie’s stupid rules. The one good thing to happen to her since Stephanie took charge was David. Now he was gone, too, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that part of the fault lay with Penrose’s manager.
As the Sneaky Shopper’s glance flicked to Rosalie’s bare head, she remembered the elf hat back at the apartment. Rosalie didn’t need telepathy to know the insipid woman planned an immediate report to Stephanie. She leaned over the counter and barked, “Take the stupid ugly hat and tell Stephanie to cram it up her boney ass. I’ll never wear the hateful thing again.” The woman’s eyes went wide. She scurried nervously away. “Put that in the Motivation Memo and suck it,” Rosalie yelled after her.
Minutes later Stephanie stomped up to the service counter. “What the hell are you doing? You can’t talk to a customer like that.”
“She wasn’t a customer,” Rosalie snapped. “She was one of your spies.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she protested icily.
Rosalie growled. “I know all about the Sneaky Shoppers. I know you spent the employees’ Christmas bonuses to hire them. You’re a real piece of work.”
Stephanie drew herself up. “How dare you? You have no idea what it takes to run a profitable Vy">tinter. organization. A successful enterprise needs motivation which you certainly don’t have. Complex decisions are beyond your capacity to comprehend. Not the least is—”
“Blackmail.” An expression of guilt flashed across Stephanie’s face long enough for Rosalie to take notice. “I was right! You blackmailed Randall Penrose to get the job.”
“You’re crazy,” she sputtered out a protest. “I did no such thing. The promotion was for merit alone.”
“Fat chance. I’ll bet the board will be interested in your little sideline.”
“Y-You have no proof I did anything wrong, and…” The arrogant mask slipped back in place. “You’ll never find any.”
Stephanie’s voice resounded with complete confidence. Every last doubt vanished from Rosalie in an instant. “You have The Book.”
The shock on the store manager’s face was worth the wait. “Th-the what?” she gasped.
“The Book, also known as The Naughty and Nice List.” Rosalie snatched her wrist. “Don’t lie to me. You have no idea the trouble you’ve caused. Where is it?”
With an angry jerk, Stephanie shook her off. Her anxious eyes darted momentarily toward her office and then back to Rosalie before she drew herself up, all frosty composure. “I�
��m done with your attitude. You’re fired. Take your things and get out.” She stormed off.
Rosalie’s biggest fear had finally happened. Funny, getting let go didn’t hurt at all. Instead, she sprinted out from the counter, nearly colliding with Marissa. “I’m not done with you yet,” she called after Stephanie.
“What’s going on?” Marissa demanded.
“Rosalie is fired,” barked Stephanie. “Get her out of the store immediately, Marissa, or your 30-day termination notice will start right now instead of January.”
Marissa’s face went deathly pale. “My what?” Rosalie shot her an agonized look. Marissa recovered and told Stephanie she would escort Rosalie out through Central Receiving. Stephanie nodded coolly. As soon as they passed inside the double doors to the back, Marissa rushed up to Ross. “Rosalie is fired. I need to talk to her and I don’t want Stephanie to know.”
Ross nodded tersely. “Use the overflow unit. I’ll keep watch.”
The two women entered the same storeroom Rosalie searched unsuccessfully a day before with David. Once inside she told Marissa about the termination notice on Stephanie’s computer.
Her friend eyed her warmly. “You shouldn’t have substituted your name.”
Rosalie snorted. “It doesn’t matter. I’m out on my can, anyway, but…” She shot Marissa a guilty look. “I need you to do me one last really big favor. I need to hide inside the store and search after closing. Proof is here that Stephanie blackmailed Randall Penrose.”
“What kind of proof?”
“A book. I think it’s hidden in her office. She looked over there when I accused her.”
“By chance does this have anything to do with your mysterious David?”
“Marissa, I know you have a million questions, but I can’t answer them now. Trust me on this—”
Marissa interrupted her. “Hide in here.”
Rosalie’s mouth popped open. “That was easy.”
“Are you kidding? If this book gets rid of Stephanie everyone in the store will owe you. If there’s any way I can help…”
< [p>“Arep width="29" align="justify">She hugged her. “No. Call it plausible deniability. The less you know the better.”