Laced

“Me first!” So

“What is it you wanted to say?” Keith asked Norma.

“When they first came up to the counter, the woman told me how beautiful my makeup was. She said I applied it like a pro.”

38

Regan and Jack stayed on Gerard’s program for the first segment of Shane Magillicuddy’s interview. Shane was a charming, bearded, quite elderly man whose eyes shone with excitement when he talked about his discovery of the Claddagh rings.

“I plan to keep this one,” he told Regan and Jack during a commercial break, pointing to the original Claddagh ring on his finger. “I feel like one of those people who win a huge lottery jackpot in the twilight of their life. I should have cleaned out my basement a long time ago! I could have dined on this story for years! But what the heck, I’m enjoying myself now.”

“The ring is simply beautiful,” Regan said. “I’m sure your auction will be a big success.”

“I hope you’ll come as my guests. It’ll be a lot of fun.”

“Maybe we will,” Regan said. “Right now we’re taking things one day at a time.”

“Catch those two, will you?”

“We’re certainly trying,” Jack said with a smile as he and Regan stood. “We’ll listen to the rest of the interview in the car. It’s been a long day, and we still have an hour’s drive to He

It was eleven-thirty when Regan and Jack got in the car. Jack turned his cell phone back on. There was a message from Keith. “Let’s hope this is something good,” he said as he pressed in Keith’s number.

Keith answered immediately, and he sounded excited.

“Keith, what’s up?” Jack asked quickly.

“There’s a good chance the jewel thieves from the Nanuet Mall are Jane and John Doe.”

Jack listened as Keith relayed the story, emphasizing that the female thief had complimented the saleswoman on her makeup.

Jack’s hand tightened around the phone. “She mentioned the saleswoman’s makeup?”

“Yes. And the hairdresser I spoke with said A

“That’s great, Keith. We were just on Regan’s cousin’s radio show in Galway. We told people to be on the lookout for a guy with a strange laugh.”

“I’m sure you’ll get a few interesting calls.”

“I hope we get one that does us some good.” Jack hung up, turned to Regan, and repeated the information Keith had given him. “If A

“I know,” Regan said quietly, thinking how much she wanted Jack to be the one to reel in the Does. She gazed out the window as they drove out of Galway. I hope they’re still here, she thought. My Irish intuition tells me they are.

But where?

Down in the bathroom of the Does’ remote cottage, Bobby was brushing his teeth. Dr. Sharkey’s temporary cap fell out and landed in the sink.

“A

39

Sheila and Brian had been driving north from Galway for nearly an hour. It didn’t seem possible, but the dark, winding road turned lonelier and darker with each passing minute. They were finally nearing Margaret’s cottage.

“Now remember,” Brian said. “You’ve got to scare Margaret and make it very clear that May Reilly won’t be happy unless Margaret takes back those paintings from her friends and, most important, gives them to us.”

“Should I mention our names?” Sheila asked as she pulled on the black wig and tied the white bo

“I wouldn’t be quite that specific. Sound ghostly, but get your message across.”

Brian slowed the car and pulled behind a stretch of overgrown bushes lining the side of the road. He shut off the lights. “This is good. No one can see the car from the road.”

“It’s pitch black,” Sheila exclaimed. “I’m not going to bother with this gooey white makeup.” She opened her lighted compact and applied the dark eyebrow pencil. “How do I look?” she asked.

“Perfectly terrible,” Brian answered. “Now go.”

“What do you mean go? You expect me to walk down to her cottage by myself?”

“It’s not far at all. You’re dressed like a ghost. They’re used to ghosts around here, but if someone sees me wandering around, they’ll call the cops.”

Sheila got out of the car, threw the cape over her shoulders, and hurried off into the night.

A groggy but anxious Margaret was huddled under a blanket in her darkened cottage. Outside, the night was still and quiet. Inside, Margaret had tossed and turned for hours. The afternoon nap she had taken had agitated her with nightmares about May Reilly, but it had rested her enough that she couldn’t fall into a deep sleep when she finally went to bed.

Margaret had dreamt that May Reilly’s ghost had wandered into the greenhouse studio and threw all her paintbrushes on the floor. Waking up in a sweat, Margaret swore to herself that she’d never paint again.

Now Margaret lay awake in the dark. Her mouth was sore. She wondered whether she should take the aspirin she’d left out on her nightstand. Why not? She leaned over, turned on the light, and reached for the two white tablets. Then she thought better of it and turned out the light. I don’t really need medicine, she decided. She hated taking pills of any kind. A minute later she flicked the light back on, popped the aspirin in her mouth, took a gulp of water, turned off the light, and lay back down.

A loud rapping at her window almost sent her through the roof.

“Margarettttttttttt,” a ghostly woman’s voice called from outside.

Margaret clutched her covers, too terrified to answer.

“Margaretttttttt… I…know…you’re…there.”

“What do you want?” Margaret shouted fearfully. “Who…who are you?”

“You…don’t…know? It’s…May.”

“May Reilly?”

“Of…course. May…Reilly.”

“You don’t sound Irish.”

“What? Maybe…it’s…because…I’m…dead!” the voice said angrily but with a more pronounced Irish brogue.

“You sound Irish now!” Margaret cried out. “Are you mad at me about my paintings?”

“No…I…love…your…paintings… But…get them back from your friends…right away.”

“You love my paintings?” Margaret asked, sitting up.

“Yes… I…want the world…to see my lace design on them… Give the paintings to that American couple.”

“Those two? They get on my nerves.”

“Margaretttttttt,” May admonished her, “do…as…I say! You made a deal with them…You must keep it…Not like what the He

“You’re right, May. I’m dreadfully sorry about your tablecloth.”

“The…people…who…stole it…will…have-”

Margaret cowered as May started to bang angrily at the window.

“-very bad luck.”

Margaret jumped out of bed, ran to the window, and yanked the handle of the flimsy shade with such force that it came off the ru

But all Margaret could see was the darkness of the night.

Margaret turned and went ru