Fleeced

“That you do, Miss Lydia.”

“I’m afraid, Maldwin.”

“There’s no reason to be afraid,” Maldwin said, even though he didn’t believe it.

“I’ve invested so much of my money in this business. I want you and me to be a big success in New York City. We’ll have our fingers on the pulse of dating and butlering for the third mille

“We won’t let him,” Maldwin said firmly.

Lydia sat up. “How was your day?”

“A challenge. I’m afraid Vi

“I could have told you that.”

Maldwin ignored her. “I thought they would be acceptable because my butler school is one for the changing times. It is impossible to think that you’re going to find students who fit the mold of the classic English butler-the perfect Jeeves who seems like an aristocrat himself.”

“Those two are far from it,” Lydia agreed. “But as they say, good help is hard to find. I’m lucky I found you.”

Maldwin winced. He hated to be thought of as “help.” He ran the damn place as if it were his own. He cleared his throat. “As Meister Eckehart said, ‘Everyone is born an aristocrat.’ Unfortunately most people lose their charm in childhood.”

“Who’s Meister Eckehart?”

“A wise man.” Maldwin stood. “We will prevail. Sunday night Stanley Stock’s program will air, and I’m sure that on Monday the phone will be ringing off the hook. We’ll get through this weekend and all its unpleasantries.”

“And if Burkhard shows up for the party tomorrow night?”

“We’ll handle it. I think we should focus on our party tonight.”

Lydia pulled the covers back over her head. “I knew I should have taken that other apartment I looked at. I wouldn’t be dealing with this right now!”

“Regrets are a waste of time,” Maldwin said. “Now get dressed. We’ve got to make your gathering tonight the best one yet.”

28

Back at their rented room, Georgette was sitting at the all-purpose table, examining the loot that she had procured from Ben’s apartment.

It wasn’t much.

She still couldn’t believe that that woman, whoever she was, came in to take Ben’s food. Talk about nerve. Well, at least she didn’t see me. Who knows how long she’ll be locked up there?

Georgette giggled. She looked up when she heard the key in the lock. Blaise came in looking as grumpy as he had when he left.

“What’s all that?” he asked, pointing at the cuff links and foreign coins and silver brush-and-comb set.

“You’ll be so proud of me,” she said.

“Why?”

“Remember the spare key ring I stole from Nat?”

“Yes.”

Georgette sat up straight, excited by what she had to report. “I had taken Nat’s key off of it But I got to thinking today. So I came home and looked at the other keys. In tiny letters, two were marked B.C.”

Blaise’s face remained impassive.

“Don’t you get it? Ben Carney! Nat’s best friend! The one who died last night! That’s why Thomas Pilsner came ru

“I know who you’re talking about.”

“I figured they had to be the keys to Ben’s apartment, so I looked up his address and went over there. The keys worked!”

“Why did you do that?”

“Because he’s dead. I thought maybe he had the diamonds in his apartment. You never know, ya know?”

“That was stupid.”

“Why?”

“Because if you’d gotten caught we wouldn’t have a chance to look for the diamonds in Pemrod’s apartment. And they’re more likely to be there if they’re anywhere.”

“No harm in trying,” Georgette said, clearly a

“What?” Blaise looked alarmed.

“Don’t worry. She didn’t see me. I sprayed her with Mace and locked her in the closet.”

“Georgette! Are you out of your mind? All you got out of it was a few trinkets and someone who just might be able to identify you.”

“I’m telling you, she didn’t see me! And what if the diamonds had been in there? You’d be singing a different tune.”

Blaise sat down on the kitchen chair opposite her and rubbed his eyes. “I just came home to get my tux. Lydia’s having another party tonight.”

“I’m going.”

“You are?”

“Yes, she called and said she wanted to apologize for the confusion last night. So she’s having the same group back tonight, no charge.”

“I don’t like the sound of that,” Blaise said. “It’s getting too hot around here. I think we should get out of town very soon.”

“But what about the diamonds?”

Blaise thought for a moment. “After the party tonight, we’ll both slip into Pemrod’s. We’ll search the place. If we don’t find them, then I say we take off.”

“What about your butler classes?”

“I can’t stand them! I don’t care about the proper way to iron the newspaper or draw a bath or polish the silver!”

Georgette picked up the tarnished silver brush she’d found on Ben’s dresser and smiled at him. “You can practice on this.”

“Very fu

“Maybe we shouldn’t go.”

“That would look bad. And I want to get a shot at going through Nat’s apartment. Then we’re out of here.”

Georgette looked around. “I’ll be glad to leave this dump.”

“Me too.”

“What if we get caught tonight?”

“We won’t let anyone get in our way.”

They laughed together.

29

Janey lay in the fetal position on the floor of the closet. Her eyes stung, and she was cold. She pictured her nice, warm coat draped across one of the kitchen chairs, just feet away. She still couldn’t believe what had happened.

It almost felt as if her life were passing in front of her. All my hard work has come to this, she thought. A stupid mistake. Stupid, stupid, stupid. This definitely qualifies for an episode of “My most embarrassing moment.”

Will someone find me? she wondered. Do I even want to be found? I could jump up and down, but I don’t think anyone would hear me. This place is built like a fortress.

Her cell phone rang for the third time. It was in her purse, next to her coat on the chair. With my luck, it’s Mrs. Buckland looking for her roast chicken. But in her heart she knew it was Thomas calling. He called her ten times a day. Sometimes if she was busy delivering meals, or stopping for a visit with one of her elderly clients, she didn’t call him back right away. Like last night. So I wasn’t there for him when he needed me.

Will he be there for me? He always has been. Will he even think to come looking for me here? Why would he? Who knows when they’ll find the niece Ben always talked about? It could be days before they locate her and weeks before she comes to clean out the apartment.

And the a

After about five more minutes of wallowing in her misery, Janey made a decision. I’ve got to think positively, she thought. My life won’t be over if I get out of here. How many celebrities have made big mistakes right in the public eye? All they did was apologize, some of them anyway, and then go on with their lives.