Fleeced

I know! she thought. Whoever sprayed that Mace in my eyes is a real criminal. They were scavenging through the apartment. Surely they must have stolen some of Ben’s things.

If I get out of here, I’m going to do my best to help find them. Janey concentrated hard. Now let’s see. It was definitely a woman. And I thought I felt long hair brush against my face when she shoved me in here. And her perfume! I’d recognize that smell anywhere.

The thoughts cheered Janey somewhat as she reached in front of her and pulled a box of what turned out to be Rice Krispies off the shelf. She stuck her hand in the box and helped herself to a handful. Snap, crackle, pop, she thought. That’s exactly what I’m going to do when I get out of here and find out who did this to me.

She suddenly thought of her favorite movie, The Sound of Music, and began to sing softly, “‘When the dog bites, when the bee stings…’”

30

Nat’s answering machine light was flashing when Regan got back to the apartment. She pressed the PLAY button.

“Nat, this is Edward Gold. What happened to you and Ben? You never showed up today. We made a blowup of the check for the party tomorrow night. Give me a call.”

Regan’s eyes widened. She replayed the tape again. Who is Edward Gold? she wondered. And why didn’t he leave a number? Was this a check for the diamonds?

She quickly called information. There were three Edward Golds in Manhattan. Regan called each of them. One was home. He didn’t know what she was talking about. The other two calls she made were picked up by answering machines. One called himself Eddie and the other Teddy. It was clear from their voices that neither one of them was the man Regan was looking for.

She was sitting at the counter in the kitchen. The Yellow Pages must be around here somewhere, she thought. In the second drawer she opened she found them. She pulled the heavy volume out, placed it on the counter, and opened it up to the Jewelers section. There were several pages of ads for jewelry buying, selling, repair, custom design, and appraisals. Estate jewelry bought and sold. Ear-piercing services. And then she found it. The ad for Edward Gold Jewelers, located on West Forty-seventh Street.

Regan picked up the phone and placed the call. In a minute she was speaking to Edward Gold. She told him who she was and the news about Nat and Ben.

“I can’t believe it,” he said. “They were in here just the other day. We appraised the diamonds and were going to give them the check today. Tomorrow night we were going to bring the diamonds to the Settlers’ Club so everyone could take a look at them, and we had a blown-up replica of the check like they do for lottery wi

“You actually saw the diamonds.”

“I just told you, I appraised them! They’re beautiful. I even have someone who is interested in buying them. It’s his fortieth wedding a

“Some earrings,” Regan said.

“I feel terrible.”

“Did you know Nat well?” Regan asked.

“I knew that whole group who played cards together. What a bunch of characters. Can you imagine throwing a valuable diamond in a pot and leaving it there for all these years? Last one alive gets to keep all four. Those guys were fu

“How long did you know them?” Regan asked.

“About ten years. I met them at a jewelry show. They all retired a few years later. Sometimes they’d come up to the office for a chat.”

Regan thought about “Buttercup.” She wondered if by any chance Nat had confided in Edward.

“What is going to be done with the diamonds now?” Edward asked. “They were both so excited about donating the money to the Settlers’ Club.”

Regan hesitated. This guy sounded on the level. She looked at her watch. It was four-thirty. “I’m not sure,” she said. “Do you think I could drop by your shop?”

“Now?”

“I know it’s late on a Friday, but since the party is tomorrow night, and for the moment I’m handling Nat’s affairs, I’d love to talk to you for a few minutes.”

“Come on over. I’ve got a bottle of schnapps I was going to crack open with Nat and Ben. Maybe we should have a drink in their memory.”

31

That last scene had to be the worst acting I have ever seen, Daphne thought. If this film is released and people know it was filmed at the Settlers’ Club, no one will ever want to come here.

The crew was rearranging the lights and moving the camera so they could shoot from the other side of the room. Daphne was in the bar area, sitting by the actress she was standing in for. Her stage name was Pumpkin Waters. Cute when you’re twenty, Daphne thought, pathetic when you’re sixty. Clearly Pumpkin thought she was superior to Daphne.

“Work much lately?” Daphne asked.

Pumpkin gave her a withering look. “I’m always working.”

“I know how hard it is when you get older in this business. Especially for women.”

With each word, Daphne seemed to irritate Pumpkin more and more.

“It was interesting the way you incorporated those sheep into your dialogue. After you tripped over them, I mean.”

“Could you please leave me alone?” Pumpkin asked. “I’m concentrating.”

On what? Daphne wondered. She stood. “I’m going to go down the hall to Thomas’s office. If they need me, tell them to give me a shout down there.”

Pumpkin merely nodded her head.

Daphne found Thomas sitting at his desk, going over the plans for the a

“How’s the movie going?” he asked.

“I don’t think it’s going to win any Academy Awards.”

Thomas looked pained. “At least it will pay a few bills around here.”

“Can you use any help for the party tomorrow night?” Daphne asked.

Thomas shook his head. “The kitchen has the menu all pla

“Maybe she’s out delivering.”

“She had no deliveries today. She was just cooking for the party.”

“I’m sure she’s fine. It’s not even five o’clock. Where’s Regan Reilly?”

Thomas put down the phone. “She’s still not picking up,” he said, distractedly, then he looked at Daphne and said, “Regan just left. She was on her way to see the jeweler who was going to buy the diamonds from Nat.”

“So Nat and Ben had contacted someone about selling them. That’s wonderful!”

“Not if we don’t get them back! But at least it proves that they did exist. That I’m not crazy.”

“You know, Thomas,” Daphne began. “I never really approved of the idea of a dating service being run here in the club. All those strangers riding the elevators.”

Thomas shrank in his chair. “Daphne, I allowed that for a number of reasons. For one, I thought that some of the decent people Lydia has in to her parties might end up joining the club. We need new members.”

“I know, I know,” Daphne said. “But that Lydia is so nouveau riche. And that butler of hers, Maldwin, thinks he’s the only one around here with any class. I resent that. It’s probably one of their guests who made off with Nat’s diamonds.”

“Daphne, stop it!” Thomas cried. “Regan is doing her best to try and figure all this out. She asked me to make a list of everyone who lives in the club so she can talk to you all.”

“I didn’t see a thing last night. You should have installed cameras in the elevator and the hallways like we talked about when you started working here.”