At the end of the hall was a double set of doors, similar to the ones leading into the movie theater.
Gloria grasped the handle and turned the knob. The door was locked. “This must be Mitzi’s room.” She was almost relieved it wouldn’t open.
The girls retraced their steps, made their way to the main level of the house and finished their tour of the formal living room, formal dining room, sitting room, library, opulent office, along with another spacious guest bedroom and bath.
They wound their way through the kitchen to the only place they hadn’t been…the indoor swimming pool.
The girls found the entrance to the pool area through the back breezeway. The pool area had its own private entrance off to the side.
Gloria opened the door and stepped to the side to let the others in. She closed the door behind them and gazed at the Olympic-size pool. The pool was not square but rather rounded on both ends.
Gloria strolled over to the end. The pool was zero entry, meaning it sloped into the water instead of having a sudden drop off.
Near the front of the pool area were several luxurious lounge chairs. Tucked in one corner was a tiki bar. Torchlights stood sentinel on each side of the bar.
In the opposite corner was a wooden door with a large glass front. Gloria stepped over to the door, cupped her hands to her eyes and looked inside. “It’s a sauna.”
Gloria walked all the way around the pool. When she reached the back, she noticed another door. She wandered over to the door and pushed on the handle.
The door swung open and Gloria stepped inside a game room. It wasn’t just any game room, but a game room Gloria’s grandsons would love! There was a foosball table, air hockey, arcade machines, pinball and even a jukebox. It was every kids dream…or even every “adult” kid’s dream.
“Cool man cave,” Andrea said.
The grand tour had ended and if Gloria had been impressed by the sheer size and grandeur of Mitzi’s “country” home before, she was now dumbfounded. She wondered how much money it would take to keep a place this size running. There would be water, electric, upkeep, not to mention taxes…or the horse farm and taking care of all those animals.
It seemed sad to Gloria the woman had tons of money and lived alone. Maybe Mitzi was content with her life. Obviously, she was. On top of that, she used her money and position for worthy causes, including the fundraiser tonight.
Still, Gloria thanked God for each of her blessings. Sometimes money could be more of a curse than a blessing. She remembered the reason she was there. Money put a target on one’s back.
Gloria turned her attention to the task at hand. The countdown had begun and it was time for the girls to get into position.
Ruth slipped out of the house as she made her way down to the mailbox. She tucked a small, square device in the cover of the mailbox, closed the lid and darted out of sight.
Next, she moved the golf cart Mitzi had loaned her into position, backing it underneath a large pine tree in the corner of the yard and out of sight. She rearranged the tree branches so the surveillance camera had an unobstructed view of the mailbox.
Ruth jogged up the front lawn and onto the porch before making her way inside and over to the coat closet, although it didn’t look like a coat closet. The space was more like an enormous walk-in storage closet. It was the perfect spot to set up her laptop, turn it on and tune in to keep tabs on the mailbox.
Ruth checked to make sure everything was in working order and then tracked Gloria down. It was time for Mitzi to put the envelope and the cash inside the mailbox.
Mitzi ran up to her room and returned with a small satchel. She met Gloria on the front porch. “You’re sure this is going to work?” she asked nervously as she glanced around.
Gloria shook her head. “No. I’m not sure it will work. It may not work, but what other options do we have?”
Mitzi frowned. “True.”
Gloria tapped the top of the satchel. “You didn’t…” She had instructed Mitzi not to put $255,000 inside the envelope. She had convinced her to put $2,500 inside and if the culprit wasn’t caught, she could tell the person the note she received said $2,500, not $255k. She wasn’t sure if that strategy would work, or if it would enrage the extortionist.
Mitzi had placed a one hundred dollar bill on the top, another one on the bottom and a bunch of ones in the middle of the banded packs.
Gloria waited at the top of the drive while Mitzi drove down to the end, shoved the money in the mailbox and closed the front. She drove back up the drive and parked her Range Rover in front of one of the garage doors.
“It’s time to get this show on the road.” Gloria linked arms with Mitzi and the women stepped into the house to wait for the guests.
Chapter 17
The place went from empty to full in a matter of minutes. Mitzi stood near the entrance shaking hands and kissing the air for what seemed like forever.
Gloria stepped to the side and kept one eye on Mitzi and the other eye on the door. The line had no end.
Certain everything was going as planned she made the rounds, checking on Margaret, Andrea, Ruth in the closet, Dot in the kitchen and Lucy who was keeping a watchful eye on security.
Everyone was raring to go and the party kicked up a notch and into full swing.
Uniformed butlers circled the main level of the house with silver trays full of exquisite hors d'oeuvres while other butlers made the rounds with trays full of flutes of expensive champagne.
In addition to the free flowing champagne, there was an open bar in the foyer and another in the library.
Mitzi knew how to throw a party and all of the guests seemed to be enjoying themselves. Of course, practice made perfect.
Front and center, next to the beautiful floral centerpiece Mitzi and the florist had battled over, was a silent auction event. On the other side of the table was a donation box, shaped like Santa’s sleigh where guests could slip their cash donations inside.
Not only was there the silent auction and donation box, each guest had paid $100 to attend the fundraiser.
The silent auction offered a variety of items including a couples’ massage, dinner at upscale restaurants, tickets to the theater. There was even an auction for a new golf cart with a year’s membership to Green Springs Country Club thrown in.
Gloria worked the crowd. It was a shame the guests weren’t wearing nametags. It was tricky for Gloria to figure out who the list of possible targets might be. Mitzi had explained she no longer used nametags since the pins and fasteners tended to damage the clothing of attendees.
Not only that, but also this event was more intimate than most and Mitzi knew all of the guests, which didn’t help Gloria one iota.
Of course, most of Gloria’s suspects worked security. She wandered over to Lucy. “How is it going?”
Lucy nodded. “Good. I’ve picked up on all your suspects including Jason Endres, the Stone woman and Stan Wosz…Wosz.”
“Woszinski,” Gloria said.
“Yep. Him.”
“Any suspicious activity?”
“Nope.” Lucy shook her head.
Gloria patted her arm. “Keep your eyes peeled.”
She wandered into the kitchen to check on Dot, who was taste testing a canapé. The petite treat was a towering mound of cheese spread with what looked like a sprig of arugula on top.
Dot popped it into her mouth. “This is so good,” she moaned. “Here, try one.” She handed the bite-size morsel to Gloria who nibbled on the edge. It was delicious. It sure didn’t taste like the pasteurized cheese spread Gloria was familiar with.
“See anything unusual?” Gloria asked.
Dot’s eyes darted around the room. “Oh!” Her eyes grew wide. “There was this one guest who came out here raising a ruckus. Something about peanut allergies and he almost ate something with nuts.”
She rolled her eyes. “He seemed like a real jerk.”
Dot tugged on Gloria’s sleeve. “Hey! There he
is!”
A tall man, wearing a black and white tuxedo strolled out of the kitchen, down the steps and out the back door. “I think he smokes,” Dot guessed.
That would be Gloria’s guess, too. Now that Gloria thought about it, Dot had a perfect view of the back door and could easily keep an eye on who went out and came back in. “Anyone else?”
Dot nodded. “Yeah. There have been a few. A few of the cops on your list, the guy I just pointed out, along with a couple women.”
“Keep up the good work.”
Gloria wondered if Ruth had a hit yet. She wandered out of the kitchen, past the throngs of guests to the makeshift surveillance room in the front. She tapped on the closet door and it opened a crack.
“It’s me. Gloria,” she whispered. The door swung open, Gloria slipped inside and closed the door behind her.
“See anything yet?”
The glow from Ruth’s computer screen was the only light in the small space. Ruth studied the monitor. “Nope. Not yet. Seen a few cars stop at the end of the drive but nobody got out.”
Gloria eased onto her knees and scooched close to Ruth. “How does it work?
“Well, I put a small motion activated device in the door of the mailbox. When someone opens the door, a small alarm sounds. Not in the mailbox mind you, but on here.” She pointed to the computer.
“Once the alarm sounds, I flip on the infrared camera attached to the front of the golf cart hidden under the large pine tree near the mailbox. The camera will capture a picture of the person, clear as a bell, as if it were the middle of the afternoon.” Ruth snapped her fingers. “Voila! We’ve got ‘em.”
Gloria glanced at Ruth’s outfit. She was wearing a black pantsuit and…white sneakers. “Ruth!” She pointed to the shoes.
“What? I can’t run in heels,” Ruth argued.
Gloria had never seen Ruth wear heels…or a dress for that matter.
Gloria grinned. She pushed herself to a standing position and patted Ruth on the shoulder. “I’m sure you’ll catch something on that camera. I have faith in you,” she said before she stepped out of the closet and quietly closed the door behind her.
She passed Margaret in the living room on her way to track Andrea down.
Andrea was in the corner, trapped by a middle-aged couple. She gave Gloria a look that screamed for help. Gloria made her way over.
“There you are.” Andrea reached for Gloria’s hand. “I was telling Commissioner Evergreen and his wife, Beverly, we are planning a cruise early next year.”
Gloria lifted a brow. City Commissioner Cal Evergreen. The same man Dot pointed out who kept going outside. Gloria leaned in. She could smell the lingering scent of cigarette smoke on his jacket.
Gloria held out a hand. “Pleasure.” She wasn’t sure if it was a pleasure or not.
He gazed at her with steely eyes. “You look vaguely familiar.”
Gloria forced a smile. “I hear that all the time.”
“Beverly! There you are!” A woman wearing a black and white ballroom gown approached.
The commissioner’s wife disappeared to chat with another guest. Evergreen lingered. He honed in on Andrea and glanced down at her ring hand. “What is a beautiful woman like you doing at a party like this…all alone?”
Gloria shifted. It was as if she were in visible. “She’s not alone,” Gloria sniffed.
Evergreen gave Gloria a hard look, grabbed Andrea’s hand and raised it to his lips. “The pleasure was all mine.”
He dropped her hand and walked away.
Andrea waited until he was across the room before she turned her hand over. In it was a card. “He gave me his card.” She flipped the card over. On the other side, someone had scrawled a phone number.
Gloria tugged on a strand of stray hair and glanced at Evergreen. “Snake.” She remembered Evergreen had been caught with a prostitute. Maybe he deserved to pay a little money, feel a little pain. “Have you heard anything else?”
Andrea shook her head. “Nope. No one looks suspicious.”
The look of disappointment on her face caused Gloria to smile. The smile quickly faded. She hoped this night wouldn’t be a complete waste of time.
Gloria glanced at her watch. The party ended at 10:30 and it was already half past nine. The culprit would have to make his move soon.
She turned to go when Ruth burst out of the closet, swung the front door wide open and disappeared from sight.
Gloria was hot on her heels with Andrea right behind her.
Chapter 18
Bright floodlights illuminated the front yard. Gloria raced across the manicured lawn as fast as her heels would allow.
Andrea, a little more accustomed to the heels, pulled away from Gloria and quickly gained on Ruth. She lifted the hem of her skirt to reveal a gun holster strapped to her upper thigh.
Still running, Andrea pulled the gun from the holster and picked up the pace.
Ruth and Andrea reached the mailbox just as a dark sedan squealed out of the drive and roared off down the road.
Andrea lifted her gun and fired off several rounds. She lowered the gun. “He got away but I think I hit the car.” At least she hoped she hit the car.
Gloria came to a screeching halt next to them. “Was it a patrol car? What did it look like?” she gasped.
Ruth frowned. “It was too dark to tell. I don’t think it was a patrol car.”
Gloria glanced back at the house. Whoever took the bait was now gone.
“Lucy!” Gloria shouted. Lucy was still inside, keeping tabs on the suspects.
Gloria tugged one shoe off and then the other. She lifted the hem of her dress and full out ran across the cold, hard lawn toward the house. When she got to the porch, she dropped her shoes on the cement floor and shoved her feet in the shoes.
She sucked in a deep breath, smoothed her skirt, ran her fingers through her hair and stepped back inside.
On the outside, she was cool as a cucumber. On the inside, her heart was pounding, her mind racing and her attention focused on one thing…figuring out who had left the party.
Lucy was right where Gloria had left her, completely unaware of the events that had just taken place.
Gloria casually sidled up next to her. “Anyone missing?”
Lucy scanned the guards. She stepped outside to take a headcount. Lucy knew exactly who was working security. No one had gotten past her. No one.
She stepped back inside the room and sauntered over to Gloria. “Nope. All are accounted for.”
Gloria’s heart sank. Her eyes met Lucy’s. “Are you positive?”
“Let me check again.”
Gloria waited…and prayed Lucy would come back with a different answer this time.
“Nope. Still all here.”
Gloria’s shoulders drooped. She was certain one of the officers had been involved. After all, who else could have planted the money and notes in Paul’s locker? It had to be someone who had access to the locker room!
Gloria shuffled into the foyer where most of the guests had gathered. Andrea casually strolled over. “Well?”
“All of the suspects have been accounted for. We’re back to square one.”
Andrea’s eyes scanned the room. “Maybe not.” Andrea turned to face the wall. She reached inside her bra and pulled out the business card she had tucked away…the card City Commissioner Cal Evergreen had given her.
She flicked her wrist and held the card out. “Where did he go?”
Gloria eyes darted around the room. Evergreen was nowhere in sight. His wife was still there. She was off to one side, talking to one of the nightly news anchors…a young man with dark hair and a fake smile. “He’s probably out smoking.”
Gloria headed outdoors. She crossed the porch, wandered around the yard, circled around the garage and stepped back inside.
She remembered Dot was keeping track of who was going outside and who was coming back in.
Dot’s back was to her as she faced the kitchen sink.<
br />
Gloria tapped her shoulder.
Dot swung around. She was wearing an apron.
Gloria stuck her hand on her hip. “Dot Jenkins! What are you doing?”
Dot wiped her wet hands on the front of the apron. “I can’t help myself. Plus I was bored.”
She untied the apron and placed it on the counter. “But I’ve been keeping tabs on who all has gone out and come back in.” She pointed to the large window in front of the sink.
The glass window was like a mirror and Gloria watched as a guest – a woman – stepped outside.
Gloria lowered her voice. “Remember the jerk who went on about the nuts…Commissioner Evergreen?”
Dot’s eyes widened. “That was Commissioner Evergreen? Yeah, he’s outside.”
It dawned on Dot where Gloria was headed. “You think he might be the one?”
It was exactly what Gloria thought. “I have a brilliant idea.”
She looked around the room. “Where’s Andrea?”
Gloria tracked down her young friend and explained her plan.
Andrea scrunched her brow. “You think this will work?”
If City Commissioner Cal Evergreen was the snake Gloria now suspected he was, she was almost 100% certain her plan would work. “Go ahead and make the call.”
Andrea nodded, reached for her handbag and headed to a quiet corner to call Evergreen to set up a rendezvous.
Andrea dialed the number on the card. The conversation was brief. After she finished, she pressed the “end call” button, shoved the phone in her bag and made her way over to Gloria. “Forty-five minutes.”
Gloria nodded. “That should be plenty of time.” The place quickly cleared and the next time Gloria looked at the clock, it was ten thirty. Mitzi gave instructions to the cleaning crew and met the girls in the living room.
Mitzi lowered her voice and looked around. “How did the sting go? Did we get a hit on the money?”
“Sort of,” Gloria hedged. “We’ve got ‘em…him…on the run. Now all we need to do is nail him down.”
“Is there anything I can do to help?” Mitzi wanted to nab this person as much as Gloria did.
Gloria shook her head. “We think it’s Commissioner Evergreen.”
Home for the Holidays Page 12
