"Like that would ever happen," she laughed to herself. There were too many demands on their time to allow for leisurely mornings, being served breakfast in bed. Besides, Barney would never put up with it. He had his routine, and it did not include waiting around for anyone else. Knowing the dog, he would steal the cinnamon toast and be standing at the door waiting to go for a walk before they’d even reached for their coffee.
As much as she wanted to relax after the breakfast and rich coffee, Megan wasted no time. She wanted to talk to Gwendolyn before James arrived and make sure that the woman was in the right frame of mind to meet the young man. Of course, Megan herself had to pretend like nothing was going on. So much was in the hands of Gwendolyn, but judging from what she'd seen last night Megan was sure the author could pull it off their trap.
When she walked downstairs looking for the author, she found her in a small exercise room off the garage. The author had been up for hours and she was finishing her morning workout. She smiled a warm greeting to Megan as she counted her final sit-up of the morning.
"I hope you slept all right, Megan. I tend to be an early riser. As a matter of fact, I've already written two new chapters in my next book while you were sleeping. The workout routine isn't because I like to do it, it's because sitting at a desk all day you become pretty stagnant. This keeps my blood flowing and hopefully a few pounds off the waistline."
Megan laughed along with her hostess and assured her she had slept wonderfully. She had brought down her clipboard with a list of things they needed to go over for the party.
"Give me ten minutes to take a quick shower and we'll get right to work. Oh, by the way, if you go out on the lawn by the pool be careful, the peacocks have become a bit aggressive. I think it's their mating season. They think nothing of charging somebody who's invaded what they consider their territory which just happens to be in my backyard. The trick is to stand your ground and not let them frighten you. Make a couple of loud claps and yell at them and they'll shove off without a problem."
Gwendolyn called that last little tidbit about the birds over her shoulder as she walked into the small shower in the corner of the workout room. Megan was curious and ventured out to the backyard, being careful to stay on the patio and not wander too far into the lawn area. Sure enough, there were two male peacocks who lifted their heads when they saw her arrive. They opened their plume of feathers in warning but when she made no move to enter their area, they let their feathers descend and strutted way to stand by the female peacocks over in the corner.
"That's right, you two keep away from me and I'll keep away from you and we'll all be happy," she called out to them.
She felt a little foolish when she heard the soft laughter of Gwendolyn's cook from behind her. The woman carried a tray with a green drink on it. Megan was sure it was a combination of veggies and fruits juices.
"Those big birds don't listen to nobody, Miss Megan. When Miss Gwendolyn comes out of her shower, she needs to drink this. Don't let her tell you any differently. She'll make a face, and she'll put up a fuss, but it's good for her. Especially, after she's worked out so hard. I have to stay on top of that girl and make sure she takes care of herself."
The woman put the tray down on the table, pointing to the glass of green gook, and walked away back into her realm in the kitchen. Sure enough, when Gwendolyn came out and saw the drink, she made her face and put up a fuss, but she drank it down, emptying the glass.
"You should try one, Megan. They don't taste as bad as they look. I like to put up a fuss- it makes my housekeeper feel important to force me to drink something she thinks I don't like. She's a wonderful woman and I'm lucky to have her." Noticing Megan's clipboard, she pulled out a chair and sat down, motioning for Megan to do the same.
"Well, I can see you've got a list of things to start on, so we may as well get to work."
The two women began their work. Megan was checking off items that had been completed, jotting down notes of things they might need to add for the party’s success. Each carrying on as if it was a normal party.
James showed up 15 minutes late, but he was as efficient as ever and he never let on that he had made the phone call last night. The two women didn't bring it up either, and the three of them acted as if nothing was out of the ordinary. The two women were careful not to speak of anything that James might take wrong. They needed him to be secure that his plan was in motion and that only Gwendolyn was aware of the phone call.
Once he had left, Gwendolyn told Megan that they were meeting Adele and Kim for lunch. "And then I'm going on a shopping spree. Retail therapy is just what I need for my nerves."
Megan had to laugh because the writer had shown no signs of nervousness. But she agreed, an afternoon of shopping would be fun.
They met the other two for lunch and most of the conversation was about Kim's new job. She could barely contain her excitement and it was infectious. Megan was happy for the young reporter and was sure she would find her niche in Miami.
Adele and Kim joined the two women for shopping. Kim decided she needed more professional clothes compared to what she wore in Citrus Beach. After all, she would be in a bigger, more sophisticated city. The four of them spent an active afternoon going from shop to shop along Worth Avenue. The money the women spent could have fed a small city, but it didn't seem to make them pause and Megan shook her head. She would never spend that type of money at one time on herself, but she did pick up a new dress for the launch party. After they enjoyed a leisurely dinner together, Kim and Megan prepared to return to Citrus Beach. Kim was anxious to fill her grandfather in on all the details of her upcoming job, and Megan wanted to see Aiden and the rest of her family. She missed having a puppy to cuddle up with or steal her food.
Gwendolyn promise to keep in touch and tell Megan if anything else came up, or if the blackmailers contacted her. Megan figured they would, but felt it wouldn't be until closer to the party. The longer they let the writer fret and stew about her book, the more she would be willing to pay.
"The time will go quickly, Gwendolyn. I will be back here first thing Wednesday morning. We have a lot of things to put in place, not only to catch the blackmailers, but party details too. Don't forget call me if you need anything or if you’re uneasy about your role in the scheme."
Megan gave the woman a reassuring hug and got in the car. Kim was already in the car waiting for her, and they waved as they turned left, traveling north up the Florida Turnpike.
Chapter 23
Wednesday
When Wednesday morning rolled around, Megan was ready. She'd spent the last two days getting caught up at work and felt comfortable leaving for Palm Beach again. So much so that she and Aiden were planning on spending a couple of extra days in the area visiting some of her favorite places.
As she had anticipated, the blackmailers had contacted Gwendolyn the night before late at night, after everyone had retired for the evening. They had praised her for not contacting the police and assured her that if she followed their instructions they would return all copies they had made of her book and her launch party would not be ruined.
This time, Gwendolyn had been more prepared, and she was fighting mad. She demanded to hear more of the book, to be assured that it was hers, and when they complied she was sure it was James who had taken it. Only he’d had access to the fake book.
When Megan had finished speaking to Gwendolyn the night before, she had turned to Aiden, who was sitting on the couch next to her, with concern.
"I want to be down there first thing in the morning, Aiden. She is so angry, I'm afraid she’ll try to take James out on her own. The consequences could be severe, maybe even deadly; he's killed before and could again."
"You're probably right. If you’re there, you can calm her down and keep things running without a hitch. It's important that everything goes as planned."
Knowing her desire to leave early, Aiden found himself outside Megan’s door, Gypsy at his side, as the sun was
rising. Megan let the two of them in, nodding as they came through the door Handing him a cup of coffee, she suggested they head out on the terrace.
As Megan took a seat, she realized there was something still bothering her about the plans for tonight. Yes, they would be able to catch James in the act of blackmail, but they still had no guarantee he would admit to the murder. There was no definitive proof, and this bothered her. Aiden looked over at her and he could see the frown burrowing its way into her forehead.
"Everything will go smoothly Megan, don't worry about it. I have plenty of undercover agents coming in to pose as guests. No one should be in any danger. We'll be able to calmly and quietly remove James from the party when he approaches Gwendolyn to collect his money."
Megan looked at him, and he could see a hundred questions in her eyes. She was over thinking the plan. He smiled to himself when he noticed her fingers nervously playing with the item she had just picked up from the table in front of them. It was a Chinese finger puzzle, but not the old-fashioned paper kind that kids have played with for centuries. This was one that Megan had recently found an antique shop. It was made from the finest silver, adorned with a dragon on each end.
He watched as she put her fingers in the ends of the puzzle. He grinned when she moved, flexing the mechanics of the puzzle and trapping her fingers in place.
There was a look of surprise on her face when she looked down at her hands and realized what she had done. Without saying a word, Aiden reached over and released her fingers. Then he couldn't resist the expected I told you so.
"I warned you when you bought that, that you would get your fingers caught more than once. Do you have any idea how impossible that would be to get out of if somebody wasn't here to help you?"
"I know. That's why I put it up on the shelf. I was afraid the kids would get into it. How did it get down to the table?"
"I believe it had something to do with Toby betting Emma..."
There was no reason for Aiden to say anything more. Megan shared his grin as she pictured Toby tricking Emma. The young boy was quiet, but had a surprising mischievous streak running through him. The more comfortable he became with his new family, the more that streak showed itself.
"Do you mind if we drive down to Palm Beach separately? Like I said, I want to get there as quickly as possible and run interference between Gwendolyn and James."
Aiden reassured her he was fine with the idea. It gave him more time to finalize plans he had in place with his agents. Since the Colonel and Kim were guests to the party, Aiden was sure that Detective Carson would also show up at the party. He was shadowing the Colonel so closely the Colonel had offered to buy the man lunch one day as a joke.
“I told Gwendolyn I would take her up on her offer for me to bring the dogs down as well. They both acted like I had abandoned them for life when I got back, first they ignored me, then they wouldn't leave me alone. I don't want to go through that all again.”
"I figured that was the plan. I've got all of their stuff loaded up in your Jeep. Why don't you go ahead and get ready and go? Sitting here worrying about things won’t make it any easier."
Hearing Aiden's answer, Megan reached over and gave him a warm kiss and hug. Part of her felt bad she was leaving without him, but the sooner they put this behind them, the quicker they could get back to their normal routine.
Aiden then told her he would come down with the Colonel later in the day. Kim was already down there. She had accepted the job with the Miami newspaper. She would work in the West Palm Beach office and was busy working with local realtors to find a nice apartment.
"Well in that case, I don't feel so bad. It sounds like everything's worked out. "
Getting to her feet, she kissed the top of Aiden's head and headed to her bedroom. A few minutes later she was coming back out suitcase in hand, ready for the drive south. When the dogs noticed her suitcase, they both whined. As she held up their leashes, the whines turned into happy tail wags; they understood they would go with her.
Aiden loaded both her suitcase and the two dogs. He wrapped her in his arms before he let her get into the car.
"I realize you're worried about Gwendolyn, but just remember I worry about you. Don't do anything unnecessary or dangerous or even the slightest bit risky. Just take it easy this morning and do what you must do. I'll be down right after lunch and we'll see what happens next." His words trailed off as she gave him a deep kiss, expressing her love and her assurance she would take care of herself.
An hour later Megan was pulling into Gwendolyn's driveway, almost embarrassed that she was showing up at such an early hour. She wouldn't be happy if somebody showed up at her front door at 8:00 in the morning, but she figured Gwendolyn would expect it. Besides, she knew the author kept very early hours when she was working.
Once again, Daniel was there to open the door for her. The grin on his face when he noticed the two dogs made Megan smile in return.
"Great, you brought your dogs! Maybe having two cute dogs like these running around the house will convince Gwendolyn that she should have one too. That's what a big house like this needs, a couple of dogs. But that's just my opinion and don't tell anyone I said so."
Megan assured the young man that his secret was safe with her and nodded when he offered to take the dogs for a run around the property.
"Don't let either one of them chase the peacocks. Somehow I bet they would come out the losers in that fight."
Daniel assured her he would keep an eye on the two dogs and Megan turned and went into the house. Her worry about offending her host by showing up so early was unnecessary and she noted James had a few of his crew there already, decorating the downstairs where the party was to take place.
"No matter what happens tonight, you can't deny the fact that James is organized and an excellent party planner. It is a shame," she muttered to herself.
Gwendolyn rushed forward when Megan entered the house, pleased her new friend had decided to come early.
"Come on, we can talk in my office. Nobody's allowed in there and James hasn't showed up yet." Grabbing hold of her elbow, Gwendolyn led the way to her office. When Megan protested, the author just looked at her and said, "Don't worry about anything, the staff will take care of the dogs. You and I need to talk."
Once inside the office, Gwendolyn closed the door firmly and pointed to the chair in front of her desk for Megan to sit in. Then she walked behind the desk and sat down facing Megan.
"I've been thinking. You're right we have no proof that James killed Lisa Fox. So, what are we going to do about that?"
Megan witnessed the determination in the author's face and was pleased the woman was thinking beyond blackmail and what it meant to her.
"I've been thinking about that, and I have an idea. But, I don't want to say anything until I’ve worked it completely through all the way. And I certainly don't want Aiden to find out about this, so you can't tell him or anyone else. Word travels fast and for this to work, I've got to be able to take James by surprise."
"You're not planning on physically overtaking him, are you?
With a laugh, Megan shook her head; that was the last thing she was planning. When the woman started to ask another question, Megan held up her hand, one finger up, halting the questions.
"Let me think a bit more. When the time is right, I'll let you know what's going on. In the meantime, tell me what was said last night when they called. They said something that got you all worked up, I could hear it in your voice."
Gwendolyn took a deep breath, and then the words spilled out.
“Last night’s call was pretty straight forward. I was reminded again not to contact the police, or let anyone else know what was happening. I’m being watched they told me. If I tried anything, it would force them to release the book ahead of the launch. Then, just as they were ready to hang up, I was told that written instructions would be waiting for me in the morning.”
The writer paused for effect, much the same wa
y she would end a chapter, and then when she was sure Megan was waiting on her every word, she continued. Reaching into her top desk drawer, she pulled out an unaddressed white envelope.
“I found this under my office door this morning when I came downstairs. I want to know how they got in and left it here for me to find.”
Megan reached out to take the envelope from her hands, wondering about the possibilities as she did. It didn’t take more than a second for her to come up with a reasonable one.
“The crew from the party planners were here early, weren’t they?”
“Yes, I heard them arrive around 6 am. I wasn’t dressed yet, so I stayed in my room, had a light breakfast, and answered a few phone messages. Why?”
“Is it possible that someone from the crew slipped this under the door this morning, rather than last night?”
Gwendolyn was silent for a moment and then she thumped her forehead with the heel of her had in frustration.
“For crying out loud! Of course, that’s what happened. Here I am imagining all sorts of scenarios, instead of looking for the most obvious answer. Go ahead and open it, Megan. Read what they have to say.”
Megan pulled a white piece of paper out of the envelope. When she unfolded it, she noticed that there were no lines or margins on the paper. Instead she found a handwritten note, with the writing slanting up the paper – probably because there were no lines to follow.
The Flapper Caper Page 14
