“Be on your toes. Some time tonight, before you give your welcoming speech, you will be contacted by someone you know and trust. That person will pick up your first payment. When he has received the money, he will hand over all the copies of your book. Please do not try to ask him any questions. When you pay, we will consider this exchange complete. However, I took the flash drive from your desk. I can’t tell you how delighted I was to find such complete outlines for the next few books in your series. We will discuss what to do about them later.”
Megan looked up to find the writer biting her lower lip hard, almost to the point of drawing blood. This did not look good. She waited for Gwendolyn to offer an explanation.
“Megan, I didn’t even notice that the second flash drive was missing. It’s not something I use every day. He’s right; that flash drive has the outlines for my next four or five books. If that info got out, my book sales will tank. It will be the end of my series. I’m not ready to meekly give in to their demands, but what am I supposed to do?”
“Get a hold of yourself, my friend. We follow the plan that Aiden developed. If we deviate, we could interfere with the authorities and their arrest of James. We’ll get the drive back without a word getting out to anyone.”
Megan stood up and handed Gwendolyn the envelope back. They needed to put this behind them for now, donning their “everything is ok” personas. And that started with the two of them getting to work on the night’s party.
Chapter 24
Megan had her hand on the doorknob, ready to turn it when Gwendolyn stopped her. With a wave towards the French doors that led out to the pool terrace, the writer pointed out Megan's two dogs, each sitting on their own lounge chair, watching the peacocks.
"You know, I believe my office is the perfect place for the dogs to spend the day. I'll make sure that Daniel takes them out periodically. This way they can watch the comings and goings of both the party planners and their new friends, the peacocks. Does that meet with your approval, Megan?"
"That’s a perfect solution, if you don't mind them being in here."
"No, I rather like the idea of having a dog sitting by my desk. I'll have Daniel bring in their food dishes and beds and let them get comfortable in here."
She walked across to the French doors, opening them wide and calling softly to the dogs. When they heard their names, both dogs got up from the loungers and ran to Gwendolyn. Daniel followed at a slower pace than the dogs. Getting his instructions from his employer, he went to retrieve their supplies.
"There, now that’s settled. Let's go find out what's going on in my living room and just what those party planners are doing." She walked over to Megan, grabbed the door handle, and swung the door open.
Both women were dumbfounded to find James standing there with his hands reaching out as if to open the door. Gwendolyn was quick on her feet, realizing that it might look like she was conspiring with Megan which could send a warning signal to James.
"Megan, I'm so pleased that you’re letting me host an engagement party for you here. We need to get with James—" she paused for dramatic effect and, with innocent eyes, looked at the party planner before continuing, "just the man I was thinking about. James, would you be willing to plan an engagement party for Megan? But I don't want an ordinary party. I want something elaborate and unforgettable for Megan."
Megan and James both looked at Gwendolyn; one in shock, one with suspicion. But there was another voice still to be heard. Megan was shocked when Barney growled at James. After giving James an apology, Megan played up to Gwendolyn's misdirection and was relieved to watch the suspicion leave James’s eyes. The three of them left the office, discussing the possibilities for the fictitious engagement party. It had been a quick save, and Megan was thrilled at how Gwendolyn had turned the tables.
It didn't take long for the three of them to get involved in party projects and they soon separated, ending up in different area of the house, working to make the evening a success. The morning sped by, and they barely had time to talk to other. However, at one point Megan and Gwendolyn managed to sneak some time away from the others with the excuse of walking the dogs.
They left Gwendolyn's property through the beautiful Spanish gate and entered the private park. There they knew they could talk freely and not be worried about being overheard.
"I'm not going to ask any details Megan, but how is your plan coming for tonight?" Megan bent down and threw a stick for the dogs before she answered.
"I don't have all the details worked out yet. A lot of it depends upon how James reacts through the night. I have enough of a basic plan together to make it work. What about you, are you prepared in case this doesn't work?"
Gwendolyn threw her arms up in the air as if to say what will be will be. But she wasn't quite so blasé about it, and when she answered Megan it was clear she had been thinking about that possibility as well.
"If for some reason this all falls through and James goes through with his threat two things will happen. First of all, I am not paying that man a dime. Second, I believe I can turn the whole thing around into an advantage. I have a small collection of stories I've been sitting on for a rainy day. If he goes ahead and leaks my outlines, I’ll offer anyone who downloads his outlines a free book in return for their leaked version. I've already pushed back the launch of the digital version of the book so it won’t hurt my sales at all. And of course, at the book launch tonight I will have a limited number of pre-printed copies of the book. That means that anybody who goes home with one tonight will have the correct version."
Megan was impressed. She knew the writer was a savvy business person, but she didn't know quite how creative she was with the business end of her writing. Privately Megan wondered why she even needed a publisher, it sounded like Gwendolyn had quite a handle on her own writing life.
"Then we have all the bases covered. Now we wait for the next move from the blackmailer."
Gypsy gave a sharp tug on her leash and Megan looked find that two dogs were ready to chase after a squirrel who was teasing them. The animal was standing close enough for the dogs to see and smell it, but far enough away that they couldn't reach it. With a gentle voice, Megan calmed the two dogs down and the women continued their walk before heading back to the house.
That was the only opportunity the women had to be alone together throughout the day. Even their lunch was busy with other people around them. Finally, by 4:00 the party planners had everything in place, and Gwendolyn proclaimed she was exhausted and was going up to take a quick nap. Megan took the dogs out by the pool to sit and relax for half an hour before she needed to go inside to get ready for the party. The first guests would start arriving around 5:30. There was to be light hors d'oeuvres served and then at 6:30 a buffet dinner would be put out. At 7:30 the spotlight would be on Gwendolyn as she announced the release of her new book and highlighted parts of the book for the readers. Members of the press would arrive at seven. It was a tight schedule and ensured a busy evening. Because of the precise timing, Megan anticipated that James would make his move sometime while the guests were enjoying the buffet.
Megan must've drifted off, sitting in the lounger with the warm sun lulling her into a comfortable doze. A light kiss woke her, and she looked up to find Aiden leaning over her.
"So, does this make you my prince charming?" she asked smiling.
Aiden smiled back at her while he gave the two clamoring dogs attention.
"I missed you today. I take it everything is going smoothly?"
"Yes. At this point it’s out of our hands and we’re just waiting. Where's the Colonel?" she asked when she looked around and noted that Aiden was by himself.
"I dropped him off at Kim's new apartment. They'll come together to the launch party tonight. And the Colonel’s shadow will be there as well."
Megan looked at him questioningly, not understanding what he meant, so he hastened to explain.
"Detective Carson followed us all the way down from
Citrus Beach. At this point he's not even trying to be discreet, and he parked his car right outside Kim's apartment."
"Well he could be an advantage we’re not aware of. Adele spoke glowingly of him, she knows him from his work down here in Palm Beach and said he has a great reputation."
Aiden agreed with her. His contact in law enforcement had said the same thing. Personally, he liked the detective. The man was smart and thorough. His only downfall was his doggedness when he thought he had a suspect. And that would be a strength if the suspect was guilty.
They sat talking for a few moments, and then Daniel came out to interrupt.
"Megan, your dress and accessories have arrived and I've put them up in the guest room."
Megan glanced at her watch and was astonished at the time; she must've slept longer than she intended. Putting the dogs in Aiden's care, she followed Daniel back into the house and then rushed up to her room to get ready for the party.
When she was ready, she followed the sound of voices downstairs to find the others had arrived, and the dogs were securely tucked away in the office. Gwendolyn had gathered her friends in the living room and was talking with Adele and Charlotte while the Colonel was laughing with Aiden over something Aiden had said. Megan took a moment to admire the other women's beautiful cocktail dresses. She was glad she had splurged and bought herself one when they had all gone shopping, especially when she noticed the admiring look from Aiden.
She barely had time to talk to Charlotte and Adele before the first group of Gwendolyn’s guests arrived. The author and her publisher stationed themselves by the front entry to welcome the guests. In no time, the room was buzzing with conversation and laughter. It appeared that everyone Gwendolyn had invited was in attendance. The staff of the party planners mingled amongst the guest, refilling glasses of champagne and offering delicious hors d'oeuvres from silver platters.
Megan was introduced to many of Adele and Gwendolyn’s friends and found they had many in common. She was enjoying the party so much that she almost forgot why she was there. It was the arrival of Detective Carson that brought things back into perspective.
It was Adele who saw the detective at the door first. Moving swiftly, she made her way to the front doors to run interception and keep the detective out of sight from James. But the detective must have flashed his credentials and then the man walking across the room towards the Colonel. She quickly turned to Aiden who was by her side and urgently whispered to him so no one else could overhear.
"Aiden, you need to get over there and stop the detective before he blows everything. Take him off to the side, even if you must include the Colonel. Hopefully James will assume he's only here to question the Colonel and it will not interfere with his attempt to blackmail Gwendolyn."
Aiden waited for her to finish speaking before he made his way through the crowd to get to the other side of the room. Kim had also seen what was going on, and was making her way to defend her grandfather. It seemed like everybody was concentrating on that corner of the party. And that's when James made his move.
He worked his way over to Gwendolyn and when he reached her side, discretely handed her an envelope. Explaining he’d been told to give this to her, James excused himself and walked away. Tearing open the envelope Gwendolyn looked down to read the words, your office – five minutes written on her own stationary. She didn't know whether to be nervous about meeting him or to be angry that he had the gall to use her own writing materials off her desk. She turned in his direction, ready to say something to him but he was already gone.
Gwendolyn made her way towards her office, taking a path that would lead her right past Megan. As she walked by the younger woman, she slid the envelope in her hands so as not to draw any attention. Megan waited until the woman had walked away before she looked down and read the note. Then she looked at the clock over the fireplace to discover what time it was and began a mental countdown.
Gwendolyn had almost made it to the door of her office suite when her publisher stopped her and pulled her away, insisting she was needed in another area of the house. Megan watched as Gwendolyn tried to put off the other woman, but she wasn't having any of it. With a panicked look on her face, Gwendolyn looked over to Megan, clearly unsure of what to do.
Acting on impulse, Megan gave the author the signal to go, and she hurried to take her place. There was no time to let Aiden know what was going on, he was still busy with the detective. They didn't dare make the blackmailer wait.
Rather than enter through the main doors, Megan walked down a small hall where she knew there was a back entrance. Entering through this door, she quieted the two dogs when they heard her come in and whined. They quickly obeyed her, curling back up in their beds. Megan looked around and was pleased to find she had made it before James. She found a place in the shadows and waited.
Chapter 25
It didn’t take long for the main door to Gwendolyn’s office to open. The light from the hallway outlined the figure of a man before he moved soundlessly into the room, closing the door behind him. With the sure step of someone familiar with the room’s layout, he walked to the desk and sat down, facing the door, waiting for Gwendolyn to walk in. He set the stage to have control of the situation when she arrived, and Megan heard him give a mean chuckle.
She let him get comfortable before she made her presence known. As she stepped out from the shadows, she said his name out loud, and had a fleeting moment of satisfaction when he started at the sound of her voice.
“James, Gwendolyn won’t be coming.”
“So, you continue to be the lapdog for your rich friends, eh, Megan?”
James slowly turned the chair toward her voice, getting himself under control. Megan swallowed and took a deep breath. She understood it was important she get him to talk. With a slight movement of the hand she had by her side, she activated the recording device she had confiscated from Aiden’s office. She would not miss a word that was said between the two of them.
“Just doing my job, James. I was told you would have something for me.”
“It’s here. And you have something for me, I believe.” James pointed to the desk before he answered her, greedily.
“Yes, I have your blackmail money. And you need to be clear this is the only payment you will ever get from my client.”
“Now Megan, we both know that isn’t true. If Gwendolyn was so willing to pay me this time, she will be just as willing to continue the payments. Nothing has changed – except that now you know about my side business. How am I supposed to deal with that, hmm?”
“But I don’t really know all that much about it, James. Maybe the way to deal with me is to make me part of your little scheme. I can always use the extra cash.” Megan realized she had to keep him talking. Because once he stopped, he would have to confront her.
There was a spark of interest from the man in front of her, and she held her breath, not wanting to stop his train of thought.
“You do have some great connections – rich connections. And I do have an opening for someone with those connections. But you’re just too honest, Megan. I’ve seen that first hand. Unfortunately, I just don’t see a long-term partnership in your future. Not like I had with Lisa.” His voice faded as he thought of the dead woman.
Megan hesitated for a moment, not quite sure how to push him about Lisa. But it seemed like he wanted to talk, his anger at his now-dead partner was evident as he spoke. He stood up from the chair, moving around to the front of the desk. Megan stood her ground, she refused to let him see that she was nervous.
"Apparently, Lisa drew the line at blackmailing a handicapped person. She got all huffy on me and told me it wasn't right. We argued constantly about that deal. I figured she would betray me, from that point I started monitoring her movements carefully. But apparently, I was a little too late, she was ready to contact Colonel Heart. She was gathering information about the jobs we had done and was planning on going to him with it. I don't know if she hoped
that the Colonel's granddaughter would do a big story on it in the newspaper, or if he would turn me over to the police. That night at the museum we had our final fight over the issue."
Megan edged her way towards the French doors, hoping she could make a quick escape if he became physical. James noticed her movement and stepped towards her, blocking her path way to the door. He stopped right in front of the doors and pulled an object out of his pocket. Megan heard the mechanical click and watched a long blade appear from the knife he held. He gave her a glare that held Megan in place, and then he continued to speak.
"She had the nerve to blackmail me. How ironic is that? She told me she wanted out, she didn't want to do this anymore, she wanted to go straight. When I asked her why I should let her, she told me she had a list of everything, including all my offshore bank accounts, some I didn't even know she was aware of. She used that to threaten me. Either I let her walk away with a bit of seed money to start a new life, or she would make sure the Colonel had all the information."
James’s voice was faraway sounding, almost dreamy, as if he was back at the museum reliving the moments before Lisa’s death. He didn't even seem to be paying attention to Megan, for which she was thankful.
"Lisa was so confident and at that moment, so absolutely beautiful. I didn't want to lose her as my partner in crime and I didn't want to see her walk out of my life. She went over to that stupid car and sat in it. Swinging those beads around her neck as if to taunt me. I got in the car next to her, letting her think she would get her way. I wanted to find out where she had the information, but she wouldn’t tell me." James shook his head as if he still couldn't believe what had happened. "That's when I lost it. I grab those beads from her hands and I jerked her head back, and I twisted. I didn't realize how hard I was twisting the beads until they popped in my hands and scattered. That's when someone screamed and I realized I had to get out of there quickly. I never had a chance to search for the proof that Lisa was holding over my head."
The Flapper Caper Page 15
