We found a diner on Millersberg’s Main Street. I was hungry enough to eat some tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwich. Jerry reminded me to take the medicine. My stomach hadn’t given me any trouble since this morning, but he insisted I try the pills.
“Unless you want me to haul you off to the nearest doctor.”
“No, thank you.”
We gave Mrs. Forest about an hour to return and settle down. Then we went back. Jerry parked the car several houses down and suggested we split up.
“You go in the front. Tell her the police have arrested me and she’s safe. I’m going in the back.”
I didn’t bother to ask if he could get in. One of his dubious skills is his ability to pick locks. “Don’t scare her. You’ll give her a heart attack.”
“She’s not the one I hope to scare.”
Mrs. Forest was puzzled to find me at her door again.
“Mrs. Forest, good news. The police caught Mr. Fairweather.”
She opened the door a little wider. “Oh, my, well, that’s a relief. He frightened me, bounding out the door like that.” She turned and spoke over her shoulder. “Did you hear that?”
I could see someone else sitting in the parlor, a very large woman with long black hair cut in bangs straight across her forehead and keen dark eyes.
“Yes, now say thank you and good-bye,” this woman said.
“This is my niece, visiting me for a few days.”
I didn’t think so. “I didn’t realize you had company. I won’t bother you any longer.”
I figured I’d given Jerry enough time. Sure enough, he appeared from the kitchen.
“But I will,” he said.
Mrs. Forest gave a squeak of terror. The other woman jumped up and appealed to me. “Oh, my God, it’s that madman! He’s come back to kill us! Call the police!”
“Give it a rest, Honor,” Jerry said. “That’s my wife.”
The woman stared at me for a moment and then gave a burst of laughter. “I don’t believe it! You can’t fool me, Jerry, but I sure as hell fooled you.”
“Not for long.”
Jerry looked as angry as I’d ever seen him. I thought I’d better jump in. “I’m really his wife. Madeline Fairweather. And you must be Honor Perkins.”
She was still chuckling to herself. “The one and only. You’ve met Denby Forest. Take a bow, Denby.”
Mrs. Forest’s eyes darted from Honor to Jerry to me and settled on Honor. “You said there wouldn’t be any trouble.”
“And there won’t be, right, Jerry? Now we’re even.”
“Even for what?” I asked. “I didn’t appreciate your joke.”
“Oh, now don’t get your knickers in a twist, Mrs. Fairweather. Jerry owed me for a bank examiner swindle. Now we’re done.”
“Bank examiner swindle?” Just when I thought I’d heard it all.
Jerry gave me a look to say, not now. “All a big misunderstanding. Honor, if you’d waited where I told you to, you would’ve gotten your cut.”
She shook her head. “Oh, there was a lot more to it than that.”
Mrs. Forest tugged on Honor’s sleeve. “When do I get my money?”
Honor rolled her eyes. “I told you I’d pay you. Chill out.”
Mrs. Forest pointed at me. “This woman’s a private investigator. If you don’t give me my money, I’ll hire her to track you down.”
Honor looked interested. “So that card you gave her was the real deal?”
“Yes, and since I’m not too happy with you right now, I’d take the job.”
She chuckled again. “See what comes of working with amateurs, Jerry? Let me pay Denby off, and then we can talk about old times.”
I’d had enough. “No, if you and Jerry are through playing jokes on each other, we’ll go. We have a meeting in Celosia at two.”
“You actually live in Celosia?” she said to Jerry. “I thought that was another one of your cover addresses.”
“I inherited an old house there.”
“Still doing the séances?”
“No, I’ve reformed, which is more than I can say for you.”
“Aw, a little harmless prank.”
“No, I’m talking about a D and S on Pumpkin Lane.”
She paused. “Oh, really?”
“The woman you robbed is a friend of Mac’s. She gave me a good description. Who are you working with? And more importantly, are you crazy?”
“I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Mrs. Forest tugged harder. “My money.”
“Yes, yes.” She kept her self-satisfied smirk. “It was fun, though, wasn’t it, Jerry? Admit it. Nothing like the rush of a good con.”
“Not when I’m on the receiving end,” he said. “And not when you’re involved in breaking and entering.”
“Can we talk about this later?” She pried Mrs. Forest from her arm. “All right, all right, you’ll get your money. Is there somewhere we can meet?”
“We’re going to talk about this now.”
“In front of the—?” She gave a little nod indicating Mrs. Forest, and one indicating me.
“Mac’s not a mark and never has been. We can talk outside if you don’t want Mrs. Forest to hear.”
“I just want my money,” Mrs. Forest said.
“Pay her off and come on.”
Honor sighed theatrically. “All right. Give me a minute.”
Jerry went out the back door to stand guard while I covered the front in case Honor decided to make another run for it. After a few minutes, she came out the front door and gave me an appraising dark-eyed stare.
“So you’re really a private investigator, huh? I thought you were a beauty queen.”
“Beauty queen’s not exactly a full-time job. The pay is lousy and no one takes you seriously.”
“But it makes a great cover, doesn’t it? Have you solved any crimes?” Her tone bordered on condescending.
“A few. Including murder.”
She backed up in mock fear. “Oh, a tough gal. Not exactly Jerry’s style. You know he always went for the baby-doll blondes. What was that woman’s name? Olive? Olivia?”
“Olivia.”
“Yeah, he was hanging around her for the longest time. What did you do to pry him away? You must know some pretty good tricks, yourself.”
“No tricks.”
“Well, we ran some great schemes. He’s never told you about any of them?”
“He’s told about some of his adventures, but he never mentioned you.”
She had a pretty good poker face, but I could tell this bugged her. “Wild times, I’m telling you. What’s it like being married to him? Never thought he’d settle down.”
“Never a dull moment,” I said. “Especially when we have to confront his old con buddies.”
“Aw, you don’t have to worry about me. I was only fooling around. I apologize if I upset you.” She turned to call, “I’m out here talking to your wife, Jerry.”
He joined us. “Okay, I want details.”
“Nothing to tell,” Honor said. “I did the scope, that’s all.”
“Who asked you to? Who are you working with? Nobody in our circle went that big.”
“You know I can’t tell you that, Jerry.” She glanced at me. “Sorry about the D and S. Insurance paid for your friend’s stuff, didn’t they?”
“What’s a D and S?” I asked.
“Dinner and a show. It’s also called the Broadway. Really kinda harmless.”
“What if my friend and her husband had come home early?”
Honor shrugged. “Everybody hightails it out of there.”
“You were involved only with the setup?” Jerry asked.
“Yes, and what’s it to you? You’re out, right? No more cons? At least, that’s what Rick tells me.”
Jerry hesitated. I could tell he was torn between wanting to help his former partner in crime and letting her deal with the consequences of her shady actions.
Honor pressed another button. “So now that you’re a law-abiding citizen, you’re not going to rat on me, are you?”
“No. But you can’t keep doing this kind of thing.”
“I repeat, what’s it to you?”
He took another long pause. I knew he wanted to be loyal to his friends, but wasn’t there a limit? I wondered if this was going to be the final cut in that knotty rope that tied him to his con man past. “I guess it’s nothing to me. You said we’re even, so we’re even. Come on, Mac.”
Honor gave him a jaunty little salute, but gave me a look that bordered on hostile. “Till next time.”
Oh, there’d better not be a next time.
***
Jerry didn’t say much on the drive back to Celosia, except to express concern that if Honor had moved on to the larger more dangerous cons, he wouldn’t be able to help her.
I wasn’t so sure we’d seen the last of her. “So all this with Mrs. Forest and the million dollars was just an elaborate prank to get even with you. Is this something you and your friends did all the time?”
“Honor’s the only one who got a kick out of conning us. I suppose it made her feel superior. She never could do card tricks or pick locks, and she wasn’t the physical type to be a bait girl. Maybe she was jealous.” He rubbed his forehead. “I don’t know. I can’t believe she’s in this deep.”
“I hate to say this, but we should call the police. She could lead them to the people who actually robbed Billie’s house.”
“I can’t rat on her.”
“But I can. She has to know that’s what I’m going to do.”
Jerry heaved a sigh and didn’t answer.
***
He was still in a thoughtful mood by the time we arrived at the gallery for the two o’clock meeting. A new window gleamed with the words Celosia Art Gallery in swirling gold letters.
“At least it doesn’t say Clarke Art Gallery,” I said. “I don’t think that would win him any more fans.”
Rows of chairs had been set up inside. Besides Pamela and the members of the Art Guild, I saw Larissa Norton, her arms folded, her lips in a thin line. I recognized a reporter from the Celosia News, the head of the downtown merchants’ association, and a young policeman.
Flora was seated in the first row. She was wearing a pink suit with rows of gold buttons and lots of gold jewelry, including the bracelet with the little gold and yellow leaves. She looked gorgeous but maybe a touch too flashy. I would’ve attempted to be more subtle. The curl of hair was getting quite a workout.
Jerry and I took the two seats next to her. She leaned over to me. “Thanks for sitting with me. I didn’t want to come, but Wendall insisted.”
“Everyone will settle down.”
“I don’t think Bea Ricter ever will. And Larissa is here. I want to sink into the floor. Why did she come?”
“Just curious, I suppose.”
“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere near my ex. She was probably hoping the gallery would be a big flop.”
Wendall stood facing the group. Standing next to him was a severe-looking, dark-haired woman all in black. Wendall held up his hands for silence. “All right, everyone, I know you’re anxious to find out more about your new art gallery. We’re very lucky to have secured the services of a very fine curator from Parkland’s Silver Gallery. Let me introduce Sasha Gregory.”
The dark-haired woman gave a brief nod.
“Sasha and I will be happy to review any and all submissions. Just see her after the meeting. We plan to hold a reception and grand opening next Saturday, where you can see the best artwork Celosia has to offer. Does anyone have any questions?”
Bea Ricter was already waving her hand. “Why didn’t you get a curator from here? No offense to Ms. Gregory, but we have plenty of qualified people in Celosia who could run this gallery.”
“Who did you have in mind?” Wendall asked.
“Me, for one! I could run this place!”
A few people laughed and there was a general muttering from the Guild for her to sit down and be quiet.
She glared at the crowd. “I could! What do you have to do? Pick the artwork that goes on the walls, pick the artwork that goes in the display cases. That’s all there is to it. I could certainly do a better job than someone who never lived here. She won’t know whose work is good and whose is just crap.”
Pamela spoke in a tense whisper. “Bea, please. I think it’s a little late to present your case. Wendall’s already hired Ms. Gregory.”
“What about Larissa, then? I know they’re divorced, but she knows all about running a business.”
“Hush, Bea, for God’s sake.”
Bea flopped back into her chair. I wasn’t sure it was possible, but Larissa sat even stiffer. Her voice was dark with sarcasm. “Thank you, Bea, but I have no desire to have any dealings with this gallery.”
“Then why are you here?” Bea asked.
“It’s a public meeting. I have a right to be here.”
Sasha Gregory raised a slim hand. Her voice, by contrast, was low and calm. “If Sasha may say something.” When she had everyone’s attention, she continued. “Perhaps there is some concern that, not being a native Celosian, Sasha will not be a fair judge of your art. Sasha assures you, everyone will have a chance to be represented in this gallery. Sasha will be happy to speak to anyone about this. The goal of this gallery is to advance the universality of art in your community, not exclude artists because of visionary differences.”
No one said anything for a long moment. I wasn’t sure how many in the audience understood what Sasha Gregory had said, and the fact that she referred to herself in third person had even given me pause. Jerry was trying not to laugh. Quite a few people gave her narrow-eyed looks, as if to say, “Are you putting one over on us?”
Wendall rubbed his hands together in a satisfied manner. “Well, then, I think that says it all. Any further questions?”
Despite Pamela’s efforts to stop her, Bea waved her hand.
Wendall smiled politely. “Yes, Bea?”
She stood up, rearranging her patchwork skirt. “I just wanted to say that although I appreciate a gallery, I don’t like the way you steamrolled in and set everything up without consulting us.”
“I did consult the Celosia Chamber of Commerce, the city commissioners, and the downtown merchants association. As much as I value your input, the Art Guild is basically a social group without any real clout. I don’t think someone opening a new landscaping business would need the approval of the Garden Club.”
This did not sit well with the members of the Guild. Fortunately, the reporter from the Celosia News had some questions.
“Mr. Clarke, what will the hours be for the gallery?”
“Ten-to-five weekdays and Saturdays, one-to-four on Sundays. Free admission. And Sasha hopes to bring some exhibits from Parkland on a regular basis.”
Bea Ricter wasn’t finished. “Didn’t you forget a place for children?”
“Not at all. There’s a special room in the back for children to have hands-on experiences and after-school classes. I hope you’ll check it out.” He looked around the group. “Any further questions? No? Then those of you who wish to display your work, if you’d please fill out one of these forms and make an appointment with Ms. Gregory. We have some refreshments over here. Please stay and enjoy yourselves.”
As Bea continued to seethe, and members of the Art Guild made a dash for the forms, I made my way over to Wendall.
“All in all, that went very well, I think,” he said. “I was expecting more resistance, but I think people understand I can’t feature everyone right now. I have to go with the best. Once the gallery’s established, maybe I’ll have time and room for them.”
I didn’t like that “maybe.” “For the grand opening, it would be a tactful gesture to have a sample of everyone’s work.”
“I’ll think about it. However, I definitely want some of your work to be the first we display.”
I didn’t want to get in the middle of this. “I don’t have anything ready right now.”
“Even some pencil sketches would do. I’ll see that Sasha leaves an appointment open for you.”
I could feel the anger around me as members of the Art Guild heard every word.
“That’s not necessary, Wendall. I can wait.”
“Nonsense! You’re the only one with any real talent.”
Before he could say anything else to make me the most popular girl in the room, I asked him for a word in private. We moved to a corner of the room.
“What’s this about, Madeline?”
“If you want my advice, in order for the gallery to move forward in a positive way, you need to clear things up with Bea. There’s obviously some unresolved issue between the two of you.”
“I really thought we’d settled our differences.” He lowered his voice. “Madeline, we all do things when we’re young that we’re not proud of. You’re a beautiful woman, and I imagine you could’ve had any boy you wanted in high school. I had a good time in high school, too, and well…let’s just say I may have led some girls on. Apparently, Bea hasn’t forgiven me.”
“You had a relationship?”
“A one-night stand, I’m afraid. I thought I was quite the stud back then. But she shouldn’t feel bad. I slept with a lot of girls because they threw themselves at me. However, I’m not that wild teenage boy anymore, and I’m going to try to make amends if she’ll let me.”
We were interrupted by Bea’s strident voice.
“Where did you get that?”
We turned to see Bea grab Flora’s wrist where the little leaf bracelet dangled.
Flora tried to back away. “Wendall gave it to me.”
“That bracelet is mine! Give it to me.”
For a moment, Flora’s eyes narrowed, and I thought she would haul back and give Bea a good thump on the nose. I saw Jerry get ready to referee. Then Flora’s look of bemused innocence returned. “My goodness. If you’re that sure, you can have it.”
She started to take the bracelet off, but Bea gave it a rough tug. The bracelet snapped, and all the little leaves clattered to the floor. Bea kicked the leaves and rounded on Wendall.
“So much for your promises!”
Most of the people were busy filling out the forms and getting appointments from Sasha, or at the tables filling plates with refreshments, and missed this little drama. Bea stormed out. Flora rubbed her wrist and shot Bea a look of pure loathing before turning a sweet, big-eyed gaze to Wendall, who hugged her.
“Are you all right, Baby?”
“I didn’t mean to cause so much trouble.”
Behind them, Jerry was looking at Flora thoughtfully. I was wondering how Flora got a bracelet that apparently Wendall gave to Bea. “Wendall, do you know what that was all about?”
“Oh, a little misunderstanding, that’s all. If you’ll excuse me, I believe that policeman is here to have a word with me about the incident yesterday.”
Flora gave a little wave. “Good-bye, Madeline. Good-bye, Jerry. Thanks for sitting with me.”
Jerry picked up one of the yellow leaves. “That was interesting.”
“Yes, if Wendall’s left his bad boy past behind, why does he have Bea’s bracelet? And why was Flora wearing it?”
He gestured toward the long line at the sign-up table. “Well, one thing’s for sure. The gallery’s not going to be a flop.”
“The whole thing is so schizophrenic,” I said. “The members of the Art Guild are still angry at Wendall, and yet they knocked each other over getting in line for an appointment with Sasha, who, by the way, must imagine she’s Queen of Artlandia. I don’t believe I’ve ever heard anyone consistently refer to herself in third person. Madeline’s not sure what to make of it.”
“Jerry says it’s hilarious.”
***
We walked the short distance to Flair For Fashion. Pamela had yet to arrive, so the door was locked.
Jerry reached into his pocket for his keys. “I can get us in, if you like.”
I wasn’t in any hurry to wade through the paper. “All that mess can wait.” I leaned back against the door. “I saw that look you gave Flora. What’s up?”
“That little baby doll act she’s got going is very convincing.”
“You think it’s all an act?”
“I’m not sure. I thought for a moment I was going to have to peel her off Bea. But Bea could test anyone’s patience. I wanted to smack her myself.”
“Well, a lot of women play up to men that way. And Wendall confessed he’d been a studly dude in high school, so he’s used to being fawned upon. I was right about his relationship with Bea. She is a woman scorned.”
“And still angry after all these years?”
“Don’t you remember the first woman who broke your heart?”
“There were so many.”
The policeman who’d been in the gallery came up the street. “Ms. Maclin, Chief Brenner would like to know if you have any news for him.”
I took out my phone. “I’ll be glad to call him.”
The chief was interested in what I’d found out in the meeting. “Wendall has hired a curator from the Silver Gallery in Parkland named Sasha Gregory. The members of the Art Guild are happily signing up for gallery times, and Bea had an altercation with Flora Clarke. Something about a bracelet Mrs. Clarke was wearing that Bea felt was hers. Flora handed it over, and Bea left in her usual style.”
“Was Larissa Norton at the meeting?”
“Yes, but no words were exchanged, just hateful looks.”
He thanked me and hung up.
“Need some help looking for the letter?” Jerry asked.
“Yes, but first, I have to call Billie and tell her about Honor.”
“Yeah, I know. If Honor’s smart, she’s already left town.”
I hadn’t meant to give her a head start, but if it made Jerry feel a little better about my decision, then I’d let him think that. I called Billie and told her the woman who scammed her was Honor Perkins, a professional con artist.
“And she robbed my house?”
“No, she gathered information for the burglars, but she may be able to lead the police to them, if they can find her.”
“Thanks, Madeline. That’s a start, at least. When are you coming back for another visit?”
“Soon, I hope.” We said good-bye, and I hung up. “Jerry, you said you never used your real name, and I remember Rick doesn’t use his, either. Why does Honor use hers?”
“Sheer egotism. She figures she’ll never get caught.”
“And explain something else. What exactly is a bank examiner swindle, and why did Honor feel compelled to pay you back?”
He looked apologetic. “I’m not proud of this one, okay? Honor set it up, and then I called the mark—I mean, this woman—pretending to be a bank examiner, and told her there was something wrong with her account and could she help catch the dishonest bank teller? The woman went to the bank, made a withdrawal, and then took it outside and handed it to me. I said I’ll mark it and redeposit it.”
“But you kept it, and half was to go to Honor.”
“She wasn’t where she was supposed to be. I had to get out of there.”
This was worse than I thought. “You stole some poor woman’s hard-earned money.”
“As I said, not proud. And it wasn’t very much. We didn’t take her life’s savings, just two thousand dollars.”
“People fall for that?”
“All the time. But I didn’t do it again. Way too risky.”
“What else haven’t you done again?”
“Whatever I’ve done, I promise I’m through. I have to set a good example for Hortensia.”
“Do I have to have a baby to make you reform?”
“Yes, exactly. You see right through me.”
I had to smile back. “I know what you want. You want a little con baby to use as a shill or whatever it is you call it.”
He snapped his fingers. “That’s it. That’s her name. Shilleeta.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Shilleeta Decoy Fairweather. That’s sheer poetry.”
Pamela came hurrying up the street. “Oh, there you are, Madeline. My apologies.” She unlocked the door. “I meant to give you my key. I need to go back and sign up for a time to bring in my work. Can you keep an eye on the store, as well?”
“I can do that while Mac’s working,” Jerry said.
“Thank you. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
We went inside Flair For Fashion. Jerry looked around the shop. “Very elite. Very trendy.”
“Very expensive.”
“Where’s this letter supposed to be?”
I showed him the cluttered room. “Welcome to Needle in a Haystack.”
“Good grief. I’m beginning to think everyone in Celosia is a hoarder.”
It was true that several of my former clients had disorderly homes. “You can look through that stack near the door. That way you can see if anyone comes in.” He took a chunk of the leaning stack and began to thumb through the pages. “The letter should be from Daniel Richards, and it gives Pamela permission to remodel the building.”
We worked in silence for a while, and then Jerry said, “Are you going to put any of your work in the gallery?”
“I think I’d better give everyone else a turn first. Some of the Guild ladies looked a bit testy.” I closed one file drawer and opened another. “Nothing in that one but receipts.”
“Nothing in this stack but order forms.”
“I meant to tell you if you find anything that pertains to the Art Guild, stack it on this chair.”
“Okay.” He gave me the full force of his beautiful gray eyes. “Mac, I really am sorry I didn’t tell you about my other crimes.”
“Apology accepted.”
He grinned and gave the door a little nudge with his foot, closing us in. “I think the store will be safe for a few minutes, don’t you?”
“There’s not a lot of room in here.”
“We’ll manage.”
***
We managed. Then we managed some more. And we managed to be through before Pamela came back. She was so excited about getting an appointment with Sasha, she didn’t notice our slightly disheveled appearance.
“Have any luck?” she asked.
I didn’t dare look at Jerry. “Not yet.”
“Well, I’m so relieved Ms. Gregory is going to consider my work. You don’t mind leaving early, do you? I want plenty of time to look over all my pictures. I need to decide on just the right ones to show her.”
“We don’t mind.”
Pamela practically pushed us out. “Okay, thanks. See you tomorrow.”
We stood in front of the store for a few moments while Jerry retied his tie and I pushed my curls back into order. Down the block we could see cars still parked on both sides of the street at the gallery.
“Shows no sign of slowing down,” Jerry said. “Maybe the problem will take care of itself.”
“I don’t know. That was quite a blowup between Bea and Flora.”
“She dropped her wounded little flower act for a moment. I’m not sure if she meant to.”
“Bea would provoke anybody.” I hunted in my purse for my keys. “Please don’t tell me Flora’s another of your con artist buddies. Honor is more than enough.”
“I don’t recognize Flora from any past dealings. As for Honor, she won’t bother us again.”
I did not believe that for one minute.