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A black stretch limousine pulled up in front of Tate’s Advertising Agency. The driver got out and opened the door. Mr. Moore was the first to get out of the automobile, followed by a young socialite, her long legs protruding as she stepped out. Everyone greeted them as they entered the building. Mr. Moore escorted the woman to his office, where their lunch was waiting for them.
"There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you, Camille," Mr. Moore remarked as he sat down. "Is the necklace you’re wearing a family heirloom?"
The woman stroked her jewelry.
"This diamond necklace has been in my family for almost two decades. My father bought it for my mother while they were in Russia."
"Aren’t you afraid someone will steal it?"
Camille shook her head. "Don’t worry, it's safe. I thought we could use it for our photo shoot for the new perfume commercial."
"If you want to use it, we can make a replica."
"No, I want perfection. Besides, no one knows I have the real one but you. If you don’t mind, I’d want to keep it that way, okay?"
"Of course, I’ll take you to your hotel after lunch so you can rest. I’ll send my finest man for the job tomorrow."
Henry was eavesdropping again, and he heard everything. He grinned. Henry was sure Mr. Moore would give him this account. He knew well that he had no competition. Dan was preoccupied with Harmony Food. He tried to sound confident, but he had to be sure. He knocked on the door.
"Sir, I heard you were back. I need to talk to you about—" Henry pretended to be surprised. "Oh, I’m sorry. I did not know you had company."
"That’s okay Camille, I’d like you to meet Henry, one of our firm’s brightest employees. Henry, this is Camille McRae. You will handle her account."
Henry’s heart almost skipped a beat when he heard what Mr. Moore had stated. With this account, he would show Mr. Moore and everyone else that he was better than Dan.
"Nice to meet you, Miss McRae."
Camille just stared at him.
"Bradley, I thought you said earlier that someone named Dan would meet with me."
"Yes, he is. He’s rearranging his schedule so he can devote his full attention to you. Henry will collaborate with him."
"Okay, Bradley, I’ll leave everything to you, but first I’d like to meet Dan. Send him to the hotel tonight so we can talk about my campaign strategy and ideas."
"Of course, I’ll contact Dan, and he should be there around eight."
"Yes, 8 p.m. is good."
Nobody seemed to notice Henry’s annoyance. He was furious, and his anger was visible on his face.
Dan, Dan, Dan. It’s always Dan. He was tired of being pushed aside and playing second fiddle to Dan. This is not right. Dan is overshadowing me. Around here, I’m a laughingstock.
He calmed himself down. He couldn’t show anyone how furious he was.
"Will I see you tonight, Miss McRae? I believe I should be there, because I will work on your account," Henry stated.
"Perhaps some other time. I want to meet Dan first and get to know him."
Henry bit his bottom lip to contain his anger. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Miss McRae," Henry said as he walked out the door.
On his way back to his office, Henry heard April’s phone ring. Henry looked around, but she wasn’t there. He picked up the phone and said, "Hello," but the caller hung up. Henry was about to leave when he noticed April’s personal planner with an address book on top of her desk. He looked around again, before opening it to McRae, Camille. Henry scribbled the name of the hotel and the room number where she was staying. He planned to derail their meeting.
Let’s see how you can get out of this one, Dan.
Henry's face lit up with a devilish smile.
Henry left the office early, claiming he wasn’t feeling well, but in fact, he drove to Camille McRae’s hotel. He disguised himself with a fake beard and mustache. Henry climbed the stairs to the sixth floor, where Camille McRae was staying. He approached her room and stood with his ear to the door, listening to the silence from within. Henry wasn’t sure if she was in or not. He had to be sure. Henry picked up a courtesy phone in the corridor and dialed room service. He requested champagne be sent to Miss McRae’s room.
Henry stayed in the stairwell, leaving the door cracked so that he could see Camille McRae's door. Minutes later, the elevator door opened, and he saw the room service attendant exit, carrying a bottle of champagne in an aluminum bucket of ice. He knocked on the door, but no one responded. With his key, the guy gained entry. Henry quickly emerged from the stairway, and noticed the door was slightly open. He saw the attendant placing the champagne on the table. When the guy went to the bathroom to use it, Henry took advantage of the chance to slip in and hide in the closet. He heard the door shut as the man left. Henry looked around the room. He checked the suitcase on the floor. Henry didn’t find Miss McRae’s diamond necklace, but he saw an empty jewelry box.
A few moments later, he heard a voice from outside the door. Someone was approaching. Henry jumped inside the bifold closet door and hid there, observing. Camille entered the room while on the phone. Henry sweated bullets when he saw Camille heading towards the closet to hang her sweater, when she heard a knock on the door.
Saved by the bell, Henry told himself as he breathed with relief.
When Camille McRae opened the door, Henry heard Dan’s voice, and he listened in.
"Come in," Camille said. "Thank you for coming."
"It’s my pleasure. Mr. Moore suggested we meet in person to discuss your campaign. I have many amazing ideas for your perfume, but first I’d want to hear your thoughts. Maybe you have other ideas you’d want me to consider. I’ll include it in mine, and then I’ll provide you with the full ad campaign."
"That sounds wonderful," Camille responded. "Did Bradley disclose my idea of using my mother’s diamond jewelry? I brought it with me so you could get inspiration from it." Camille unfastened it from around her neck and handed it to Dan.
"I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything as gorgeous as this in my whole life," Dan stated. "I believe launching your new perfume label with the genuine diamond necklace in the backdrop will sell well, especially during the holiday season as gift giving approaches. To introduce your new fragrance, we’ll plan several picture sessions, advertising, television interviews, and media coverage."
Dan had a lot of ideas bouncing around in his brain, and he couldn’t wait to get started on the campaign. This young man’s vigor and excitement captivated Camille.
Dan called it a night at around midnight. He thanked Camille for her time and said his goodbyes before departing. Henry, who was still hiding in the closet, saw Camille place the diamond necklace in a jewelry box covered with seashells and place it inside her bag in a concealed compartment. As she walked to the bathroom, she grabbed a towel. As the water from the shower fell, Henry could hear her humming. He held his breath as he pushed open the closet door. Henry quickly grabbed the jewelry box from the secret compartment. He walked as quietly as possible to the door, opened it, and walked out. No one noticed Henry as he walked down the stairs until he reached the hotel lobby. Henry exhaled a sigh of relief as soon as he exited the building, hopped into his car, and sped off. He drove back to work and went straight to Dan’s office. Henry removed the diamond necklace from the jewelry box and placed it in the desk drawer beneath some papers. He stuffed the empty box into his coat pocket. Henry grinned as he looked around. Mission accomplished! It was the perfect crime. He knew Mr. Moore would either terminate Dan or, worse, have him jailed. As he stepped out of the building, he laughed.
When Henry came to work the next day, there was a stir in the office, as expected. Camille McRae had contacted Mr. Moore to report her diamond necklace was stolen. Dan was the last person to see her, so she assumed Dan took it. Mr. Moore called the police, and when they came to the building, they searched Dan’s desk and discovered the diamond necklace concealed under some papers. When Dan arrived at the office, they arrested him.
***
"I PROMISE I’VE STOLEN nothing in my life," Dan told Dusty as he sat in the police station’s interrogation room. He phoned Dusty after the police had apprehended him.
"I believe you, Dan. I’ll make arrangements for your bail release. I’ll get you out of here as quickly as possible, so just hang in there."
"Dusty?"
"Yes?"
"Please don’t tell Tessie about this. Not yet, anyway. I don’t want her to worry."
"Of course, I understand."
They released Dan when Dusty arranged bail. They arrived at Dusty’s apartment, where Tilly greeted them at the door.
"I’m sorry to hear what happened to you, Dan," Tilly remarked. "Whoever did this had been planning it for a long time. They were determined to bring you down. Do you have any enemies that would like to harm you?"
"I did not know I had enemies. I’m friends with everyone. Who would do this to me?" Dan asked.
"It had to be someone from your office. You’ll need a security pass to get into your building," Dusty explained.
"I never imagined this would happen to me," Dan murmured, putting his hands over his face.
Tilly motioned her husband to go into the kitchen with her so they could talk.
"If Dan left Camille McRae’s hotel room around midnight, and they found the necklace on his desk the next morning before he arrived, someone spent a lot of time setting him up."
"We need to call Garrett to figure this out," Dusty replied. Garrett was Dusty’s private investigator, who helped him and Tilly solve real-life crimes.
Unbeknownst to Dan, Tilly and her husband Dusty, a globe-trotting multi-millionaire power couple, led a glamorous lifestyle, but they were also a serious philanthropist and sometimes an amateur sleuth.
Tilly and Dusty, sitting on an uncomfortable chair in Detective Spencer’s office, were discussing Dan’s case the next day. Detective Spencer of the New York Police Department became a close friend with the couple after working on multiple cases where they helped trapped the culprit into confessing their crime and the detective arresting the real criminals.
"What was the reason for Dan’s arrest?" Tilly asked.
"It appears he was the last person to see Miss McRae in her hotel room. She had shown Dan the diamond necklace earlier. When she retrieved it the next morning from her suitcase, it was gone," Detective Spencer said.
"That’s it? Is that the reason they arrested Dan? He’s the primary suspect because he was the last person to see it?"
"Well, not really. This morning, they found the missing diamond jewelry in his office desk drawer."
"Come on, Detective. Why would he steal a necklace and then turn around and conveniently put it in his drawer at work where the police could easily find it? Something is wrong with all this. Dan is not a thief," Tilly said.
"I understand your concern, Tilly. I know you’re close to him, but we have little to go on. The only evidence we have is substantial, and it points to him."
"I know it appears a dreadful situation, but I’m confident there’s a logical reason for everything," Dusty added.
"Like what? Everyone I spoke with knew Dan severely needed money. They were all convinced he did it. They told me Dan had been saving for his wedding."
"What wedding?" asked Dusty, shocked. He remembered Tessie telling him they wouldn’t marry until after graduation. Besides, Dan hadn’t yet proposed to Tessie. If he had done, Tessie would have told him.
"That was the gossip in his office. He plans to propose to his girlfriend," Detective Spencer explained.
Dusty got quiet and gazed at Tilly.
"Look, we have strong evidence Dan stole the jewelry. He visited Camille McRae last night. She showed him the diamond necklace. He knows it’s worth a lot of money, and the following day it’s missing. How else could he explain it?" Detective Spencer stated.
"And then he went directly to his office and put the necklace in his desk drawer before going home, so they could arrest him the next day," Tilly explained. "Doesn’t that seem a little far-fetched?"
"I’m guessing the next thing you’ll tell me is someone framed him, right Tilly?"
"You are correct, Detective."
"But the evidence—"
"Forget about the evidence. I’m telling you someone set him up. I will not rest until we have identified the true perpetrator. And there’s only one person who can assist us in proving Dan’s innocence. How much do you miss our favorite private investigator, Detective Spencer?" Tilly laughed.
"Is Garrett in town? I thought he was working on a case involving a senator?"
"Yes, he is, but it’s all hush-hush. You know what I mean? But you know, Garrett. Who cares about the senator? Dusty makes one phone call, and he’s on the next flight to see him."
Everyone laughed.
***
GARRETT WAS SKEPTICAL about the situation after meeting with Detective Spencer and Dan, and he needed to prove his suspicions were correct. He had a lot to undertake, and in this case, he had his work cut out for him. He, like Tilly and Dusty, didn’t think Dan would steal from the company, its clients, or anybody else. Garrett had only just met Dan, but he could tell he was one of the nicest guys he’d ever met.
Garrett strolled confidently down the long corridor to Mr. Moore’s office, dressed in a business suit. As he walked by, everyone gazed at him. Garrett nodded and smiled at everyone. Unbeknownst to them, Garrett was working undercover as the new vice president of advertising at Tate’s Advertising Agency, allowing him to wander around the workplace without arousing suspicion. Dusty was the CEO of the famous Bonaventura Winery and had a lot of power and influence. He pulled strings, collaborated with the Board of Directors to get Garrett the position (temporarily, of course), and kept this secret mission from everyone. Even Mr. Moore did not know what was going on right under his nose.
"Who is that man? Another client?" Henry asked.
"I don’t know," April said.
"You’re Mr. Moore’s secretary. You should know what’s going on around here."
"I’m not supposed to say anything,” April said. “All I know is that Mr. Moore met with an important people yesterday."
"Who?"
"I have no idea, but I think he was upset about something."
"Is that right?"
"Yes, I overheard him say he was meeting with the new vice president of advertising."
"What new vice president of advertising?" Henry asked. It can’t be. He was so sure now that Dan was out of the picture that he would get the promotion. He was the next person in line. What went wrong?
