When she reached the conservatory floor, she adjusted the sash and cautiously opened the door. She spotted Myra, who was clutching her pearls. Not necessarily a good sign.
Annie frantically gestured to get Myra’s attention. Finally. Eye contact. The relief on Myra’s face could be seen across the room. She was standing with Dr. Marcus as Norma edged her way in.
“There you are!” Norma exclaimed, as she saw Annie walking toward them. Dr. Marcus was beaming. Myra was not. She softly closed her eyes and slightly shook her head. Annie was good at scaring the wits out of Myra. Not intentionally. It was Annie’s wild nature. One of the many things Myra loved about her dear friend.
“Sorry. I’ve been pulled in all sorts of directions,” Annie replied, recovering from the edge of hyperventilating. She had gotten herself out of a lot of jams in the past. Had Norma discovered Annie in her bedroom, that would have been one hell of a calamity. “My, what a stunning necklace!” Annie pointed to the Cartier. “Sorry I didn’t mention it earlier.”
Norma didn’t flinch. “No worries. You were busy being the perfect hostess.”
Annie smiled her most charming smile, all the while thinking, Rubbish, you moron. She leaned into Myra, knowing they were both thinking the same thing.
“Where’s Charlotte?” Annie asked.
Myra had a twinkle in her eye. “She has been spending some time conversing with Lincoln.” She nodded in their direction. Charlotte was giggling like a schoolgirl. Myra was elated to see her friend laughing and what could be construed as flirting!
“Bravo!” Annie replied. “Lincoln is a wonderful man. Widower for about five years. He said it’s hard to meet someone at this point in his life. I’m happy to see him enjoying himself.”
“Would you excuse us a moment?” Annie said to the Marcuses. “Myra and I have a little matter we need to resolve before the evening ends. Nothing major, but you know how caterers can be.” She took Myra by the elbow and shuffled her through the guests.
Myra started. “You gave me such a fright! What took you so long?”
“You had such a fright? You were supposed to keep an eye on them!” Annie was trying to keep her volume to a whisper. “Norma went back to the flat to get that necklace. I hid behind the bedroom door and held my breath.”
“It happened so fast, I couldn’t stop her. At first, I thought she was going to the ladies’ room, and she melted into the crowd. I didn’t realize what had happened until she came back with that necklace on! Thank goodness you weren’t caught.” She and Annie hugged.
“At least we accomplished what we came here to do! And clearly, she is none the wiser.” Myra touched her pearls again. This time in relief. “Will you look at those two?” She nudged Annie in Charlotte and Lincoln’s direction. “I think Charlotte has a new friend.”
“Sometimes the universe does wonderful and magical things. I’m not going to order the wedding invitations yet, though.” They laughed. “But it would be nice for Charlotte to have a friend when she visits her daughter.”
Another hour and a half passed before Annie went over to the doghouse to see how much money they had raised and took the microphone. “Dear friends. I am delighted you could turn out for this impromptu gathering. You know how near and dear animals are to me and Myra. Tonight we raised over nineteen thousand pounds!”
Cheers, hoots, and hollers filled the room.
“Do you think we can make it an even twenty?” Annie said.
Lincoln raised his hand. “I’m good for another five hundred.”
Annie stared straight at Norma.
“Oh, me! We’ll kick in another five, also!” Norma was waving her arms wildly, but Annie could see the color leave Julian’s face.
“And for you few Yanks, that’s twenty-four thousand US—at least last time I checked.” A rumble of chuckles came from the guests. “Again, thank you for coming. I hope to see you again soon!” Annie put down the mic.
The guests gave a huge round of applause and bellowed, “Hip, hip, hooray! Hip, hip, hooray! Hip, hip, hooray!”
The crowd began to thin, with more alternating cheek kisses, hugs, and handshakes. Lincoln was the last guest to leave. Annie and Myra scooted to the other side of the room so Charlotte and Lincoln could say good night. Lincoln handed Charlotte his card and kissed the back of her hand. Charlotte was glowing. Most likely blushing.
Annie was quite pleased with the entire evening. It had been a bit dodgy, but it had all worked out, and then some. Time to head back to the brownstone and report in.
Myra and Annie purposely sat Charlotte between them in the limo. “So?” they demanded in unison. Charlotte was blushing.
“He is very nice. He told me he was familiar with my books. He read them to his grandchildren! Imagine that!” Charlotte had a dreamy look on her face.
“Okay, girlfriend. When are you seeing him again?” Annie pushed.
“I didn’t make any plans.” She qualified her answer. “Yet. Not until our mission is complete.”
“Spoken like a true sister.” Myra squeezed Charlotte’s arm affectionately. “So what did you tell him?”
“I said I would very much like to see him again and would be in touch once I got my bearings and checked with everyone else’s schedule.”
“You’re a quick study!” Annie remarked.
“I’ve been trained by the best!” Charlotte reminded them.
The car pulled in front of the brownstone, and the women piled out. Before they settled in for the conference call, they got into comfortable clothes. Annie and Myra were accustomed to sitting on the floor and snuggling with the dogs when they got home, but here they had to settle for each other’s company.
An hour after arriving at the brownstone, they entered the drawing room. Byron and Jessica were in their own quarters on the other side of the building, and Annie had bolted the door in the hallway that led to the annex. They had complete privacy.
After powering up their tablets and laptops, they signed into their private network. Annie updated the others on the jewelry exchange and told the story of Norma putting on the necklace and not noticing that it was a fake, once again mentioning Lincoln’s superb craftsmanship. She looked at Charlotte and gave her a wink.
Annie had sent the vial from Marcus’s office to a lab. It was a combination of vitamin B12 and niacin. Innocent enough. It was probably what kept the women’s red blood cell count even. It was the rest of those supplements that were so deadly.
Charles informed them that Sasha, Avery’s operative in Sag Harbor, had confirmed that the private showing of the Chagall was to be held in three days.
Myra fingered her pearls. “Do we have enough time to pull all this together?”
“Whatever it takes!” was the cheer that came from all the sisters on the conference call.
Charles gave Myra the rundown on Dr. Steinwood. He would be invited to Oscar Davis’s world-renowned sports car museum in New Jersey for a private tour. It was the largest of its kind and contained some of the most valuable cars in the world. Davis had made the New York Times when he bought a rare Ferrari for $14.3 million at an auction. Steinwood wouldn’t be able to resist that offer. Fergus would make the arrangements with Oscar’s family and would send the ticket and invitation to Steinwood. While Steinwood was at the museum, Kathryn’s crew of behind-the-scenes art haulers would swap Steinwood’s collection for stolen cars. They would need Avery to jam the cameras one more time.