Read Online Jane Vows Vengeance by Michael Thomas Ford - Free Book Online

successful design team in the UK. Married right out of school and started their careers together. After they divorced neither of them could design a thing that wasn’t crap. They had to get back together, at least as architects. Their offices are in buildings on opposite sides of London. They communicateonly through e-mail, and when they’re in the same room each pretends the other doesn’t exist. Their work is extraordinary.”
    Jane, intrigued, looked around the bar. “Are they here?” she asked.
    “Oh, they’re somewhere about,” Brodie said. “Neither wants to be the first to arrive, so they’re probably both peering around corners waiting for the other one to show up.”
    “I can’t wait to meet them,” said Jane. Suddenly the upcoming trip seemed not nearly as dull as it had earlier in the evening.
    Brodie pointed his cigar at Walter. “I’m guessing you’re on Chumsley’s team,” he said.
    “Team?” Walter said. “What do you mean?”
    “Everything Chumsley and Enid do is a competition,” Brodie explained. “As I understand it, they’ve each chosen half the guests for this little expedition of ours. Who invited you?”
    “Chumsley,” Walter said.
    “There you are then,” said Brodie. “He invited me as well. Genevieve Prideaux was invited by Enid. Told me so earlier. And as I said, I’m guessing that Bergen fellow is one of hers as well. I was going to ask him, but he started talking about how Cold War Soviet architecture doesn’t get the respect it deserves, and then all I wanted to do was kill myself.”
    “All that concrete and grimness,” Jane said, shuddering, and Brodie raised his glass to her.
    “Who else is on our … team?” asked Walter.
    “Orsino Castano,” Olivier said.
    “I don’t think I know him,” said Walter.
    “Nice fellow,” Brodie said. “There he is over there.” He indicated a man of average height and slightly more than average weight. His black hair and beard framed a pleasant face, and when he saw Brodie waving at him he smiled warmly and waved back, then returned to the conversation he was having with a woman wearing what looked disconcertingly like a kimono.
    “Oh yes,” Walter said. “I recognize him now. He won the Krassberg Prize last year.” To Jane he added, “For excellence in restoration of historic properties.”
    “Maybe you’ll win that one day,” Jane said.
    Walter laughed. “I restore houses,” he said. “Orsino restores
castles
.”
    “What’s a castle?” Brodie said. “Just a big house made out of rocks.”
    “Who’s the woman Orsino is talking to?” Jane asked Brodie. “She’s very unusual-looking.”
    “No idea,” said Brodie. “But I’m sure we’ll find out soon enough. I do know she’s one of Enid’s, though.”
    “How do you know?” asked Walter.
    “Because there’s four to a side, so to speak,” Brodie explained. “If I’m right, Enid’s got Genevieve, Bergen, that one, and Ryan McGuinness.”
    “McGuinness?” Walter said, lifting an eyebrow. “That’s interesting.”
    “Why?” asked Jane, sensing a story.
    “McGuinness is the reason Chumsley and Enid divorced,” said Brodie.
    “How scandalous,” Jane said, taking a sip of her gin and tonic. She looked at Walter. “How come you never told me your field was so exciting?”
    “It never occurred to me,” Walter said. “Who’s our fourth?” he asked Brodie.
    “Old friend of yours,” Brodie said. “And another Yank. Sam Wax.”
    “Sam?” said Walter.
    “Do you know him?” Jane asked, detecting something in Walter’s voice suggesting familiarity.
    “Her,” Walter answered. “Sam’s a woman. We worked together on a couple of projects when we were both starting out,but I haven’t seen her in, oh, fifteen years or so.” He looked around, and Jane, to her surprise, felt a pang of jealousy. “I didn’t see her name on the list.”
    “She was a last-minute addition,” Brodie told Walter. “But she isn’t here yet. Comes