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Authors: Carol Higgins Clark
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not apply to what he hung in his closet. He was wearing a pair of blue-jean Bermuda shorts, a multicolored iridescent floral shirt, white socks, and sandals. A camera hung around his neck.
“How do you do? How do you do?” Chappy asked as they stepped inside. He tapped Ned’s camera. “I see you’re planning to take a few pictures.”
“Actually I’ve decided to self-publish a how-to-picture book on feng shui. If you don’t mind, I’d like to take a few preliminary snaps of the work I did here.”
“Well then, shoot! Shoot away! And how are you, Miss Claudia?”
“Purr-fect,” she replied, smiling her little smile. Not too broad, but friendly, as her mother had always told her.
“How are our plans for the theatre?”
“As ready as they were months ago!” she said. “We’ll be raring to go with the bulldozer when you get rid of your tenants in September. But we have to talk. The seats are going to cost more than we thought.”
“More money for the seats?” Chappy exclaimed. “Well, just as long as they’re comfy.’
“Oh, they are,” Claudia assured him.
“And they’ll be facing west,” Ned added. “A better position for entertainment and relaxation.”
“Oh good,” Chappy said, but he felt momentarily irritated. The longer it takes to get this theatre started, he thought, the more it seems to cost. God, how I’ll need that fiddle. The Tinka thumbtack fortune was not, as he would have liked, a bottomless pit. The castle had already put enough of a dent in it. Chappy slapped Ned on the back of his shimmering shirt and pushed them on through. “Get yourself a drink. Yes, yes, here come some more guests. . . .”
R egan and Kit and Brigid had been sitting for a long time at the table when they realized it was getting late. When Kit went back to her house, and Brigid headed for the shower, Regan put on her bathing suit and took a quick walk around Chappy’s property to check out how secure it was. The compound seemed private enough, but anybody who really wanted to break in wouldn’t have much of a problem, she thought.
Starting to drag a little as she felt the aftereffects of her all-night flight, she took a dip in the ocean, hoping the cool water would give her a jolt. I can’t be out of it for the evening’s festivities, she thought. You never know what might happen.
As the brisk water washed over her, it did the job. Feeling more alive, she hurried back into the guest house, which now had an abandoned feel to it. The late afternoon light gave a peaceful glow to the all-purpose room overlooking the water. It was the time of day when people compared their tan lines.
Everyone must be in their rooms getting ready, Regan thought. She walked over to check out something unusual she had noticed before. The wall had what looked like a door built into it, but it had no handle. That’s so strange, she thought. Does it lead to the basement? She took a quick survey of the rest of the ground floor. There was no other door that would lead to the basement..
She went back outside and bent down at the well of one of the tiny basement windows. She rubbed the dirt off the window with her fist and peered inside. From what she could tell it was your typical gray cinder-block basement. There was nothing in it. The floor was bare. I guess that’s why they don’t need a door, she thought.
Regan shrugged, stood up, and went back in the house. She showered and changed into a short sleeveless black dress and sandals. Thank God for black, she thought. You can wear it anywhere and not have to worry. She fastened the fanny pack that held her .38 pistol around her waist. She’d gotten a permit to travel with her gun to New York. The rayon fanny pack with Velcro snaps with the perfect way to pack a gun without people noticing. If anything, she thought, wearing this thing makes me look like a nerd.
When Regan came out of her room, Brigid was standing in the hallway with Pammy, who was holding a skirt in
“How do you do? How do you do?” Chappy asked as they stepped inside. He tapped Ned’s camera. “I see you’re planning to take a few pictures.”
“Actually I’ve decided to self-publish a how-to-picture book on feng shui. If you don’t mind, I’d like to take a few preliminary snaps of the work I did here.”
“Well then, shoot! Shoot away! And how are you, Miss Claudia?”
“Purr-fect,” she replied, smiling her little smile. Not too broad, but friendly, as her mother had always told her.
“How are our plans for the theatre?”
“As ready as they were months ago!” she said. “We’ll be raring to go with the bulldozer when you get rid of your tenants in September. But we have to talk. The seats are going to cost more than we thought.”
“More money for the seats?” Chappy exclaimed. “Well, just as long as they’re comfy.’
“Oh, they are,” Claudia assured him.
“And they’ll be facing west,” Ned added. “A better position for entertainment and relaxation.”
“Oh good,” Chappy said, but he felt momentarily irritated. The longer it takes to get this theatre started, he thought, the more it seems to cost. God, how I’ll need that fiddle. The Tinka thumbtack fortune was not, as he would have liked, a bottomless pit. The castle had already put enough of a dent in it. Chappy slapped Ned on the back of his shimmering shirt and pushed them on through. “Get yourself a drink. Yes, yes, here come some more guests. . . .”
R egan and Kit and Brigid had been sitting for a long time at the table when they realized it was getting late. When Kit went back to her house, and Brigid headed for the shower, Regan put on her bathing suit and took a quick walk around Chappy’s property to check out how secure it was. The compound seemed private enough, but anybody who really wanted to break in wouldn’t have much of a problem, she thought.
Starting to drag a little as she felt the aftereffects of her all-night flight, she took a dip in the ocean, hoping the cool water would give her a jolt. I can’t be out of it for the evening’s festivities, she thought. You never know what might happen.
As the brisk water washed over her, it did the job. Feeling more alive, she hurried back into the guest house, which now had an abandoned feel to it. The late afternoon light gave a peaceful glow to the all-purpose room overlooking the water. It was the time of day when people compared their tan lines.
Everyone must be in their rooms getting ready, Regan thought. She walked over to check out something unusual she had noticed before. The wall had what looked like a door built into it, but it had no handle. That’s so strange, she thought. Does it lead to the basement? She took a quick survey of the rest of the ground floor. There was no other door that would lead to the basement..
She went back outside and bent down at the well of one of the tiny basement windows. She rubbed the dirt off the window with her fist and peered inside. From what she could tell it was your typical gray cinder-block basement. There was nothing in it. The floor was bare. I guess that’s why they don’t need a door, she thought.
Regan shrugged, stood up, and went back in the house. She showered and changed into a short sleeveless black dress and sandals. Thank God for black, she thought. You can wear it anywhere and not have to worry. She fastened the fanny pack that held her .38 pistol around her waist. She’d gotten a permit to travel with her gun to New York. The rayon fanny pack with Velcro snaps with the perfect way to pack a gun without people noticing. If anything, she thought, wearing this thing makes me look like a nerd.
When Regan came out of her room, Brigid was standing in the hallway with Pammy, who was holding a skirt in
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