Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 79253 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79253 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
The Black Door opens and in walks my angel along with her gentleman escort.
I raise my eyebrows as they make their entrance. “Ah, Miss Wonder. I was hoping we’d see you again soon.”
She smiles a touch too quickly. “Can’t get rid of us that easily, Chet.”
We talk a few minutes more, I drop a few Shakespeare quotes—completely lost on them, regrettably—and they descend into the club’s bowels.
They’re acting normal.
Perhaps I have nothing to worry about at all.
My hackles are raised again. Mr. Hathaway and Miss Wonder left the club very abruptly. Mr. Hathaway said they were going to get a breath of fresh air, but they haven’t returned.
They were preceded in their departure by the King of Diamonds—the real King of Diamonds, not Mr. Hathaway’s new title—who also looked to be in a hurry.
So much seems to go on here.
Do I really know it all?
I slept nary a wink last night. I barely had enough energy before coming to the club tonight to wash the pink dye out of my eyebrows.
Nothing has happened, at least as far as I know.
Perhaps the King of Diamonds killed them.
That would make things a bit easier.
The Black Door swings open, and—can it be?
My two favorite patrons.
I twist my lips into my trademark grin. “Mr. Hathaway. Miss Wonder. We were wondering where you ended up last night.”
Miss Wonder wrinkles her forehead. “What do you mean?”
I tent my fingers. “You left rather early in the evening. You said you’d be right back, that you were just getting a breath of fresh air.” I raise an eyebrow, keeping my voice steady. “You never returned.”
“Plans change.” Mr. Hathaway hands me his driver’s license. “Alissa will be my guest tonight.”
“Of course. Wouldn’t expect anything to the contrary.” I leer at my angel. “It would appear you’ve truly captured Mr. Hathaway’s attention, Miss Wonder.”
She swallows. “I suppose I have.”
As I look over Mr. Hathaway’s ID, he rakes his eyes over me, the wrinkles in his forehead deepening. Finally he speaks.
“Chet, what’s your middle name?”
Ah, so they have figured it out! But best to play it coy, lest Her Majesty finds out I’m involved. “That’s a bit of a personal question, Mr. Hathaway. Whyever would you be asking?”
“I think you know why,” he says.
Miss Wonder grabs Mr. Hathaway’s arm. “What does this have to do with anything?”
“Just answer the damned question, Chet.”
I bounce my eyebrows a few times. Time to give them their next piece in the puzzle, but this one will hopefully lead them into a trap. “It’s Aristotle, Mr. Hathaway. My middle name is Aristotle.”
Mr. Hathaway reaches into his wallet and pulls out the riddle I penned mere days ago, with my initials all but completely erased from the bottom. He deduces quickly that I’m the one who wrote it. I deny having any idea of what they’re talking about, but I ensure my tone is laced with just enough playfulness that they stay on the line.
Miss Wonder then realizes that I placed the cards in her purse as an additional hint. She is not correct about when I dropped them, but I don’t tell her this. All that matters is she knows the intent behind them.
I need to lead them deeper into the rabbit hole.
If only—
Heavens above! Mr. Hathaway pulls out a key encrusted with red diamonds, one that I recognize immediately.
Oh, things could not have worked out better than this!
This key was lost long ago. Her Majesty has a few copies of the key to her safe, but this one has been missing for ages, before I even began working at the club. Before Mr. Hathaway came to the club. Back when his father was a member before his untimely death.
I did a little digging when I first started looking into Mr. Hathaway at Her Majesty’s request. I know the late Mr. Hathaway left the current Mr. Hathaway a riddle, one that I was able to decipher immediately but that I did not believe he had the wit to figure out for himself.
The first part of the riddle leads to this key, and the second part leads to the small compartment over the ladies’ room where the server’s tissues are stored temporarily before being distributed to local hospitals. They seem to have only figured out the first part of the riddle, meaning that tonight is the night the two of them must be stopped.
But again, this must be handled delicately.
I widen my eyes in mock shock. “Looks like you found your way down the river of tears, Mr. Hathaway.”
I eventually lead them to the conclusion that the key opens Her Majesty’s safe. They bustle down the mirrored staircase.
And now we wait.
My blood-red radio rings. The grainy voice of Her Majesty. “Chet, there’s a disturbance in the Diamonds section. I’m going to need you to come down.”
My heart leaps. This must be it. Miss Wonder is creating a distraction so Mr. Hathaway can sneak into Her Majesty’s office.