28

Back at their rented room, Georgette was sitting at the all-purpose table, examining the loot that she had procured from Ben’s apartment.

It wasn’t much.

She still couldn’t believe that that woman, whoever she was, came in to take Ben’s food. Talk about nerve. Well, at least she didn’t see me. Who knows how long she’ll be locked up there?

Georgette giggled. She looked up when she heard the key in the lock. Blaise came in looking as grumpy as he had when he left.

“What’s all that?” he asked, pointing at the cuff links and foreign coins and silver brush-and-comb set.

“You’ll be so proud of me,” she said.

“Why?”

“Remember the spare key ring I stole from Nat?”

“Yes.”

Georgette sat up straight, excited by what she had to report. “I had taken Nat’s key off of it But I got to thinking today. So I came home and looked at the other keys. In tiny letters, two were marked B.C.”

Blaise’s face remained impassive.

“Don’t you get it? Ben Carney! Nat’s best friend! The one who died last night! That’s why Thomas Pilsner came running up to Nat’s apartment in the first place.”

“I know who you’re talking about.”

“I figured they had to be the keys to Ben’s apartment, so I looked up his address and went over there. The keys worked!”

“Why did you do that?”

“Because he’s dead. I thought maybe he had the diamonds in his apartment. You never know, ya know?”

“That was stupid.”

“Why?”

“Because if you’d gotten caught we wouldn’t have a chance to look for the diamonds in Pemrod’s apartment. And they’re more likely to be there if they’re anywhere.”

“No harm in trying,” Georgette said, clearly annoyed that Blaise didn’t praise her ingenuity. And now I’ll have to tell him the rest of it, she thought. Here goes nothing. “Someone walked in when I was in the bedroom going through Ben’s stuff.”

“What?” Blaise looked alarmed.

“Don’t worry. She didn’t see me. I sprayed her with Mace and locked her in the closet.”

“Georgette! Are you out of your mind? All you got out of it was a few trinkets and someone who just might be able to identify you.”

“I’m telling you, she didn’t see me! And what if the diamonds had been in there? You’d be singing a different tune.”

Blaise sat down on the kitchen chair opposite her and rubbed his eyes. “I just came home to get my tux. Lydia’s having another party tonight.”

“I’m going.”

“You are?”

“Yes, she called and said she wanted to apologize for the confusion last night. So she’s having the same group back tonight, no charge.”

“I don’t like the sound of that,” Blaise said. “It’s getting too hot around here. I think we should get out of town very soon.”

“But what about the diamonds?”

Blaise thought for a moment. “After the party tonight, we’ll both slip into Pemrod’s. We’ll search the place. If we don’t find them, then I say we take off.”

“What about your butler classes?”

“I can’t stand them! I don’t care about the proper way to iron the newspaper or draw a bath or polish the silver!”

Georgette picked up the tarnished silver brush she’d found on Ben’s dresser and smiled at him. “You can practice on this.”

“Very funny.” He took her hands in his. “Georgette, something’s up with Lydia. I can just tell. They’re probably having us all back tonight so the police can question everyone.”

“Maybe we shouldn’t go.”

“That would look bad. And I want to get a shot at going through Nat’s apartment. Then we’re out of here.”

Georgette looked around. “I’ll be glad to leave this dump.”

“Me too.”

“What if we get caught tonight?”

“We won’t let anyone get in our way.”

They laughed together.