Deadly Diamond

“To err is human, to purr is feline.”

––Robert Byrne

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: The Encounter

A new year arrived along with Alyx’s New Year’s resolution, which was to donate most of the goodies that customers dropped in the basket to the animal shelter, which managed colonies of free-roaming, abandoned, and feral cats in the area. I think she selected that shelter because of Pooky.

Alyx made up a simple tent card and placed it next to the basket on the counter. We thank you for your generosity and we will share with our less fortunate brothers and sisters who have no home. Thank you kindly for your continued support. (Paw prints). Murfy, Misty, Pooky.

The desk was now back in the store much to Misty’s chagrin; I wasn’t interested in inspecting it or any of the other pieces of furniture that had come back from Althea’s. On the other hand, Misty had put in a considerable amount of time inspecting the desk. Alyx saw her trying to paw open one of the small drawers and joined her. Misty watched Alyx closely as she pulled all the drawers out, checking each one.

Coming up behind Alyx, Maggie asked, “Are you looking for hidden treasure?”

“In a manner of speaking, yes, I am. I can’t help but wonder if this desk had anything to do with Althea’s murder.”

“In what way?”

“I don’t know exactly. I have a feeling about it, is all.”

“I think Smarts needs more than a feeling. Never mind that; I want to know about the masked ball. How was it?”

“It started out great, and turned into the strangest experience I’ve ever had.”

Alyx looked around. “Come on; we can talk in the workroom,” she said mysteriously. I followed the two women as they talked. “David arrived promptly at seven. Oh, Maggie, he was positively gorgeous in his black tuxedo, the silver at his temples accentuating his soft blue-gray eyes. I couldn’t stop smiling and laughing with pleasure when I saw the elaborate mask he’d brought me––it was gold, decorated with multi-colored feathers and doodads. We left the house laughing; our conversation on the way to the ball was light and festive. When we arrived at the Atlantic Hotel and Conference Center, the President of the Music Theater Society, who’s a familiar face associated with all the elite of Beachside, was directing guests to the ballroom. I greeted her. She’s an older, attractive woman and she was wearing a lovely gown, but, oh, you should have seen the gaudy diamond necklace she was wearing! She smiled at David then turned back to me and said in this snooty voice, “I do believe this is the first time I have ever seen you in something other than jeans. Alyx, you look lovely.” Alyx was pretending to be the lady she was describing and she looked very funny doing her imitation. If cats could laugh, I would have.

Then she continued with her story. “David came to my defense and told the woman that I looked lovely no matter what I was wearing.”

“Good for him,” said Maggie.

“He put his arm around my waist and led me to our table,” continued Alyx. “He asked me if I knew the woman well. I told him she considered me an enemy because I’d refused to redecorate her house when I found out that all her choices were based solely on buying the gaudiest and most expensive of everything.”

“Who did you sit with?” asked Maggie.

“I didn’t know any of the people sitting at our table. Except for the young couple sitting next to me, none of them seemed to be interested in knowing who I was, and that was fine with me. I did recognize some of the city’s prominent citizens from their pictures in the society pages of the local paper.”

“How was the dinner?” Maggie grilled her friend. “I hope at least that was good.”

“Well, let me put it this way,” said Alyx, “The only thing that made dinner memorable was David’s attentiveness. Just before the dancing started, the evening got really weird. I trooped to the ladies room with some other ladies and out in the hallway, a woman in a Marie Antoinette costume wearing a mask grabbed me by the arm and pulled me aside.”

“Who was it? What did she say?”

“I had no idea who she was. But I assumed it was David’s ex-wife when she said to enjoy the evening and to remember that David was hers anytime she wanted him back. The inflection in her voice was unmistakable as to her intentions.”

Maggie got up to refresh her coffee, and a worried expression crossed her face when she turned away from Alyx. She smelled trouble the same as I did.

“Did she say anything else?” asked Maggie.

“That was it. She turned and walked away. Melissa, the young woman I sat next to at the table was waiting for me by the door and I just followed her into the bathroom. My hand was shaking violently as I tried to apply fresh lipstick, and I had to stop before it ended up all over my chin. Melissa asked me if I knew who the woman was, and I said I sort of did and let it go at that.”

“What about David? Did you tell him about the encounter?”

“I didn’t mention it. I put it out of my mind and tried to enjoy the rest of the evening. David turned out to be a delightful dancer––I didn’t step on his toes once,” Alyx joked.

“Did you see Marie Antoinette again?”

“I saw her on the dance floor; her mask was off and her eyes were boring into David. I couldn’t tell if he made eye contact with her––he must have because as soon as the music stopped, he walked me back to the table. He looked like he wanted to say something to me, but the opportunity was lost when one of his colleagues asked me to dance. So we both danced with different partners and came back to the table together. David never said a word about the woman. When midnight arrived, we all toasted with champagne. David said, ‘Here’s to the beginning of a new year that I hope will be filled with our happy memories.’ And just as he said it, I could see Marie Antoinette staring at me from across the room, her glass raised, as David put his arms around me for the traditional New Year’s Eve kiss. Some happy memory.”

I held my breath as Alyx seemed to hold hers. Then she continued, “We left before the room started to empty. The ride home was quiet. I don’t know if David had seen his ex-wife follow me to the restroom or the exchange between us. The goodnight kiss he gave me at the door was at best tentative. I didn’t invite him in and he didn’t ask.”

“It’s hard to believe,” offered Maggie, “that David Hunter, the famous trial lawyer, would ever be at a loss for words. How do you feel about what happened?”

“Maggie, you know I like David. I don’t want to get involved with someone who still has issues with his ex-wife.”

“Yes, but how do you know it’s his issues? Maybe it’s all hers.”

“Whatever the case, it’s not a clean break, and I don’t want to deal with it.”

“Although you haven’t asked,” said Maggie, “I’m of the opinion that you should talk to David about it. At our age, men like him don’t come along too often.”

“For heaven’s sake, Maggie, I’m not desperate.”

“I didn’t mean it like that, Alyx, and you know it.”

At that moment, Nelda appeared at the door asking for help on the floor, and the girls’ conversation ended there.

Later, tucked away in a secluded spot in the loft, I tried to reconnect with the diamond thief. I knew what the man looked like, knew his first name and was sure his last name wasn’t Baby as in “Mark, baby; you’re toast.” I knew this because a few days before the diamond robbery, someone had left the back door of Antiques & Designs open, and I couldn’t resist taking a walk down the alley. While I was strolling, I saw two men arguing. Actually, only one was doing the arguing, the other––much smaller in stature––was silent. In a threatening tone, the beefy man with a red bulbous nose was poking his finger hard at the other man’s shoulder, his face inches away. Between clenched teeth, I heard him say, “You got two more days to pay up, Mark, baby, or you’re toast.”

At the time, I didn’t have the slightest idea who the beefy man was and I still don’t. However, I’m sure that the man who was threatened in the alley and the man who came into the store right after the jewelry store robbery are one and the same. I concentrated as hard as I could to recall all I’d seen and heard in the alley, searching for the slightest clue to help me identify the thief and the determine a way to tell Alyx. In my mind’s eye, I saw the man dressed in business clothes: brown slacks, white shirt, conservative striped tie, and brown shoes with tassels. When he saw me in the alley, he started acting strange; he seemed to lose interest in the other man. The altercation didn’t last long. The large man drove away in his car, and the other man started walking down the alley. Out of curiosity, I followed him.

He kept looking over his shoulder, and at first, I thought he was watching for the other man, but when he started walking faster and I kept pace with him until we were both running, I realized that he was running away from me! The poor man must have had ailurophobia––fear of cats! I slowed down and he ducked in the back door of the last building on the block.

After thinking about the incident in the alley for some time, it suddenly came to me––brown shoes with tassels and no socks––Alyx would certainly recognize that and I started working on a plan.