You Can't Always Get What You Want

No, you can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
And if you try sometime you find
You get what you need

 

“Stay away from the radish.”

Trixie looked up in panic as her fingers hovered over the plate of sandwiches.

Grace Wheeler subtly pushed her hand toward the next tray. “Don’t eat the radish sandwiches.”

Trixie picked up a chicken salad sandwich and some cheese straws before moving down the table where a smiling Tammy Langham was pouring cups of hot, fragrant tea.

“It’s so good to see you again, Tammy.” Grace smiled. “I’d like you to meet a very dear friend of mine, Trixie Belden. Trixie and Honey are best friends. You may remember their plans to open their own business.”

“Of course I remember.” Tammy smiled as she handed Trixie a cup of steaming tea. “As I recall you’re also a good friend of Jim’s.”

Trixie smiled graciously. “Yes, I met Honey and Jim the same day.” She was surprised that Grace had introduced her as Trixie instead of Beatrix. It was the first time she had done so.

“When will Honey be moving back to New York?” Tammy inquired.

“Hopefully by the end of June,” Grace replied. “She’s still with the district attorney in Boston now. Trixie’s been fortunate to get a head start on opening their business.”

“That’s just wonderful, Trixie.” Tammy beamed. “Hopefully, I’ll find the time to talk to you later. I’d love to give you a bit of business.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Langham.” Trixie managed to subdue her astonishment at the realization that Grace Wheeler and Tammy Langham had been friends for a long time.

“I know you have to pour, Tammy. We’ll catch up later, but how is Harold’s mother?”

Trixie noticed a shadow cross Mrs. Langham’s face before she answered. “As well as can be expected. She’s home with Harold of course. Once the nurse gets there I’m certain he’ll be off to meet his latest little tart.”

Grace murmured some unintelligible words of comfort to their hostess before stepping away. She smiled at Trixie. “Follow me, dear. I know right where our table is.”

Trixie pasted a pleasant smile on her face and obeyed, following a few steps behind. She sank gratefully into a chair at the table for two that displayed the name of Grace Wheeler.

“They’ll be around in a few minutes with more food on a tray,” Grace explained to Trixie. “Then there’ll be scones and cakes in a bit.” She looked around the room. “I wonder where Carol and Diana are. I haven’t seen them and hope they haven’t been detained.”

“Mrs., uh Grace. I think I’m going to die if you don’t tell me why you don’t eat radish sandwiches,” Trixie said, stirring a cube of sugar into her tea.

“Oh!” Grace smiled. “Bad breath, dear. Everyone here will know you’ve had the radish sandwich. I don’t know why Tammy insists on having them. I’ve told her more times than I can remember that they are disgusting. But,” she shrugged as she sipped her tea. “Tammy had them when she had tea with the queen and she just insists that they be served. It’s best to stick with chicken salad or cucumber at these functions. You won’t have to worry about having anything on your teeth.” She stopped speaking and beamed at a lady walking by their table with her two daughters. “Hello, Amelia. This must be Courtney and Gabriella. I just can’t believe how grown-up they are.”

Trixie blinked, thinking the girls couldn’t be more than twelve in their polished shoes and pressed cotton dresses.

“Thank you, Grace. It’s good to see you and Madel–” she stuttered to a stop. “I’m sorry, I was expecting your daughter.”

“This is my dear friend, Beatrix Belden,” Grace waved a hand towards Trixie. “Beatrix was our neighbor in Sleepyside. Now she has a place here in the city since she and Madeleine plan to run their business out of Manhattan.”

When Amelia and her daughters had moved on, Trixie leaned forward and spoke quietly. “I just have to know something. Why did you introduce me to Mrs. Langham as Trixie? You’ve introduced me to everyone else as Beatrix, but not her.”

Grace smiled. “I suppose you would think it mysterious, but really it’s a simple explanation. I’ve known Tammy Richmond, well, Langham, since my own boarding school days. We’ve had more than one escapade together, not totally unlike you and Honey.” Grace’s lips quirked in evident bemusement, and Trixie felt certain she was remembering a particular incident from her own college days.

“Tammy introduced me to Matthew. She’d gone out with him, and they didn’t click. She thought we’d be a good fit.” She laughed. “Tammy was fun, always getting involved in some cause. If you think Bebe Mortimer is bad, you should have seen Tammy back then. She was always crusading for something. But of course, we’ve stayed in touch, so she already knew who you were; she’d just never met you.”

“Oh!” Trixie sat back, amazed at the turn of events. She had spent hours worrying about how to meet Tammy or Harold Langham, and she had no idea about the connection between Grace Wheeler and Tammy Langham. She silently vowed to make sure her boss at the Bureau knew how much easier her case would have been if he had agreed to her recommendation to tell her friends and family about her assignment.

She opened her mouth to ask more questions, but before she could speak, another woman stopped by their table to greet Grace. Once again, she introduced Trixie. Before the event was over, Grace had introduced her to more people than she would ever be able to remember. In addition, the pair encountered several women Trixie had met previously while working on Jim’s fundraiser, as well as other functions she had attended. Trixie realized that Grace Wheeler was a gold mine of detail and information on many of the women who moved in New York society.

“Trixie!” Diana squealed as she approached her friend. “It’s great to see you here. Mummy and I were sitting across the room. We were supposed to have been near you.”

“We were wondering where you were,” Trixie admitted. “Have you attended very many of these teas?”

“A few,” Diana admitted. “Not as many as Honey has, though.” She noticed her mother embroiled in conversation with Mrs. Wheeler and leaned closer to Trixie, lowering her voice. “Come; go with me to the ladies room. I want to talk.”

Trixie and Di made their excuses. “What do you want to tell me that you don’t want the adults to hear?” she asked as they crossed the room.

Di giggled. “Mummy’s already heard it all. I just didn’t want to tell you in front of Mrs. Wheeler. Besides, I’m sure Mummy will tell her.”

“Tell me what?”

“All the gossip about you being here with Mrs. Wheeler,” Diana grinned. “Most of the women here who know Grace and Matthew Wheeler suspect you and Jim are engaged.”

Trixie stopped. Her face turned bright red and she clutched Di’s arm.

“Please tell me you’re joking.”

Di shook off Trixie’s hand. “Of course I’m not joking. It makes sense that Grace Wheeler would bring her future daughter-in-law to a Mother-Daughter tea. Why are you embarrassed? You can’t control the gossip, besides –” Noticing her friend’s expression, Di stopped in mid-sentence, grabbing the hand she had just shaken off.

“So help me, Trixie. If you and Jim are engaged and you haven’t told me, I’m going to … I’m going to … Well, I’m going to do something!” The violet eyes flashed.

“Of course I’m not engaged to Jim.” It was Trixie’s turn to urge her friend forward and she gave Di a tiny push. “You know how I feel about gossip, especially after everything that’s been in the papers.”

“Oh, please.” Di flipped a casual hand of dismissal towards Trixie. “Don’t let that stuff get to you. Besides, I heard that Ben Riker is the one that did all that.”

Trixie gaped, and instead of entering the powder room, she pulled her friend out into the lobby, locating a quiet corner.

“How did you hear that?” she demanded.

“Dan told Mart,” Di said. “You know we were all concerned you had a stalker, Trix. You can’t possibly be upset that Dan told us.”

“No, it’s not that.” Trixie looked around. “Listen, Di. Mart and Dan, they’re not going to, well, you know. Do anything to Ben, are they?”

“Probably,” Diana admitted.

“I can’t believe I didn’t make Dan promise!” Trixie wailed.

“Why do you care?” Di asked. “Come on, Trix. It was just a joke. They’re not going to hurt Ben, but they’ll joke him back. You know they’ll have to.”

Trixie took a deep breath. She knew she was going to blow this if she wasn’t careful. “I just don’t want any more publicity, at least not about me and Jim.” She paused to consider her words. “Jim is a very private person. I understand about the gossip and stuff, and it really doesn’t bother me. In fact, you could say it backfired on Ben and it’s helped my business take off like a rocket.” She stared deeply into Di’s violet eyes. “But it bothers Jim. You know how honorable he is. I don’t want Jim to get hurt.”

Di blinked.

“Trixie, you’re blowing this out of proportion. Jim is not going to get hurt over silly little gossip rags.” Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. “In fact, the only way Jim is going to get hurt is if you hurt him.” She studied Trixie’s face. “Don’t you want to be engaged to Jim?”

“Yes! No! I mean, well, yes. Maybe.” Trixie hedged. “Just not right now, Di. Jim and I, we need more time. I’ve only been back in town a couple of months.”

“Trixie Belden!” Diana’s suspicious tone switched to one of huffy frustration. “Do you even know what you want?”

“Di, it’s complicated,” she pleaded.

“It’s love, Trixie!” she jabbed her finger at Trixie’s chest. “Of course it’s complicated!” Crossing her arms, Di rolled her eyes and peered at her old friend, her face a picture of exasperated bewilderment. “Look, something is going on with you. What is it?”

“Why do you think something is going on with me?” Trixie managed to ask.

“Look at you! You wear designer clothes, high heels. You have highlights and a manicure. If it’s not love, then what is it?”

“People do change, you know. I’ve grown up at lot in the last four years,” Trixie protested.

“Trixie Belden. How long have we known each other?” Di moved her hands to her hips and actually started to tap her foot. “Everyone thinks it’s because you’re in love with Jim and you came back to town to win him once and for all. Trust me; the man is hopelessly in love with you. Don’t you care for him?”

“Of course, I care for him,” Trixie hissed. “Look, I didn’t come back to New York because of Jim Frayne. You’ll have to trust me on that. And you know good and well that I have feelings for Jim. I’ve known him for almost fifteen years, and I hope --” She stopped.

“You hope -- what?”

“Hi, Beatrix. Hi, Diana. Who are you two hiding from?”

Trixie was aghast to see Kitty Buchanan approaching them, a tentative smile on her face.

Recognizing the familiar voice, Diana grimaced before turning around and pasting a smile on her face. She greeted the newcomer to their conversation. “It’s good to see you again, Kitty. We’re not hiding. I guess you could say we’re just catching up with each other. It’s been a while since Trixie and I were able to meet for lunch.”

Kitty nodded. “I know what you mean. I just finished catching up with Mitsy myself.” She cast an uncertain look at Trixie. “Beatrix, everything’s okay between you and Mitsy, isn’t it?”

“Yes, of course it is. Why?”

Kitty shrugged. “Aunt Margaret and I are sitting with Mitsy and Bitsy. She just seemed to fidget a bit when I mentioned I’d seen you.”

Trixie smiled and shook her head. “Please tell me we’re not wearing the same dress.”

Visibly relaxing, Kitty returned the smile. “No, of course not. It must have been my imagination. By the way, Beatrix, do you remember our conversation about Uncle Edward’s company a few weeks ago?”

“Yes, of course,” Trixie replied.

“Well, I’m not near as certain now it’s going to happen. There have been a lot of problems with, uh, with the due diligence and I think Uncle Edward’s going to walk.”

“Wow,” Trixie breathed. “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

“Some of both. Buffy and I are a good example. We’re both in sales and marketing. There was chance there might not have been jobs for both of us.” Kitty shrugged. “Buffy and I get along okay, but neither of us would be happy working for the other.”

“I didn’t realize you worked in your uncle’s business,” Trixie answered. “I don’t think you ever mentioned that before.”

“Oh, yes. Uncle Edward’s always had us work, and not just for him. He liked to make deals with his business associates and have us work at other places during the summer. In turn, he’d give their kids jobs at Torch. As long as it wasn’t a competitor, he was pushing us off on someone else. It worked out for the best. At least I’m comfortable working for Uncle Ed and he respects my opinion.” Kitty glanced over her shoulder and dropped her voice. “I know Mitsy wishes her Dad had done that instead of putting her in the mail room every summer. If he had, she might not be leaving Control & Venture to work somewhere else.”

“Leaving Control & Venture?” Trixie echoed. “Mitsy’s leaving her job?”

“You didn’t know?” Kitty looked surprised. “Yep, she’s working out her notice, and then she’s going to work for Margaret Gaitley over at Kingston.”

 

 

“That should finish all the security fixes for Fireking,” Amy Freeman announced, tapping her finger on the stack of printouts in the temporary offices of the Belden-Wheeler Detective Agency. “Unfortunately, the closest timeframe we can get as to when this happened is sometime the week of January 31 ^st.”

“Why?” Sean frowned.

Amy shrugged. “Fireking only does a weekly backup of their system. They don’t do daily backups.”

“But they’re doing daily backups now, aren’t they?”

“Yes, that recommendation’s already been implemented,” Amy confirmed.

Sean’s brow creased as he concentrated on the information Amy had relayed. “Is it possible B3 was hacked and the hacker opened the hole?” he finally asked.

Amy shook her head. “There’s no evidence of it. Agent Tibbs’ last report said he was certain it was an employee at B3.”

“How do they do business there?” Sean queried, shooting a steely stare at her obvious discomfort with his questions. “I mean,” he pushed, “how does B3 Software do business? Do they have a distributor portal similar to Fireking? Is it possible a customer or partner could have gotten into their system through a hole in their security?”

“They don’t have a partner portal,” Amy answered. “There’s a help desk. Agent Belden noted it in her report as one of the more sophisticated operations she’d seen. The security was tight on it. It’s disconnected from the rest of their systems. It stands alone.”

“Didn’t Tibbs’ team run the comparisons from Agent Belden’s files?” Sean continued his inquisition. “That would have narrowed the window of time down, wouldn’t it?”

Amy shook her head. “I don’t know.”

“Then ask!” Sean retorted testily, standing up. “Somebody opened that hole back up and it might go a little faster if they looked at the original files.”

“It won’t help,” Amy replied, leaning back in her chair, and exhaling in frustration. “I already checked it out. Right now, there’s not a trail anywhere to show who opened the B3 system to the world.”

“We’ve got to do something!” Sean muttered as he began to pace. Pacing was his antidote when he was stumped. He racked his brain trying to make sense of the situation. Looking at his junior colleague, he knew they were back to square one.

“We’ve got some time to kill today. How do you feel about a brainstorm session on the case?”

Amy shrugged; and then, noticing Sean’s glare of frustration, she nodded. “Sure.”

He picked up a black marker and tossed it to her. “You write.”

Amy caught the marker neatly, stood, and crossed to the freestanding flip chart situated in the corner of their conference room. Uncapping the pen she wrote the word “facts” as she spoke. “What do we know?”

“Fireking was hacked,” Sean threw out.

“The security hole was reopened at B3 after new security measures were implemented.”

“Jupiter Plains, Eastway, Torch, and Triad are clear.”

“We’re looking for a female.”

“Fireking doesn’t have any research projects underway for random encrypted code technology.”

“Melissa Thornhill is a suspect.”

Amy finished writing and turned around. “How many women at B3 had system privileges to change the code?”

“Seven,” Sean answered, after checking the case notes. “Six men.” He paused as he flipped open another file. “For what it’s worth, Maggie King has full system privileges at Fireking,” he mentioned.

Amy wrote and then turned to look at Sean. “Are you suggesting she ratted herself out?”

Sean shrugged. “It wouldn’t be the first time someone did something like that.”

“True,” she mused as she pulled the cap on and off the marker. “But then she’d have to have a partner at B3. What else do we know?”

“Who knew about the security leak at B3?”

Amy wrote “security leak” with a question mark on the white board. “We could use Agent Belden for that. Maybe…” she paused.

“Maybe what?” Sean prodded.

“Maybe we should write what we don’t know,” she suggested. “It was an idea in another case I worked, and it helped us figure out what answers we need to find.”

“Sure.” Sean approved of the suggestion. He liked Amy and wanted her to succeed with this assignment. She worked hard and had impressed him with her perseverance, but she was too timid when it came to dealing with the New York team that was working at B3 Software. “We don’t know when the stinking security hole was reopened.”

Amy scribbled, the scribbled through the word ‘when’ and wrote the word ‘day’ over it. “After all,” she turned to Sean. “We know what week it was.”

“True,” Sean admitted. “Listen, go back to the last page.

About who knew at B3.”

Amy obligingly flipped the chart back and read the question aloud again. “Who knew about the security breach at B3?”

“We know that two women helped to fix it,” he explained. “Chris and Zelda.”

“Are we just looking at the women?” she asked as she wrote their names.

“I guess not. Not for that,” he sighed. “There was also Madji and Ted who did the fix. Of course, Reid.” He drummed his fingers on top of the file. “There were others. We need to ask Belden about that.”

Amy nodded and drew a star next to the statement before raising a questioning eyebrow at him. When he nodded in agreement, she flipped the chart back to the page headed “What we don’t know”.

“We don’t know who is selling the information to IRMA,” Amy said dutifully.

Sean rolled his eyes behind her back.

“We don’t know why Maggie King and Richard Hoffman got a divorce, either,” Sean said nastily. “Listen. Where are we on those background checks for the people attending the fundraiser?”

“Oh, those,” Amy hedged.

“Yeah, those. How many are done?” he pushed.

“I’m not sure. I sent them out to the agency to assign to one of the probies.”

His eyes narrowed. “Did Agent Belden tell you it was okay to do that?”

She shook her head. “No, there were just so many! We’ve been swamped trying to get this Fireking thing figured out, and between trying to find an office and the regular calls, it was too much.”

“You should’ve asked her,” he replied. He glanced at his watch and winced at the time. “Listen, I need a break. How do you feel about some pizza?”

“Cheese?” she suggested.

“Everything,” he replied, grabbing his jacket. “Come on. Let’s just go down to the corner. Then we can both get what we want.”

 

 

“My feet are killing me,” Tammy Langham moaned as she sank into the vanity chair in the ladies’ room at the Waldorf. “I really shouldn’t have agreed to hostess a tea table this year, Grace, but I couldn’t let the foundation down.”

“Of course you couldn’t,” Grace replied easily, lowering herself into a matching chair.

Tammy glanced around the room, making sure it was empty. “Tell me, Grace. Should I read anything significant into Trixie being here with you? I didn’t notice a ring on her finger.”

Grace sighed. “When it comes to matters of the heart, it’s obvious my only son is adopted. He is nothing like Matthew. You may remember, he was relentless in his pursuit of me. I think I finally agreed to marry him just to have some time alone!”

Tammy laughed. “You loved it, Grace. Don’t try for one minute to convince me you didn’t. After all, I was there and it’s all thanks to me for setting you up! And it was true love.” She looked at her hazel-eyed friend. “And, unless I’m very much mistaken, it still is.” She eased one foot out of an elegant designer pump and leaned over to rub it carefully. “Jim is slow and methodical, huh?”

“So it seems. Matthew and I don’t dare broach the subject with him. He’s slowed down on building his house. We suspect he wants Trixie’s input before he goes any further. It’s tough, because she’s just as busy as he is. Apparently, thanks to my nephew Ben, she’s gotten so much publicity that she’s already hired some employees. And she had wanted to take it slow until Honey moved back.” Grace shook her head as she related the story she had learned from Jim.

“What did Ben do this time?” Tammy grinned. “Anything I can throw up in your sister’s face?”

“No, in fact, I’d just as soon you not mention it to her. It was a typical Ben joke. He called the paparazzi a few times, insinuating that Trixie was this year’s society ‘it girl’. It backfired on him, since apparently much of New York business can’t stay away from Page Six and The Squawker.” She flashed a conspiratorial grin at her friend. “You still read them, don’t you?”

“Never miss an issue or a post!” she admitted. “How else would I know who Harold’s latest fling is with? Although I suspect he reads them, too. Probably looking for gossip about me, but he did ask me if that Beatrix Belden was Honey and Jim’s friend.”

“Yes, and now, after years of hating the name, she wants to be introduced as Beatrix.” Grace frowned. “After years of insisting she wanted to be called Trixie. I’ll never figure out young people today.”

Tammy rummaged in her bag and pulled out a creased business card. She scribbled a phone number on the back and handed it to Grace. “If I don’t see Trixie later, give her this and tell her to call Harold and set up an appointment. As randy as the old geezer is these days, he’d still love to throw her some business.”

“Oh, Tammy!” Grace protested. “You know you don’t have to do that. She really is doing quite well.”

“You tell her I said to either call on Harold and get some business with Langham Industries or come see me about following Harold around to find out who his latest mistress is!”

“You mean you don’t know?” Grace was surprised. Her friend had always had an uncanny knack for figuring out her philandering husband’s latest partner.

“Not yet,” she shook her head. “Mrs. Langham has been so sick, I’m not even working any more at the business.”

“Tammy!” Grace chided. “You really should remember that she’s Harold’s mother. Not yours.”

“I know, Grace. Trust me, I know. But she was so nice to me when Harold and I got married. Not an interfering mother-in-law, not ever. And she never made me feel the slightest bit inferior over not being able to have children.” She looked at her friend. “Sometimes, Grace, I think that Martha Langham is the only reason I do stay with Harold. God knows, he’d throw her in a nursing home in a heartbeat. Probably the cheapest one he could find!”

“Oh, Tammy!” Grace patted her friend’s hand. “You still love him, don’t you Tam?”

“You haven’t called me Tam in a long time, M.G.” She reached over and returned the comforting hand pat.

“Watch yourself Tam, or I’ll use your full nickname!” Grace squeezed her hand.

“At least yours wasn’t so bad. Try living down the nickname Wham-Bam Thank you Tam!”

Grace succumbed to a fit of girlish giggles. “You certainly were flighty, although it wasn’t your impetuous youth that earned you that filthy nickname.”

Tammy sighed. “It’s a wonder Harold ever married me knowing about all my crazy escapades. There are times I wonder if I would be better off if hadn’t married me. Do you think he did because he knew that was the only way he was going to get lucky?”

“Who knows? Tammy, you need to quit beating yourself up over Harold’s failings. However wild you may have been in college, you never cheated on him,” Grace answered. “Besides, I think it was right after your third date, I pulled him aside and told him that was your nickname because you killed all the horrid insects in the dorm and not for any other reason that he might possibly think of. Since there was a fourth date …” She shrugged as if she were personally taking responsibility for her friend’s failed marriage.

Tammy sighed. “You’re right. There was full disclosure to my husband. There was a time when Harold was a good-guy, even if he always did seem somewhat sleepy at times. I swear, if I hadn’t finally told that man how I felt about marriage, I don’t think he would have ever proposed!”

Grace pondered her friend’s words. “Do you think I should suggest to Trixie that she propose to Jim?”

Tammy snickered. “Oh, heavens no! Look where it got me. Although if you think –” She stopped as she heard the door open on the adjoining side. She placed a finger to her lip indicating they finish talking later, and pulled a lipstick out of her Kate Spade purse to freshen up her make-up. Grace pulled out a compact and studied her face as well.

Two voices came across the top of the mirror clearly. The two women exchanged knowing looks.

“Mitsy and Bitsy,” Tammy mouthed silently.

Grace nodded, and quietly shut her compact. While attempting to quietly exit the ladies room and give the Thornhills the privacy they had taken for granted, Grace and Tammy couldn’t help but overhear the ensuing conversation.

“Really, Mitsy! You need to pull yourself together, young lady. Honestly, I don’t know what’s gotten into you! First, you resign from the family business and you won’t even talk to your father. Not to mention how you treated Beatrix.”

“Mummy!” Mitsy protested. “You don’t understand. It’s complicated.”

Tammy raised a questioning brow at Grace, who shrugged noncommittally.

“It’s not near as complicated as you’ve made it,” Bitsy snapped. “If you value your relationship with your father at all, you’ll be at home tonight.”

Grace tugged Tammy’s arm and they slipped undetected from the ladies room.

“How could you stand to leave and not listen to that?” Tammy wailed as soon as they were a few yards away from the door. “What did Mitsy do to Trixie? Why does she need to talk to her father?”

“I have no idea,” Grace replied. “But I do know one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“I’m certainly going to ask her!”

 

 

“What else does our boss expect us to get done today?” Sean asked as he bit into a healthy slice of pizza.

“We need to find Mrs. Randolph’s prized terrier,” Amy answered. She looked at her PDA and nodded. “We also have four routine background checks to get finished for some new company.”

“When we get back, we’ll polish off the background checks and then go look for the mutt. Did you check the pound yet?”

“The city animal control has a possibility. It’s a terrier, male like Bruiser, but it didn’t have a collar, so we’ll have to check it out.”

“Bruiser, huh? Exactly how much does Bruiser weigh?” Sean’s eyes narrowed.

“Fourteen pounds. He’s not too small. Going by the picture she sent me, he’s a pretty decent looking miniature schnauzer.” She paused to sip her soda before continuing. “I wouldn’t mind having a dog like that.”

“What possessed you to accept a missing pet case?” He wondered.

Amy shrugged. “I figured that Mrs. Randolph was rich enough that Belden would probably take it. She offered to pay the going hourly rate plus a five hundred dollar bonus if we find him within forty-eight hours.”

Sean whistled. “Maybe we should consider private investigation as a career when we’re ready to retire.”

Amy laughed. “Guess how many divorce cases I’ve declined this past week?”

Sean thought for a moment, and then answered. “Twelve.”

“Not even close!” she grinned. “Thirty-two.”

“Damn!” He whistled, in disbelief. “That’s over five a day. What do they all want?”

“To get the goods on their cheating spouse,” she answered. “Personally, I’m relieved to be able to turn them down, but there are enough others that I can’t legitimately refuse. The lost pet, the background checks, and some phone number requests. I already took care of those. Those were easy at fifty bucks each.”

“How do you handle the billings on those?” Sean frowned.

“They were all done as cash. The good news is; we now have a petty cash fund!” She grinned. “I don’t think the people asking were who they said they were. One was Mary Jones, one was Anna Havana and the other was John Smith. I did ask John if he were related to the John Smith of Jamestown and Pocahontas fame, but he wasn’t.”

Sean snorted. “At least you can show Belden some progress. Any luck on the new office?”

Amy shook her head. “A couple of really small and drab one-room affairs. Everything else was too big. But I have a couple more to look at tomorrow. If they work out, we can move in on Monday. Everything is ready to go.”

“Yeah, well let’s hope for something to break soon. I really wanted to spend the spring back in Chicago. Not on assignment working fourteen-hour days.”

Amy nodded. “I know what you mean. But at least it’s New York. We could’ve been sent to Wichita!”

 

 

“Was it bearable, dear?” Grace Wheeler leaned back in the seat of the limo and casually pulled off her gloves.

“It was quite enjoyable,” Trixie answered with a smile as she tugged off her hat. “Thank you for asking me to attend with you.”

“My pleasure.” She gave Trixie a benevolent smile. “Now, what did you really think?”

Trixie grinned. “I had no idea there were that many hats in all of Manhattan! It was like a hat factory exploded.”

Grace laughed. “Yes, some of them were quite lavish. I do believe Bebe’s hat was the same one the queen wore at Ascot last year.” She took a studious look at Trixie’s bare head and sighed. “You have the perfect hair for wearing hats. As soon as my hat comes off, I’ll be required to dig out a comb! But enough about fashion, even I can see that you’re brimming with questions. You better start asking them before you explode.”

“You and Tammy Langham must have gone to school together. I had no idea you knew her.”

“I’m surprised you never heard one of us mention Tammy or Harold before,” Grace admitted. “But then Tammy and I have been friends so long that we can go a couple of months without seeing each other and then pick up right where we were the last time we were together.” She paused as she bent to slip off one expensive designer shoe. “Not unlike you and Honey. Tammy and I also got into our fair share of scrapes, although I must admit nothing that involved law enforcement officials!”

Trixie blushed, and Grace smiled at her discomfiture.

“How do you know Tammy?” Grace inquired innocently.

“I don’t know her,” Trixie admitted. “I just know of her. Langham Industries was mentioned to me by someone as potential clients.”

Grace nodded and reached into her bag. “Trixie, Tammy told me to give you this.” She handed Trixie the card. “She wants to give you some business and asked that you call Harold.”

Trixie accepted the card, studying it and turning it over to read the number for Harold Langham’s private line. “I really don’t want to take advantage of your friendship with her, Grace,” she demurred. “The business is going well, it’s really not necessary –”

“Do stop, dear. Tammy is going to be hurt if you don’t call on Harold. In fact, she told me to tell you that needed to decide if you wanted to work for Langham or work for her. If you work for her, then you’re going to be following Harold around town to see who his latest mistress is!”

Trixie gaped at the blunt statement.

“Yes, I know,” Grace continued, drawing her compact out of her purse. “Tammy is a fool not to leave him. She takes care of his mother to boot. So unless you want that kind of detective work, I suggest you call Harold on Monday.”

“But Mrs. Wheel --, I mean, Grace. Why? Why doesn’t she leave him? If she said a thing like that, this can’t be the first time it’s happened.”

“No dear, it’s not the first time. Unfortunately, Tammy blames herself for part of it. She and Harold could never have children, and he did want a child rather badly. But still, he didn’t want to adopt, even after he saw how well our adoption of Jim went.” She shrugged and continued. “The age old classic tale of man cheats with woman. Wife forgives. It happens again. Wife moves out of the bedroom, but won’t divorce.” Grace sighed. “I couldn’t do it myself. It might be hard to believe, but honestly, I think I’d murder Matthew before I let him get away with cheating on me.

Trixie gasped.

“Oh, dear. Now I’ve shocked you. I guess it was seeing Tammy. I always do get a feistier when I spent time around her.”

“Mrs. Wheeler!” Trixie gasped. “Who are you and what have you done with Honey’s mother?”

Grace looked at Trixie for a second and then burst out laughing. “Oh, Trixie you are a dear. I do hope you’re my daughter-in-law soon!”

Trixie felt her face grow hot and she knew it had to be bright red. She started to sputter.

“Now, now … ” Grace reached over and patted her hand. “You have my permission to ignore my outspoken behavior. That wasn’t very tactful of me, and I do apologize for making you uncomfortable. We’ll both just pretend I didn’t say that although you know it’s true. Are you okay, dear?”

Trixie nodded. Her confidence was shot.

“Now, let me warn you. If you go calling on Harold Langham next week, you had better discuss things with Matthew first! He’s getting rather worried you haven’t called on him before now. His friend Warren has rubbed it in terribly that he was one of your first clients.”

“But … I …,” Trixie stammered. She took a deep breath and then continued. “He’s done so much for me over the years. I don’t want to impose on him.”

“He doesn’t think of it as an imposition. Why don’t you go see him next week? I’ll set it up for you.”

“But I’m still finishing up a job, not to mention I’m almost too scared not to call on Harold Langham next week! Besides, isn’t Mr. Wheeler busy with appointments?”

“Oh, pish posh!” Grace waived a hand in dismissal. “He’d never be too busy for an appointment with you. If your schedule is so pressed, why don’t you come to dinner tonight and discuss it with him?”

“You’re staying in town tonight?” Trixie asked, surprised that she hadn’t known that.

“Oh heavens, no. I meant come to dinner in Sleepyside. Tom will wait while you change clothes. You could even pack a bag. If your parents have plans, then you can stay with us. That will give us plenty of time to gossip over the various people you met today. Besides, Jim will be there …,” The hazel eyes twinkled and she paused for a moment before continuing. “And you certainly won’t need to wear a hat.”

Trixie laughed. “If you’re sure,” she answered.

“Of course, I’m sure.”

Trixie leaned back and tried to relax. When she started the case, she had hoped to have it solved long before involving the Wheelers and Wheeler International. She was not looking forward to that job, not at all.