“Bobby’s whistles. London policemen. From England. They’ll wake the dead. And attract alot of attention. And here.” She thrust small dark spray tubes at them.
“Mace?”
“And pepper spray? Are these legal?”
“So let him sue. There’s more.”
“Where did you get this stuff, Cissy?”
“Daddy sent acare package. Here. Walkie-talkies. Two pair. They look like cell phones. Aren’t theycute? ”
Amanda laughed. “Cissy, you never cease to amaze me. Jimmy is going to have to run to keep up. He’ll love that.”
Christine hefted the heavy champagne bottle. “You want me to test my pitching arm?”
“No, I want us all to go off in different directions and see who he follows. We’ve got to figure what this guy is up to. And don’t sell him short. He moves fast and he can cause a lot of damage.”
They cleared up the picnic debris and prepared to separate.
“What did Pinks take of yours?” Christine attempted nonchalance.
“Take of mine? I went there to buy something. Do you have work there?”
“Damned creepy snot wouldn’t take any of my stuff.” She gave a short harsh laugh. “Took all the guys’. That’s okay.” She lifted her shoulders in satisfaction. “The only one that’s sold anything is Nathan.”
“Nathan?” That was a surprise.
“Yeah. Some drawings he had left there before, he told me. Supposed to have been pretty good. You know Nathan. Ever the self-deprecating one. We never saw them. Hey, hey…” She swung her head toward the pond. “Looks like the big guy has finished his read. We stand up, he stands up. Who do you think he’s going after?”
“We’ll keep in constant touch with each other on the walkie-talkies,” Amanda instructed. “Whoever he follows, the other two will circle around behind and never lose eye contact. Agreed? If he makes a threatening move, we raise the dead.”
“I feel like one of the ThreeMusketeers out to save the Queen’s necklace or something.” Cissy’s eyes sparkled. “Isn’t thisexciting? ”
Christine chuckled. “Well it beats flaking out at Elizabeth Arden’s which is what I was planning to do after this feed. What do you think he wants, Amanda?”
“If he’s already rifled all our apartments and not found what he wants, I think it’s more information than anything else. Okay, let’s move out and be careful.”
“Think Rocky?”
“Rambo.”
BACK IN David’s apartment, Marc looked his brother dead in the eye.
“You think you know who the forger is?”
“I’m almost certain. I’ve had quite a bit of time to go over my theory. But I need to see the drawings.”
“London could send copies over the Internet. They’ve the most secure encryption I’ve seen yet. Who is it?”
“I don’t think it would be fair to implicate anyone until I’m certain. It’s much too serious a charge now.”
“David, what if you’re wrong? It’ll be the same loss of prestige all over again. Don’t take the chance. Wait until I find out for certain. We might strike it lucky tomorrow.”
“All right. Tomorrow.”
THEIR VOICES crackled over the walkie-talkies.
“Who’s the lucky girl?”
“You are, Christine. Oh, my goodness!”
“Don’t worry, Christine, we’re only about a block away. Cissy, can you see the guy?”
“Yes. I’m right in front of Bergdorf’s. Oh, what a pretty outfit.”
“Cissy, pay attention. Christine may be in danger.
“If you ask me, it’s thatmuch-too-heavy man that’s in danger. Christine, can you hear me? I still amappalled that you shoved that big old Moet and Chandon bottle in that gorgeous Kenneth Cole bag. You’re going to positively ruin…”
“Oh my God, he’s coming at me. I can’t believe it. Right here in the middle of Fifth Avenue. Are you guys close? Should I look for a cop or something?”
“Christine, cool it. He’s not going to attack you in broad daylight. I see him! Cissy?”
“Yes, I see him, too. What should we…”
“Oh, thank God, here comes Nathan! I told him to meet me at Arden’s.” Her urgent whispers changed to a bright conversational tone. “Hi, guy! We were having too much fun in the park, I’m afraid I missed my appointment, but that’s okay since I’m all flushed and rosy, anyway, right? Let’s go see if they can work me in.”
“Uh, I’m just talking to the girls.” Christine hissed into the walkie-talkie. “Where the hell did he go?”
“Cissy, do you see him?”
“I think he went into Trump Tower. Oh my, do you think maybe we could have been wrong? Amanda, are you sure that was…”
“Yes, Cissy, I am sure!”
“Oh, well, yes, of course. I mean, I was stillhiding in the bedroom when you and that nice Mr. Horn Rims, I mean, oh, Christine, now you’ve gotme saying it. Christine? She’s not answering…”
“Cissy, look, you can see her. She’s not on the walkie-talkie anymore. She’s heading off down Fifth with Nathan. Cissy, I think you can put that away now.”
Cissy turned with a shock as Amanda touched her on the elbow.
“Ohmy, with all the people, I didn’t see you, Amanda. Well, that was certainlyexciting.”
“Cissy, the man just walked away. We don’t know any more than we did before.”
“Well, we know he’s afraid of Nathan or didn’t want to talk to Christine when Nathan was around…orsomething. So, we’ve learnedsomething. Even if we’re not so sure what it is. I don’t think I should have had that third glass of champagne.”
They were in a cab half-way down to Chelsea when it dawned on Amanda. She had the driver stop immediately, sent Cissy on and rushed for an uptown taxi.
A few minutes later she was excitedly explaining to Marc over the telephone, after tracking him down at the insurance company in Rockefeller Center. “Marc! Cissy was right! It was Nathan! That’s what made the big guy change his mind. He was headed toward Christine, Marc, really moving though those people on Fifth Avenue. He wanted to get to Christine. And then he saw Nathan and changed his mind instantly. He ducked into the nearest doorway. And I think I know why.”
She was so excited it was hard for Marc to contain his anger. He couldn’t believe she and her insane girl friends had taken it on themselves to follow a guy who might be a murderer, for all they knew. And who was a vicious and violent burglar, they certainly did know. Marc had the bruises to prove that.
This…this insane relationship with this…this insane woman were driving him to distraction. How could she be so brazen? So sure of herself? So sure she wouldn’t bring God knows what down on the head of her friends, for God’s sake!
Marc sighed.Heaven help her enemies.
“I knew you would be angry. I just knew it! Don’t try to pretend you’re not. I know that look.” Her voice crackled with indignation over the wires. “We were perfectly safe. Practically an arsenal of stuff from Cissy’s Dad. If that creep had tried anything there would have been such…”
Uh oh, she was really mad at him now.And what had he done?
Be concerned that his girlfriend might have gotten herself in… No! She was not his girlfriend. There was no way in hell this thing between them could last past… Tomorrow could just be the night to bring everything to a head. And then farewell and goodbye. His look softened, he sighed into the mouthpiece.
“Maybe I…” She was fighting hard to maintain her confidence in her decisions. “There wasn’t time to get in touch with you, Marc. And those women are smart. They wouldn’t have put themselves into real danger. And we did learn something.”