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“Do you see her?” he asked.
I scanned the room, then shook my head. “Not at the moment. Maybe she’s getting her hair done. Or she’s out back, biting the head off a puppy. Do they have medieval torture implements on display here? We might find her in there, shopping.”
Everywhere we turned in the room, there was more evidence of Mimi’s influence. A gorgeous ice sculpture of a graceful woman in a flowing gown stood on one of the tables, and a man nearby muttered to himself, “Not thin enough, huh? Give me a blowtorch, and I’ll give you thin.”
A woman wearing an apron with a florist’s logo on it cleaned up a scattered arrangement that looked like it had been angrily knocked off a table as she muttered, “Not fresh! The roses were cut this morning! They still had dew on them! And if you order flowers that have to be flown in, they can’t be same-day fresh. I could scatter dirt and seeds. That would be fresh.”
Nearby, other people in the same aprons glanced at her worriedly while they rearranged the floral displays, pulling out individual stems. Another woman ran in with a bucket full of flowers. “You wouldn’t believe the mess back there,” she said. “They do know there’s an event tonight, right? Because it looked like they were doing maintenance on the entrance from the parking garage.” She set down her bucket. “Okay, let’s see if these suit Her Majesty.” Then she bit her lip and glanced around guiltily. The florists went to work sticking those flowers into the arrangements.
“I don’t think she’s been wearing the brooch,” I said to Owen. “Wouldn’t that make people have to follow her? Instead, we’re getting rebellion. At this rate, she’ll need the Knot to get out of here alive. They’re a hairbreadth away from pitchforks and torches.”
“Is there a chance that she really doesn’t have the brooch?” he asked, his forehead creasing. “The puritans could have set us up to believe this is it and get us off-track so they can create their big show with the real owner.”
I shook my head. “No, remember, the elves were at the restaurant where Mimi got the brooch, and they’re magically tracking the Knot, not following sketchy research. They also weren’t at Macy’s when we were following the false lead.”
Rod, Thor, and Earl were in place now, with Rod guarding the main doorway and the other two lined up at the sides, where they could keep an eye on the room. I caught Rod’s eye and shook my head. He nodded acknowledgment.
We looked conspicuous by not doing anything when everyone else was rushing around busily, so Owen and I joined in pulling tablecloths off tables. One of the women working with us kept up a nonstop stream of grumbles. “Seriously, can anyone tell the difference between ivory and cream linens? I bet we’ll get the new ones on, and she’ll scream that we didn’t change them. Maybe we should leave one table the same and see if she notices the difference.” The others laughed at that, and I joined in. We’d once done a similar thing when I worked for Mimi, and she hadn’t noticed. She just liked making people jump through hoops. We’d learned that all we had to do was pretend to make the changes she ordered and let her think she’d forced us to obey an order.
A sharp voice cut through the general hubbub, saying, “You would not believe the difficulties I’m having here. Absolutely everyone showed up with the wrong things. It’s a disaster—the wrong color linens, wilted old flowers, an obese ice sculpture. How hard is it to get an order right?”
Speak of the devil, I thought. Mimi was entering the courtyard, talking on a cell phone. I caught Rod’s eye and gestured toward her with my head. He nodded and signaled the others.
As soon as she got fully into the event space, Mimi took one look at the preparations and snapped, “Why aren’t the tables set up? You can’t have a black-tie, celebrity-filled gala with bare tables! There should be tablecloths and chair covers! Those have to be on before we can do the centerpieces and name cards! What is wrong with you people?”
I expected the man in charge of the table linens to remind her that the tables were bare because she wanted different tablecloths, but he didn’t stand up to her at all. Instead, he fell on his knees. “I have failed you,” he said, bowing his head in shame, his hands clasped in front of him in supplication.
Surprised, Mimi took a step away from him, her face screwing up in distaste. As much as she’d always wanted that kind of response, she must not have expected it. “Well, yes,” she said. “But when will you get the right tablecloths and get them on the tables?”
“Soon! Now!” He gestured to the staff, indicating for them to hurry up stripping the tables, and then he got on the phone and yelled at whomever was bringing the new linens.
Mimi moved on to her next victim, the florist, who jumped to attention. “We’re almost done, we got new flowers, see, the centerpieces are done, and we’ll get them on the tables as soon as the tablecloths are on,” she babbled. “I hope the arrangements are to your satisfaction.” She bobbed an awkward little curtsy. Mimi was so stunned that she didn’t even complain about the new arrangements and make the florists put them back the way they’d been.
“She must have the brooch on her, but I don’t see it,” I whispered to Owen as we kept pulling cloths off tables. “But why aren’t they scrambling to get at it? Shouldn’t there be a big fight like there was at the restaurant?”
“She seems to be using it,” he replied. “Unfocused, it creates the chaos we saw at the restaurant, but when someone is actually wielding it and using its power, then the user can control people and keep them in line. People with a thirst for power will still be drawn to it, but most will just be put under its thrall.”
“This is disturbing on so many different levels,” I muttered, then I glanced over at Granny and saw a frightening gleam in her eye. “Uh oh,” I said, elbowing Owen.
He turned to look, then winced at what he saw. He bent and took Granny by the shoulders. “I need you to focus, Granny,” he said.
“That doodad y’all are looking for must be nearby,” she said, her speech a little slurred. “My, but that’s powerful.”
“Can you resist it?” he asked. “If you can’t, I need you to get away from us.”
She pulled herself together and gave a disdainful snort. “I’ve never had a weakness for jewelry. But I do want to take it away from that biddy. I don’t like her.”
I looked around the room to see how everyone else was reacting. Most of the event staff were treating Mimi like she was the empress of the universe. They practically bowed as she passed, trailed by a pair of clipboard-bearing assistants. Rod had flattened his back against the wall, and even from across the room I could see that he was breathing heavily.
I pointed that out to Owen. “We’ll have to keep an eye on him,” I said.
Earl seemed less affected. He looked bored. I didn’t see the gnome. His head didn’t come far above the tables, so he’d be easy to lose. “Do you see Thor?” I asked Owen and Granny.
Owen shook his head. Instead of a response from Granny, there was a “thwap” sound and then a thud. A glance at the floor showed Thor lying on his back, his axe in his hands. Granny stood over him, holding her cane out like a weapon. “He was trying to sneak up on her,” she said.
Owen leaned over him. “Are you carrying out the mission to retrieve the brooch, or are you under its influence?” he asked.
“I think a little of both,” Thor admitted groggily, rubbing his head. “It is our property. But, boy, is it ever enticing. I could really use a piece of that.”
