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“Ha. Well, when you see the condition it’s in now, you may change your mind. Cullen had to rip the drawer off with a crowbar.”
“Is the document dated?” Gaines asked.
“Yes. It was dated eleven weeks ago,” Luna replied, checking the document once again.
“When did Millstone die?” Gaines asked.
“A little over two months ago, I think,” Luna replied.
“I’ll check on it,” Gaines said. “Is there a witness to his signature?”
“Yep. Someone named Colette Petrov.”
“OK. That gives me enough to go on,” Gaines said. “See you a week from Saturday. Five-o’clockish.”
“Deal! Thanks a bunch,” Luna said, waiting for another response.
“Meanwhile, try to stay out of trouble,” Gaines teased.
“I’ll do my best. Bye now.” Luna ended the call. She was swimming with delight.
Chapter Sixteen
Boston, Massachusetts
American Storage Center
It had taken only ten days before the final delivery of the estate furniture Rowena had managed to track down from the dealers had arrived. The cash incentives to the dealers and the drivers had paid off handsomely. She was not eager to rip apart a few hundred thousand dollars’ worth of antiques, but could not see any other way forward. However, she was not about to do it alone. Arthur was just going to have to get his hands dirty. For real.
Rowena pulled out the files and began to check off each piece that had come back. Everything was there except the Louis XVI sideboard. She felt a sense of relief knowing that virtually all the items were back in their possession. She thought about the missing buffet but consoled herself once again with the knowledge that she had personally checked its every nook and cranny. Unless there was a secret compartment, she was certain it wasn’t hidden there.
She looked around the space. She knew she would need Arthur to remove the furniture from the packing crates. The question was the process. Should they uncrate everything first or should they do one at a time? She’d let Arthur decide how to use his atrophied muscles. Too bad he was so out of shape, but she wasn’t about to hurt any of her own body parts yanking off the wood that protected the contents. There were over forty pieces of furniture that needed to be dismantled. Doing it all could take days. Too bad for Arthur. He wouldn’t be able to spend so much time at his club in the days and weeks ahead. Not if he wanted to secure his future—and hers, of course.
Rowena was satisfied that they had completed stage two of their plan by getting the furniture back. Phase one had been locating it. Phase three would be tearing it apart. If they were lucky, they would find the will right away and be able to sell the pieces that had remained intact. She took one last look at the project that lay ahead, shook her head, pulled down the overhead door, padlocked the unit, and drove back to the mansion.
The first thing that came to mind was that she had absolutely nothing to wear for the job at hand. She certainly wasn’t going to ruin any of her Gucci jogging outfits. Not that she ever jogged, but that was beside the point. She dreaded having to go to a big-box store to purchase sweatpants. She might be recognized. Heaven forfend. Then she thought about buying the outfit online. It might take a day or two to arrive, but she couldn’t risk the embarrassment of being seen shopping for such plebeian things. The thought made her skin crawl.
When she got back to the house, she immediately went to Arthur’s study and opened the cabinet where he kept his computer. She logged in and started her shopping spree. She laughed, thinking she could buy an entire season’s wardrobe for the same amount of money one of her outfits had cost. But then a little voice in her head reminded her that if they didn’t rectify the predicament they were in, she might be shopping at these stores for the rest of her life. That is, if they didn’t go to prison. Clothing would no longer be an issue. God, how she hated the color orange.
She purchased five pairs of sweatpants, T-shirts, and sweatshirts; two pairs of sneakers and a half dozen work gloves. She groaned, thinking about her hair, so she added two baseball caps to her online shopping cart. When she checked out, it said that the items would be delivered the day after next. Good enough. She felt safe now that the goods were back in her and Arthur’s possession.
* * *
As the website promised, Rowena’s new wardrobe arrived in two days. It was time she and Arthur got down to the next phase.
Two days later, her pedestrian outfits having arrived, Rowena sat in Arthur’s study chain-smoking again, waiting for him to return from his office. She could never figure out exactly what he did when he was there. Except perhaps some creative accounting.
She was fidgeting, nervously waiting for his reaction. Finally, she got up and poured herself a drink. She glanced at the antique clock, the position of whose hands indicated that it was three thirty.Who cares.She knew he would have a fit when he saw the job that lay ahead of them. Well, too bad. He was the one who had got himself into this mess in the first place. She had warned him to stay on his father’s good side. To be nicer to the staff and Colette. Arthur had taken for granted that his father would continue to look fondly upon him no matter how often he screwed up. Since he hadn’t asked his father to bail him out in a long time, Arthur assumed that his father had no idea that Arthur had found other means by which to access the family fortune. His arrogance was incomprehensible. But then again, Arthur had been spoiled and entitled his entire life, an arrogant child who had never been forced to grow up.
Rowena settled back into one of the large, overstuffed leather chairs and waited for the eruption that would soon follow. As things turned out, she wasn’t very far off in her prediction. Arthur clomped into the room and slammed the door behind him. “You counted everything? Are they all there?” he asked in his most obnoxious voice.
“Yes, darling. All but the Louis XVI. And I told you I practically picked that piece apart before it was sold. So let’s please not get into any squabbles. We need to get to work.” Rowena felt the effects of the scotch and was feeling a little more relaxed. She truly didn’t want to get into it with him just then.
“When do you propose we begin your resolution to our issue?”
“As soon as you change your clothes.” Rowena eyed him up and down.
“What do you mean?” Obviously, it hadn’t occurred to Arthur that he might be getting his hands dirty, much less his expensive clothes.
