imagine.â
âNor can I.â Elaine filled tea cups, placing a beautifully ornate white china pot with gold trim on a trivet in the center of the table before sitting. âThis is delightful. Is the pound cake homemade?â
âMy specialty.â Penelope appeared to blush, Dan thought. And the little tea party was âdelightful,â but he needed to guide Gertie back to the particularsâask the questions heâd need for the investigation.
âAlways hate to mix business with pleasure,â he gestured toward Gertie with his tea cup, âbut I need to double-check some details.â
âOh my, I have been rattling on. Of course, you just ask ahead. I have no secrets.â
Usually when people said that, a big red flag flipped up, but not with Gertie. She was leaning toward him with rapt attentionâand the guileless expression of the perfectly innocent.
âHow often did you remove the necklace from the bankâs safe deposit box?â
âWell, I only took it out for cleaning. And that was on a strict scheduleâI never missed a date.â
âAnd that was how often?â Gentle prodding but the old gal was eighty-five. Sheâd earned the right to have some lapses.
âOh my, I forgot to sayâ¦let me get the calendar then I wonât be telling fibs.â Gertie walked to another room, an office Dan thought, and brought back a wall calendar showing various costumed poses of the Taco Bell Chihuahua. She backtracked to August and placed an index finger on the tenth.
âThere. Notation readsâ¦âremoved from vault for cleaning.ââ
âHow long did you keep it out for these periodic cleanings?â
âNot long. Two days usually. This time I was running low on the ammonia mixture and had to order a bottle. I hadnât realized this when Iâd gotten the necklace out.â
âSo, it was here longer than usual?â
âYes.â
Dan made a few notes in a forced shorthand he hoped heâd be able to figure out later. It would have been much easier if his left hand had gotten mangled instead of the right.
âDid you wear it anywhere while it was here?â
âOh, my goodness, no. Why Iâd be so nervous that I wouldnât enjoy doing anything. I wouldnât even wear it around the house.â
âWhen it was here, where did you keep it?â
He thought for a minute she wasnât going to answer. A frail, veined hand flew to her mouth, fingers brushing her lips. She sought Penelopeâs okay before answering. At her daughterâs nod, she began, âWell, itâs deceptively simple really. Weâd thought of putting it in a safe but, you know, that only advertises that you have something to put in it.â
Thatâs one interpretation, Dan thought. But under the circumstances probably a wise choice.
âSo, we put it in the Barbasol can.â
âIâm not following.â
âJust give me a minute.â Gertie pushed back from the table again and was gone longer this time. Dan slipped another lemon tart onto his plate and picked it up with his fingersâforks and left hands were a dangerous mix.
âHere we go.â Gertie reentered the room, walked to the table and placed a black- and-red striped can of Barbasol in front of him. âRemember when these were so popular? Penny and I couldnât decide whether to get the Comet cleanser or the Barbasol.â With that, she twisted off the top to reveal an empty canâsomeoneâs idea of the perfect hiding place.
Keep it under the sink in the bathroom and no one will ever suspectâ¦yeah, right. Two little old ladies with a can of Barbasolâdid they even make the stuff anymore? He was saved having to comment by Gertie continuing, ââ¦you understand, of course, that this was just an overnight fix, so to speak. And I canât think of a time when either one of us was away from the house
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