Chapter 8 #2
‘Give me a second, but you can come in.’
Alice pushed open the door and leaned against the doorframe, assessing me.
She was wearing a frilly, floral dress that looked daringly short to me, considering we were visiting somewhere so classy, but she’d stuck earrings in her ears that looked to me like genuine pink diamonds so at least that fit the bill.
‘That’s definitely a different look for you,’ she said.
‘Thanks, I hate it,’ I replied, making her laugh.
‘Come on, we don’t want to be late.’
When we stepped outside I glanced down the street instinctively, fully expecting to see one of Wilson’s guys hovering around. No one stood out and I hope this meant they’d lost track of me since I’d moved to Sienna’s. For now at least.
‘You didn’t need to call another Uber,’ I said, as we walked down the steps to the waiting black car. ‘I don’t mind taking the subway.’
Then a man in a suit got out of the car and opened the door, and Alice looked at me, clearly embarrassed.
‘Just … Don’t,’ she said.
‘Miss Alice,’ the driver said, and she murmured her thank-you. ‘Miss,’ he said to me, and I nodded as I got in next to her.
‘Technically, I’m not supposed to take cabs,’ Alice said in a low voice as the driver walked around the car. ‘We have a personal driver because it’s safer.’
‘You don’t seem to follow that rule very often,’ I pointed out, not unreasonably.
‘Well, if I turn up to Van der Hausen’s in another car, it might get back to my mom,’ she said. ‘I don’t like my family knowing every little thing I do.’
‘Fair,’ I offered.
We sat in silence for the long drive uptown, with classical music playing softly from the car’s radio. When it pulled up to the curb I unbuckled my seatbelt and reached for the door handle, but Alice grabbed me.
‘Wait.’
The driver opened the door for me to get out, and I laughed to myself thinking how different my life had been up until recently.
Van der Hausen’s was sleek, secure and drowning in opulence.
The wealth whispered through the foyer, rather than screaming it, with plush carpet and bright-white walls.
I’d been here before for auctions, though I’d never really paid much attention to the security.
As well as the not-so-discreet cameras in every corner, staff patrolled in their distinctive navy suits with gold-and-blue ties, and I was sure every door was programmed to go into lockdown mode to either keep people in or out if needed.
The situation wasn’t dire, but any hopes I’d had about sneaking around quickly faded.
There was no reception desk, instead a tall man in a crisp suit came to greet us as soon as we stepped into the foyer.
‘Good afternoon. How can I help?’
Alice smiled brightly. ‘Alice Mulligan. I have an appointment with Mr Yearwood.’
‘Of course, Miss Mulligan. Would you come this way please?’
We were shown into an elevator (plush) and then down another long corridor to the meeting rooms (seriously plush).
‘Oh,’ Alice said brightly, when the host tried to open the door to Meeting Room Two. ‘We were in Room One last time.’
She looked at him expectantly, smiling sweetly.
‘Room One is free,’ he said, and didn’t even question her not-a-request before unlocking that door and letting us in. ‘Can I get you any refreshments?’
‘We’re fine,’ Alice said with another smile. ‘Thank you.’
‘I’ll tell Mr Yearwood you’re waiting.’
‘My heart is pounding,’ Alice murmured as he shut the door behind us.
‘You’re fine,’ I replied. ‘Just follow my lead.’
The room was laid out like an office, with a large desk in the middle separated by a leather chair on one side and two comfortable armchairs on the other, both upholstered in brightly patterned fabric. Sienna would have loved them.
It only took a moment for someone to knock on the door and then it opened before either of us could respond.
‘Hello. I’m Jacob Yearwood. Miss Mulligan?’
‘Alice,’ she said, offering her hand for him to shake. ‘This is my friend, Maddie Lawson.’
‘Nice to meet you,’ I said, accepting his handshake.
Jacob Yearwood was younger than I expected.
He looked like he was in his early thirties, with a sharp haircut and gold-rimmed glasses.
He didn’t wear a suit jacket, but his navy shirt and charcoal-gray pants were clearly well tailored.
Under one arm was a new MacBook, and the idea of finding a way to steal the laptop sparked in my mind.
I dismissed that thought as soon as it appeared, though. Way too risky.
‘Lovely to meet you both,’ he said.
Despite her nerves, Alice was clearly in her element here – she recognized the social cues and was able to respond instinctively. Jacob took the leather desk chair and gestured to the others, waiting for us to sit down before he spoke.
‘So how can I help you today?’
Alice launched into the explanation she’d been working on – inheriting items, not her style, blah blah blah, and I took the opportunity to look around the room.
Someone had made an effort to decorate the space so it looked impressive but not overpowering.
There were a few paintings on the walls, a vase of real flowers on the desk that smelled amazing, and the enormous window looked out over 5th Avenue, giving us a great view of the park.
Other than that the room itself was pretty sparsely decorated, reducing the number of places a clue could be hidden in here.
‘May I have a look?’ Jacob asked.
‘Sure,’ Alice said easily, and started to pull the pieces out of her leather backpack.
Jacob rolled out a piece of velvet on the desk and let Alice unbox everything we’d brought with us. He glanced over to me as Alice took items out of their individual cloth bags. I knew he was wondering why I was there.
‘Let’s see what you have here,’ Jacob said, and he went straight for the tiara.
I watched him carefully examine each piece, making notes on his laptop as he went along. Alice was much better at carrying a conversation, especially small talk, and I let her chatter about the tiara and other jewelry pieces as Jacob worked through the appraisal.
‘Are you hoping for a straight sale?’ Jacob asked as he returned each piece to their bags. ‘Or would you like us to take these to auction?’
‘When are your next auction dates?’ Alice asked, and Jacob started typing on his laptop to check. Stealing the laptop was out of the question, but I wondered if there was a way I could get into the system while we were here. ‘Not for another two weeks, I’m afraid.’
Alice nodded. ‘Could I have a look at some of the pieces you currently have for sale?’ she asked, achingly casual. ‘We might be able to arrange a trade.’
Jacob beamed at her. ‘I’d be delighted to take you around the showroom.’
‘Brilliant.’
Alice tapped her knee against mine and I realized she was waiting for the signal.
Having the laptop in the room was too tempting to ignore, and I held out two fingers under the table. You leave. I stay. Alice knocked her knee against mine again to let me know she’d seen.
She stood, sweeping the jewelry back into her backpack, and Jacob glanced at me.
‘Would you like to join us, Miss Lawson?’
‘I actually need to take a quick call,’ I said smoothly. ‘Would it be okay if I used this office?’
‘No problem. So you’re aware, if you need to leave at any point, the door will lock behind you.’
‘Noted, thank you.’
They both walked out of the office and I held my breath, waiting for the door to shut behind them before I leaped round the desk and desperately brushed my fingers across the laptop’s trackpad, hoping it hadn’t fallen into sleep mode.
It came back to life a second later, on the page Jacob had just been looking at.
I was in.