Chapter 15
Mayhem and Magic
New York City
T he following day was packed with activities. Giovanni’s family was getting ready for their afternoon at Radio City Music Hall. Marco’s children, Sophia and Lorenzo, were racing all over the house with excitement.
Across the river, in the Flatiron District, Frankie was trying to decide what to wear to lunch with a countess and a candy manufacturer magnate.
Giovanni grinned as Frankie kept changing outfits. “How does this look?” she said, modeling a navy-blue pantsuit.
“Maybe a little too much like the office.” He continued to read the newspaper and sip on his espresso. Two minutes later, Frankie reappeared in a black leather pencil skirt with a cropped white jacket.
“Very nice,” he said, nodding.
“But?”
“There’s no but .”
“Yes, there is. I heard it.”
“But I didn’t say it.”
“I still heard it.” Francesca stood with her hands on her hips.
“I think you look beautiful in the white cashmere turtleneck. Wear it with leather pants and the over-the-knee boots,” he suggested.
“Perfetto!” Frankie said and snapped her fingers. “You are such the fashion maestro.”
“ Si . It’s an Italian thing.” He smiled and looked up from the newspaper. “No matter what you wear, Frankie, you will impress them. All you have to do is smile,” he said, and winked.
Frankie changed into the outfit Giovanni described, pulled her hair back in a long ponytail with a white satin and silk plissé scrunchie, then donned the emerald earrings he had given her the Christmas before. “Ta-da!” She said, and reappeared in front of him.
“ Bellissima ! You look stunning, casual, and festive! Brava !”
“Thanks to you.” She gave him air kisses on each cheek. “Makeup, darling.”
Giovanni understood. Frankie normally wore a minimal amount of makeup to work, but she knew how to get “dolled up” when the occasion called for it.
“You will greatly impress everyone. Maybe I should go as your bodyguard,” he joked as he pulled her closer. She playfully resisted.
“Come on. You know the rules. No shenanigans after I’m fully dressed!”
“Shame on me for not paying attention to the time.” He patted her on the fanny. “Now you go and make some new friends.”
“Thank you, mi amore !” Frankie bent over to give Bandit a pat on the head, while Sweet P rubbed against Frankie’s ankles. “You kitties behave,” she said, and blew a kiss as she headed out the door.
Charles and Fergus arrived in New York City early that morning. They met up with Annie, Myra, Maggie, and Kathryn at Annie’s townhouse for breakfast and a briefing. Unbeknownst to Frankie, Charles and Fergus were able to get a good lead on Jimmy the bad Santa, and his pal, Vinny.
“Jimmy drives a delivery truck for his Uncle Frank’s liquor store. Avery Snowden had his operative Sasha place a GPS device on the vehicle early this morning.”
“What about Vinny?” Myra asked.
“Jimmy usually picks Vinny up at his mother’s house around lunchtime, and then they go to the pizzeria to run errands for Barflow using Uncle Frank’s liquor store truck,” Fergus explained.
“Very inconspicuous,” Charles added.
“Do you have a plan in mind?” Myra asked as she stroked her pearls.
“Not yet. We want to get a handle on their comings and goings. Once we corner them, we can transport them to Pinewood.”
“And torture them?” Annie chuckled.
“At the very least, we want to teach them a lesson,” Myra said. “What about this Buchwald character?”
“Oh, he’s the bee’s knees when it comes to corruption. And he is audacious. He was cheeky enough to poach from one of the bosses of their version of ‘the mob,’ and now there is a bounty on his head should he ever set foot in Belarus again.”
“Looks like it might be time to give Pearl a call,” Annie said, eyeing Kathryn.
“We’re copacetic now. All good,” Kathryn said, and grinned.
“It should be relatively easy to locate Barflow. Getting past his thugs might be a bit of a challenge.”
“Not if I make an offer he can’t refuse.” Annie raised her eyebrows.
“What do you have in mind?” Fergus said, eyeing her curiously.
“I need some quick cash and want to unload some of my diamonds.”
“Won’t he ask why?” Charles queried.
“I don’t think he really cares, as long as he can get his take.”
“Or steal the goods for himself?” Maggie asked.
“But they won’t be real. Remember my friend Lincoln Gladwell?”
“Yes. The gemologist. What about him?” Myra asked.
“He created replicas of some of my jewelry,” Annie said, and grinned.
“After the masterful job he did when we were in London chasing down those terrible longevity doctors, I thought I should have the tiara and a few of my baubles duplicated so I could wear them in public without being concerned about losing them.”
“Brilliant!” Fergus said, and chuckled. “I often wondered why you were so casual with that crown of yours.”
“I have two rings and a bracelet that I’ll ask that Barf fellow to fence. I keep them here for when we have to go to a gala. Retail value of the originals is over a hundred-fifty thousand. I’ll offer him thirty percent. That’s five percent higher than street value.”
“When did you become an expert in jewelry fencing?” Maggie asked with surprise.
“There’s still much to learn about your boss,” Annie said, and wiggled her eyebrows.
“Sure is. Now pass that basket of croissants, please,” Maggie replied with an outstretched hand.
“Sounds like some of the pieces are falling into place,” Myra remarked.
“Meanwhile, we have to figure out how to round up the other two knuckleheads,” Kathryn added.
“That shouldn’t be too difficult. We can follow them tomorrow afternoon. I’ll ask Sasha to put a slow leak in one of the tires. When they pull over, we’ll be right behind them in a van. We’ll nab them, bring them to the airport, and transport them to Pinewood,” Fergus said.
“Where they’ll spend a horrible Christmas in the cellar,” Myra said with a devilish grin.
“But then what?” Maggie asked.
“We’ll scare the bejeezus out of them, drive them to the mountains in Virginia, and make them figure out a way to get back to Brooklyn.
They’re two-bit criminals. Once Barflow is out of the way, I suspect they will have to find gainful employment.
I doubt if Uncle Frank will keep Jimmy on the payroll after his truck goes missing. ”
Myra was frowning.
“What is it, love?” Charles asked with a concerned expression.
“Do you think it’s punishment enough for stealing money from the Salvation Army?” she asked.
Annie’s face lit up. “Here’s an idea. After we keep them in the basement for a few days, we bring them back here. I’ll call my friend Captain Dag Dorph of the FDNY and cajole him into doing me a favor.”
“And what might that be?” Myra asked.
“Let me talk to the captain first and see if what I have in mind is a possibility. Otherwise, we’ll set these city boys on the side of a mountain.”
“How do you plan on contacting Barflow?” Kathryn asked.
“I know people,” Annie said, winking.
“Whatever it takes!” came the battle cry from the four women seated at the table.
“Tomorrow we are on the move. Today we are having a lovely lunch at Limani with Kathryn and Maggie’s new pals.”
Charles placed a box on the table. “Since we’re going to be in the middle of holiday madness in the Big Apple, I thought each of us should have an Apple watch. But it’s not exactly an Apple watch.” He handed one to each of the women, and then one to Fergus.
“It’s a two-way radio. Fergus and I thought it would be a good idea for us to be readily able to communicate without using our phones.”
“Oh, cool,” Maggie said as she strapped the smart-looking timepiece on her wrist.
“It will emit a slight vibration when someone wants to communicate. All you have to do is hold it near your ear. Pretend you’re scratching your face. Or you can use the ear-piece.” He handed everyone an object the size of a pushpin. “No one will know you’re wearing it.”
“It’s the most current technology available,” Fergus said proudly.
“I wouldn’t expect anything less,” Annie said, and chuckled.
“The Secret Service doesn’t even have these yet,” Charles remarked.
“This is very cool,” Maggie said. “Give us a tutorial, please.”
“Annie, you go downstairs to the first floor. Myra, you go upstairs to one of the bedrooms. Kathryn, you stay here, and Maggie, you to inside the kitchen.”
The women went to their assigned places. A few minutes later, everyone’s wrist got a tingle. “Charles here.”
“Coming in loud and clear,” Annie said from the lower level.
“Ditto,” Myra concurred.
“Me too,” came from Maggie.
“Roger that,” was from Kathryn.
“Right! Now everyone back to the table.”
A minute later, they reconvened. Charles was the first to speak. “I am much more comfortable knowing we can reach each other easily. The city is bustling with people, and simply getting through a crowd can be challenging, let alone making a phone call.”
“You and Fergus may have outdone yourselves this time,” Annie said.
“We can celebrate our mission when we’ve completed all the tasks,” Charles said. “And of course, Fergus and I shall prepare a meal for the victors.”
Everyone’s hands went up in high fives, followed by fist bumps.
When Frankie walked into her office, Matt let out a low whistle. “Oh. Sorry. H.R. will be all over that,” he said, and hung his head.
“I’ll let it slide this time, buster,” Frankie said, laughing. Matt played for “the other team.” His acknowledgment of Frankie’s appearance was a compliment as far as she was concerned.
“All dressed up, dearie. What’s the occasion?”
“Lunch. Limani.” Frankie stuck her chin up in the air. “With Countess Annie De Silva and Myra Rutledge of the eponymous candy fortune.”
Matt spun around in his chair. “Well, aren’t you fancy? How come I didn’t know about it?” He placed his hands on his hips. “I am the keeper of your calendar. How am I supposed to keep it if you don’t inform me?”
Frankie knew he was kidding and replied with the same feigned annoyance. “There are the rare occasions where it’s none of your beeswax.”