“Let me check my calendar.” Annie pulled out one of her phones. “I have a meeting with a caterer and a fund-raiser.”

Charlotte took the opportunity to interject her contribution to the con. “Annie, you are not going to believe this, but Dr. and Mrs. Marcus live at the Plimsoll!”

“You don’t say?” Annie put on a most dumbfounded expression. “Now, that is quite a coincidence.”

“Indeed it is.” Marcus was shuffling his feet the way the creepy kid Jerry did.

After a short silence, Annie added, “If you and your wife are free, please join us. I’m expecting about forty or so people. It’s what I call an impromptu fund-raiser for the kennel club. No set price. Sort of a ‘come as you are’ party and bring your checkbook!” Annie laughed. Charlotte was almost giddy.

Marcus was atwitter with anticipation. “We would be honored. I’ll let Norma know.”

“If she wants to invite any of her friends, that would be fine, too.” Annie grinned. “As long as they make a donation!”

“We wouldn’t want to intrude,” Marcus said thoughtfully.

“Not at all. The more money, the better! Half past seven. Day after tomorrow. We’ll make our appointment to come back the following day.”

“Fantastic!” Marcus wasn’t sure what he was more excited about. The cocktail party, the cocaine, or the money. Probably all three. Unbeknownst to Marcus, of course, all of them were part of one big bomb that was about to blow up in his face.

Gloria set up the appointments for them to return in three days. The next appointment after that would be in two weeks. Obviously, none of them would be keeping either one.

* * *

Marcus hustled across town to the jeweler. Eileen was not far behind. He was in and out of the shop quickly. A few minutes later, Eileen entered the shop and walked over to the jeweler.

“Good afternoon. I am here to pick up a package for Dr. Julian Marcus.”

The jeweler looked confused. “I beg your pardon?”

“Dr. Marcus? Julian Marcus? He sent me here to pick up an order for him,” Eileen said with complete confidence.

“But he just left.”

“Now, that’s odd. He specifically told me to pick up a package. Can you tell me what it was that you gave him? Perhaps he meant something else.”

The jeweler hesitated for a moment. The woman looked quite businesslike. And who but Marcus would send her? Perhaps it was a simple misunderstanding. “It was a reproduction of a gold bracelet with diamonds, and the original.”

Eileen gave him a knowing look. “Reproductions seem to be the trend these days. Hard to tell them apart from the real thing, especially if you are good at it, which I am sure you are.” The flattery was working. The jeweler became chatty.

“Yes, he’s having his wife’s jewelry replicated so she can wear what she wants without worrying about losing items.”