“Robert V. Felton, Esquire,” I said, finishing her sentence. “I’ve had the displeasure.”

Gardner scowled. Apparently, she preferred to work alone.

“Tell Mr. Ayers I’ll wait,” I said, copping a squat on one of the fancy couches. “As long as it takes.”

“But . . . ,” Gardner began to sputter. She looked as though she’d never seen such a thing. “He’s very busy.”

“As am I,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest. “I’m trying to find out who killed his brother. So I’ll wait.” I eyed the end tables with magazines fanned out over them: Smithsonian, National Geographic, Barron’s. Gawd, even Ayers’s reading material was pretentious. I grabbed Smithsonian. “Oh, and if Mr. Ayers is thinking about sneaking out the back, you might want to tell him I’ll come back tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that, until I speak with him personally.” I smiled sweetly, then settled in for a long, unproductive wait.

Gardner disappeared again, flustered this time, and stayed gone for at least ten minutes. She and Ayers were probably back there trying to decide whether or not to call the police and have me escorted out. They could do it, sure, but how much of a ruckus would I make? That was the unknown variable. Rich people didn’t like ruckuses. I’d moved on to National Geographic, and an in-depth piece on the Amahuaca Indians of Brazil, when Gardner returned.

“Mr. Ayers will speak to you, but not here. He has a meeting at City Hall. He’ll meet you in Daley Plaza. Eleven-thirty.”

What rube truck did they think I fell off of? I checked my watch. It was eleven. I stood and tossed the magazine down on the table. The Amahuaca Indians would have to remain a mystery. This was obviously a ploy to get me out of the office without causing a scene, but, frankly, I was tired of waiting, anyway. I strode up to Gardner’s desk, smiled, and went all in.

“Fine. I’ll play along. Daley Plaza. Eleven-thirty.” I headed for the door, turned. “Or back here shortly afterward to wait until the dawn of the apocalypse. Oh, next time you see Mr. Felton, let him know I was here, would you? We had a bet, and I just won it.”

Chapter 30

Chapter 30