Looking at herself in the mirror, she sighed. She unzipped her purse and took out her brush. As she fussed with her hair, she reviewed her options. By the time she was reapplying her lipstick, Georgette had decided that she couldn’t leave. It would look too suspicious. But after tonight, that’s it. Blaise and I will search for the diamonds in Nat’s apartment, and if we don’t find them, we’ll cut our losses and get out of town tomorrow. Who needs this aggravation?

When she came out of the bathroom, Blaise was standing there with a tray of drinks. “Keep cool,” he whispered. “We’re out of here soon.”

Georgette smiled, took a glass of champagne, and walked back into the living room. I’m not going to miss these parties, she thought. Having to make excuses to a bunch of losers, explaining why you don’t want to go to the movies. Give me a break. Uh oh. Here comes Regan Reilly, acting so fake friendly.

“Hello,” Georgette said. “Any luck so far?”

Regan shrugged. “The woman I just spoke to said she wasn’t even here last night.”

“I was talking to her. She’s a friend of Lydia’s from New Jersey. She called Lydia today and told her she was coming into the city, so Lydia told her to stop over. By the way, my name is Georgette.”

“Nice to meet you. Is there anything you can tell me about last night that might be helpful?”

Georgette tossed back her blond-streaked hair, shifted from foot to foot, and lowered her voice. “You know, Regan, the big mystery to me is why I come to these parties. The guy with the rug who was hitting on you asked me last night if I like to take walks on moonlit beaches.” Georgette chuckled into her glass. “Or lounge on sheepskin rugs in front of the fireplace.”

“Sheepskin rugs?” Regan asked.

“Can you believe that? My skin crawls just thinking about it.”

“Thinking about the rugs, or him?” Regan asked.

“Him! I’ve got nothing against sheep.”

Regan laughed. “So why do you come to these gatherings?”

Uh-oh again, Georgette thought. “I bought the package deal Lydia was offering. I figured I may as well use it up. And you never know, lightning might strike. Sometimes I think finding the right guy is like trying to find a needle in a haystack.”

“What kind of guy are you looking for?”

“Someone who is kind and caring. Sense of humor. That’s really important to me. There are so many problems in life, you have to laugh, right, Regan?”

“That you do,” Regan agreed. “I love your perfume. What kind is it?”

Georgette laughed shyly. “It’s called Lethal Injection. My old boyfriend gave it to me.”

Regan smiled. “And what happened to him?”

Georgette waved her hand at Regan. “Another loser. He expected me to take care of him.”