The Empress's Tomb (15 page)

Betty nodded mutely, and I passed her the picture I'd removed from its frame.

“Not bad, huh?” My grin faded when I saw Betty's face. “What's the matter with you?”

“Nothing. I just wish Iris had never made that love potion. Look—maybe you shouldn't tell anyone else about this.”

“Why not?” My fine detective work had been rewarded with a first-class piece of gossip. Keeping it to myself would be like winning the lottery and losing the ticket.

“He hasn't given us any reason to sell him out. Let him keep his secret for now.”

“Don't tell me you have a crush on the wild child of Central Park.”

Betty shrugged. “What if I do? What difference would it make?”

“But he's been following you around like a lovesick baboon,” I argued. “Obviously, he likes you, too.”

“Maybe. But thanks to Eau Irresistible, I'll never know for sure,” she said with a sigh. “Now hurry up or you'll miss the show.”

Betty bustled toward her bedroom at the back of the
building. Light flooded into the living room through the open door.

“Okay, stand here.” Betty shoved me into a shadow and pointed into the bedroom. “Take a look.”

Gazing into three full-length mirrors was Oona, wearing a magnificent dress composed of multiple layers of pale, dove-gray silk and chiffon. Whenever she moved, hundreds of beads sewn along the hem of the gown sparkled like morning dew.

“What an amazing dress. Did you design it?” I asked Betty.

“No. Oona brought it with her. In a huge box with a big red bow.”

“A present from Daddy?”

“Uh-huh. It was delivered to her house this morning. She had to try it on here. She said her grandmothers wouldn't approve if they knew she was accepting gifts from Lester Liu.”

“I take it you don't approve, either?” I asked. Betty shook her head. “It
is
a little strange, I suppose. But it's only a dress.”

“It's
not
just a dress. See all the little sparkles on the bottom? Those are
real.
They're diamonds.”

“They can't be real,” I scoffed. “There are
tons
of them.”

“I know, but they are. I tested one. And there wasn't just a dress in the box she brought. Did you see her new jewelry?”

Still unaware we were watching, Oona stopped twirling for the mirrors and reached into a giant box that lay open on the bed. A thick diamond bracelet flashed on her wrist as she pulled out a silver fur stole and draped it
around her shoulders. She struck a movie star pose and blew a kiss at her own reflection. I suddenly felt as if I were spying on a stranger. The Oona I knew had her faults, but her dignity wasn't for sale. Not only would she have refused Lester Liu's gifts, she'd have set the box on fire and tossed it into the street. This was a person I'd never seen before. An impostor, perhaps. An evil twin. Or maybe, it occurred to me, this was the
real
Oona—the side of herself she'd kept hidden from the rest of us.

“She does look great,” I muttered, afraid to share my suspicions with Betty.

“She's
gorgeous.
That's the problem,” Betty whispered. “Her father's found her weakness. Who knows what he wants, but he thinks he can buy her trust. I'm starting to get worried, Ananka.”

“Me, too,” I admitted. If the Irregulars' safety depended on the girl in the mirror, we were all in grave danger. The buzzer rang.

“I'll be right back,” said Betty.

“Hi, Oona.” I stepped into the light of the bedroom. Oona waved at my reflection.

“Well, what do you think?” she asked.

“Your father has excellent taste,” I noted dryly.

“He does, doesn't he?” Oona spun around once for her own amusement before she saw the expression on my face. “Don't look at me like that,” she snapped. “If he sent something, I have to wear it, don't I? What would he think if I showed up in one of Betty's old rags?”

I didn't know what to say. As Betty returned to the bedroom with Luz, DeeDee, and Iris in tow, I finally put
a finger on what bothered me. Oona's argument made perfect sense. It just wasn't something my friend would have said.

“Your parents are letting you hang out with us again?” I asked Iris as she walked through the door.

“Yeah, they finally figured out that it's better to have older friends than no friends at all.” Iris reached out to brush her hand against Oona's silk dress. “You look amazing, Oona,” she gushed.

“Tell me something I don't know, munchkin,” Oona replied haughtily as she twirled out of Iris's reach.

“Pretty on the outside,” DeeDee grumbled under her breath. “Where's Kiki?”

“Looks like she's going to be late,” said Betty. “Have a seat.”

“I brought your bugs.” Luz dropped onto Betty's bed with a thump. She pulled a flat, nickel-sized object out of a paper bag and held it pinched between her thumb and index finger. “There are twenty of them, and you can put them anywhere you want. There's adhesive on the back if you need to stick one under a table or behind a painting.”

“You're a genius,” I told her.

“It's been said before,” Luz replied.

“Iris and I brought some Fille Fiable.” DeeDee placed three small spray bottles on Betty's vanity. “Just remember that it stays strong for only a few minutes. You may need to reapply it several times.”

“You're telling
me
how it works?” Oona asked. “In case you've forgotten, I got a personal demonstration from your vertically challenged sidekick.”

“Okay!” Betty refused to let Oona's comment do damage. “Time to get you dressed, Ananka. Want to come, Iris?”

“You bet!” Iris chirped, eager to escape from Oona.

•     •     •

As costume designers for the Metropolitan Opera, Betty's parents spent their days designing Viking costumes for men with small bones and transforming plump prima donnas into starving French peasants. On countless occasions, I'd seen the evidence of their work lying half stitched in the living room, but I'd never been invited to visit their studio.

“Ever wonder why we live in a basement?” Betty asked Iris, her hand poised on the knob of a door posted with
keep out
signs. “This is why.” She opened the door to reveal an enormous work space packed with costumes of every imaginable description—donkeys, Romans, sultans, and geishas. “We'd never get this much space above ground, and sunlight destroys the color of the fabrics.”

“You could make a fortune on Halloween,” Iris marveled.

“My parents would never loan this stuff out. In fact, they'd probably kill me if they knew what I was doing.” Betty walked over to one of the clothes racks and began rifling through the hangers. “How do you like this, Ananka?” She held out a pink costume with gossamer wings.

“Very amusing,” I droned.

“Can I try it on?” Iris's hazel eyes twinkled.

Betty peered down at the girl in confusion. “I don't think it's the right size for you. Besides, you're almost twelve. Why would you want to dress up like Tinker Bell?”

Iris stared at her green ballet flats. “I was just thinking that I could use an outfit like that in case you guys needed my help again sometime. You know, when you need someone to look like an innocent little kid.”

“I doubt we'll have any need for a fairy. How about a little mermaid? You could do surveillance from fountains.” I was the only one laughing.

“You've been spending too much time with Oona,” Betty scolded. “Looking young isn't the only thing you're good at,” she told Iris. “If
some
people want to treat you like an eight-year-old, that's their problem. Don't forget that you've already saved their butts once. With your brains, I'm sure it won't be the last time.”

“She's right,” I admitted. “I apologize, Iris.”

“I'm over it,” said Iris. “Let's get back to work.”

“Want to see Kiki's dress?” Betty pushed a devil to one side and revealed an elegant dress of satin and lace. “I thought she'd want to stick with black, so I had to make it myself. All of the adult dresses are way too big for her and most of the kids' dresses are sherbet colored.”

“It's great, but I'd kill to see Kiki in bubble gum pink.”

“You might have to. Oh, and here's yours.” She pulled out a long silk dress in a deep burgundy. “My mother designed this for a modern interpretation of Medea. Bloodstains won't show on it.”

“Good to know,” I said. “Do you really think I'll look okay in that?”

“Are you kidding? You're going to be fabulous,” Betty
insisted. “And see,” she said, sticking a hand into the folds of the skirt. “Hidden pockets for the bugs—just like I promised.”

•     •     •

With my new dress on, I sat at Betty's vanity, my back to her collection of fake noses while she finished the last touches on my makeup. Iris stood to one side as Betty gave her instruction.

“One of Ananka's eyes is just a teensy bit bigger than the other, so we're going to add a little extra liner to the small one …”

“What time is it?” Oona butted in. Having finally grown bored of staring at her own reflection, she was rearranging Betty's wigs, which rested on dozens of Styro-foam heads lined up against the wall. Luz was sprawled out across the bed, staring at the ceiling. She checked her watch.

“Almost eight fifteen,” she said.

“Where's Strike?” Oona growled. “It's going to take us thirty minutes to get uptown and we've got to be there by nine. If Kiki stands us up for this one, I swear I'll kick her butt.”

“Good luck,” snorted Luz. “I'll give you fifty dollars to try.”

Iris started to titter and then thought better of it.

“Kiki will be here,” DeeDee said just as the buzzer rang. “See?” She jumped up to answer the door.

When DeeDee returned, her face was grim. Kiki's looked like a still from a horror film.

“Sorry I'm late,” she said.

“No problem. Are you feeling all right?” Kiki's complexion was more cadaverous than usual and her eyes were bloodshot and swollen. She looked as if she hadn't slept in days.

“Verushka was sick again. I had to find a new doctor.”

“I thought she was feeling better,” said DeeDee. “What's the problem now?”

“It's her leg. There's still something wrong with it.”

“Do you think you should be here?” I asked. “Shouldn't you be at home with her?”

Oona cleared her throat in protest, but the rest of us ignored her.

“She didn't want me to miss this,” Kiki said. “The doctor's with her now.”

“Are you sure you're feeling up to a dinner party?” asked Betty. “One of us can go in your place if you need to stay at home.”

“
Excuse me?”
Oona whined. “I love Verushka as much as any of you, but this is serious, too.”

“I'll be fine,” Kiki assured us with a weak grin.

“Then hop up, Ananka,” Betty told me. “You're finished, and I've got fifteen minutes to do some serious damage repair.”

“Nice dress, Oona,” Kiki said as she took my seat at the vanity. “A present, I assume?”

“Yeah, her father's really got her number, doesn't he?” DeeDee said.

“I hope you're talking about my dress size, Morlock,” Oona barked.

•     •     •

As our taxi sped up Madison Avenue, Oona, Kiki, and I studied the floor plans of Lester Liu's mansion. Two blocks south of our destination, we jumped out of the cab and walked toward the park. A group of tourists strolling down Fifth Avenue stopped to ogle us. In her pale gray dress, Oona resembled a marble goddess sprung to life, and Betty had worked wonders on Kiki. With her colorless hair, startlingly white skin, elegant black dress, and red lips, she could have been queen of the vampires. Even I looked presentable, though I struggled to walk gracefully in my heels.

Kiki glided beside the wall that separates Fifth Avenue from Central Park. Slipping past the Children's Gate at Seventy-sixth Street, she approached two men who were sitting on the ground, enjoying a feast of Vienna sausages and cold beans.

“Kiki Strike,” she said, holding out her hand to the elder of the pair.

“Howard Van Dyke.” The man reached up to shake her hand. He was short, portly, and unusually hairy—like a garden gnome gone to seed. “Care for a cocktail weenie?” he asked.

“No, thank you,” Kiki declined politely. “I'm allergic.”

“I'm Kaspar,” said the younger man, jumping up and shaking Kiki's hand. “I've read about you in the papers. Oona, Ananka,” he said with a little bow in our direction. “You're both looking splendid this evening.”

“Thanks, squirrel boy. Ow!” Oona yelped when I elbowed her.

“Hi, Kaspar,” I said.

“Betty told me you've been very helpful,” said Kiki. “Thank you for watching the mansion.”

“It's been a pleasure,” said Kaspar. “Howard kept me company.”

“Thanks to you, too, Howard,” said Kiki. “So what have you seen?”

“There hasn't been much activity,” Kaspar noted. “There's a butler who comes and goes throughout the day. He's an unusual character. Looks a little like Genghis Kahn with a bad toupee—you can't miss him. There's also a cook, but he left a few minutes ago. I think there may be only one servant in the house at the moment. There were a couple of visitors this morning. A tall man in a bespoke suit showed up around nine. Well groomed, but a little flashy. He stayed for only a few minutes. The second was a deliveryman who unloaded a container of snakes.”

“Did you say
snakes?”
I asked.

“That's what it looked like,” Kaspar confirmed. “Are you sure you want to go inside?”