Page 75 of Tightrope

Several women in silk and satin gowns were seated at the dressing tables applying powder from jeweled compacts. Others carefully refreshed their lipstick in various fashionable shades of red.

Amalie sat down at one of the dressing tables and opened the tiny beaded evening bag that had once belonged to Madam Zolanda. Approximately three seconds later Lorraine burst through the door of the lounge and paused just long enough to make sure that she had the attention of almost everyone in the room. She was not a star, but she partied with stars and she published their secrets. That was more than enough to make her a celebrity in her own right.

A hush fell on the ladies’ lounge.

Lorraine looked at Amalie and arched her carefully drawn brows.

“Are you enjoying your evening out, Miss Vaughn?” she said.

“It’s been delightful,” Amalie said. She removed her lipstick from the small bag and uncapped it. “Until now.”

The women seated at the nearby dressing tables froze. Amalie could have sworn she heard some actual gasps of astonishment. Several toilets suddenly flushed and stall doors banged open. A scene was taking place in the ladies’ room of the Paradise Club. No one wanted to miss it.

Rule Number Four: See the first four rules.

Lorraine’s smile never wavered but her blue eyes were diamond-hard. She swept across the carpeted floor, sank down onto a satin stool, and took a gold compact out of a small bag.

“I wouldn’t have thought the Paradise was your sort of nightclub,” she said. “I pictured you as more of a Carousel Club girl. Rumor has it you were seen there the other night on the arm of a certain visiting mobster. Care to comment?”

Amalie flashed a smile and said nothing.

Lorraine’s eyes narrowed. “You’re with the same man tonight. Tell me, what’s it like dating a guy who probably makes his living as an enforcer for a mob boss?”

“Exciting,” Amalie said.

“Rather hard on a girl’s reputation, though, isn’t it?”

“My reputation will survive.” Amalie dropped the lipstick back into the evening bag and got to her feet. “I assume you are chatting with me because you are desperate for gossip for your column, so allow me to give you a headline, Miss Pierce.”

Lorraine blinked, clearly torn between irritation and caution. “What would that be?”

Amalie crossed the room, dropped a few coins into the tip jar on the attendant’s table, and turned to look back at her breathless, wide-eyed audience.

“The Psychic Curse Mansion has become such a popular attraction in Burning Cove that management will begin conducting guided tours of the house starting tomorrow,” she said. “The tours will begin at two in the afternoon. The price of admission includes tea and homemade shortbread served in the elegant conservatory. For reservations, call the Hidden Beach Inn.”

It was as if she had rolled a verbal grenade into the ladies’ room. Her audience went into shock.

Satisfied, Amalie smiled at the attendant. “All employees of the Paradise Club, as well as the other local restaurants, nightclubs, and hospitality establishments, will be admitted for free. Please spread the word and bring a friend.”

The attendant looked uncertain. “Even the maids and the dishwashers?”

“Everyone,”Amalie said. “But be sure to call ahead for reservations. We wouldn’t want to run out of tea and cookies.”

The attendant glowed. “My boyfriend is going to be thrilled when he hears about this.”

“At the Hidden Beach Inn, we are in the business of delivering thrilling entertainment,” Amalie said.

She opened the door and went out into the shadowed hall before the audience could recover.

Rule Number Five: Know when to make your exit.

Chapter 38

“What the hell just happened back there in the ladies’ room?” Matthias asked. “When Lorraine followed you in, she looked like a shark that had just smelled blood in the water. I figured you were trapped. Next thing I knew, you came out looking like the shark.”

Amalie watched through the windshield as the next curve in Cliff Road came up in the Packard’s headlights. Now that the rush of reckless energy had faded, she was feeling a little unnerved by her own daring.

“You thought I was trapped in the ladies’ lounge?” she said.

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