The Twelve Crimes of Hannah Smith
Crime 5 - Virtuoso
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The Twelve Crimes of Hannah Smith is a set of crime stories which will only be available on this website. A new crime will be added bi-monthly. These crime stories will build into a set of twelve which forms the prequel to the feature length crime thriller trilogy The Virtue of Dishonesty, of which the first part is The Dog & The Eagle - to be published only here. In the meantime, why not check out the following published thrillers (which have a romantic side to them as well) -: Dust Jacket The Inspector Fenchurch Mysteries Zac Tremble Investigates Revelation & Exodus The Baker |
Hannah found a small apartment behind Ghirardelli Square, a rear-facing unit with a small balcony, overlooking the Square and the water’s edge beyond.
Up to this point, she had committed four crimes. In each case, she had used a number of disguises, and only now realised that she had a trademark or signature of sorts - the use of decoys, copies and fakes. She’d stolen the Degas, which was a fake, also leaving Hettie the fake Cartier lipstick case. She’d stolen both original and copy of the chalice and left a replica in its place in the display case. She’d masked Gerhardt’s paintings with good quality prints to make him believe the security firm had delivered the wrong pictures to the yacht, giving her the opportunity to offer to take them back to the gallery and fetch the correct ones, instead, leaving him just a photograph of the painting she had teased him with. She’d led an associate to believe that he was exchanging half a million dollars for a magnificent bronze sculpture, which was, in fact, a clever copy made by a student friend.
Hannah had one million dollars in the bank, a very chic and stylish wardrobe, and a lot of valuable experience.
Shortly after she took up residence in the apartment, she had a piano delivered and advertised that she gave lessons. Within a week, it resulted in her obtaining two students, a girl and a shy boy - both aged thirteen; each belonging to very pushy and wealthy parents with homes in The Heights.
Perfect!
The choice of profession had been deliberate; wealthy, pushy parents always wanted their children to learn the piano. It made for frequent invitations to soirees, and cultivated a perfectly simple and discrete image of the rather austere but incredibly talented pianist. Who would suspect her of harboring secrets and plans to steal their highly prized masterpieces? She liked to teach children the piano; they had less guarded tongues and let slip the most personal of details about their parents and their security systems!
Hannah’s plan this time was to steal and then dispose of her ill-gotten gains rather than steal to order. She wanted to avoid the handover in draughty and deserted warehouses to heavyset men who probably carried guns. She didn’t trust anyone, save Pierre and Pete, but she vowed that she would never use their services again. They were also beginning to learn too much about her; information that could be sold if the pension needed topping up. In her view, far better to trust no one; perhaps not going as far as mistrusting everyone; that didn’t figure - teenage students with no real talent could be trusted.
The girl - Zoe - was pretty and tone deaf; the boy - Dominic - a little better and more conscientious. His parents made the first move and invited her to play for them at an evening with friends, celebrating the mother’s fortieth birthday.
The big 4-0. That sounded scary as hell to Hannah; not yet twenty-four albeit acting twenty-eight this time. She was posing as Valerie Bishop, from Oxford; the accent was simple and the city was one she knew well. Dominic gave her the invitation.
“Oh thank you; crikey! The big 4-0 … What does your mother like? I want to get her something.”
“She collects thimbles,” replied Dominic shyly.
“Does she; well, that’s simple enough. Shall we practice a duet that we can play for her on her birthday?”
Dominic would have preferred to have sunk out of all trace than allow his parents to judge his performance. Hannah knew she could coach him and deliver a half-decent job.
Happy parents made for relaxed atmospheres, loose tongues and recommendations.
The party was two days hence, and all Hannah had to do was find a pretty, little thimble to provide the gift. Two antique shops later and the perfect Edwardian silver thimble was in the bag.
Hannah’s goal was to inveigle herself in the upper echelons of the San Francisco society and steal something worth the bother; she practiced her half of the duet and a number of other pieces to clear her mind.
On the evening in question, dressed as Laura Ashley had intended a proper young woman from the Home Counties to look, she turned up at Dominic’s house in The Heights and announced herself.
Up to this point, she had committed four crimes. In each case, she had used a number of disguises, and only now realised that she had a trademark or signature of sorts - the use of decoys, copies and fakes. She’d stolen the Degas, which was a fake, also leaving Hettie the fake Cartier lipstick case. She’d stolen both original and copy of the chalice and left a replica in its place in the display case. She’d masked Gerhardt’s paintings with good quality prints to make him believe the security firm had delivered the wrong pictures to the yacht, giving her the opportunity to offer to take them back to the gallery and fetch the correct ones, instead, leaving him just a photograph of the painting she had teased him with. She’d led an associate to believe that he was exchanging half a million dollars for a magnificent bronze sculpture, which was, in fact, a clever copy made by a student friend.
Hannah had one million dollars in the bank, a very chic and stylish wardrobe, and a lot of valuable experience.
Shortly after she took up residence in the apartment, she had a piano delivered and advertised that she gave lessons. Within a week, it resulted in her obtaining two students, a girl and a shy boy - both aged thirteen; each belonging to very pushy and wealthy parents with homes in The Heights.
Perfect!
The choice of profession had been deliberate; wealthy, pushy parents always wanted their children to learn the piano. It made for frequent invitations to soirees, and cultivated a perfectly simple and discrete image of the rather austere but incredibly talented pianist. Who would suspect her of harboring secrets and plans to steal their highly prized masterpieces? She liked to teach children the piano; they had less guarded tongues and let slip the most personal of details about their parents and their security systems!
Hannah’s plan this time was to steal and then dispose of her ill-gotten gains rather than steal to order. She wanted to avoid the handover in draughty and deserted warehouses to heavyset men who probably carried guns. She didn’t trust anyone, save Pierre and Pete, but she vowed that she would never use their services again. They were also beginning to learn too much about her; information that could be sold if the pension needed topping up. In her view, far better to trust no one; perhaps not going as far as mistrusting everyone; that didn’t figure - teenage students with no real talent could be trusted.
The girl - Zoe - was pretty and tone deaf; the boy - Dominic - a little better and more conscientious. His parents made the first move and invited her to play for them at an evening with friends, celebrating the mother’s fortieth birthday.
The big 4-0. That sounded scary as hell to Hannah; not yet twenty-four albeit acting twenty-eight this time. She was posing as Valerie Bishop, from Oxford; the accent was simple and the city was one she knew well. Dominic gave her the invitation.
“Oh thank you; crikey! The big 4-0 … What does your mother like? I want to get her something.”
“She collects thimbles,” replied Dominic shyly.
“Does she; well, that’s simple enough. Shall we practice a duet that we can play for her on her birthday?”
Dominic would have preferred to have sunk out of all trace than allow his parents to judge his performance. Hannah knew she could coach him and deliver a half-decent job.
Happy parents made for relaxed atmospheres, loose tongues and recommendations.
The party was two days hence, and all Hannah had to do was find a pretty, little thimble to provide the gift. Two antique shops later and the perfect Edwardian silver thimble was in the bag.
Hannah’s goal was to inveigle herself in the upper echelons of the San Francisco society and steal something worth the bother; she practiced her half of the duet and a number of other pieces to clear her mind.
On the evening in question, dressed as Laura Ashley had intended a proper young woman from the Home Counties to look, she turned up at Dominic’s house in The Heights and announced herself.
“It’s Valerie isn’t it?” inquired the woman.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“I’m Dominic’s mother, Francine; won’t you come in? I’m so pleased you agreed to perform for us, and Dominic is very excited about the duet.”
Hannah knew different. “He has a lot of potential.”
“Does he?”
“Oh, I almost forgot; happy birthday!” said Hannah, handing over the gift and the card.
“Oh really you shouldn’t have; playing for us is enough.”
“I hope you don’t already have one like it,” Hannah said as Francine opened the delicately wrapped box.
“Oh my dear, this is perfect!”
“English, Edwardian silver…” added Hannah.
“I certainly don’t have one like it; as you will see …”
They went into the main living room to meet the other guests; there were few because Hannah had arrived early, hoping that she and Dominic could practice a little before the performance. She met the husband, Charles, and sundry friends whose names she filed away carefully. Dominic was hiding, hoping to avoid the spotlight so she made a beeline and they went to the music room to practice for half an hour.
“Don’t worry; she’ll love it. Just imagine you’re at my place, and if we do really well then I’ll treat us next time you come over, okay?”
He didn’t say much and just smiled in his pale, thin way. The poor lad was weighed down by all of the expectations and the not so gentle cajoling his parents dished out, believing they were instilling him with confidence. If they’d asked the lad what he wanted, they would have heard something about computers and software but it all got lost in the arguments.
Francine appeared.
“Time to get ready; nearly everyone is here,” she announced.
Hannah grabbed Dominic’s hand and held it as they walked into the main room where the grand piano was set up. Francine introduced Hannah as “Valerie”, and she and Dominic took up their places.
They played their little piece and Dominic, presumably trying to please Hannah as much as his mother, did a reasonable job and only faltered once, which Hannah expertly covered up. The applause was good natured, and once the ordeal was over, Dominic relaxed and was allowed to escape. Francine waltzed over to Hannah and handed her a glass of champagne.
“Thank you, Valerie; that was lovely.”
“I have some other pieces to play for you when you want,” Hannah offered.
“Great! I have something to show you; you weren’t the only one who gave me a thimble …”
Francine towed her to a table upon which the gifts were piled; she noticed that hers was already buried.
“Look! It’s glass, and has the most exquisite little rose encased in it; apparently it was once owned by Marie-Antoinette …”
Hannah cooed as required, and immediately felt the two pairs of eyes of the givers; they were milking it for everything it had to offer.
“It’s beautiful!” exclaimed Hannah.
Francine was called away. Hannah scanned the room for the couple. She found a mature pair of hawkish social grandees; older by ten years than the average guest; clearly solid wealth - apparently built on shipping she later discovered - and residents of The Broadway.
“Bingo!” said Hannah to herself as she inched in their direction, hoping to get introduced.
“Valerie!” It was Francine. “Let me introduce you to Loretta and David Colton.”
“Hello,” Hannah offered a little shyly.
“My dear, you play beautifully; I did too in my youth. Let’s spice this up with a duet of our own, shall we?”
Loretta Colton needed no encouragement to display her talents; David just looked on proudly.
“Ragtime; that’ll get the heels tapping,” she suggested.
She and Hannah banged it out, and it was evident that the woman could play; the applause was suitably appreciative.
“I have a party in a week; please come and play for us,” she said to Hannah.
“I’d be delighted but only if you promise to play another duet.”
Loretta tittered, and then got waylaid by several of the other women, leaving Hannah alone momentarily. David appeared at her elbow.
“Excuse Loretta; she is very energetic at times.”
Hannah turned to address him.
“Oh, not at all; she does play very well.”
“She had a very promising career ahead of her but gave it all up to be my wife.”
“How long have you been married?” Hannah asked politely.
“Twenty-five years this year - sadly no children,” he added wistfully, and Hannah assumed the “fault” lay with Loretta.
“Gosh; that’s nearly as old as me!” Hannah exclaimed.
“Are you planning to stay in the city long?” David asked, and Hannah recognized the tone - all frisky goat albeit tempered.
“A couple of months, maybe longer; depends on work.”
“You teach the piano?”
“Yes, and I translate legal documents into French, Spanish and German.”
“My! Such hidden talents. I may have some work for you in that line; I’ll speak to you more at the party next week.”
“Okay; that’ll be super,” said Hannah, smiling sweetly; then becoming aware of Loretta’s diamond-cut, laser-guided pupils on her back, she realized that she knew the score of this tune all too well.
The party proceeded as most do. Hannah played again, and played “Happy Birthday” as the cake with the forty candles was brought out. Francine blew them all out in three goes and after that things drifted and people started to leave. Hannah wasn’t sure when she should make her escape. At that precise second, Francine cornered her.
“Let me show you the collection,” she said with an undertone that Hannah translated as ‘we need to talk’.
They ascended two flights of stairs and found themselves on a broad landing, which was lined with display cases. Each case was literally stuffed with thimbles.
“It has taken years and years,” said Francine, and Hannah was impressed for there were hundreds.
“Why thimbles?” Hannah asked.
“Oh; I don’t know. They’re perfect, aren’t they? So decorative and so useful … David has a reputation …”
There it was.
“He says he might have some work for me.”
“Yes … just be careful to keep the relationship on a strictly business footing, for Loretta’s sake and your own; he is not, how shall we say it, considerate of the young woman’s feelings.”
“Or Loretta’s for that matter,” added Hannah, hoping to signal she wasn’t as green as she was cabbage looking.
“Quite … I think I’ll put yours here,” she said, pointing to a space in the third cabinet.
“And Loretta’s?” asked Hannah.
“Oh; here,” Francine replied, pointing to a completely empty shelf, “it’s been waiting for a very long time.”
They descended, and Loretta caught a glance as they did and there was a kind of nod between her and Francine. To Hannah, the cost of the gift - David had deliberately slipped that it was fifty thousand dollars - suddenly seemed like a small price to pay for someone like Francine to watch your back.
“I’ll be off then,” announced Hannah, “thank you so much for inviting me.”
“Not at all, and Dominic so looks forward to his lessons. We’ll see you at Loretta’s next week by all accounts.”
Hannah paid her respects to Loretta and David, and left with the invitation tucked in her purse … and a whole load to think about!
“Yes, that’s right.”
“I’m Dominic’s mother, Francine; won’t you come in? I’m so pleased you agreed to perform for us, and Dominic is very excited about the duet.”
Hannah knew different. “He has a lot of potential.”
“Does he?”
“Oh, I almost forgot; happy birthday!” said Hannah, handing over the gift and the card.
“Oh really you shouldn’t have; playing for us is enough.”
“I hope you don’t already have one like it,” Hannah said as Francine opened the delicately wrapped box.
“Oh my dear, this is perfect!”
“English, Edwardian silver…” added Hannah.
“I certainly don’t have one like it; as you will see …”
They went into the main living room to meet the other guests; there were few because Hannah had arrived early, hoping that she and Dominic could practice a little before the performance. She met the husband, Charles, and sundry friends whose names she filed away carefully. Dominic was hiding, hoping to avoid the spotlight so she made a beeline and they went to the music room to practice for half an hour.
“Don’t worry; she’ll love it. Just imagine you’re at my place, and if we do really well then I’ll treat us next time you come over, okay?”
He didn’t say much and just smiled in his pale, thin way. The poor lad was weighed down by all of the expectations and the not so gentle cajoling his parents dished out, believing they were instilling him with confidence. If they’d asked the lad what he wanted, they would have heard something about computers and software but it all got lost in the arguments.
Francine appeared.
“Time to get ready; nearly everyone is here,” she announced.
Hannah grabbed Dominic’s hand and held it as they walked into the main room where the grand piano was set up. Francine introduced Hannah as “Valerie”, and she and Dominic took up their places.
They played their little piece and Dominic, presumably trying to please Hannah as much as his mother, did a reasonable job and only faltered once, which Hannah expertly covered up. The applause was good natured, and once the ordeal was over, Dominic relaxed and was allowed to escape. Francine waltzed over to Hannah and handed her a glass of champagne.
“Thank you, Valerie; that was lovely.”
“I have some other pieces to play for you when you want,” Hannah offered.
“Great! I have something to show you; you weren’t the only one who gave me a thimble …”
Francine towed her to a table upon which the gifts were piled; she noticed that hers was already buried.
“Look! It’s glass, and has the most exquisite little rose encased in it; apparently it was once owned by Marie-Antoinette …”
Hannah cooed as required, and immediately felt the two pairs of eyes of the givers; they were milking it for everything it had to offer.
“It’s beautiful!” exclaimed Hannah.
Francine was called away. Hannah scanned the room for the couple. She found a mature pair of hawkish social grandees; older by ten years than the average guest; clearly solid wealth - apparently built on shipping she later discovered - and residents of The Broadway.
“Bingo!” said Hannah to herself as she inched in their direction, hoping to get introduced.
“Valerie!” It was Francine. “Let me introduce you to Loretta and David Colton.”
“Hello,” Hannah offered a little shyly.
“My dear, you play beautifully; I did too in my youth. Let’s spice this up with a duet of our own, shall we?”
Loretta Colton needed no encouragement to display her talents; David just looked on proudly.
“Ragtime; that’ll get the heels tapping,” she suggested.
She and Hannah banged it out, and it was evident that the woman could play; the applause was suitably appreciative.
“I have a party in a week; please come and play for us,” she said to Hannah.
“I’d be delighted but only if you promise to play another duet.”
Loretta tittered, and then got waylaid by several of the other women, leaving Hannah alone momentarily. David appeared at her elbow.
“Excuse Loretta; she is very energetic at times.”
Hannah turned to address him.
“Oh, not at all; she does play very well.”
“She had a very promising career ahead of her but gave it all up to be my wife.”
“How long have you been married?” Hannah asked politely.
“Twenty-five years this year - sadly no children,” he added wistfully, and Hannah assumed the “fault” lay with Loretta.
“Gosh; that’s nearly as old as me!” Hannah exclaimed.
“Are you planning to stay in the city long?” David asked, and Hannah recognized the tone - all frisky goat albeit tempered.
“A couple of months, maybe longer; depends on work.”
“You teach the piano?”
“Yes, and I translate legal documents into French, Spanish and German.”
“My! Such hidden talents. I may have some work for you in that line; I’ll speak to you more at the party next week.”
“Okay; that’ll be super,” said Hannah, smiling sweetly; then becoming aware of Loretta’s diamond-cut, laser-guided pupils on her back, she realized that she knew the score of this tune all too well.
The party proceeded as most do. Hannah played again, and played “Happy Birthday” as the cake with the forty candles was brought out. Francine blew them all out in three goes and after that things drifted and people started to leave. Hannah wasn’t sure when she should make her escape. At that precise second, Francine cornered her.
“Let me show you the collection,” she said with an undertone that Hannah translated as ‘we need to talk’.
They ascended two flights of stairs and found themselves on a broad landing, which was lined with display cases. Each case was literally stuffed with thimbles.
“It has taken years and years,” said Francine, and Hannah was impressed for there were hundreds.
“Why thimbles?” Hannah asked.
“Oh; I don’t know. They’re perfect, aren’t they? So decorative and so useful … David has a reputation …”
There it was.
“He says he might have some work for me.”
“Yes … just be careful to keep the relationship on a strictly business footing, for Loretta’s sake and your own; he is not, how shall we say it, considerate of the young woman’s feelings.”
“Or Loretta’s for that matter,” added Hannah, hoping to signal she wasn’t as green as she was cabbage looking.
“Quite … I think I’ll put yours here,” she said, pointing to a space in the third cabinet.
“And Loretta’s?” asked Hannah.
“Oh; here,” Francine replied, pointing to a completely empty shelf, “it’s been waiting for a very long time.”
They descended, and Loretta caught a glance as they did and there was a kind of nod between her and Francine. To Hannah, the cost of the gift - David had deliberately slipped that it was fifty thousand dollars - suddenly seemed like a small price to pay for someone like Francine to watch your back.
“I’ll be off then,” announced Hannah, “thank you so much for inviting me.”
“Not at all, and Dominic so looks forward to his lessons. We’ll see you at Loretta’s next week by all accounts.”
Hannah paid her respects to Loretta and David, and left with the invitation tucked in her purse … and a whole load to think about!
Hannah practiced really hard for the party, and researched the Colton’s as deeply as she could, even spying on the house in The Broadway, which was magnificent.
The Colton’s were not collectors; not of art anyway, not seriously, but nevertheless patrons, and always at the top of the donations’ lists. It was Loretta’s money and not David’s. She had inherited the shipping money and, as a lonely, barren heiress, had looked for adventure and had found David. He was dangerously handsome, confident, stylish and as poor as a church mouse. They had married without a prenuptial agreement so Hannah was pretty sure that Loretta forgave all sorts of indiscretions just to keep out of the divorce court and avoid the risk of losing any of her three hundred millions. David had worked and still worked for one of the companies but in a role where he could do the least amount of damage and earn the highest salary to fund his excesses, which Loretta neither wished to know about or meet in the street.
Hannah wondered if they had anything of real importance to steal at all. She couldn’t wait for the party and the chance to have a nose about. It came round quickly enough and suddenly she was ringing at their bell. A butler-style person answered and showed her in. She was immediately nabbed by Loretta.
“Valerie! So pleased you were able to come; I hope you’ve been practicing.”
“Oh yes; very hard. I didn’t want to let you down.”
“Sweet child.” and with that Hannah was fairly well catapulted into the fray and within fifteen minutes was dueting with Loretta, who seemed a trifle high - a self-medicating manic depressive was Hannah’s conclusion, and overdoing the uppers this evening. She was released after twenty minutes to get a drink and mingle. She sought out Francine and Charles to say hello, who showed less than the expected enthusiasm. Brushed off, she found David.
“Ah! Valerie; good to see you. Remember I said that I might I have some work for you; I do. Drop by the office on Tuesday at eleven and I’ll run it by you.” He handed her his business card.
“Thank you! That is extraordinarily kind,” she returned, feeling the tell-tale stabs in her back, which she ignored, seeing as she had been brushed off for no apparent reason … or perhaps the work had already been discussed and it heralded potential trouble.
Hannah mingled, wishing she knew a reliable man so that she could have brought a partner. Scanning everywhere open to view, she saw nothing except modern and tasteless art that was worthless; her mind wandered back to Francine’s thimble, as a potential consolation prize.
“Valerie!”
It was Loretta.
“Come with me; I simply must show you something …”
Those magic words that Hannah recognized in seven languages. She was towed to one of the upper floors.
“I simply have to show you this; it’s a wreck at the moment but after restoration it will be so pretty …”
In a room off of the corridor was a harpsichord, a very old harpsichord that was in dire need of restoration but the instrument was unequalled in its provenance.
“One of perhaps only two or three that are accredited to Zenti, made in 1666. This one is called the Nightingale. Sit; play!” urged Loretta, and Hannah sat and practiced her scales before picking out Clair du Lune.
“Exquisite!” Loretta added ecstatically.
“Who is doing the restoration?” Hannah asked.
“Fitzwilliam’s; the finest in the country. I would send it back to Italy but that seems unpatriotic … as if it wasn’t costing enough already.”
“Fitzwilliam’s has a world class reputation,” added Hannah, not wishing to see the piece disappear to Europe anytime soon!
“When it is restored, we will host a gala evening and raise money for Feeding America.”
“How long will it take?”
“Three months at least.”
“Oh; I may have returned to England by then; it depends on this work of David’s and how the teaching goes.”
“Let’s hope both keep you here until after the gala.” But Hannah was pretty sure that Loretta didn’t actually give a damn if they did. “When are you meeting David?”
“Tuesday.”
“Meet me for lunch afterwards, won’t you?”
“Oh, really? That would be lovely …”
They descended, and Hannah knew the lunch invitation was deliberate so that David couldn’t monopolize her or whatever it was that he was planning to do.
Hannah was again abandoned, and she toyed with disappearing but it had only been an hour so that felt rude although she had played. She played again, by herself; something familiar and not too loud, just to keep herself from getting bored and, after half an hour, she decided it was time to go. She sought out her hosts to thank them and to say goodbye; they were in the hall bidding farewell to someone else.
“Thank you for inviting me and for showing me the harpsichord,” Hannah said very politely.
“Not at all, Valerie, and we’ll see you on Tuesday. David promises to be through with you by twelve-thirty so that we can have lunch.”
David said nothing and just smiled. Hannah knew that smile, the “fifteen-all” smile of combatant couples.
“Goodbye!” she said, and left, choosing to walk the relatively short distance back to the apartment which cleared her head. A plan began to emerge.
“A world class if not a world renowned harpsichord …” Hannah mused.
Unlike Stradivarius’ violins, which perhaps most people would have heard of, most would probably not have heard of Zenti and his fabled instrument the Nightingale. Hannah had but then she knew a good deal more about most things than most people. “A cunning switch, after the restoration; no point stealing a wreck and incurring the costs of doing it up; I need a similar instrument … and a date with Fitzwilliam’s!”
On the Monday, she found a battered old harpsichord that was roughly the same shape as Loretta’s. It was allegedly very old, perhaps Flemish and even from the studio of Couchet, but this was unimportant. She called Fitzwilliam’s and discussed the project.
“We would be delighted to undertake the project, Frau Bohm; of course we shall need to see it before we can estimate how long the work will take or indeed, how much it will cost.”
“Naturally, Jonas; I would like it painted in the style of the Nightingale…” Hannah was already on the inside track. “I’ll have it delivered to you and then come in to discuss the restoration but it simply has to be ready in two months.”
“I’m sure we can accommodate that,” Jonas assured her, and Hannah was pretty sure that for a price, they could accommodate anything.
The party at Loretta’s hadn’t been a waste of time at all and this work for David could be interesting. Regular contact with the Colton’s would be essential if the switch was going to be effected - again a decoy and again timing had to be perfect; not only that, but her disguise as Loretta Colton would also need to be flawless!
The Colton’s were not collectors; not of art anyway, not seriously, but nevertheless patrons, and always at the top of the donations’ lists. It was Loretta’s money and not David’s. She had inherited the shipping money and, as a lonely, barren heiress, had looked for adventure and had found David. He was dangerously handsome, confident, stylish and as poor as a church mouse. They had married without a prenuptial agreement so Hannah was pretty sure that Loretta forgave all sorts of indiscretions just to keep out of the divorce court and avoid the risk of losing any of her three hundred millions. David had worked and still worked for one of the companies but in a role where he could do the least amount of damage and earn the highest salary to fund his excesses, which Loretta neither wished to know about or meet in the street.
Hannah wondered if they had anything of real importance to steal at all. She couldn’t wait for the party and the chance to have a nose about. It came round quickly enough and suddenly she was ringing at their bell. A butler-style person answered and showed her in. She was immediately nabbed by Loretta.
“Valerie! So pleased you were able to come; I hope you’ve been practicing.”
“Oh yes; very hard. I didn’t want to let you down.”
“Sweet child.” and with that Hannah was fairly well catapulted into the fray and within fifteen minutes was dueting with Loretta, who seemed a trifle high - a self-medicating manic depressive was Hannah’s conclusion, and overdoing the uppers this evening. She was released after twenty minutes to get a drink and mingle. She sought out Francine and Charles to say hello, who showed less than the expected enthusiasm. Brushed off, she found David.
“Ah! Valerie; good to see you. Remember I said that I might I have some work for you; I do. Drop by the office on Tuesday at eleven and I’ll run it by you.” He handed her his business card.
“Thank you! That is extraordinarily kind,” she returned, feeling the tell-tale stabs in her back, which she ignored, seeing as she had been brushed off for no apparent reason … or perhaps the work had already been discussed and it heralded potential trouble.
Hannah mingled, wishing she knew a reliable man so that she could have brought a partner. Scanning everywhere open to view, she saw nothing except modern and tasteless art that was worthless; her mind wandered back to Francine’s thimble, as a potential consolation prize.
“Valerie!”
It was Loretta.
“Come with me; I simply must show you something …”
Those magic words that Hannah recognized in seven languages. She was towed to one of the upper floors.
“I simply have to show you this; it’s a wreck at the moment but after restoration it will be so pretty …”
In a room off of the corridor was a harpsichord, a very old harpsichord that was in dire need of restoration but the instrument was unequalled in its provenance.
“One of perhaps only two or three that are accredited to Zenti, made in 1666. This one is called the Nightingale. Sit; play!” urged Loretta, and Hannah sat and practiced her scales before picking out Clair du Lune.
“Exquisite!” Loretta added ecstatically.
“Who is doing the restoration?” Hannah asked.
“Fitzwilliam’s; the finest in the country. I would send it back to Italy but that seems unpatriotic … as if it wasn’t costing enough already.”
“Fitzwilliam’s has a world class reputation,” added Hannah, not wishing to see the piece disappear to Europe anytime soon!
“When it is restored, we will host a gala evening and raise money for Feeding America.”
“How long will it take?”
“Three months at least.”
“Oh; I may have returned to England by then; it depends on this work of David’s and how the teaching goes.”
“Let’s hope both keep you here until after the gala.” But Hannah was pretty sure that Loretta didn’t actually give a damn if they did. “When are you meeting David?”
“Tuesday.”
“Meet me for lunch afterwards, won’t you?”
“Oh, really? That would be lovely …”
They descended, and Hannah knew the lunch invitation was deliberate so that David couldn’t monopolize her or whatever it was that he was planning to do.
Hannah was again abandoned, and she toyed with disappearing but it had only been an hour so that felt rude although she had played. She played again, by herself; something familiar and not too loud, just to keep herself from getting bored and, after half an hour, she decided it was time to go. She sought out her hosts to thank them and to say goodbye; they were in the hall bidding farewell to someone else.
“Thank you for inviting me and for showing me the harpsichord,” Hannah said very politely.
“Not at all, Valerie, and we’ll see you on Tuesday. David promises to be through with you by twelve-thirty so that we can have lunch.”
David said nothing and just smiled. Hannah knew that smile, the “fifteen-all” smile of combatant couples.
“Goodbye!” she said, and left, choosing to walk the relatively short distance back to the apartment which cleared her head. A plan began to emerge.
“A world class if not a world renowned harpsichord …” Hannah mused.
Unlike Stradivarius’ violins, which perhaps most people would have heard of, most would probably not have heard of Zenti and his fabled instrument the Nightingale. Hannah had but then she knew a good deal more about most things than most people. “A cunning switch, after the restoration; no point stealing a wreck and incurring the costs of doing it up; I need a similar instrument … and a date with Fitzwilliam’s!”
On the Monday, she found a battered old harpsichord that was roughly the same shape as Loretta’s. It was allegedly very old, perhaps Flemish and even from the studio of Couchet, but this was unimportant. She called Fitzwilliam’s and discussed the project.
“We would be delighted to undertake the project, Frau Bohm; of course we shall need to see it before we can estimate how long the work will take or indeed, how much it will cost.”
“Naturally, Jonas; I would like it painted in the style of the Nightingale…” Hannah was already on the inside track. “I’ll have it delivered to you and then come in to discuss the restoration but it simply has to be ready in two months.”
“I’m sure we can accommodate that,” Jonas assured her, and Hannah was pretty sure that for a price, they could accommodate anything.
The party at Loretta’s hadn’t been a waste of time at all and this work for David could be interesting. Regular contact with the Colton’s would be essential if the switch was going to be effected - again a decoy and again timing had to be perfect; not only that, but her disguise as Loretta Colton would also need to be flawless!
Hannah dressed very smartly although plainly, and headed to David’s office in Battery Street for the appointment at eleven o’clock on the Tuesday. She announced herself, and within five minutes, his secretary came to collect her from reception. The woman was older and in the “battle axe” category, so Hannah guessed that Loretta must have had a hand in her selection.
“Please wait here, Ms. Bishop, and Mr. Colton will see you shortly,” she said and parked Hannah in another reception-style area, and disappeared behind some frosted glass. Five minutes later, David appeared.
“Valerie! So good to see you; come in, won’t you?”
She entered his office, which looked like a play den, and he instantly offered her a drink.
“Just tea, please,” she said, refusing the scotch.
The order for tea was placed and David motioned to Hannah to sit down at the small conference table which afforded views of Telegraph Hill.
“Was it translation work you had in mind, David?” Hannah asked, seizing the initiative.
“Yes, it was; I have a contract dispute with a business in Europe and the damn lawyers are taking an age to translate the original contracts; I was hoping you could do the job …”
“What language are the contracts written in?”
“German; this was twenty years ago. Everything was fine until some problem arose and then they started referring back to these damn papers which no one could find, or read when they did. I’m sure it’s a ploy to avoid some costs that will fall to them.”
“I’ll do my best; it would help if you could tell me what the contract is for.”
“Various consultancy and advisory services over a number of engineering projects.”
“Basically a tax swindle then?” Hannah said with pluck, and David erupted with laughter.
“Creative accounting, yes,” he managed eventually.
“If you can let me have a copy, I’ll get started straight away. When do you want them by?”
“Two weeks?”
“That should be fine. I have no idea how much to charge you,” Hannah offered innocently.
“There are two contracts; let’s say a thousand dollars each, shall we?”
“Okay … Why haven’t you employed a translator before now?”
“Well, here’s the thing; it was in our favour to let this drag until now but the game has changed and now we need to be absolutely sure about what the contracts say and where the liability falls; if it falls to us then the costs are ghastly and-”
“Your arse will be on the line …”
“I might even have to resign.”
“Then the sooner I start, the better.”
“I’d rather you didn’t speak to Loretta about this in detail; as far as she is concerned, it’s a simple translation job. I don’t want to upset her.” David’s look suggested it might just be the straw that broke the camel’s back and divorce would be next.
“You can rely on my absolute discretion, David,” Hannah stated solidly.
“I knew I could,” he replied as he handed over an envelope that contained the contracts.
“Let’s meet in a week and discuss progress, shall we?”
“Okay; I’ll aim to have one ready by then.”
“Good. So; lunch with Loretta now; excellent!”
Without forewarning or ceremony, Loretta walked in.
“Loretta!” exclaimed David like the dutiful husband.
“Hello, Loretta,” said Hannah, smiling.
“Business done? Shall we, Valerie?”
“Yes,” Hannah replied, and watched as Loretta planted a cold little kiss on David’s cheek. As Hannah turned to leave, she bid David farewell, “See you soon, David.”
“Goodbye, Valerie; any problems just call.”
The women left, and it was only after they had vacated the building that Loretta actually spoke.
“I’ve invited Francine to join us; I hope you don’t mind,” she said as they headed to the car waiting at the curbside.
“Not at all …” said Hannah, and she ticked off another correct prediction.
The car took them to a smart little Italian restaurant on Lombard Street where Francine was waiting.
“Valerie!” she said with an almost maternal smile on her lips.
“Francine; so nice to see you.”
“How did it go with David?”
“Fine,” she replied bluntly but politely and as a way of diverting attention she added, “I wondered if Dominic would be willing to play at the gala, which Loretta has suggested would be the perfect way to unveil the harpsichord after its restoration.”
“I’m sure he’d be thrilled, especially if you tutor him; he likes you very much.”
“He’s a sweet boy …”
“It’s a lovely idea, Valerie; the young man needs to build his confidence and extend his repertoire,” said Loretta.
Lunch proceeded, and Hannah used the opportunity to study Loretta very closely.
“When is the Nightingale being moved to Fitzwilliam’s, Loretta?”
“On Thursday; three months they say for sure, now that someone else has delivered a harpsichord for restoration. I said to Jonas, ‘I was first and the Nightingale is an important instrument’…”
“I’m sure they won’t let you down, Loretta, especially if they know the gala is planned,” said Hannah
“They had better not!” Loretta replied hotly.
Lunch for Hannah was a tasteless affair; the other two women were mindful of her for the sake of appearances and nothing confidential was discussed, just mindless tittle-tattle, and Hannah excused herself before they had all finished, citing that she needed to get ready for a lesson.
“See you soon,” they cooed, and Hannah suddenly found herself outside of the inner wheel. She cared little because she wanted to read the contracts and find out just how far up to his neck David was and how that might profit her in the end.
“Please wait here, Ms. Bishop, and Mr. Colton will see you shortly,” she said and parked Hannah in another reception-style area, and disappeared behind some frosted glass. Five minutes later, David appeared.
“Valerie! So good to see you; come in, won’t you?”
She entered his office, which looked like a play den, and he instantly offered her a drink.
“Just tea, please,” she said, refusing the scotch.
The order for tea was placed and David motioned to Hannah to sit down at the small conference table which afforded views of Telegraph Hill.
“Was it translation work you had in mind, David?” Hannah asked, seizing the initiative.
“Yes, it was; I have a contract dispute with a business in Europe and the damn lawyers are taking an age to translate the original contracts; I was hoping you could do the job …”
“What language are the contracts written in?”
“German; this was twenty years ago. Everything was fine until some problem arose and then they started referring back to these damn papers which no one could find, or read when they did. I’m sure it’s a ploy to avoid some costs that will fall to them.”
“I’ll do my best; it would help if you could tell me what the contract is for.”
“Various consultancy and advisory services over a number of engineering projects.”
“Basically a tax swindle then?” Hannah said with pluck, and David erupted with laughter.
“Creative accounting, yes,” he managed eventually.
“If you can let me have a copy, I’ll get started straight away. When do you want them by?”
“Two weeks?”
“That should be fine. I have no idea how much to charge you,” Hannah offered innocently.
“There are two contracts; let’s say a thousand dollars each, shall we?”
“Okay … Why haven’t you employed a translator before now?”
“Well, here’s the thing; it was in our favour to let this drag until now but the game has changed and now we need to be absolutely sure about what the contracts say and where the liability falls; if it falls to us then the costs are ghastly and-”
“Your arse will be on the line …”
“I might even have to resign.”
“Then the sooner I start, the better.”
“I’d rather you didn’t speak to Loretta about this in detail; as far as she is concerned, it’s a simple translation job. I don’t want to upset her.” David’s look suggested it might just be the straw that broke the camel’s back and divorce would be next.
“You can rely on my absolute discretion, David,” Hannah stated solidly.
“I knew I could,” he replied as he handed over an envelope that contained the contracts.
“Let’s meet in a week and discuss progress, shall we?”
“Okay; I’ll aim to have one ready by then.”
“Good. So; lunch with Loretta now; excellent!”
Without forewarning or ceremony, Loretta walked in.
“Loretta!” exclaimed David like the dutiful husband.
“Hello, Loretta,” said Hannah, smiling.
“Business done? Shall we, Valerie?”
“Yes,” Hannah replied, and watched as Loretta planted a cold little kiss on David’s cheek. As Hannah turned to leave, she bid David farewell, “See you soon, David.”
“Goodbye, Valerie; any problems just call.”
The women left, and it was only after they had vacated the building that Loretta actually spoke.
“I’ve invited Francine to join us; I hope you don’t mind,” she said as they headed to the car waiting at the curbside.
“Not at all …” said Hannah, and she ticked off another correct prediction.
The car took them to a smart little Italian restaurant on Lombard Street where Francine was waiting.
“Valerie!” she said with an almost maternal smile on her lips.
“Francine; so nice to see you.”
“How did it go with David?”
“Fine,” she replied bluntly but politely and as a way of diverting attention she added, “I wondered if Dominic would be willing to play at the gala, which Loretta has suggested would be the perfect way to unveil the harpsichord after its restoration.”
“I’m sure he’d be thrilled, especially if you tutor him; he likes you very much.”
“He’s a sweet boy …”
“It’s a lovely idea, Valerie; the young man needs to build his confidence and extend his repertoire,” said Loretta.
Lunch proceeded, and Hannah used the opportunity to study Loretta very closely.
“When is the Nightingale being moved to Fitzwilliam’s, Loretta?”
“On Thursday; three months they say for sure, now that someone else has delivered a harpsichord for restoration. I said to Jonas, ‘I was first and the Nightingale is an important instrument’…”
“I’m sure they won’t let you down, Loretta, especially if they know the gala is planned,” said Hannah
“They had better not!” Loretta replied hotly.
Lunch for Hannah was a tasteless affair; the other two women were mindful of her for the sake of appearances and nothing confidential was discussed, just mindless tittle-tattle, and Hannah excused herself before they had all finished, citing that she needed to get ready for a lesson.
“See you soon,” they cooed, and Hannah suddenly found herself outside of the inner wheel. She cared little because she wanted to read the contracts and find out just how far up to his neck David was and how that might profit her in the end.
In the quiet solitude of the apartment, she read the contracts and dictated the translation for typing up later. After three hours, she had them translated and, more importantly, dissected.
David had been engaged by a company in Germany to provide consultancy and advisory services to them over a number of large engineering projects - the contract had been running for a very long time and was very profitable. Then there were some problems and the basis of the dispute, as far as she could determine from the few letters that were in the envelope with the copy of the contracts, was that they held David responsible for some failings and they were suing him for malpractice or negligence. In order to get her two thousand dollars, she dictated the translation of the contracts and then started to investigate the company that was suing David. She surmised that he probably hadn’t done what they had paid him to do; and he was hoping for a get out clause in the contract rather than face the showdown.
Nothing on the face of it suggested that there was any profit in the contracts or the dispute for Hannah herself except the option to tell Loretta before David did or blackmail him to keep her mouth shut for the time being.
The translation and the cogitation had taken up the rest of the day and most of the evening so she retired because the following day she had the appointment at Fitzwilliam’s to discuss the restoration of her harpsichord just ahead of Loretta’s own appointment on the Thursday.
Her disguise was that of an Austrian woman, of about forty, called Frau Anna Bohm - a professional musician and music teacher. The harpsichord she had bought for two hundred dollars minus its innards had already been delivered to the workshop on Jones Street in Lower Nob Hill.
oOo
“Frau Bohm; I am delighted to make your acquaintance and thank you for putting your trust in our work; it’s an interesting piece though sadly not a Zenti.”
“It is of no consequence, Jonas; it is really only the case that I want restored and painted. I like the idea of using it to house a modern mechanism even an electronic keyboard; let’s leave that decision until you’ve had a good look.”
“Why painted like the Nightingale?”
“It’s an instrument we all know and a little bird tells me that your workshop has the job of restoring it for Loretta Colton.”
Hannah deliberately went for broke.
“It is not something I can discuss but if you were to drop by in, say, a few days, you might have a pleasant surprise,” suggested Jonas.
They shared a conspiratorial smile, and Hannah left to give Dominic his lesson.
“Dominic … What do you really want to do?”
“Build computers.”
“Really! I like them too. How about as a treat, and I said we would have a treat after your mother’s birthday party performance, we build one together? Not a computer exactly; more like a synthesizer.”
“Why a synthesizer?”
“I teach music and often it’s helpful to hear different sounds … Do you think you could help me?”
“Absolutely!” and for the first time, she saw the real Dominic.
“We shan’t say anything to your parents and you will still have to play the piano too. As a surprise, we’ll compose a piece of music that we can play for them on the synthesizer, and when they see your handiwork, you might just get their permission to build your computer.”
“That would be really, really, cool!”
“Excellent!”
Hannah was hatching a plan and it resembled a ball of string; knotted and twisted, the end lost in the swirling mass of fibres. Hannah could see a pretty little harpsichord being unveiled at a gala event, capturing everyone’s attention, drawing the eye away from the obvious flaw, which was that the beautifully restored Nightingale had a plug and was connected to a wall socket!
Dominic left and Hannah headed into town to find the components for the synthesizer.
David had been engaged by a company in Germany to provide consultancy and advisory services to them over a number of large engineering projects - the contract had been running for a very long time and was very profitable. Then there were some problems and the basis of the dispute, as far as she could determine from the few letters that were in the envelope with the copy of the contracts, was that they held David responsible for some failings and they were suing him for malpractice or negligence. In order to get her two thousand dollars, she dictated the translation of the contracts and then started to investigate the company that was suing David. She surmised that he probably hadn’t done what they had paid him to do; and he was hoping for a get out clause in the contract rather than face the showdown.
Nothing on the face of it suggested that there was any profit in the contracts or the dispute for Hannah herself except the option to tell Loretta before David did or blackmail him to keep her mouth shut for the time being.
The translation and the cogitation had taken up the rest of the day and most of the evening so she retired because the following day she had the appointment at Fitzwilliam’s to discuss the restoration of her harpsichord just ahead of Loretta’s own appointment on the Thursday.
Her disguise was that of an Austrian woman, of about forty, called Frau Anna Bohm - a professional musician and music teacher. The harpsichord she had bought for two hundred dollars minus its innards had already been delivered to the workshop on Jones Street in Lower Nob Hill.
oOo
“Frau Bohm; I am delighted to make your acquaintance and thank you for putting your trust in our work; it’s an interesting piece though sadly not a Zenti.”
“It is of no consequence, Jonas; it is really only the case that I want restored and painted. I like the idea of using it to house a modern mechanism even an electronic keyboard; let’s leave that decision until you’ve had a good look.”
“Why painted like the Nightingale?”
“It’s an instrument we all know and a little bird tells me that your workshop has the job of restoring it for Loretta Colton.”
Hannah deliberately went for broke.
“It is not something I can discuss but if you were to drop by in, say, a few days, you might have a pleasant surprise,” suggested Jonas.
They shared a conspiratorial smile, and Hannah left to give Dominic his lesson.
“Dominic … What do you really want to do?”
“Build computers.”
“Really! I like them too. How about as a treat, and I said we would have a treat after your mother’s birthday party performance, we build one together? Not a computer exactly; more like a synthesizer.”
“Why a synthesizer?”
“I teach music and often it’s helpful to hear different sounds … Do you think you could help me?”
“Absolutely!” and for the first time, she saw the real Dominic.
“We shan’t say anything to your parents and you will still have to play the piano too. As a surprise, we’ll compose a piece of music that we can play for them on the synthesizer, and when they see your handiwork, you might just get their permission to build your computer.”
“That would be really, really, cool!”
“Excellent!”
Hannah was hatching a plan and it resembled a ball of string; knotted and twisted, the end lost in the swirling mass of fibres. Hannah could see a pretty little harpsichord being unveiled at a gala event, capturing everyone’s attention, drawing the eye away from the obvious flaw, which was that the beautifully restored Nightingale had a plug and was connected to a wall socket!
Dominic left and Hannah headed into town to find the components for the synthesizer.
On Friday, as Frau Bohm, Hannah revisited the workshop to get a peek at the Nightingale, which had been delivered the day before.
“Frau Bohm; can you follow me?” said Jonas and he escorted her to a private area of the workshop and threw back the cover that was hiding the Nightingale.
“It’s so beautiful!” she trilled, “Loretta Colton is extremely lucky.”
“She is one of the few people who really appreciates its quality and she is willing to invest in it for the future …”
“Now that I see it, I am convinced that mine should be painted exactly like it, as a kind of homage.”
“If you’re sure because the restorer will do both at the same time if that is the case.”
“It should be the same; if I can’t have the original then at least a copy by the same restorer.”
“It is agreed and two months will be no problem as it is just the casing. The Nightingale will take three and I’m informed it will be unveiled at a special gala evening where Loretta will play and, apparently, Dominic Belden.”
“The Belden boy, yes, his parents approached me but I referred them to a colleague, Valerie Bishop; she is younger and has more patience with children.”
“Stop by anytime, Frau Bohm; but avoid the workshop for the next month.”
“Why?”
“In my experience, most owners simply break down when they see their instrument laying in pieces; it’s part of the process but much like open heart surgery before the chest is sewed back up.”
“I’m fascinated by surgery but I take your point.”
Hannah left and went home to compose the piece of music that she wanted Dominic to play on the evening of the gala.
She typed up the translation of the contracts and intended to deliver both to David on the following Tuesday and get her two thousand dollars. That would pay for the synthesizer and a transport case for the instrument. She knew that once the Nightingale was delivered to the gala venue, Loretta would not be able to stay away and would insist on seeing her prized possession. Therefore, the switch would need to occur after that and she would need to get her instrument in and Loretta’s out undetected. Her intended cover was that of a tuner; a skill she was practicing very hard.
One thing remained to do; decide whether to blackmail David or actually help him. She couldn’t decide; not that there was much she could do. “If he’s signed off fake engineer’s reports for his fee and the German company has found him out then he’s basically screwed.”
In the end, she decided just to deliver the translations and then perhaps tell Loretta on the evening of the gala by way of a distraction. It was partly Loretta’s fault anyway thought Hannah, she’d spoilt him out of guilt for not being able to deliver a child and he’d taken full advantage of it.
Hannah spent the weekend studying modern electronics and synthesizers, ending the weekend by debuting her first original composition on the hired piano.
“Frau Bohm; can you follow me?” said Jonas and he escorted her to a private area of the workshop and threw back the cover that was hiding the Nightingale.
“It’s so beautiful!” she trilled, “Loretta Colton is extremely lucky.”
“She is one of the few people who really appreciates its quality and she is willing to invest in it for the future …”
“Now that I see it, I am convinced that mine should be painted exactly like it, as a kind of homage.”
“If you’re sure because the restorer will do both at the same time if that is the case.”
“It should be the same; if I can’t have the original then at least a copy by the same restorer.”
“It is agreed and two months will be no problem as it is just the casing. The Nightingale will take three and I’m informed it will be unveiled at a special gala evening where Loretta will play and, apparently, Dominic Belden.”
“The Belden boy, yes, his parents approached me but I referred them to a colleague, Valerie Bishop; she is younger and has more patience with children.”
“Stop by anytime, Frau Bohm; but avoid the workshop for the next month.”
“Why?”
“In my experience, most owners simply break down when they see their instrument laying in pieces; it’s part of the process but much like open heart surgery before the chest is sewed back up.”
“I’m fascinated by surgery but I take your point.”
Hannah left and went home to compose the piece of music that she wanted Dominic to play on the evening of the gala.
She typed up the translation of the contracts and intended to deliver both to David on the following Tuesday and get her two thousand dollars. That would pay for the synthesizer and a transport case for the instrument. She knew that once the Nightingale was delivered to the gala venue, Loretta would not be able to stay away and would insist on seeing her prized possession. Therefore, the switch would need to occur after that and she would need to get her instrument in and Loretta’s out undetected. Her intended cover was that of a tuner; a skill she was practicing very hard.
One thing remained to do; decide whether to blackmail David or actually help him. She couldn’t decide; not that there was much she could do. “If he’s signed off fake engineer’s reports for his fee and the German company has found him out then he’s basically screwed.”
In the end, she decided just to deliver the translations and then perhaps tell Loretta on the evening of the gala by way of a distraction. It was partly Loretta’s fault anyway thought Hannah, she’d spoilt him out of guilt for not being able to deliver a child and he’d taken full advantage of it.
Hannah spent the weekend studying modern electronics and synthesizers, ending the weekend by debuting her first original composition on the hired piano.
David must have had a threat because although he was charm itself on the Tuesday when Hannah delivered the translations, he was careful to have the secretary in full view the entire time and she never budged from her seat. He paid over the two thousand dollars in cash and thanked her but with less than his usual joie de vivre.
Dominic was much more enthusiastic when he arrived, especially as Hannah had everything laid out for him to see. But before he could touch any of it, she made him play her composition, which he loved and sailed through. Together they worked on the synthesizer and, within two weeks, had it nearly working. They were just about ready to play her piece on it when Hannah asked a question.
“Does your mother clean all of those thimbles herself? It must take an age.”
“Oh yes; Gillian isn’t allowed to go near the cases; she doesn’t even have a key - mom keeps that in the jewellery box on her dresser. Once a month, she takes them all out and cleans them; it takes all day!”
“Did she say you could definitely play at the gala?”
“Yes …” spoken less energetically, “Loretta wants me to practice a duet with her to play on the harpsichord. You’ll be there though, right?”
“Oh yes; don’t worry; I’ll be there …”
“We’re nearly done.”
“Yep; next lesson we’ll have it working and then I want to practise the new piece on it … Try not to worry about the gala; when you’re a little older, you’ll appreciate what you’ve learned and achieved, so much more than you do now.”
He left happy and Hannah just had time to pop into Jonas’s workshop to assess progress and check some vital measurements.
“I’d like the legs to be collapsible and for it all to be able to fit into a transport trolley; I’ll have that delivered next week, Jonas.”
“No problem; do you want to see them?”
“Can I?”
He let her into the private space and both instruments looked like, well, bleached skeletons; all the rot and decay, dirt and grime had been removed and the surfaces were being prepared for the painting.
“We have preserved as much of the original painting on the Nightingale as was possible but it was in very poor condition. Yours was in an even less good state but as you can see, there is some carving which is now revealed and the hinges of the lid are definitely Flemish and of the time so our belief that it could be a Couchet is probably right.”
“Excellent! I’d like to take some measurements so that the keyboard can be made to fit perfectly, could you help me?”
They took all the measurements that Hannah needed to ensure that the keyboard fitted snuggly, especially for travelling; after which she left, minus an “on account payment” of five thousand dollars, being half the eventual cost of the restoration. Still, the Zenti, fully restored, would fetch one hundred thousand or even one hundred and fifty, and finding a buyer was her next task.
Dominic was much more enthusiastic when he arrived, especially as Hannah had everything laid out for him to see. But before he could touch any of it, she made him play her composition, which he loved and sailed through. Together they worked on the synthesizer and, within two weeks, had it nearly working. They were just about ready to play her piece on it when Hannah asked a question.
“Does your mother clean all of those thimbles herself? It must take an age.”
“Oh yes; Gillian isn’t allowed to go near the cases; she doesn’t even have a key - mom keeps that in the jewellery box on her dresser. Once a month, she takes them all out and cleans them; it takes all day!”
“Did she say you could definitely play at the gala?”
“Yes …” spoken less energetically, “Loretta wants me to practice a duet with her to play on the harpsichord. You’ll be there though, right?”
“Oh yes; don’t worry; I’ll be there …”
“We’re nearly done.”
“Yep; next lesson we’ll have it working and then I want to practise the new piece on it … Try not to worry about the gala; when you’re a little older, you’ll appreciate what you’ve learned and achieved, so much more than you do now.”
He left happy and Hannah just had time to pop into Jonas’s workshop to assess progress and check some vital measurements.
“I’d like the legs to be collapsible and for it all to be able to fit into a transport trolley; I’ll have that delivered next week, Jonas.”
“No problem; do you want to see them?”
“Can I?”
He let her into the private space and both instruments looked like, well, bleached skeletons; all the rot and decay, dirt and grime had been removed and the surfaces were being prepared for the painting.
“We have preserved as much of the original painting on the Nightingale as was possible but it was in very poor condition. Yours was in an even less good state but as you can see, there is some carving which is now revealed and the hinges of the lid are definitely Flemish and of the time so our belief that it could be a Couchet is probably right.”
“Excellent! I’d like to take some measurements so that the keyboard can be made to fit perfectly, could you help me?”
They took all the measurements that Hannah needed to ensure that the keyboard fitted snuggly, especially for travelling; after which she left, minus an “on account payment” of five thousand dollars, being half the eventual cost of the restoration. Still, the Zenti, fully restored, would fetch one hundred thousand or even one hundred and fifty, and finding a buyer was her next task.
She mused that good old Rathbone would probably have known where to offload the piece; and taking the Nightingale out of the country, possibly back to Europe, was a very real consideration. It was the one drawback of not stealing to order; you were lumbered with the piece until you could get shot of it but that was preferable to being shot at.
She scoured the newspapers at the library for the names of all of the men convicted of handling stolen property, and made a list of those who, on the basis of their original sentencing, should be out and about. Some still lived in San Francisco according to the phone book. Finding ex-felons was relatively easy; asking them if they were still in their original line of business, somewhat trickier.
Two appeared to be running businesses, one an antique shop, which seemed a little too obvious and the other had a dry cleaning place just off of the square, a stone’s throw from the apartment. She spilt some red wine over a silk scarf and took it in, hoping to see Bob Andrews in person.
“That shouldn’t be too much of a problem … but I’ll need to ask you to pay in advance,” he said.
“Oh, sure,” replied Hannah as Sadie Goldberg, and she ferreted in her purse only to accidentally tumble out a rather pretty cameo brooch.
“Is it Italian?” he asked with more than an ounce of curiosity.
“My grandmother’s and she was Italian, so probably. It’s causing me sleepless nights.”
“How so?”
“There was a break-in and everything of value was stolen - or so I thought. I reported it and claimed on the insurance and then I found this and now I feel like a criminal because I had the insurance money and I should really give it to them but then they might think I hid it and other things … I really just want shot of it; I can’t sell it in case it turns up and someone remembers it was mine.”
Hannah screwed out a few tears.
“Don’t cry; if you really did want to get rid of it then I could take it off your hands. I can’t give you much for it but you’d never see it again and no one would be the wiser.”
Hannah looked him squarely in the face and smiled through the tears and said, “You would do that for me?”
“Of course; I used to deal in antiques; I have connections. How much did you get back from the insurance company for it?”
“Seven hundred and fifty dollars.”
“What say I give you two hundred and fifty and you never have to see it again?”
“Thank you so much!” and Hannah opened the floodgates and allowed him to put his arm around her shoulder as he gave her his handkerchief.
“There, there; it’s all over.”
She wiped her eyes, and he gave her the money. She left, thanking him profusely.
“Still in business; let’s put a big fat worm on this hook shall we?” she said to herself as she donned the disguise of Anna Bohm, wending her way back to the Square, where she waited for Bob Andrews to leave so she could follow him.
At five o’clock, he closed up and she downed the dregs of her coffee and watched for his likely route; she hoped he didn’t just jump in a car. He didn’t and he walked and ended up at the antique shop of the other man who had been convicted for handling stolen goods - now partners in crime after their time spent together in the penitentiary. Hannah walked in; they were both in the back and she idled through the stuff on display and inched nearer to the counter so that she could overhear their conversation.
“Be with you in a minute!” the other man called out.
Hannah said nothing and walked around, eyeing a few things that might be worth buying and selling on. The man appeared.
“Hi! Sorry; did you need any help? Looking for something specific?” he asked.
“No, not really; maybe the hand painted fan … Is it Chinese?”
“Yes,” he said and she knew from his face that he was getting his facts ready before launching into his pitch.
She toyed with it and then spied some sheet music.
“There are some very old pieces in the box, but to be honest, no one much cares for it these days; I’ll let you have the lot for fifty dollars …”
Hannah turned and smiled and then rifled through the box to see if there was anything interesting; job lots had a remarkable habit of throwing up the most unexpected surprises.
“I’ll take the lot for thirty-five …”
“Forty …”
“Deal!”
“Do you play?” he asked
“Yes; the piano. I’m actually looking to sell an instrument; a rare Eighteenth Century Italian harpsichord; it has an uncertain provenance …”
Hannah adopted a tone, a tell-tale inflection.
“I only know of one in the city,” he said with a wicked glint in his eye.
“Then are you interested?”
“For the right price.”
“One hundred and fifty thousand dollars, fully restored by Fitzwilliam’s.”
“When could I take possession?”
“In about three months …”
“That would give me time to line up a buyer, so that would work …”
Hannah smiled and put the sheet music on the counter with two twenty dollar bills.
“I’ll be in touch.”
“Fine …”
She quit the shop and headed straight to the apartment only then allowing herself to breathe.
“Did I just do what I think I just did?” she asked herself, and her hands were still shaking.
She scoured the newspapers at the library for the names of all of the men convicted of handling stolen property, and made a list of those who, on the basis of their original sentencing, should be out and about. Some still lived in San Francisco according to the phone book. Finding ex-felons was relatively easy; asking them if they were still in their original line of business, somewhat trickier.
Two appeared to be running businesses, one an antique shop, which seemed a little too obvious and the other had a dry cleaning place just off of the square, a stone’s throw from the apartment. She spilt some red wine over a silk scarf and took it in, hoping to see Bob Andrews in person.
“That shouldn’t be too much of a problem … but I’ll need to ask you to pay in advance,” he said.
“Oh, sure,” replied Hannah as Sadie Goldberg, and she ferreted in her purse only to accidentally tumble out a rather pretty cameo brooch.
“Is it Italian?” he asked with more than an ounce of curiosity.
“My grandmother’s and she was Italian, so probably. It’s causing me sleepless nights.”
“How so?”
“There was a break-in and everything of value was stolen - or so I thought. I reported it and claimed on the insurance and then I found this and now I feel like a criminal because I had the insurance money and I should really give it to them but then they might think I hid it and other things … I really just want shot of it; I can’t sell it in case it turns up and someone remembers it was mine.”
Hannah screwed out a few tears.
“Don’t cry; if you really did want to get rid of it then I could take it off your hands. I can’t give you much for it but you’d never see it again and no one would be the wiser.”
Hannah looked him squarely in the face and smiled through the tears and said, “You would do that for me?”
“Of course; I used to deal in antiques; I have connections. How much did you get back from the insurance company for it?”
“Seven hundred and fifty dollars.”
“What say I give you two hundred and fifty and you never have to see it again?”
“Thank you so much!” and Hannah opened the floodgates and allowed him to put his arm around her shoulder as he gave her his handkerchief.
“There, there; it’s all over.”
She wiped her eyes, and he gave her the money. She left, thanking him profusely.
“Still in business; let’s put a big fat worm on this hook shall we?” she said to herself as she donned the disguise of Anna Bohm, wending her way back to the Square, where she waited for Bob Andrews to leave so she could follow him.
At five o’clock, he closed up and she downed the dregs of her coffee and watched for his likely route; she hoped he didn’t just jump in a car. He didn’t and he walked and ended up at the antique shop of the other man who had been convicted for handling stolen goods - now partners in crime after their time spent together in the penitentiary. Hannah walked in; they were both in the back and she idled through the stuff on display and inched nearer to the counter so that she could overhear their conversation.
“Be with you in a minute!” the other man called out.
Hannah said nothing and walked around, eyeing a few things that might be worth buying and selling on. The man appeared.
“Hi! Sorry; did you need any help? Looking for something specific?” he asked.
“No, not really; maybe the hand painted fan … Is it Chinese?”
“Yes,” he said and she knew from his face that he was getting his facts ready before launching into his pitch.
She toyed with it and then spied some sheet music.
“There are some very old pieces in the box, but to be honest, no one much cares for it these days; I’ll let you have the lot for fifty dollars …”
Hannah turned and smiled and then rifled through the box to see if there was anything interesting; job lots had a remarkable habit of throwing up the most unexpected surprises.
“I’ll take the lot for thirty-five …”
“Forty …”
“Deal!”
“Do you play?” he asked
“Yes; the piano. I’m actually looking to sell an instrument; a rare Eighteenth Century Italian harpsichord; it has an uncertain provenance …”
Hannah adopted a tone, a tell-tale inflection.
“I only know of one in the city,” he said with a wicked glint in his eye.
“Then are you interested?”
“For the right price.”
“One hundred and fifty thousand dollars, fully restored by Fitzwilliam’s.”
“When could I take possession?”
“In about three months …”
“That would give me time to line up a buyer, so that would work …”
Hannah smiled and put the sheet music on the counter with two twenty dollar bills.
“I’ll be in touch.”
“Fine …”
She quit the shop and headed straight to the apartment only then allowing herself to breathe.
“Did I just do what I think I just did?” she asked herself, and her hands were still shaking.
Hannah got the travel trolley made for the harpsichord and had it delivered to the workshop, calling in briefly to assess progress, finding the artist-restorer was painting the casings.
“It’s painstaking work,” injected Jonas.
“But worth it in the end,” she replied.
Next up was completing the piece for the gala, and when Dominic came in, she got him to play it on the synthesizer. It made a pretty authentic sound but was still unmistakably manufactured.
“How can we make this sound better?”
“Well, once the synthesizer is housed in a casing then that will probably help.”
“I think you’re right. If it was wooden then the sound would be softer; perhaps we need better speakers too. They twiddled and faddled and all the while, Hannah was aiming her questions closer and closer to the target.
“Are you going somewhere nice for the holidays?” she asked.
“Mr. and Mrs. Colton want us all to go to Mexico.”
“Wow … how exciting!”
“Yeah …” spoken with even less than the usual enthusiasm
“Where would you like to go?”
“I want to go to see the launch of Columbia.”
“I’d love to see that too; perhaps we could go together … When is it?”
“Two days after the gala.”
“That is cutting it a bit fine; perhaps I should talk to your parents. If some of your friends wanted to go and there were enough adults to supervise, I’m sure they’d be happy. When were Mr. and Mrs. Colton planning to go to Mexico?”
“About the same time.”
“You could go to the rocket launch and then fly on to Mexico … How about I come over one day soon so that you can play the gala piece for your parents and I’ll talk to them then?”
“Please,” implored the lad.
“It would be very exciting, wouldn’t it?”
They twiddled and faddled some more with the keyboard; Dominic left in high spirits.
“They’re out of the country and I have the perfect alibi … timing would have to be perfect … but that thimble will be mine … and what wouldn’t I give to see her face when she realizes it’s missing!”
The following day, Hannah got up and decided she would be Loretta Colton for the day. Her disguise as the fifty-year-old socialite was coming on but making herself look fifty was very hard; thankfully, Loretta was not showing too many signs of her age. Her deportment was the key and the frequent shifts between mania and depression. The acid test, a visit to David at the office, a fleeting visit to set the cat amongst the pigeons over the contract debacle. If she could fool David, just for a few minutes, then surely everyone else would believe it and Hannah knew that if you expected to see a person then you often did “see” the person and minor things got overlooked. Maybe that wouldn’t be true in the case of Francine; she seemed to be the sort to scrutinize, evidently looking for the flaws that made her feel so much better about herself.
Hannah dressed and applied her make-up, practising the little speech that she intended to deliver. She donned a headscarf and dark glasses. She’d found decent lookalike rings and, thankfully, the woman seemed only to wear a simple single strand of pearls most of the time.
“Here goes!”
At the office, Hannah merely strode in and waved her hand at security in that terribly dismissive fashion of Loretta’s in response to the expected greeting - well, she did own the building! Hannah took the elevator and exited into the outer reception area and strode confidently to the office door to find David sat as his desk with the receptionist at his side, standing a little too close.
“Loretta!”
“David; I just wanted to tell you that I forgive you unconditionally over the discrepancies with the German contract; go and tell Douglas everything and I’ll pay the penalties …”
“You will?”
“Of course, darling; we can’t have this hanging over our heads - must run, see you later!”
Hannah turned and strode out, taking the stairs so that she didn’t have to wait for the elevator and risk getting waylaid.
Oh to be a fly on the wall!
Hannah marched through reception and out into the street, grabbing a cab as soon as possible, giving the address of the antique shop where she’d bought the music. Hannah assumed that the shop owner would know of Loretta but would probably not have seen her up close.
The cab dropped her off.
“Good morning, Mrs. Colton!” said the owner, “Was the gift well received?”
“Shit!” said Hannah to herself but kept calm.
“Francine absolutely loved it; I’m looking for something similar …”
“I have another glass thimble but not quite in that league; probably a copy. It’s Eighteenth Century, but as you will see, the rose is painted onto the surface and not encased in the glass itself.”
“Please show me!” Hannah demanded with the all too familiar mania.
He fetched it and placed it in her gloved palm.
“I’ll take it!”
“I’ll box it and get the receipt written out, cash or card, Mrs. Colton?”
“Cash …”
Hannah handed over the thirteen hundred dollars and within a couple of minutes, had the thimble and a receipt bearing Loretta’s name and address.
“Thank you so much!”
“A little bird tells me you have a new playing partner …”
Hannah assumed he meant the harpsichord.
“Hush; no one must know until the unveiling at the gala,” she whispered.
“Right you are; is it the Nightingale?”
Hannah just smiled and left.
Dressed as Valerie, she went to see Francine on the pretence of giving Dominic the music to practice and to see how far the pigeons had flown.
“Valerie! What a lovely surprise,” exclaimed Francine, “Come in …”
“Thank you; I’ve finalized the piece for the gala and I wanted Dominic to have it to practise …”
She handed over the score.
“Dominic has told us about your idea to get a group together to go to the launch of the Space Shuttle …”
“I know he’s very keen to go, and it would seem to make for the perfect start to the holidays; do you think it would work?”
“He’s asking around to his friends to see who else is interested, and I said to Charles that it would be a splendid way of rewarding him for his hard work over the gala thing.”
“Excellent! After the launch, we can get him on the flight to Mexico, and I’ll be well-placed to get my flight back to the UK.”
“You’re heading back?”
“Yes; my mother is going into hospital and my father asked me to return so that I can be there to help when she comes out.”
“Nothing serious I hope.”
“Hysterectomy.”
“Ah …”
“May I see the thimble now that it’s in its rightful place?” asked Hannah.
“Of course, my dear …”
She was escorted back up to the landing where the cabinets were housed, and Francine made a beeline for the case where the glass thimble now sat on a black velvet cushion, occupying a shelf all by itself.
“Just beautiful,” cooed Hannah.
“Loretta was very generous this year; I guess because it was my fortieth. The trip to Mexico was her idea too; we’re all fascinated by the Mayan temples, and Charles has promised me a week on the beach after the “archaeological” bit …”
“When do you leave exactly?”
“The morning of the second day after the gala …”
“That is the day of the launch and I think the launch is in the afternoon. I could get Dominic on the next available flight on the morning afterwards so he’ll only be one day later than you.”
“It’ll work out perfectly … Did you do the translation work for David?”
“Oh yes - within the first week; it was pretty straightforward. I did them quickly because he said there were some questions that needed to be answered; not that he was specific but it sounded urgent …”
“Quite so … Would you like some tea or do you have to run?”
“Unfortunately I have to run; I’ll see you soon.”
Hannah left and interpreted the question over the contracts as a sign that Francine knew something but nothing specific; it was probably too early for David to have returned home and for he and Loretta to have had their conversation. Hannah was sure that once they had, the whole of the neighborhood would know that there was a problem with the contracts!
“It’s painstaking work,” injected Jonas.
“But worth it in the end,” she replied.
Next up was completing the piece for the gala, and when Dominic came in, she got him to play it on the synthesizer. It made a pretty authentic sound but was still unmistakably manufactured.
“How can we make this sound better?”
“Well, once the synthesizer is housed in a casing then that will probably help.”
“I think you’re right. If it was wooden then the sound would be softer; perhaps we need better speakers too. They twiddled and faddled and all the while, Hannah was aiming her questions closer and closer to the target.
“Are you going somewhere nice for the holidays?” she asked.
“Mr. and Mrs. Colton want us all to go to Mexico.”
“Wow … how exciting!”
“Yeah …” spoken with even less than the usual enthusiasm
“Where would you like to go?”
“I want to go to see the launch of Columbia.”
“I’d love to see that too; perhaps we could go together … When is it?”
“Two days after the gala.”
“That is cutting it a bit fine; perhaps I should talk to your parents. If some of your friends wanted to go and there were enough adults to supervise, I’m sure they’d be happy. When were Mr. and Mrs. Colton planning to go to Mexico?”
“About the same time.”
“You could go to the rocket launch and then fly on to Mexico … How about I come over one day soon so that you can play the gala piece for your parents and I’ll talk to them then?”
“Please,” implored the lad.
“It would be very exciting, wouldn’t it?”
They twiddled and faddled some more with the keyboard; Dominic left in high spirits.
“They’re out of the country and I have the perfect alibi … timing would have to be perfect … but that thimble will be mine … and what wouldn’t I give to see her face when she realizes it’s missing!”
The following day, Hannah got up and decided she would be Loretta Colton for the day. Her disguise as the fifty-year-old socialite was coming on but making herself look fifty was very hard; thankfully, Loretta was not showing too many signs of her age. Her deportment was the key and the frequent shifts between mania and depression. The acid test, a visit to David at the office, a fleeting visit to set the cat amongst the pigeons over the contract debacle. If she could fool David, just for a few minutes, then surely everyone else would believe it and Hannah knew that if you expected to see a person then you often did “see” the person and minor things got overlooked. Maybe that wouldn’t be true in the case of Francine; she seemed to be the sort to scrutinize, evidently looking for the flaws that made her feel so much better about herself.
Hannah dressed and applied her make-up, practising the little speech that she intended to deliver. She donned a headscarf and dark glasses. She’d found decent lookalike rings and, thankfully, the woman seemed only to wear a simple single strand of pearls most of the time.
“Here goes!”
At the office, Hannah merely strode in and waved her hand at security in that terribly dismissive fashion of Loretta’s in response to the expected greeting - well, she did own the building! Hannah took the elevator and exited into the outer reception area and strode confidently to the office door to find David sat as his desk with the receptionist at his side, standing a little too close.
“Loretta!”
“David; I just wanted to tell you that I forgive you unconditionally over the discrepancies with the German contract; go and tell Douglas everything and I’ll pay the penalties …”
“You will?”
“Of course, darling; we can’t have this hanging over our heads - must run, see you later!”
Hannah turned and strode out, taking the stairs so that she didn’t have to wait for the elevator and risk getting waylaid.
Oh to be a fly on the wall!
Hannah marched through reception and out into the street, grabbing a cab as soon as possible, giving the address of the antique shop where she’d bought the music. Hannah assumed that the shop owner would know of Loretta but would probably not have seen her up close.
The cab dropped her off.
“Good morning, Mrs. Colton!” said the owner, “Was the gift well received?”
“Shit!” said Hannah to herself but kept calm.
“Francine absolutely loved it; I’m looking for something similar …”
“I have another glass thimble but not quite in that league; probably a copy. It’s Eighteenth Century, but as you will see, the rose is painted onto the surface and not encased in the glass itself.”
“Please show me!” Hannah demanded with the all too familiar mania.
He fetched it and placed it in her gloved palm.
“I’ll take it!”
“I’ll box it and get the receipt written out, cash or card, Mrs. Colton?”
“Cash …”
Hannah handed over the thirteen hundred dollars and within a couple of minutes, had the thimble and a receipt bearing Loretta’s name and address.
“Thank you so much!”
“A little bird tells me you have a new playing partner …”
Hannah assumed he meant the harpsichord.
“Hush; no one must know until the unveiling at the gala,” she whispered.
“Right you are; is it the Nightingale?”
Hannah just smiled and left.
Dressed as Valerie, she went to see Francine on the pretence of giving Dominic the music to practice and to see how far the pigeons had flown.
“Valerie! What a lovely surprise,” exclaimed Francine, “Come in …”
“Thank you; I’ve finalized the piece for the gala and I wanted Dominic to have it to practise …”
She handed over the score.
“Dominic has told us about your idea to get a group together to go to the launch of the Space Shuttle …”
“I know he’s very keen to go, and it would seem to make for the perfect start to the holidays; do you think it would work?”
“He’s asking around to his friends to see who else is interested, and I said to Charles that it would be a splendid way of rewarding him for his hard work over the gala thing.”
“Excellent! After the launch, we can get him on the flight to Mexico, and I’ll be well-placed to get my flight back to the UK.”
“You’re heading back?”
“Yes; my mother is going into hospital and my father asked me to return so that I can be there to help when she comes out.”
“Nothing serious I hope.”
“Hysterectomy.”
“Ah …”
“May I see the thimble now that it’s in its rightful place?” asked Hannah.
“Of course, my dear …”
She was escorted back up to the landing where the cabinets were housed, and Francine made a beeline for the case where the glass thimble now sat on a black velvet cushion, occupying a shelf all by itself.
“Just beautiful,” cooed Hannah.
“Loretta was very generous this year; I guess because it was my fortieth. The trip to Mexico was her idea too; we’re all fascinated by the Mayan temples, and Charles has promised me a week on the beach after the “archaeological” bit …”
“When do you leave exactly?”
“The morning of the second day after the gala …”
“That is the day of the launch and I think the launch is in the afternoon. I could get Dominic on the next available flight on the morning afterwards so he’ll only be one day later than you.”
“It’ll work out perfectly … Did you do the translation work for David?”
“Oh yes - within the first week; it was pretty straightforward. I did them quickly because he said there were some questions that needed to be answered; not that he was specific but it sounded urgent …”
“Quite so … Would you like some tea or do you have to run?”
“Unfortunately I have to run; I’ll see you soon.”
Hannah left and interpreted the question over the contracts as a sign that Francine knew something but nothing specific; it was probably too early for David to have returned home and for he and Loretta to have had their conversation. Hannah was sure that once they had, the whole of the neighborhood would know that there was a problem with the contracts!
It happened like this; David went to see the company lawyer - Douglas - and told him everything.
“And Loretta will pay the penalties?”
“That’s what she said earlier; I’m on my way home now to give her a full report.”
“The penalties amount to a staggering ten million dollars.”
“Yes; I know …”
Feeling a little ashamed of himself but better for having told Douglas everything, he went home fully expecting to have the perfect evening with Loretta who had been quite cold of late.
In the meantime, Douglas phoned Loretta and gave her the news about the penalties.
“Douglas; I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about; I haven’t been to the office today.”
Douglas recounted the whole episode. She was left stunned, and remained immobilized until David walked in.
“Loretta; what’s wrong?” he asked, genuinely concerned.
“Douglas just called and told me the strangest thing; I have no recollection of visiting the office today yet I did; neither do I recall knowing anything about the problems with the German contracts but apparently I know everything and have sworn to pay the penalties of ten million dollars.”
“You were there; at the door to the office and after you told me that you knew about the problems and would pay the costs, you left very quickly. I didn’t have time to catch you before you’d disappeared; did you take your pills?”
“I’m sure I did; but if this is all true then how did I find out about the problems with the contracts because for certain YOU DIDN’T TELL ME!”
“Loretta, please; calm down!”
She didn’t calm down and in the end, she threw him out.
“I’LL PAY THOSE COSTS, DAVID; IT’LL BE YOUR DIVORCE SETTLEMENT. YOU’LL NOT GET ONE CENT MORE FROM ME!”
He went to see Charles but this was after Hannah had called on Francine. He spoke confidentially to Charles, who of course, told Francine, who went straight round to see Loretta, who was gaily ripping her husband’s wardrobe to shreds.
This was exactly the kind of distraction that Hannah was hoping for; not that she found out for some days, and it was only when Dominic said that the Colton’s weren’t now going to Mexico.
“Oh, what a pity! What happened to make them change their minds?”
“They’re getting a divorce; I heard mom say so to dad.”
“Really? How dreadfully upsetting …”
“But we’re still going and I can definitely go to the launch if you’ll come with me and make sure I get the plane the next day to Mexico.”
“Of course; we’ll make all the arrangements the next time I see your parents.”
“Did you get the new speakers and see about the casing?”
“I did!”
By the time he left, the sound of the instrument was getting pretty close to what Hannah wanted but the final adjustments would have to wait until the casing was ready and that was still another whole month away.
That evening she spent a good part of it filing the key blank she had purchased so that it matched up to the impression of Dominic’s door key that she had taken whilst he’d had his head in the electronic guts of the synthesizer. Happy with her progress on that front, she started to go through the sheet music she had bought at the antique shop.
“Oh, Hannah!
“And Loretta will pay the penalties?”
“That’s what she said earlier; I’m on my way home now to give her a full report.”
“The penalties amount to a staggering ten million dollars.”
“Yes; I know …”
Feeling a little ashamed of himself but better for having told Douglas everything, he went home fully expecting to have the perfect evening with Loretta who had been quite cold of late.
In the meantime, Douglas phoned Loretta and gave her the news about the penalties.
“Douglas; I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about; I haven’t been to the office today.”
Douglas recounted the whole episode. She was left stunned, and remained immobilized until David walked in.
“Loretta; what’s wrong?” he asked, genuinely concerned.
“Douglas just called and told me the strangest thing; I have no recollection of visiting the office today yet I did; neither do I recall knowing anything about the problems with the German contracts but apparently I know everything and have sworn to pay the penalties of ten million dollars.”
“You were there; at the door to the office and after you told me that you knew about the problems and would pay the costs, you left very quickly. I didn’t have time to catch you before you’d disappeared; did you take your pills?”
“I’m sure I did; but if this is all true then how did I find out about the problems with the contracts because for certain YOU DIDN’T TELL ME!”
“Loretta, please; calm down!”
She didn’t calm down and in the end, she threw him out.
“I’LL PAY THOSE COSTS, DAVID; IT’LL BE YOUR DIVORCE SETTLEMENT. YOU’LL NOT GET ONE CENT MORE FROM ME!”
He went to see Charles but this was after Hannah had called on Francine. He spoke confidentially to Charles, who of course, told Francine, who went straight round to see Loretta, who was gaily ripping her husband’s wardrobe to shreds.
This was exactly the kind of distraction that Hannah was hoping for; not that she found out for some days, and it was only when Dominic said that the Colton’s weren’t now going to Mexico.
“Oh, what a pity! What happened to make them change their minds?”
“They’re getting a divorce; I heard mom say so to dad.”
“Really? How dreadfully upsetting …”
“But we’re still going and I can definitely go to the launch if you’ll come with me and make sure I get the plane the next day to Mexico.”
“Of course; we’ll make all the arrangements the next time I see your parents.”
“Did you get the new speakers and see about the casing?”
“I did!”
By the time he left, the sound of the instrument was getting pretty close to what Hannah wanted but the final adjustments would have to wait until the casing was ready and that was still another whole month away.
That evening she spent a good part of it filing the key blank she had purchased so that it matched up to the impression of Dominic’s door key that she had taken whilst he’d had his head in the electronic guts of the synthesizer. Happy with her progress on that front, she started to go through the sheet music she had bought at the antique shop.
“Oh, Hannah!
Ten thousand dollars was going to be the eventual cost of the restoration but for that Hannah was getting a faithful copy of the Nightingale. The two thousand dollars that David had given her had paid for the synthesizer and the travel trolley.
“So far so good …” was her own assessment.
She and Dominic debuted the piece on the synthesizer, which she took over to his house in a make-shift casing, and his parents were delighted. So much so that the objections over his own project of building a computer were fairly well quashed.
“You have a way with children, Valerie,” said Francine, “Are you planning to have a family of your own?”
“Someday; when I meet the right one.”
“Loretta is feeling unwell and it looks likely that she and David will not be joining us in Mexico.”
“But that’s not for another two months; won’t she have recovered by then?”
Francine said nothing and just gave her that look that said “it is going to take a very long time …”
“I’ll pop in and see her,” ventured Hannah.
“Yes; do that …”
Hannah did, and found the spent shell that was once Loretta.
“Oh, Valerie … how nice of you to call,” she managed.
“Francine said you were feeling unwell and I wondered if there was anything I could do for you.”
“Such a thoughtful girl; perhaps I could ask you to play at the gala - my duet with Dominic; I feel sure that I won’t be up to it.”
“Of course; but that’s still two months away, Loretta; I’m sure you’ll have recovered your strength by then … Where’s David?”
Hannah got it all through the agonized and bitter sobs.
“What will people say when they find out?”
“No one need know, Loretta; Charles and Francine won’t say anything and I’m sure I won’t …”
“Everyone has expected it for years but you know, I really thought that as we got older, we’d work it all out.”
“Perhaps you just need a break; to shed new light on things. Do you think you can forgive him?”
“No; it’s just been one lie after another, and I’m partly to blame … spoiling him because I couldn’t give him a child. I’m thinking of moving back to Rhode Island; it’s where I grew up.”
“Don’t cut yourself off from your friends, Loretta; take a break but don’t run away. We’re all here to support you.”
Hannah didn’t know where the well of sympathy had sprung from but Loretta cast such a pathetic figure that even she found it hard not to feel some of the pain, and that was not out of guilt for having been the instigator.
“It worries me that I can’t remember going to the office that day. The doctor says I’ve blanked it out; probably due to the rage of finding out about the contract … and God knows how I found out about that. I suppose I should be grateful I did; paying the penalties has prevented a very messy legal battle. I would have paid the costs if he’d told me sooner; like I always have …”
“Then it sounds like it was time for things to move on, Loretta; a fresh start for you both. There is still so much you could do …”
“A little old to embark on a concert tour, don’t you think?”
“Nonsense, and it sounds like just the tonic. Take Dominic with you; it’ll be the making of him and it’ll kick start your own renaissance.”
“You say some very wise things for a young woman, Valerie …”
Was all Loretta said, and Hannah left to pay Jonas one last visit before the casing was due to be delivered.
“It’s perfect, Jonas; when can I collect it?”
“The end of the week, Frau Bohm.”
“Excellent! And the Nightingale looks positively ethereal.”
“Over three hundred years old and it looks like it did the day it left Zenti’s workshop.”
“Mrs. Colton will be delighted I’m sure … especially in light of her current troubles … How much do I owe you, Jonas?”
“Another five thousand dollars, Frau Bohm.”
“I’ll have a draft for you on Friday when I collect it.”
“So far so good …” was her own assessment.
She and Dominic debuted the piece on the synthesizer, which she took over to his house in a make-shift casing, and his parents were delighted. So much so that the objections over his own project of building a computer were fairly well quashed.
“You have a way with children, Valerie,” said Francine, “Are you planning to have a family of your own?”
“Someday; when I meet the right one.”
“Loretta is feeling unwell and it looks likely that she and David will not be joining us in Mexico.”
“But that’s not for another two months; won’t she have recovered by then?”
Francine said nothing and just gave her that look that said “it is going to take a very long time …”
“I’ll pop in and see her,” ventured Hannah.
“Yes; do that …”
Hannah did, and found the spent shell that was once Loretta.
“Oh, Valerie … how nice of you to call,” she managed.
“Francine said you were feeling unwell and I wondered if there was anything I could do for you.”
“Such a thoughtful girl; perhaps I could ask you to play at the gala - my duet with Dominic; I feel sure that I won’t be up to it.”
“Of course; but that’s still two months away, Loretta; I’m sure you’ll have recovered your strength by then … Where’s David?”
Hannah got it all through the agonized and bitter sobs.
“What will people say when they find out?”
“No one need know, Loretta; Charles and Francine won’t say anything and I’m sure I won’t …”
“Everyone has expected it for years but you know, I really thought that as we got older, we’d work it all out.”
“Perhaps you just need a break; to shed new light on things. Do you think you can forgive him?”
“No; it’s just been one lie after another, and I’m partly to blame … spoiling him because I couldn’t give him a child. I’m thinking of moving back to Rhode Island; it’s where I grew up.”
“Don’t cut yourself off from your friends, Loretta; take a break but don’t run away. We’re all here to support you.”
Hannah didn’t know where the well of sympathy had sprung from but Loretta cast such a pathetic figure that even she found it hard not to feel some of the pain, and that was not out of guilt for having been the instigator.
“It worries me that I can’t remember going to the office that day. The doctor says I’ve blanked it out; probably due to the rage of finding out about the contract … and God knows how I found out about that. I suppose I should be grateful I did; paying the penalties has prevented a very messy legal battle. I would have paid the costs if he’d told me sooner; like I always have …”
“Then it sounds like it was time for things to move on, Loretta; a fresh start for you both. There is still so much you could do …”
“A little old to embark on a concert tour, don’t you think?”
“Nonsense, and it sounds like just the tonic. Take Dominic with you; it’ll be the making of him and it’ll kick start your own renaissance.”
“You say some very wise things for a young woman, Valerie …”
Was all Loretta said, and Hannah left to pay Jonas one last visit before the casing was due to be delivered.
“It’s perfect, Jonas; when can I collect it?”
“The end of the week, Frau Bohm.”
“Excellent! And the Nightingale looks positively ethereal.”
“Over three hundred years old and it looks like it did the day it left Zenti’s workshop.”
“Mrs. Colton will be delighted I’m sure … especially in light of her current troubles … How much do I owe you, Jonas?”
“Another five thousand dollars, Frau Bohm.”
“I’ll have a draft for you on Friday when I collect it.”
On the Friday of that week, two months after delivering the wreck to Jonas, Hannah collected her harpsichord. She declined the offer for the workshop to deliver it because she didn’t want them to know where she lived. She used the travel trolley and by removing the slender legs and stowing it all in the trolley, it was just possible for her to move it by herself. The trolley was end up so it looked like a travel case for a harp. Thankfully she only had a harpsichord casing to transport, and that was so much lighter but even she couldn’t actually lift it.
She finally managed to get it home with the help of the cab driver and she installed the synthesizer and then tested it to see what effect the old wood had on the sound. In her view, it was an eighty/twenty result but good enough to fool most people who wouldn’t have actually heard a harpsichord played live before. The electronic cable exited from the base of the casing and was hidden for the most part by one of the legs.
“Excellent!”
When Dominic came over, he was enthralled and he played the gala piece of music on it and they both agreed it was as good as they were going to get. She gave him the rudiments of the computer he wanted to build; a box of components that she judged was a fair exchange for his future part in her subterfuge.
A month remained before the Nightingale would be ready and there was precious little to do except study of course and teach the occasional music lesson. As a test of her handicraft, she swapped the key she had made for Dominic’s own; nothing happened so she assumed it worked, and now she had the means to gain entry to the house.
She re-visited the antique shop in the guise of Anna Bohm and confirmed the delivery date for the harpsichord. The owner was delighted to inform her that he had a buyer lined up, for one hundred and fifty thousand dollars, fully restored.
“There is a warehouse near the airport where the piece should be delivered,” he confirmed.
“The piece will be delivered to this shop at noon on that day in exchange for an untraceable bearer bond for one hundred and fifty thousand dollars …”
“I don’t want it seen here.”
“I am not taking it to a deserted warehouse.”
“If someone sees it come into the shop then when the theft is reported, the police will come straight here.”
“Who said it was stolen?”
“It isn’t?”
“No …”
“But it is an Eighteenth Century Zenti harpsichord, fully restored by Fitzwilliam’s?”
“Oh yes …”
“The Nightingale belongs to Loretta Colton.”
“Does it?”
“You’ll be playing a dangerous game if you double-cross me.”
“The threat is noted; but your concern is baseless. You will have what you want and so will I.”
Hannah left and smiled richly to herself; if only she could find a decent chess player, she’d give them a run for their money, she mused.
She visited Francine and Charles to confirm the arrangements for the trip to the launch and the flight that Dominic needed to get.
“You’re sure you’ll manage, Valerie?” asked Francine, the picture of concerned motherhood.
“Absolutely positive; my flight is also booked …”
“Dominic will be very upset that you’re going; he actually looks forward to his lessons with you.”
“Once things settle down, he’ll be fine, especially if Loretta takes him on tour, and in any event, with your blessing to build the computer, he’ll be much happier.”
“You’ll make a very capable mother one day.”
Hannah smiled, leaving the thought hanging.
She visited Loretta. David was absent and she didn’t ask where he was; the mood seemed lighter.
“Are you sure the trip to Mexico wouldn’t do you the power of good, Loretta?”
“No; it was David’s idea. I’m off to the Mojave Desert to find my ‘vision’. When I get back, I’ll seriously look at the idea of the tour with Dominic, and I may get into these computers myself - shipping is so dull!”
“Is the Nightingale ready yet?”
“They say Friday; delivered to the concert venue at three o’clock in the afternoon. I’ll see it in the morning when I go and pay their bill!”
“Ouch!”
“Fifty thousand … but worth every cent and its future is assured.”
“I can’t wait to play it … Are you sure you won’t play at the gala?”
“Positive; you and Dominic deserve it.”
“Thank you … by the way, who is tuning it once it’s delivered to the venue?”
“Oh; do you know, I’ve completely forgotten about that.”
“I’ll do it for you.”
“You can? I mean; you would?”
“Of course; it would be an honor and in some small way it would repay your debt of kindness.”
“Oh dear child; if I had been blessed with a child, I hope it would have been like you.”
Hannah left and wondered if Hell would be altogether very terrible or if there was still time to redeem herself!
Now she knew the where and the when it was action stations.
On the Friday morning, Loretta went to Fitzwilliam’s and paid over fifty thousand dollars, cooed for thirty seconds, and left to get her hair done. Hannah was watching and saw the instrument picked up an hour later by a specialist removal firm that took the harpsichord to the concert venue.
She went home and picked up her harpsichord/synthesizer and took it to the concert venue and, being a concert venue, the sight of a large musical instrument in a travel case did not cause anyone to bat an eye.
Hannah as Valerie set to and tuned the Nightingale where it sat on the stage. As it approached lunch, the stagehands made their way to grab a bite and Hannah effected the swap - not without a great deal of effort and a thimble full of sweat but she did it, and had hers in position. And just as she hoped, the electrical cable was pretty much hidden and there was an adjacent floor-mounted socket. She played the piece to ensure nothing had gotten damaged in the transfer. All was well, and the sound, compared to the original, which she had just tuned and played, was probably ninety percent there or thereabouts.
She moved the Nightingale in the trolley to a dark corner of the backstage area and threw a tarpaulin over it, and then she left.
In the afternoon, she packed and had her two smart cases ready by the door. In the late afternoon and early evening, she got ready for the gala and then went, as arranged, to Dominic’s house, so that they could all travel together. Charles had even bought her a corsage. Once at the venue, she and Dominic practiced the all-important piece.
“Why are we playing yours and not Mrs. Colton’s?” he asked.
“I think she sold it,” said Hannah, “Don’t mention anything; she isn’t very well.”
Dominic, believing he was on the inside track for a change, just winked.
There was a gathering of the great and the good beforehand, ostensibly so that everyone who believed they were somebody could be seen to make their donation, and then everyone took their seats and the evening commenced.
Hannah and Dominic made their entrance onto the stage and they bowed before taking their positions for the eagerly anticipated duet. Francine and Charles beamed and clapped enthusiastically whilst Loretta just lapped it up; David was nowhere to be seen. They performed the duet and one supposes because of the occasion and maybe due to the long hours of practising, the piece was received very well. Being as it was Hannah’s first original composition, she really dove into it, and Dominic responded and didn’t falter once. They received a standing ovation and Hannah played a further piece, solo, as an encore; one of Loretta’s favorites.
In the interval, both musicians were in demand and eventually Loretta made it to Hannah’s side.
“My dear, that was splendid; young Dominic really has come on under your tutelage. I’m almost positive we will tour once I get back from my vision quest.”
“When are you leaving, Loretta?”
“Tomorrow; we’re gathering at sunset.”
“I shan’t see you again,” Hannah said with a few tears.
“Oh, don’t worry; we’ll meet again … Have fun and don’t stop playing!”
“Take care, Loretta; I’m sure everything will work out.”
“I know it will.”
The evening drew to a close and Francine and Charles invited Hannah back to the house;
“That’s very kind but I have a date, finally!”
“Is he here?” asked Francine, buzzing with anticipation.
“No; he was working this evening; we’re meeting for a late supper.”
“But if you’re leaving, Valerie, what will come of it?”
“He wants to travel, and we’ll meet in Europe.”
“How romantic!”
Everyone left, and not long afterwards, Hannah was able to effect the switch back, leaving the true Nightingale on the stage to be picked up in the morning by the removal firm; to whom Hannah, as Loretta, had spoken, changing the delivery address from the house to the shop with specific orders that it should be delivered at noon. As far as Loretta was concerned, it was being delivered to the house and her housekeeper would be there to receive it. Hannah took the synthesizer home.
The following morning, she dressed as Loretta and went to the shop to make the rendezvous with the delivery of the harpsichord. The owner was a little bewildered to say the least.
“You’re selling it, Mrs. Colton?”
“It reminds me too much of David.”
“I have a buyer willing to pay one hundred and fifty thousand dollars.”
“I’ll take it if I can have payment today.”
“As it happens, you can.”
“Excellent!”
Hannah, as Loretta, took the bond and left the Nightingale in the shop but she needed someone other than the shop owner to see her there so that there was at least one independent witness to the sale; Francine came in at the appointed time.
“Loretta!”
“Darling! Can’t stop, my “vision” awaits me and it doesn’t feature the Nightingale, so I’ve sold it.”
“Loretta, surely not!”
“The money will fund the tour - must run, darling. Why are you here?”
“The owner called to say that they had a thimble I might be interested in.”
“Goodbye, darling, see you in a month.”
Hannah left and grabbed a cab as soon as she could, leaving Francine in a bit of a whirl and when she approached the owner to see the thimble, he didn’t have a clue what she was talking about.
Hannah made it to the flat and changed quickly, and then went to Francine’s house to stay the evening because they all left the following day.
Francine got back and told Hannah what had happened at the antique shop.
“She looked so fresh, and I swear years have dropped off of her.”
“She’s becoming a new woman,” said Hannah.
Hannah stayed the evening and in the morning, they went to the airport. She and Dominic, with two of his friends and one of the dads, left for Houston while Charles and Francine went to Mexico. After the launch, she put Dominic on his flight to Mexico as arranged and then flew back to San Francisco. Dressed as Loretta, she went round to Francine’s house and let herself in, found the key for the display case in the jewellery box and swapped over the thimbles.
As she left, she made sure that at least one of the neighbors saw her, to whom she waved. Back at the apartment, she waited for the removal firm to pick up her empty, restored harpsichord casing and take it to Loretta’s, where the housekeeper took it in and parked it in the small lounge. Hannah then took the synthesizer to one of the better secondhand stores and sold it.
Back at the apartment, she changed back into Hannah and left, taking a cab to the airport from where she flew to New York and thence to London, taking up residence in a small mews house in Chelsea, all under the name of Virginia Musgrave.
She finally managed to get it home with the help of the cab driver and she installed the synthesizer and then tested it to see what effect the old wood had on the sound. In her view, it was an eighty/twenty result but good enough to fool most people who wouldn’t have actually heard a harpsichord played live before. The electronic cable exited from the base of the casing and was hidden for the most part by one of the legs.
“Excellent!”
When Dominic came over, he was enthralled and he played the gala piece of music on it and they both agreed it was as good as they were going to get. She gave him the rudiments of the computer he wanted to build; a box of components that she judged was a fair exchange for his future part in her subterfuge.
A month remained before the Nightingale would be ready and there was precious little to do except study of course and teach the occasional music lesson. As a test of her handicraft, she swapped the key she had made for Dominic’s own; nothing happened so she assumed it worked, and now she had the means to gain entry to the house.
She re-visited the antique shop in the guise of Anna Bohm and confirmed the delivery date for the harpsichord. The owner was delighted to inform her that he had a buyer lined up, for one hundred and fifty thousand dollars, fully restored.
“There is a warehouse near the airport where the piece should be delivered,” he confirmed.
“The piece will be delivered to this shop at noon on that day in exchange for an untraceable bearer bond for one hundred and fifty thousand dollars …”
“I don’t want it seen here.”
“I am not taking it to a deserted warehouse.”
“If someone sees it come into the shop then when the theft is reported, the police will come straight here.”
“Who said it was stolen?”
“It isn’t?”
“No …”
“But it is an Eighteenth Century Zenti harpsichord, fully restored by Fitzwilliam’s?”
“Oh yes …”
“The Nightingale belongs to Loretta Colton.”
“Does it?”
“You’ll be playing a dangerous game if you double-cross me.”
“The threat is noted; but your concern is baseless. You will have what you want and so will I.”
Hannah left and smiled richly to herself; if only she could find a decent chess player, she’d give them a run for their money, she mused.
She visited Francine and Charles to confirm the arrangements for the trip to the launch and the flight that Dominic needed to get.
“You’re sure you’ll manage, Valerie?” asked Francine, the picture of concerned motherhood.
“Absolutely positive; my flight is also booked …”
“Dominic will be very upset that you’re going; he actually looks forward to his lessons with you.”
“Once things settle down, he’ll be fine, especially if Loretta takes him on tour, and in any event, with your blessing to build the computer, he’ll be much happier.”
“You’ll make a very capable mother one day.”
Hannah smiled, leaving the thought hanging.
She visited Loretta. David was absent and she didn’t ask where he was; the mood seemed lighter.
“Are you sure the trip to Mexico wouldn’t do you the power of good, Loretta?”
“No; it was David’s idea. I’m off to the Mojave Desert to find my ‘vision’. When I get back, I’ll seriously look at the idea of the tour with Dominic, and I may get into these computers myself - shipping is so dull!”
“Is the Nightingale ready yet?”
“They say Friday; delivered to the concert venue at three o’clock in the afternoon. I’ll see it in the morning when I go and pay their bill!”
“Ouch!”
“Fifty thousand … but worth every cent and its future is assured.”
“I can’t wait to play it … Are you sure you won’t play at the gala?”
“Positive; you and Dominic deserve it.”
“Thank you … by the way, who is tuning it once it’s delivered to the venue?”
“Oh; do you know, I’ve completely forgotten about that.”
“I’ll do it for you.”
“You can? I mean; you would?”
“Of course; it would be an honor and in some small way it would repay your debt of kindness.”
“Oh dear child; if I had been blessed with a child, I hope it would have been like you.”
Hannah left and wondered if Hell would be altogether very terrible or if there was still time to redeem herself!
Now she knew the where and the when it was action stations.
On the Friday morning, Loretta went to Fitzwilliam’s and paid over fifty thousand dollars, cooed for thirty seconds, and left to get her hair done. Hannah was watching and saw the instrument picked up an hour later by a specialist removal firm that took the harpsichord to the concert venue.
She went home and picked up her harpsichord/synthesizer and took it to the concert venue and, being a concert venue, the sight of a large musical instrument in a travel case did not cause anyone to bat an eye.
Hannah as Valerie set to and tuned the Nightingale where it sat on the stage. As it approached lunch, the stagehands made their way to grab a bite and Hannah effected the swap - not without a great deal of effort and a thimble full of sweat but she did it, and had hers in position. And just as she hoped, the electrical cable was pretty much hidden and there was an adjacent floor-mounted socket. She played the piece to ensure nothing had gotten damaged in the transfer. All was well, and the sound, compared to the original, which she had just tuned and played, was probably ninety percent there or thereabouts.
She moved the Nightingale in the trolley to a dark corner of the backstage area and threw a tarpaulin over it, and then she left.
In the afternoon, she packed and had her two smart cases ready by the door. In the late afternoon and early evening, she got ready for the gala and then went, as arranged, to Dominic’s house, so that they could all travel together. Charles had even bought her a corsage. Once at the venue, she and Dominic practiced the all-important piece.
“Why are we playing yours and not Mrs. Colton’s?” he asked.
“I think she sold it,” said Hannah, “Don’t mention anything; she isn’t very well.”
Dominic, believing he was on the inside track for a change, just winked.
There was a gathering of the great and the good beforehand, ostensibly so that everyone who believed they were somebody could be seen to make their donation, and then everyone took their seats and the evening commenced.
Hannah and Dominic made their entrance onto the stage and they bowed before taking their positions for the eagerly anticipated duet. Francine and Charles beamed and clapped enthusiastically whilst Loretta just lapped it up; David was nowhere to be seen. They performed the duet and one supposes because of the occasion and maybe due to the long hours of practising, the piece was received very well. Being as it was Hannah’s first original composition, she really dove into it, and Dominic responded and didn’t falter once. They received a standing ovation and Hannah played a further piece, solo, as an encore; one of Loretta’s favorites.
In the interval, both musicians were in demand and eventually Loretta made it to Hannah’s side.
“My dear, that was splendid; young Dominic really has come on under your tutelage. I’m almost positive we will tour once I get back from my vision quest.”
“When are you leaving, Loretta?”
“Tomorrow; we’re gathering at sunset.”
“I shan’t see you again,” Hannah said with a few tears.
“Oh, don’t worry; we’ll meet again … Have fun and don’t stop playing!”
“Take care, Loretta; I’m sure everything will work out.”
“I know it will.”
The evening drew to a close and Francine and Charles invited Hannah back to the house;
“That’s very kind but I have a date, finally!”
“Is he here?” asked Francine, buzzing with anticipation.
“No; he was working this evening; we’re meeting for a late supper.”
“But if you’re leaving, Valerie, what will come of it?”
“He wants to travel, and we’ll meet in Europe.”
“How romantic!”
Everyone left, and not long afterwards, Hannah was able to effect the switch back, leaving the true Nightingale on the stage to be picked up in the morning by the removal firm; to whom Hannah, as Loretta, had spoken, changing the delivery address from the house to the shop with specific orders that it should be delivered at noon. As far as Loretta was concerned, it was being delivered to the house and her housekeeper would be there to receive it. Hannah took the synthesizer home.
The following morning, she dressed as Loretta and went to the shop to make the rendezvous with the delivery of the harpsichord. The owner was a little bewildered to say the least.
“You’re selling it, Mrs. Colton?”
“It reminds me too much of David.”
“I have a buyer willing to pay one hundred and fifty thousand dollars.”
“I’ll take it if I can have payment today.”
“As it happens, you can.”
“Excellent!”
Hannah, as Loretta, took the bond and left the Nightingale in the shop but she needed someone other than the shop owner to see her there so that there was at least one independent witness to the sale; Francine came in at the appointed time.
“Loretta!”
“Darling! Can’t stop, my “vision” awaits me and it doesn’t feature the Nightingale, so I’ve sold it.”
“Loretta, surely not!”
“The money will fund the tour - must run, darling. Why are you here?”
“The owner called to say that they had a thimble I might be interested in.”
“Goodbye, darling, see you in a month.”
Hannah left and grabbed a cab as soon as she could, leaving Francine in a bit of a whirl and when she approached the owner to see the thimble, he didn’t have a clue what she was talking about.
Hannah made it to the flat and changed quickly, and then went to Francine’s house to stay the evening because they all left the following day.
Francine got back and told Hannah what had happened at the antique shop.
“She looked so fresh, and I swear years have dropped off of her.”
“She’s becoming a new woman,” said Hannah.
Hannah stayed the evening and in the morning, they went to the airport. She and Dominic, with two of his friends and one of the dads, left for Houston while Charles and Francine went to Mexico. After the launch, she put Dominic on his flight to Mexico as arranged and then flew back to San Francisco. Dressed as Loretta, she went round to Francine’s house and let herself in, found the key for the display case in the jewellery box and swapped over the thimbles.
As she left, she made sure that at least one of the neighbors saw her, to whom she waved. Back at the apartment, she waited for the removal firm to pick up her empty, restored harpsichord casing and take it to Loretta’s, where the housekeeper took it in and parked it in the small lounge. Hannah then took the synthesizer to one of the better secondhand stores and sold it.
Back at the apartment, she changed back into Hannah and left, taking a cab to the airport from where she flew to New York and thence to London, taking up residence in a small mews house in Chelsea, all under the name of Virginia Musgrave.
Nothing, Stateside, happened for about three weeks and the first thing that happened was when Francine went to clean her treasured collection of thimbles for the first time since getting back from Mexico. The shock took a week to get over, and of course, she informed the police, who did their routine enquiries, during which, they happened to speak to the neighbor who had seen Hannah, dressed as Loretta, leave the property that day.
“I’ll speak to her,” she said to the detective, “She’s not been well.”
Francine didn’t know how to broach the subject, so didn’t and for a considerable time thereafter, the subject of thimbles was taboo!
When Loretta got back she couldn’t wait to get the harpsichord out of the travel trolley; momentarily troubled because she didn’t remember having a case for it but decided it was a good idea anyway. When the travel trolley was opened, she stood admiring her beloved Nightingale. The butler-type took the harpsichord out of the case and sat it down for her. She lifted the lid and once the fact that the case was minus its innards registered, she actually fainted. The police did visit the antique shop and were told, with some measure of satisfaction by the owner, that Loretta herself had sold it to him; a fact that could be verified by Mrs. Francine Eagleton. A fact which was verified, and after that, Loretta went straight back to the Mojave Desert.
Fitzwilliam’s confirmed that the case which stood in Loretta’s parlor had been restored by them, for Frau Anna Bohm; and there the trail led nowhere for there was no record of her anywhere and no one by that name had left on a flight in the period since.
Dominic added two and two together, being a bright lad, but seeing as he’d witnessed the launch of the Columbia and got to build his beloved computer, he reckoned that they were a fair trade for keeping his mouth tight shut; nor did he have to tour with Loretta and that guaranteed his silence.
“I’ll speak to her,” she said to the detective, “She’s not been well.”
Francine didn’t know how to broach the subject, so didn’t and for a considerable time thereafter, the subject of thimbles was taboo!
When Loretta got back she couldn’t wait to get the harpsichord out of the travel trolley; momentarily troubled because she didn’t remember having a case for it but decided it was a good idea anyway. When the travel trolley was opened, she stood admiring her beloved Nightingale. The butler-type took the harpsichord out of the case and sat it down for her. She lifted the lid and once the fact that the case was minus its innards registered, she actually fainted. The police did visit the antique shop and were told, with some measure of satisfaction by the owner, that Loretta herself had sold it to him; a fact that could be verified by Mrs. Francine Eagleton. A fact which was verified, and after that, Loretta went straight back to the Mojave Desert.
Fitzwilliam’s confirmed that the case which stood in Loretta’s parlor had been restored by them, for Frau Anna Bohm; and there the trail led nowhere for there was no record of her anywhere and no one by that name had left on a flight in the period since.
Dominic added two and two together, being a bright lad, but seeing as he’d witnessed the launch of the Columbia and got to build his beloved computer, he reckoned that they were a fair trade for keeping his mouth tight shut; nor did he have to tour with Loretta and that guaranteed his silence.
