“I wonder if they’re hidden in that secret room,” Iva said just as Hollis slid back into his chair next to her. He murmured an apology, and dove into the pizza. “Or if there are other secret rooms in the house. I really do need to come over and look, Leslie. Will you be home tomorrow? Can I comeby?”
“I’ll be there all day—except I think I’m being dragged—er, taken to—the football game at the high school tomorrow night.” Leslie grinned atCherry.
“What’s this about secret rooms?” Hollis asked, then sighed with satisfaction as he enjoyed his pizza. “Hardly ever get to eat like this athome.”
“Only two pieces, darling,” Iva reminded him. “You know what the doctor said about yourcholesterol.”
“Right.” Hollis rolled his eyes at her. “Where is this secret room you found,Leslie?”
“It’s under the main stairway in the foyer. Probably the people coming to the speakeasy would walk right in the front door and then head below through the secret doorway. You have to kind of duck your head and climb down—it’s not much more than a hole in the floor that leads to a spiralstaircase.”
“Did you have to take the staircase apart to get to it? How did you even know to do that?” Underwhiteasked.
“No, Declan just pulled away a section of the wall at about the midsection of thestairs.”
“Oooh…what was Declan doing at your house?” asked Trib with a wickedsmile.
“He’s restoring the wrought iron stairway—the one in the frontfoyer.”
“That’s a big job,” Regina said, looking at Leslie with raised brows. “And an expensive one. I hope you don’t need him to replace the whole thing—surely it would be thousands of dollars. Remember when I was working with Bayley Brothers on the remodel at Kendall Street, darling? We had wrought iron work done there, but that was before Declan Zyler moved back to town. It was verypricey.”
“Yes, but the railing is old, and of course Leslie doesn’t want to take the chance anyone could get injured,” Cherrysaid.
“And in order to keep my historical home designation, it has to be restored in the original manner. So, yes, it will be expensive. Maybe I’ll find the missing jewels and that will pay for it,” Leslie said with achuckle.
As the others joined in, John Fischer spoke up: “Well, I for one would like to see this secret room. If you’re giving tours to others”—he nodded toward Iva—“can you count me in? Sounds like a great idea for a book.” He gave Leslie a subtle wink—as if everyone at the table hadn’t figured out he was a writer—and selected another slice ofpizza.
“Sure. Why don’t you come over at eleven tomorrow morning? Anyone else?” she asked, half laughing as she looked around thetable.
“I’d love to, sweetie, but I’ll be here mixing up my crack pizza sauce. With its five secret ingredients,” said Trib with a wicked smile. “For sure anothertime.”
The Underwhites demurred, as well as Orbra (“Lunchtime’s busy, you know”), and Cherry groused that she had to teach a Pilates class atnoon.
“You can come over tonight and look,” Leslie suggested to her aunt. “It’s only nineo’clock.”
“Not tonight—remember, you said you’d help me move those display cabinets at the studio?” Cherry said. “Or now that you found an exciting secret room, maybe you don’t have time for your auntie anymore.” She pretended topout.
“Right. Sorry. I forgot you turn into a pumpkin atnine.”
“If you got up at four-thirty so you could teach yoga at six, you wouldn’t make fun,” Cherry toldher.
“I have no idea why you need an hour and a half to get ready in the morning,” Leslie said. Ever since she’d left the corporate world, she’d happily slept in till at least seven and spent less than a half-hour showering, dressing, and doing her hair—a great improvement over the ninety minutes she used to take to blow out her hair and do her makeup, and dress in pressed suits and Italian pumps everymorning.
She was never going back to thatworld.
“We’ll be over tomorrow at eleven,” said Iva, standing as Hollis tossed a couple of twenties onto the table. “But speaking of tuning into pumpkins…I’m about there myself. Good night,all.”
The dinner party broke up rapidly after that, and Leslie walked with Cherry out the door of Trib’s and across the almost deserted main street, down the block, then around the corner to her second-floor yoga studio. It took a little less than an hour to move the display cabinets that held books, tees, yoga pants, and fitness accessories—and for her to fill in a few more details about the speakeasyandDeclanZyler.
“I wouldn’t let what Reggie said about Emily Delton stop you,” Cherry said as she locked up thestudio.
“What are you talkingabout?”
“You know what I’m talking about. Stop playing dumb, sweet pea. I’m your favorite aunt and you’re my favoriteniece—”
“I’m your onlyniece—”
“And that’s beside the point. Only a straight man or a lesbian wouldn’t see the point in getting to know a guy like Dec Zyler a little—well, alot—better. So unless you find out otherwise, assume there’s absolutely nothing going on with him and EmilyDelton.”
