Page 62 of In the Line of Ire

"Icouldn’t tell you. If things go south, I'll ask for their personaladvice about marital sex and see if that stops them."

"Do youhave a death wish?" I wondered as we pulled up to the little housewe currently called our home.

Solomonleaned in and kissed me lightly on the lips. "You've got me forlife," he said softly.

~

After Ichanged clothes, I headed to Lily’s house to collect her. “We havean errand to run first,” I told her as I drove towards theconvenience store listed on the receipt I’d found in Natalie’sbedroom. It was located with several other stores and only a blockfrom a busy road. A cursory look around told me no cameras occupiedthis block. I ducked inside, observing there wasn’t any mountedinside either. The salesclerk showed zero interest in me, or anyoneelse, as she flicked through a magazine in between servingcustomers. With no time to wait, I left.

“Dead end,” I told Lily when I climbed back into thecar.

“I hope my lead pans out,” said Lily. She checked her watch.“We should hurry.”

"This isan amazing residence," I said as we pulled up outside a beautifulbrick house in Bedford Hills. It was several blocks away from Hugoand Natalie and much larger. All the lights were on and I could seepeople moving around inside, obviously enjoying the ongoing party."They even have valet parking. The Mercedes on the driveway mustbelong to the homeowner."

"We’regoing to have a great time," said Lily, craning her head to look."Check out her shoes," she added as the BMW in front of usdisgorged two impeccably dressed women. "I don't feel like wedressed up enough. Quick! Let’s turn around. We’ll go back to myhouse so I can change my outfit."

"Youlook just fine," I told her. In the tight, black mini dress andsky-high heels, her trim figure would no doubt be the envy of everywoman inside there. How she maintained her slender form was alwaysa mystery to me. Well, maybe less of a mystery if I let her bullyme into visiting the gym more often. Since Lily's recent obsessionwith pole dancing, I declined to take any more gym classes withher.

"I knewit would be fancy but this is extra fancy for a purseparty."

"Youtake me to all the best places," I said as I pulled up to thevalet. I handed over my keys, grabbed my small purse and followedLily inside. She knocked at the door and when it opened, both Lilyand the woman squealed as they hugged each other. We were usheredinside and champagne flutes were pressed into our hands from a traycarried by a passing waiter.

"This isCharlaine," said Lily. "And this is my best friend andsister-in-law, Lexi. Charlaine and I knew each other fromhorseback-riding classes when we were kids."

"Yourhome is utterly exquisite," I told her. "Thank you for invitingus."

"Mypleasure. Any friend of Lily's is a friend of mine. Were you in ourriding club too?" she asked.

I shookmy head. "No, I never rode horses."

Shepeered at me. "You look so familiar. Tennis? Flower arranging? Thecountry club summer ball? Oh, I know, Aspen?"

"Probably," I said, squirming in my shoes. While Lily hadrich parents and assistants to shunt her around any number ofclasses and vacations, my parents were on a moderate income withfive kids to feed. Yet, despite lacking the kind of money Lily'sfamily enjoyed, we made up for it with extra warmth and love, morethan imaginable. Lily frequently joined us, despising her quiethome that seemed so empty without her distracted and frequentlyabsent parents.

"Lexi isa purse aficionada," said Lily. "We can't wait to take a look atyour inventory."

"Once everyone arrives, we can all take a look together.You’re all in for such a treat. I have a dozen labels for you tochoose from so I hope you bought plenty of cash and yourcheckbooks! There goes the doorbell again," Charlaine trilled,fluttering away. Over her shoulder, she called, "You must samplethecanapés;andyou can leave your jackets in the cloakroom."

"I'm going to eat all thecanapés," I said quietly to Lily. "Ihope they're expensive."

Lilysnuffed out a laugh. "Charlaine's always been a bit much but she'salso nice, really. Her husband is a big executive so she doesn'twork. She's always been a trend-setter in keeping up with theneighbors, even when we were kids, and she just naturally does it.She's amusing though, in small doses and she always tips well atthe bar."

"Now Ifeel mean."

"Give itfive minutes and she'll insult your shoes; then you'll feelbetter."

"Theseare your shoes," I reminded Lily.

"Thenyou won't be personally insulted. It's a win-win situation foryou."

"Do youknow anyone else here?" I asked, looking around at all the women intwin sets and smart dresses. Some of them stood in small groups andothers hovered in pairs. There must have been almost thirty women,most of whom carried expensive purses. I wondered if they were hereto buy a new purse because they genuinely wanted one or just toshow their friends how much disposable income they had tospend.

"No, Idon't think so. The woman in red by the fireplace looks likeCharlaine's friend. The same one who came into the bar with thefake purse. One or two other faces look familiar but I'm not sure.Maybe I'll remember them when they say their names."

"Let'sput our jackets in the cloakroom," I said, nudging Lily's elbow."It's over there."

Wehanded our jackets to the girl manning the cloakroom and movedbetween the clusters of people, checking out the guests and makingsmall talk. Charlaine's home was lovely. Big, open spaces with aglamorous living room furnished in white upholstery and mirroredglass. An oversized marble fireplace dominated the space. Pocketdoors led into the dining room where all the accessories werearranged on trays. Key fobs, wallets, card holders, and everythinga person might covet to match their new purses were also arrayedattractively.

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