Page 105 of A Scandal in Homeroom
“Au contraire, my friend,” I said, cutting him off. “Now is the exact right time.”
Casually, I made my way through the crowd. Some couples were still waltzing, but most people had removed themselves to the edge of the dance floor to continue socializing. I was tall enough that I was able to easily make myself part of Bennet’s group as people simply gave way to me.
It was him and a few other men his age. Mrs. Bennet was across the room.
“I’m telling you, retirement agrees with me,” he was saying to his friends. “I thought I would be bored, but no. What’s the point of all that work if you can’t enjoy the rewards?”
Rewards. Indeed.
“Mr. Bennet,” I interrupted him. “How good to see you again.”
It took him a minute to place me, but as soon as he did, he had to work to fake a smile.
“I’m sorry, I don’t recall the name…”
“Holmes. Locke Holmes. I go to school with your daughters.”
“Of course, of course. But I imagine all the children here do, too.”
Children.Had he just called me a child?
“I’m sorry we won’t get to have another go at cards.”
His expression hardened instantly.
“You’re a worthy adversary,” I said. “But of course, in the end, I win.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You will, Moriarty. You will.”
I nodded to one of Croft’s special guests in the room. It was the signal he’d been waiting for. Instantly, the sprinkler system went off and water rained down from the ceiling. There were some shrieks of surprise, plus some gasps of alarm that there might actually be a fire.
“What’s happening?” Bennet charged, as he tried to push me aside. Except, I purposefully held my ground.
“You see, Moriarty was given a package the other night. Money that had been sprayed with an odorless, colorless chemical substance. When that chemical mixes with water, it identifies anyone who came into contact with it. Look at your hands Mr. Bennet.”
He lifted them up and we could both see they were now dyed red.
Instantly, Croft’s special guests, aka FBI agents, were on either side of him.
“Roger Bennet,” the one agent said. “You’re under arrest for extortion of a public official. If you’ll come with us quietly, we will not require handcuffs. Your Miranda rights will be read to you once we reach our car.”
“Caught,” I said. “Red-handed as it were.”
I did hate to be cliché, but I simply could not let that pass.
“You fool,” Bennet spat in my face. “You idiot. You don’t get it. You don’t understand any of this.”
“It’s not for me to understand anymore. The FBI will take it from here.”
There were more mutters and gasps as the people began to understand what was happening. That Roger Bennet was being led away by two very serious men in dark-colored suits.
That’s when I heard it. A cry from across the room. “Roger? Roger, what’s happening?”
With a sick feeling, I watched as Beth’s mother darted across the room, nearly slipping on the wet floor in her attempt to get to her husband.
“Dad!” Star joined her mother, and together, they followed Bennet out of the ballroom.
