The Case of the Scarlet Brooch
Chapter 4Once they were on the ground in San Francisco, they parted company. Stu went one way and Jeff went the other, agreeing to meet back at the airport at five o'clock. Stu caught a cab and headed for The Palace of Fine Arts. The townhouse owned by Iris Huntington was one block east of The Palace.
"Are you sure these are townhouses?" Stu asked the cab driver.
"Yes, sir. If you're lookin' for Miz Huntington's, that's it right there," the driver explained, pointing at the largest townhouse Stu had ever seen. Three stories and bigger than anything for blocks, Stu took the driver at his word, paid the fare and exited the cab. He climbed the steps to the front door and rang the bell. There was a shriek, followed by a great deal of laughter, and the door was pulled open by a blonde of about eighteen in a ponytail. She was out of breath and laughing. "Yes?"
"I'm Stuart Bailey, of Bailey and Spencer in Los Angeles. Your grandmother employed our firm to locate her missing scarlet brooch. May I come in?" Stu asked as he handed the blonde his business card.
"Oh, sure," the girl answered, and opened the door wider. "Jillian, the Private Investigator's here," she called.
The room Bailey stepped into was large and luxurious. Gold silk drapes covered the windows, and the furnishings looked like they were brand new. Stu heard high heels clicking on the tiled floor and looked down the hall to see a brunette walking his way. Mid-to-late twenties, she had long straight hair and spectacular green eyes; and she was extremely well-built. She wore a cream-colored suit with a white blouse and appeared highly amused. "Mr. Bailey? I'm Jillian Simington," she explained, extending her hand. They shook hands and Stu was delighted to find hers soft and pleasantly warm. "I see you've met my younger sister, Claire."
"Hey, sis, he's dreamy," Claire remarked, and Jillian's cheeks grew pink.
"Go find someone to play with, Claire," Jillian remarked to her sister. "Won't you come in, Mr. Bailey? Would you like some coffee, or something else to drink?"
"Coffee would be good, Miss Simington, thank you. And black is fine." She really was a spectacular looking woman.
"Won't you have a seat? I'll have Marie bring coffee to the living room." She disappeared back down the hallway and was gone just a minute or two. Claire had migrated to the living room and Stu went in and took a seat on the sofa. When Jillian returned he stood and she smiled. "Please, Mr. Bailey, have a seat. Claire, go find something to do. If we need you I'll send for you." Claire made a face and left the room, just as a young woman in a maid's uniform entered with coffee on a tray. "Thank you, Marie. I'll pour." Marie left and Jillian poured them both a cup. "Now, Mr. Bailey, I understand Grandmother's brooch is nowhere to be found. How can I help you?"
"Does she leave it here often, Miss Simington?"
"Jillian, please. If she's coming up to stay with us she usually brings it with her. The last time she was here was Halloween. There are a lot of children in the neighborhood and Grandmother gives a Halloween party for them."
"Are you and your sister here at the townhouse for the party? And please, call me Stu."
"Yes, we are. We help passing out candy and playing games with the children. Claire loves Halloween and still dresses up in costume for it. I believe Grandmother wore her brooch on Halloween."
"Wouldn't that be a little over-the-top for a children's party?"
Jillian laughed. "You don't know Grandmother very well. The parents are all invited and Grandmother always dresses up. I believe she was a twenties flapper last October."
"Where does she keep her brooch when she isn't wearing it?" Stu was doing his level best to move the investigation forward, but he was captivated by the girl with the green eyes.
"Oh, Grandmother has a jewelry box in her bedroom." Jillian felt totally at ease with this man she'd just met.
Stu smiled. He couldn't help it. "With a lock on it? And a secret compartment for the brooch?"
Jillian was laughing as she answered him. "I see you've talked to some of my relatives. Or was it one of the butlers? Grandmother has the same jewelry box with the same secret compartment in each of her houses. But the lock on each of them is different. A key to one wouldn't open any of the others. Would you like to see the one here?"
"Yes, please."
"It's upstairs, Stu. Is that short for Stuart?"
"It is."
"I think that fits you better. May I call you Stuart?" She didn't wait for an answer. "Come with me and I'll take you to Grandmother's lair."
Stu followed her through the living room and into the dining room, then turned a corner and found a well-concealed staircase. "I hope you don't mind . . . we have an elevator, but I'd rather take the stairs."
"Not at all."
When they got to the next floor, Stu understood why Jillian preferred the stairs. "This is my room and that one's Grandmother's."
"And your sister's?"
Jillian laughed again. "All the way down at the end of the hall . . . by the elevator. Claire can be a little loud at times, as you heard when you rang the doorbell."
They made the turn into Iris Huntington's bedroom; it looked much the same as the room in the Ocean View house. And against the far wall stood the jewelry box with the lock on it, just exactly like the one he'd seen in the house in Monterey. "Who has the keys?"
"I have one and mother has the other one."
"And Claire doesn't have a key?"
Jillian shook her head. "No. Grandmother didn't think that would be wise."
"Do you have the key with you?"
"Yes." Jillian wore the small gold key on a chain around her neck. "Shall I unlock it?"
"Please."
It took her just a moment and the box was unlocked. Stu pulled out the fourth drawer and sprang the trap on the hidden segment. When that opened there wasn't anything in it besides the white velvet lining. At least that's what it looked like at first, then Stu's eye caught something in the very corner of the compartment and he lifted it out carefully. It was a small ruby, the size of a pencil lead. "Does this look like it came from the brooch?"
"It could have. There were definitely rubies that looked like leaves on it, and they could have been that size. But there was nothing missing when I last saw the brooch."
Stu pulled a small evidence bag from the inside pocket of his coat and bagged the gem. "May I take this with me?" he asked.
"Certainly. Will you return it to Grandmother?"
"After I have it analyzed," Stu explained.
"I can show you the rest of the place if you'd like. Marie can prepare some lunch while I take you on the tour."
"I don't want to take up your time like that." That wasn't the truth. Stu absolutely wanted to take up as much of her time as he could manage.
"You really should see the place," Jillian explained. "And I have to eat, and so do you. So how about it, Stuart? I really wish you would."
That was all it took. "Well, I don't have to be back at the airport until five o'clock, so I'll say yes, I'd love to see the rest of the place."
"Good. Let's stop by the kitchen first, and we can get Marie started on that lunch."