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The Contessa's Necklace

By Linda Siebold

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Prologue
A cold sliver of unease inched down Marguerite Collins’ back. Something felt off, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. She opened her eyes and moved her head gingerly, expecting the pounding thrum to rage at her temples, but the migraine had eased. Only a nasty taste remained from the sedative the doctor had given her yesterday afternoon. Surely, she hadn’t slept since then.
The clock, ticking loudly in the silence, read half-past seven, and daylight peeked through the crack in the heavy drapes. She took a deep breath and slid her feet out from under the covers onto the floor. If she hurried she could still eat breakfast with Anna and the others. Anna would have plenty for her to do as the wedding was only days away.
Marguerite descended the winding stairs, her footsteps slowing as she made her way down. A cloud covered the sun as she reached the wide landing, throwing the steps into shadow. The sconces on the opposite wall were dark. A trickle of fear shimmered as she paused. She tilted her head to listen for the usual morning sounds from the main floor, but an eerie silence blanketed the house around her. The lights at the bottom of the stairs blinked on as she flipped the switch, the chandelier throwing prisms on the wall. Odd, the lights were usually on. Anna said that the contessa had the staff leave them lit because they could be seen from the road. But the lights were off as well as the sconces…
She crossed the tile into the morning room. Cookie always served breakfast there, but not this morning. No urns of coffee waited on the side table. No scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, or hot cereal in their metal covers sat on the sideboard by the kitchen. Was she late? No. The clock on the wall read eight o’clock. No clang of pots and pans echoed from the kitchen. No voices.
She shivered. On leaden feet Marguerite worked her way down the hall, peering into empty rooms as she passed. Yesterday before the migraine, she’d overheard the contessa ask Cookie to serve dinner in the formal dining room last night. Maybe that’s where they were. She turned the corner and headed that way. The hall was dark too. The contessa preferred all the doors open to the light, especially this one because of the stained glass, but the door was closed. Marguerite slowed her steps the rest of the way. With shaky fingers she reached for the knob.
The door opened soundlessly on a horrific tableau. She tried to scream for help, but no sound came out. The people she’d come to love and admire in the last month were here. The contessa slumped over her plate with her hand clutching her throat. Monte—sweet, funny Monte, the contessa’s son—leaned against the back of his chair with dark stains covering his chin and down his white shirt. Mr. and Mrs. Franken huddled together, balanced against the adjoining arms of their chairs. Kip Franken lay on the floor by the other entry door with his arms outstretched.
On shaky legs Marguerite rushed to the contessa to feel for a pulse but found none. She moved around the table and caressed Monte’s cheek. Just last night he’d asked her to stay after the wedding was over. Tears clogged her throat as she forced herself away to check the others, grasping for any sign of life, but all were dead.
Through the shock of what she’d seen, the fact dawned that Anna was not here. Oh, God. Please let her be alive. She stepped over Kip’s body to find Anna in the hall with her hand reaching for the telephone stand. Dropping to her knees, she cradled her friend in her arms. As sobs wracked her body, something fluttered against her arm. She eased her friend down on the carpet and stared into her face. “Anna?”
Anna slowly opened her eyes. “Poisoned fish. Only ate a little. Tried to call for help.”
“I won’t let you die. I’ll get help.”
Anna clutched the sleeve of Marguerite’s blouse, “No, too late. Edmund watched as they died. Necklace… he can’t have.” She struggled to breathe. “Take it and go. Kip…”
Then, Marguerite’s best friend gasped and died in her arms.
Chapter One
Selena Simmons smoothed the lace on Gran’s shoulder. “Gran, I’m glad I talked you into that lavender dress. You look stunning. And, Uncle David, you will be the handsomest man at the Mayor’s Ball tonight. Don’t keep your driver waiting on account of us.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to go with us, Selena?” A furrow formed between Gran’s brows as she glanced at her granddaughter. “It’s not every day we get to ride in a limo. John is still coming, isn’t he?”
“No, you and Uncle David go ahead. John will be here anytime. His client must’ve made him run a little late this afternoon.” Selena hugged Gran and smoothed a wayward curl from her cheek. “Don’t worry. If he doesn’t show up in another fifteen minutes, I’ll call a cab. I’m looking forward to seeing everybody from the courthouse offices. I’ll be there.”
“Just look for us, honey. You are at our table. If he makes you wait too long, I’ll move his place card to the back table,” Uncle David grinned. “Come on, Maggie.”
When the door closed after them, Selena peeked at the watch on her wrist and huffed, “Where are you, John? Why do you always do stuff like this?” She tapped her foot against the oak floor. Tugging her taffeta evening wrap around her shoulders, she dialed his cell phone again, but it went directly to voice mail this time. John should have been here thirty minutes ago. I’m not sure if he’s worth the wait any more. His clients are more important than me.
The building intercom buzzed and a spark of hope burned in her heart.
“Yes.” She answered. It’s about time.
“Miss Selena, this is Bobby. The judge and Miss Maggie ordered a car for you. It’s here.”
She swept away the tear that trickled down her face with the back of her hand and squared her shoulders. The spark fluttered and went out. “I’ll be right down.”
*****
Selena rested back into the leather cushions of the town car as the driver eased his way through the busy midtown traffic. They had almost reached the Mayor’s Ball when the taxi ahead of them slammed on the brakes to pull into one of the grand hotels on the route. She idly gazed out the window and saw John, her John, helping a tall brunette in a very short dress out of the cab. Her gaze zeroed in as John slammed the door of the cab, threw his arms around the woman, and kissed her under the portico.
Guess she must be the client. Selena’s heart broke into little pieces, but she realized their relationship hadn’t been right in the first place. She bit her bottom lip to keep from ordering the driver to stop. Memories of all the times John had broken dates or had her wait while he talked to clients surfaced. Business was what he told her, but maybe it was this woman all those times… His clients are more important than me.
“Miss, we’re here.” The driver stood patiently at her door.
Selena unclenched her fists and opened her eyes. All she could see was John and the woman. She took a deep breath and stepped out of the car to join the rest of the crowd waiting to go inside. When she entered the ballroom, a familiar voice asked, “Selena, is that you?” Bob Wilkens, one of Uncle David’s friends and also the chief of police, walked up and gave her a hug. “You’re looking pretty fancy.”
“Thank you kindly, sir. Chief Bob, it’s good to see you. Where are you sitting?”
“They are finding a place for me at the back. Unfortunately, I was late sending in my reservation.” He shrugged.
“No, you’ll sit with us. We have an empty seat at our table. My date found other things to do. I know Uncle David will want to have a chance to visit.” She grabbed his hand and pulled him forward to where Gran and Uncle David were watching for her.
“Look who I found. Chief Bob is joining us.”
Gran’s eyes widened. Uncle David was excited to see his friend, so conversation grew lively. Selena wasn’t going to ruin the evening for Gran and Uncle David.
As the men bantered back and forth, Gran leaned over and whispered, “Where’s John?”
“Out of the picture. I saw him with another girl on the ride here.” Selena brushed away the tear that threatened to spill down her cheek.
“Are you okay?” Gran grasped her hand.
“I’m okay. I guess I just can’t pick them.”
The servers brought out salads and the topic was dropped. When dinner was over and plates were cleared, the mayor began the program. He made a few short remarks and presented awards for the year.
“Finally, this year we have a new award. This was created by the rank and file of the police department, the fire department, and EMTs. It is called the First Responders Man of the Year Award. This award is for the person who exemplifies respect and willingness to work with all first responders. Chief Wilkens, would you please present this award?”
Bob pushed his chair back and strode toward the podium. Once arrived, he stood quietly behind the microphone, metals and ribbons from his jacket glistening in the lights, and smiled back at the table he’d just left. “I am honored to be able to present this award. This was a unanimous decision in the rank and file on Thursday, by the way. Not only does he treat all first responders fairly and with the utmost respect, he goes out of his way to help in any situation that arises. He is also moving up the ranks to become a federal judge beginning on Monday. I am proud to name the recipient of the First Responders Man of the Year Award my dear friend, David Koehn.”
Selena and Maggie sprang to their feet and cheered with the crowd around them. Uncle David’s face reddened, and he slowly stood. Maggie rose on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. “Go,” she urged as flashbulbs flooded the space with light. Selena moved up beside Gran and threw her arms around her as Bob slipped the ribbon with the medallion around David’s neck.
Celebration filled the rest of the evening, and John was the least of Selena’s thoughts as friends surrounded her. She forced the cheating jerk out of her mind.
 

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