“That’s suspicious right there,” Robin said dryly.
“True,” I admitted, then stood up to pace the length of the couch and back. I could think better on my feet. I told them everything I thought I knew about Alice, some of which I’d already told Derek. The Catholic boarding school, the stomach problems, the conference where she and Layla first met. “Oh, and she’s engaged to a guy named Stuart,” I added.
“Stuart? Who would make up a name like that?” Suzie asked, mystified.
Our chuckles broke the tension.
“According to Layla,” I added, “Alice’s background is in arts fund-raising.”
“Art and money,” Vinnie said sagely. “For a wily thief with a clever cover story, it is the perfect world to infiltrate.”
I sighed. “Okay, Gabriel’s drawn to that world, too, so I’m willing to acknowledge a connection between him and Alice is not impossible. But it’s highly improbable.”
“But why would she shoot him?” Robin said. “That’s so disturbing.”
“Perhaps Gabriel recognized her,” Derek said. “Or more likely, Alice saw him first, recognized him, and knew she had to get rid of him before he saw her and blew her cover.”
“To protect her band of thieves,” Suzie murmured, and her eyes widened in amazement. “It’s just like Oliver Twist. Far out.”
“Oh, my God,” I said. “Layla was Fagin.”
“But Alice is Sikes,” Suzie said, wagging her finger at me. “Talk about a psychopath.”
I shivered. Bill Sikes was the personification of evil in the story of Oliver Twist.
“It’s all speculation,” I said halfheartedly.
“Oh!” Vinnie wiggled with excitement. “This reminds me of an old episode of White Collar with a similar plot. The bad guys dealt in Asian antiquities, but rare books would work just as well. So, Alice wants to take over Layla’s territory and Mr. Soo was Layla’s middleman. Alice had to dispose of them both in order to move her own people into place. The center where Brooklyn teaches classes was similar to the private museum depicted in White Collar. Both provide the perfect front for nefarious activities.”
Suzie gazed fondly at Vinnie. I caught Robin’s eye and we both smiled. Vinnie was in love with American television and pop culture.
“I guess anything’s possible,” I conceded finally, and turned to Derek. “So what do we do now?”
“This is Derek Stone, everybody,” I announced the following night at the start of the makeup class. “He’s my ride home.”
“Nice ride,” Whitney whispered.
I had to agree. “He’s going to hang out and see what we do here. Hope nobody minds.”
“Fine with me,” Gina said, her voice suddenly sultry. She exchanged glances with Whitney, who dipped under the table, pretending to fiddle with her purse. When she surfaced, she wore pert red cheeks and fresh lipstick.
Similar behavior was repeated by many of the women around the table.
“How you doin’?” Mitchell said, bobbing his head in acknowledgment of Derek.
“I’m well, thanks,” Derek murmured. “You?”
Mitchell grunted, thus giving his male seal of approval to Derek’s intrusion into his domain. That was it. The male ritual dance was concluded.
I stole a glance at Alice, who stared at me meaningfully, then wiggled her eyebrows and winked. I returned her smile, praying I was acting as natural with her as I had in the past. I felt like a complete impostor.
We’d stayed up late the night before to work out our plan of attack. Derek was to wander around my class and occasionally pretend to check his e-mail while he actually took pictures of my students. Then we’d show the photos to Gabriel to see if he recognized anyone.
Since Robin had indulged in several glasses of wine, Derek had insisted she spend the night, and he’d driven back to his hotel. As far as Derek and me getting together went, I was beginning to feel like the punch line of a bad joke.
Tonight, as my students completed their second journal book, I threw in a lesson on how to mix PVA glue with certain powders and pastes to achieve different textures and results.
“The thinner the PVA,” I explained, “the more useful it is for restoration work, patching delicate tears and securing frayed threads.”
Thickening was another story. I showed them what happened to the glue when wheat paste was added to the mix. Then a different result occurred when methyl cellulose was used. Essentially, the addition of another compound tended to slow down the drying process, allowing the bookbinder to manipulate the textblock or pastedowns as desired.
“Methyl cellulose can also be used to thicken the water bath when marbling paper.” I held up a small bag of the compound. “It’s important to always check the pH balance of any solution to determine its effect on the paper you’re applying it to.”
At that moment, I noticed the blank look on Mitchell’s face and knew I’d given the class more than enough information.
“Okay, I’ve said too much.”