A balding man, dressed in a three-piece business suit, entered the rotunda. The clerk snapped to attention. “Good afternoon, Mr. Spelling.”
“Hello, Vance. I thought Tabitha was working this afternoon’s shift.”
“Yes, sir.” Vance cleared his throat. “She asked if I would cover for her for a couple of hours. She had something to take care of first thing this morning.”
“I see.” The man turned to face Carlita and Autumn, a slow smile spreading across his face. “Welcome to Darbylane Museum. I’m Gaston Spelling, the museum curator. Is this your first visit?”
“Sort of,” Carlita said. “I was here the other day. The place was packed, so I decided to return after the crowds died down.”
“This is my first visit,” Autumn said. “I’ve been meaning to stop by. When Aunt…Carlita invited me to come with her, I jumped at the chance.”
“Enjoy the museum.” The curator strode down the center hall, his heels clicking sharply on the gleaming marble floors.
Vance waited until he was out of sight. He handed Carlita two tickets. “The Cotswold Georgian Exhibit begins in the room to the left. Our permanent exhibit, The River City, is in the exhibit room behind the Cotswold.” He handed each of them a pamphlet, which included a detailed description of the exhibits.
They wandered into the first section. Autumn glanced over her shoulder. “Now what?”
“Keep your eyes peeled. I forgot to check out the storage room Elvira asked me to investigate.” Carlita crept across the room and returned to the doorway. She peered around the corner and into the lobby they had just exited.
She could hear Vance rustling papers at the counter and eased a little closer to the side. Carlita tilted her head to get a visual on the other side of the room. There, near the main entrance, was a smaller door.
Autumn scooted in behind her. “Is that it?”
“Yes. Now, all we have to do is create a diversion so I can sneak inside and have a look around.”
“Let me think about it. In the meantime, we might as well enjoy the exhibits.” Autumn led the way, and the women slowly circled the room. She pointed to an empty spot on the wall. “Is this where the missing painting hung?”
“Yep.” Carlita nodded. “It wasn’t very big. Someone could have easily slipped it into their jacket or with a large enough handbag, they could’ve placed it inside.”
“Frame and all?”
“Yes, I believe they could have, except for the fact that no bags were allowed in here.” Carlita’s eyes slowly scanned the room as she counted the surveillance cameras. “None of these cameras were working when the painting went missing.”
“It was an inside job.”
“It had to be.” The women finished their tour of the Cotswold Georgian Exhibit before making their way to the museum’s permanent collection. “As much as I would like to appreciate art, sometimes I have a hard time figuring it out.”
Autumn grinned. “You, too? I’ve been making a game of it, trying to figure out the artist’s intent.”
“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” Carlita quipped.
“And worth is in the wallet of the collector.”
“You said it,” Carlita chuckled.
They circled the second exhibit area, The River City, and exited through a side door spilling into a spacious corridor.
Carlita recognized the corridor. It was the same one Elvira had used when she gave her the behind-the-scenes tour.
“Let’s take a wrong turn.” Carlita turned left instead of turning right - the direction of the front of the museum. Up ahead, she could hear the faint clatter of pots and pans. “This way.”
They reached the butler’s pantry, the spot where Elvira had sampled, and pocketed, a few of the tarts.
There was a swinging door on the other side and Carlita crept toward it.
“What are you doing?” Autumn hissed.
“Taking a wrong turn.” Carlita swung the door open and stepped inside the bustling kitchen. The workers darted back and forth, taking no notice of the women.
High-end stainless steel appliances filled the large kitchen. The smell of fresh garlic wafted in the air. A woman wearing a chef’s hat stood next to a butcher-block counter slicing bread.
Finally, one of the workers noticed the women and made his way over. “Can I help you?”
“Yes. I…my niece and I were wondering if you’re taking applications. She’s looking for a part-time job, and someone told us you were hiring kitchen staff.”
“I…uh. The young woman’s eyes slid to the woman standing at the counter. “Mrs. Finch might be able to answer that.” She hurried to the woman’s side and began talking in a low voice.
The older woman set the serrated knife next to the bread and wiped her hands before making her way over. “I’m Mrs. Finch, the head cook here. Someone told you we were hiring?”
“Y-yes…my friend heard it,” Autumn stuttered.
“We may be hiring, but you’re in no way ready to work in my kitchen.” She pointed to Autumn’s stiletto shoes. “I’ll get you an application.”
She reached inside a drawer and pulled out a clipboard before handing it to Autumn. “I have an opening for a dishwasher.”
“Thank you. I’ll take this to the hallway to fill it out.” Autumn, along with Carlita, returned to the butler’s pantry. “Now what?”
“I’m not sure.” Carlita reached into her pocket. “Crud. I forgot to turn the earpiece on. Elvira is probably having a fit.” She pulled the device from her jacket pocket, tucked the small earpiece in her ear and then turned the microphone on.
“Elvira, do you copy?”
“Yeah. Where have you been?”
“Sorry. I forgot. We toured the museum, stopped by the kitchen and now Autumn is filling out an application.”
“Why did you go to the kitchen?”
“Why not? You told us
