Page 124

That escalated fast. But two can play that game.

“I’ll go away, but tell Ms. Lawton I know her real name is Lisa Thivierge.”

There’s a long pause this time, like maybe the voice is conferring with someone.

The intercom crackles again.

“Ms. Lawton isn’t interested in talking to you. Now, you need to go away.”

“I have a feeling I got Ms. Thivierge’s attention and that she’s listening right now. Isn’t that right, Ms. Thivierge?”

There’s another pause before the voice says, “I’m calling the police.”

With nothing to lose I say, “Forever yours, forever mine.”

A second later, the front door opens.

The assistant is young and blond. At first glance I think she’s heavyset, but I’m wrong. She’s wearing an insulated bodysuit. An arctic breeze drifts out of Thivierge’s front door into the sunny California sky.

The assistant looks me over.

“Are you with TV or the papers?”

“You think I’m a reporter? Is that what this is about?”

“It’s about maintaining Ms. Lawton’s privacy.”

“First, stop with the ‘Ms. Lawton’ stuff. If she really was Lawton, you wouldn’t have opened the door and LAPD would be taking me away in cuffs.”

“If you’re not a reporter, what do you want?”

“I already told you. Forever yours, forever mine. I want to talk to Ms. Thivierge about it.”

“She doesn’t want to talk to you.”

“I don’t want to talk to anybody, but I have a job to do.”

A phone to the left of the door rings. The assistant has to take off a glove to pick it up.

“Yes. I see. All right then.”

She hangs up and steps away from the door.

“Come in,” she says. “Ms. Lawton will see you after all.”

I was right about the air conditioner, at least. The moment I set a foot inside Thivierge’s Halloween castle, I’m freezing.

“I’m Maggie, Ms. Lawton’s personal assistant.”

The look she gives me isn’t quite a sneer. It’s more like she opened a garbage can and found a dead skunk inside. She holds up a hooded parka.

“Put this on.”

I button up my coat against the chill.

“I’m fine.”

Maggie puts the parka back on a wall peg and offers me a heavy scarf. I shake my head. Until I know exactly what’s going on here, I don’t want anything that might be charmed or get in my way in a fight.