Page 63 of A Shade of Myself
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Since I hadto speak to both Emmett and my boss, I drove over to her house. Much as I didn’t want to face Tatiana, this conversation was best handled in person. And on a full stomach because I was hangry enough to throw someone off a bridge. I stopped at a great Italian deli on the way for a grilled panini loaded with salami, bocconcini, and eggplant, eating it at the tiny outdoor patio area and washing it down with an icy-cold limonata San Pellegrino.
The golem wasn’t home when I got to my destination, but Tatiana’s assistant Marjorie led me to the artist’s bedroom.
“How are you getting on with Emmett?” I admired the colorful abstracts hung in the hallway and signed with Tatiana’s broad scrawl.
Marjorie blushed. “He’s really nice.”
Oh geez. Emmett was nowhere near self-aware enough to handle a crush with tact. I made a note to speak to him about being kind to her.
Tatiana’s room looked like a bomb had gone off with colorful clothing draped over every surface. The doors to the walk-in closet were open and Tatiana was inside, on tiptoe, reaching for a hat box.
“You need help with that?” I said, hurrying over.
“I’ve got it.” She retrieved it safely. “Marjorie, get me more compression bags.”
“Okay.” Her assistant scuttled off.
Tatiana opened the lid, set a black and gray fur hat on her head, and struck a pose. “What do you think?”
“Very Doctor Zhivago, but it’s still August, even if you’re going to Moscow.”
She tossed the hat on her bed. “I hate when seasons interfere with my fashion choices.”
“I bet you do. Where’s Emmett?”
“Out collecting fees.” She smiled. “He was very excited to take that job on.”
I rolled my eyes, picturing him dressed like some Mafia goon and threatening to break heads if people didn’t pay up.
“I heard you showed the necklace to Carpe Demon,” she said.
“That’s not really their name, is it?”
Tatiana shrugged. “It’s the only one we’re given.”
“Well, it was a last resort. Is that a problem?”
“Not so long as you email me a detailed description of everything you saw. Those people are very tight-lipped about their organization.”
I perched on the edge of a chair, careful not to crush any clothing. “And they probably have penalties for people who blab.”
“Did they say it was a secret? Make you sign an NDA? Swear you to silence with a blood oath?”
I thought through my interactions with Carpe Demon. “No.”
“Then that’s their problem.” She opened a drawer in her large dresser and frowned at the contents. “So? Was there any magic on the necklace?”
I shook my head.
“I hate to say I told you so.” She opened another drawer. “Oh no. Wait. I delight in it.” Her eyes sparkled and I got the sense that there weren’t many people in her life she got to tease.
“Before you lecture me about a blemish on your reputation again—”
“Tell me you don’t wear cotton undergarments.” She scooped out an armful of silky lingerie and tossed it into one of the suitcases.
I averted my eyes from the crimson thong dangling off the corner of the suitcase. “What’s wrong with cotton?”
