Bitter Pill (Sisterhood #32) - Fern Michaels Page 0,96

to the kitchen. “I need help opening the champagne.”

“Did I hear someone say ‘champagne’?” Annie chirped.

“You did, indeed.” Fergus was ahead of them, popping the first cork.

The sisters each took a glass and seated themselves at the table. Charles pulled a large TV screen into the dining room.

“Charles? What is this?” Myra was stunned at the electronic intrusion.

“One moment, my dear.” Charles grabbed the remote and pointed at the TV.

The screen lit up, and Charlotte’s face appeared. “Darlings!”

“Hot damn!” Maggie yelled.

“How cool!” Yoko cooed.

“This is great!” Kathryn bellowed as more sounds of delight came from the others.

Myra touched her pearls as tears filled her eyes. “Charlotte! We miss you!”

“Thank you for the invite!” The camera on Charlotte’s side pulled back, revealing the same roast and accompaniments on her table, including fuchsia peonies.

Myra looked a bit puzzled, until she realized that Charles and Fergus had planned for Charlotte to be a dinner guest via satellite! Since Charlotte was staying at Annie’s flat in London, it had been easy to plan with Annie’s London staff. The camera panned the room. Sitting to one side of Charlotte was Lincoln Gladwell, the gemologist! Myra gasped a sound of delight. “Hello, Lincoln! Nice of you to join us!”

Then she heard the sound of a dog barking. The camera panned to the other side of the table. A big golden Lab sat up and gave a soft “Woof!”

“Who is that I hear?” Myra smiled.

“This is Jewel!” Charlotte beamed. “Lincoln’s dog! Annie said it would be okay for her to visit.”

“Annie, were you in on this?” Myra pretended to challenge her.

Annie couldn’t help but laugh. “Gotcha!”

The evening lasted for several hours, with everyone conversing as if they were all in the same room. At one point Charlotte indicated that she had been wondering about the real Chagall. Had it ever been recovered?

So Annie explained that it had. “Mrs. Spencer from Christie’s was able to locate the original. It was such a coincidence.” She gave Myra a wink. “Lorraine Thompson’s daughter Genevieve Ringwood was at a flea market the Saturday after everything went down and bought it for twenty-five dollars. When a friend suggested she have someone look at it, she phoned the local art gallery, who referred her to Mrs. Spencer. The French government sent her a check for one hundred fifty thousand dollars. It didn’t bring her mother back, but now she has some financial breathing room to help raise her daughter.”

Once Charlotte’s curiosity about the painting was satisfied, everyone went back to eating. It was a delightful dinner, with many toasts and hugs. Charlotte and Lincoln signed off with help from Jewel, and there was a response from Lady and her pups. Dishes were cleared, cleaned, and the kitchen was made spick and span. Another spectacular meal celebrating “mission accomplished.”

Later that evening, when Charles and Myra were getting ready for bed, Charles pulled a sheet of paper from his trouser pocket.

“What’s that?” Myra asked.

Charles unfolded the paper. “It’s a bill.”

“From where?”

“NYPD. We owe them for the vans they had to ditch after letting Avery’s people use them to deliver Steinwood and Corbett to us. No evidence, love.” He gave her a wicked smile.

“How much is it?” Myra asked.

“Two hundred fifty thousand,” Charles said, not batting an eye.

“It was worth it,” Myra commented casually.

“It always is.” Charles kissed her on the cheek.

“And justice can be a bitter pill to swallow.” Myra beamed.

Photo by M2IFOTO©2006

FERN MICHAELS is the USA Today and New York Times bestselling author of the Sisterhood, Men of the Sisterhood and Godmothers series and dozens of other novels and novellas. There are over ninety-five million copies of her books in print. Fern Michaels has built and funded several large day-care centers in her hometown, and is a passionate animal lover who has outfitted police dogs across the country with special bulletproof vests. She shares her home in South Carolina with her four dogs and a resident ghost named Mary Margaret. Visit her website at fernmichaels.com.

TRUTH AND JUSTICE

The Sisterhood: a group of women from all walks of life bound by friendship and a quest for justice. Armed with vast resources, top-notch expertise, and a loyal network of allies around the globe, the Sisterhood will not rest until every wrong is made right.

When Alexis Thorn and Joe Esposito encounter a young woman sobbing alone in a restaurant, they step into action and offer their comfort and sympathy. They soon learn that the woman’s husband was recently killed in action in Afghanistan. Before he reported for duty, they took steps to preserve their chances of having children. But when Bella visits the fertility clinic, she discovers her eggs are no longer there—and the circumstances are beyond suspicious.

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The Sisterhood: a group of women from all walks of life bound by friendship and a quest for justice. Armed with vast resources, top-notch expertise, and a loyal network of allies around the globe, the Sisterhood will not rest until every wrong is made right.

It’s been three months since Countess Annie de Silva slipped away from her home before dawn, leaving a cryptic note and no clue as to her destination. That’s an eternity for friends as devoted as the Sisterhood. Now they’re desperate to ensure that their founding member is alive and well, and that means tracking her down—wherever in the world she might be.

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