04 Lowcountry Bordello(15)

We got back into the car, both of us still watching the circus in the park. “All right,” said Nate. “Suppose Olivia gives us the key and the alarm codes. How do we get the other occupants out of the house? Stage a fake gas leak?”

“No, that’s too risky. The handyman might not go very far. Seems like he’d stick close for something like that. What we need is a spa day.”

“And you think that will get the handyman—what’s his name? Seth—to leave?”

I pondered that for a moment.

“Yes, I do. He’ll absolutely go if Olivia tells him he can’t.” I called Olivia using the Bluetooth system in the car so Nate could listen. I put a finger to my lips, asking him not to speak. “I need you to give every female in that house a spa day slash shopping outing for Christmas, Aunt Dean included. An expensive one. One no woman would turn down. I need you to go with them. And I need it to commence at noon. Today.”

“I’ll call Charleston Place and book every available time slot for every available service,” said Olivia. “Aunt Dean can smooth things over with the…sponsors. You know, if they have appointments scheduled.”

“Perfect,” I said. I’d gotten Mamma and Merry each spa packages at Charleston Place for Christmas. “Now listen, this is important. I want you to rent a limo. Make as big a splash as you can. And tell Seth that he’s not invited.”

“If I tell him that, he’ll go or die trying.”

“Exactly. Make a scene about it.”

“Ooooh.” I could hear the smile in Olivia’s voice. “Smart.”

“Thank you. Just make sure you keep them all out of the house until I call you and tell you it’s okay to bring them back. If you run out of spa appointments, go shopping, go out for drinks—or an early dinner.

“If anyone takes a notion to leave early, you have to insist they stay. Order a lot of champagne. If Seth starts to leave, encourage him. Tell him you have things to discuss with Aunt Dean privately anyway.”

“Reverse psychology. I can handle this,” said Olivia.

“I know,” I said. “This is right up our alley. But if someone does leave, text or call me right away. And if you haven’t heard from me, give me a heads up when you’re on your way back.”

 “Okay. I’d better start making phone calls. I’ll need to get Mamma to stay with the kids.”

 “Wait—does your Aunt Dean have a landline? And does she use it, or does she have a cellphone?”

“She wants nothing to do with cellphones. She has a landline. She’s just very careful about what she says on it.”

“And how many girls live there?”

“Five, plus Aunt Dean.”

“Do you know their names?”

“That’s complicated.”

“I don’t understand. You either know their names, or you don’t.”

Olivia sighed.

“Every ‘guest’ room is named for the family who sponsors the guest. Because these are ‘nieces,’ you understand, their last names are the same.”

“So their last names are aliases.”

“I guess you’d call them that. I can tell you the names they go by, but I’m not sure how much help that’ll be.”

“It’s a start. Does your Aunt Dean know their real names? I mean, she pays them, right?”

“Heavens, no. Here’s how this works. If there’s an open room, through word-of-mouth, a gentleman will refer a young lady. Usually he says it’s a cousin or a niece. Then he pays her rent to Aunt Dean—strictly a family obligation, you understand.”

“Very slick.”



 “It is, isn’t it? Of course the gentlemen in question pay exorbitant rent, even for South of Broad. I’m told they also give their ‘nieces’ or whatever allowances to ‘tide them over.’”

I pondered all of that for a minute. “You said the rooms were named for the gentleman paying the bill. Are you saying the rooms stay in the same families?”

“No. Aunt Dean just has a new doorplate made when she needs to. Over time there’ve been a few repeats.”

“Is one of the current names Middleton?”

“No. Why do you ask?”

She’d hear it on the news or through the grapevine soon enough. “Thurston Middleton was found dead this morning in White Point Gardens.”

She drew in a sharp breath. “But that doesn’t make the first bit of sense.”

“We’ll figure it out. I just need you to play your part. What’s the alarm code?”

“Five nine two five. J-W-B-J. Jackson Wayne Beauthorpe, Jr.”