Free A Catered Tea Party by Isis Crawford Page A

real?”
    â€œYou think they’re phony?” Libby asked.
    â€œYeah, I do,” Bernie said after studying them for a minute. “Good phonies, but phonies nevertheless.”
    â€œWhat makes you say that?” Libby asked.
    â€œThe clarity of the stones in these earrings looks off. Either that or they’re low-grade diamonds.”
    Libby took a pair of earrings and held them up to the light. “They look fine to me.”
    â€œThat’s because you never worked in a jewelry store,” Bernie told her sister.
    â€œGive me a break,” Libby retorted. “You worked there for a week before you got fired.”
    Bernie put her hands on her hips. “First of all, I quit; and second of all, I learned a lot during that week.”
    â€œLike what? You were doing computer stuff in the office and running errands.”
    Bernie ignored her sister. “Well,” she said, tapping the fingers of her left hand on her chin, “there’s only one way to tell.”
    â€œGet them appraised?”
    â€œThat would take time.”
    â€œWhat are you doing?” Libby cried as she watched Bernie place the earrings she was holding on the floor.
    â€œFinding out,” Bernie said, bringing her foot up and stamping down on the earrings as hard as she could. When she picked her foot up there was a mound of white powder on the floor. “Paste. If they had been real they would be intact,” she went on to explain.
    Libby gestured toward the jewelry case. “So all of these are fake?”
    Bernie nodded. “That’s probably a good bet.”
    â€œEven the watches?”
    â€œI don’t see why they should be real when everything else is fake, do you?”
    â€œNo.” Libby started to chew on her cuticle, realized what she was doing, and stopped herself. “But the money and the unset diamonds and the gold coins are real?”
    â€œThey look real to me.”
    â€œAnd Zalinsky’s passport? Real or fake?”
    Bernie thought about that for a minute. Then she said, “Fake. I don’t see why he would be using a false name in his day-to-day dealings. Too complicated.”
    â€œThen how come the jewelry . . .” Libby began.
    â€œIs fake?” Bernie said, finishing her sister’s sentence for her.
    Libby nodded.
    â€œLike you said, Zalinsky was quite the ladies’ man. I’m guessing the jewelry was for his girlfriends,” Bernie answered. “Of which, judging by the names on the pieces, he had a fair number besides Erin.”
    â€œWell, he was definitely economical,” Libby said. “Why spend money on the real stuff when the fake stuff will get you what you want?”
    That got Bernie thinking about the diamond earrings and bracelet she’d seen Erin wearing. They looked just like the ones in Zalinsky’s leather case. Then Bernie remembered overhearing Erin bragging to Magda about all the jewelry Zalinsky was giving her. “I wonder if the stuff Zalinsky was giving Erin was real, and if it wasn’t, I wonder if Erin found that out?” Bernie mused.
    â€œIt’s certainly the type of thing that would get a girl upset,” Libby commented. “Really upset. Especially if one were going out with said guy for monetary reasons alone.”
    â€œWhat other kind of reasons would there be for going out with Zalinsky?” Bernie asked.
    â€œNone, as far as I can see,” Libby responded promptly. “I mean you wouldn’t be going out with him for his looks or personality. Maybe he’s good in bed.”
    â€œDoubtful. He’s too selfish and in too much of a hurry.” Bernie put her hands above her head and stretched. “You know what they say about hell hath no fury like a woman scorned? In this case I’d say, hell hath no fury like a woman scammed.”
    â€œYou think Erin rigged the teakettle?” Libby asked.
    Bernie thought over her sister’s