I Wish I Had a Story to Tell You

Part IX

"This, this is crazy."
    "Mhm," I mumbled, "crazy."
    "There is no way we're not getting caught," Arelle fretted. "I mean, we'll have to get fancy clothes."
    "Fun."
    "No, not fun. Expensive."
    I laughed. "I'm sure we can find some hand me down clothes at a thrift store for cheap. We just found some extra cash, didn't we?"
    "Well yes, but that doesn't mean that this will work."
    "Don't rule out the possibility of this yet, Arelle. Think about it: Brightley probably has a huge mansion. That means multiple entrances."
    Arelle frowned. "Those entrances will all be locked."
    I decided against telling her that locks weren't a problem for me. Instead I went with something a little more vague.   "We'll improvise."
We were driving relatively slowly through downtown Salt Lake City. I was scanning the rows of shops for a thrift store, hoping that one would catch my eye. The city was starting to wake up just a little more. People began walking the streets, and the once lifeless shops' lights began to turn on. Newspaper and magazine stands sprung up, and paper boys began their daily routes.
    "There," I said, pointing down the street to a little thrift shop. "That should work."
    We pulled into the parking lot, and just as we did a little open sign flickered on.
    "Perfect timing," Arelle said with a grin. "Now let's just try not to go broke in here."
    "We won't," I laughed.
    Arelle held open the door and eyed the rows of clothing. "You sure about that?"
    The thrift shop was musty and certainly cramped. A rusted bell sat on the counter, and only half of the lights were on in the shop. Clothes of all sorts were squished together on old metal racks. I took a cautious step, keeping an eye for the owner of this place. They couldn't have been far.
"Ooh, look at this," Arelle said, holding the skirt of a dress in her hands. "This is pretty."
"It is," I said, looking at the yellow fabric, "but it's not evening wear."
Arelle frowned. "But it's pretty."
"You were the one worried about going broke in here."
My sister scowled in reply.
"May I help you?"
A lady came out from the back room. Her hair was short and finger curled. The lady's posture was impeccable. She wore an elegant blue dress with black heels. Her name tag read Mary Ann.
    "I think we're fine, thank you though," I told Mary Ann. She nodded and left us to our shopping.
    "We need something elegant that's fancy evening wear," I said to Arelle, trying to keep my voice down, "but it can't be too extravagant. Just nice enough to let us blend in. We can't be too noticeable."
    "Then let's maybe try back here." Arelle led me to back part of the shop. We began sifting through clothes of all kinds: jackets, skirts, dresses, blouses. You name it, the thrift store had it.
    "Does this work?" Arelle lifted up a gold and red dress. It was a modest dress but certainly a fancy one. It had a sort of jacket feature by the sleeves and the skirt was crafted out of lovely red fabric.
    I grinned. "It's perfect. See if it fits."
    While Arelle hurried off to the changing rooms, I combed through the rest of the racks. I was beginning the think I would have to settle on a day dress when I found exactly what I was looking for.
    It was a long, green gown. It had a v-neck and was made entirely out of olive colored fabric. It wasn't flashy, but it was a graceful piece. I gingerly picked up the hanger and held the dress to me. It looked like it would fit.
    I quickly made my way to the changing rooms to try on the dress. After I had changed I looked at myself in the mirror. The color was subtle. It was perfect for blending in. I eyed the door stupidly, as if anyone could see in. Then I did a little twirl and smiled. The skirt went past my feet. I would have to be careful not to trip.
    "Vera?"
    I unlatched the door and walked out. Arelle stood there in her dress. It was beautiful and fit nicely on her. "That's perfect. How much does it cost?"
    Arelle peered at the price tag. "Four eighty-five."
    "Same for mine. I think we can manage it. I mean, it feels frivolous, but it gives us a chance to figure out what's going on."
    "That's worth more than these dresses," Arelle replied.
    I turned towards the cash register. "Let's hope it is."
    Mary Ann had us pay for our dresses. She kept inquiring about what they were for ("Do you have a date to the school dance? Are you going to a family gathering? Are you going to a party? I bet you both have dates) but my sister and I just let the questions roll off us. We thanked Mary Ann and left the shop with our bags in tow.
    "First thing's first, these should go in the trunk," I said.
    Arelle agreed and placed the bags there. Then we were off. By that, I mean we were back to circling around town at a slightly slower speed than we should've been going.
    "Where is the mansion?" Arelle asked.
    "We could go back and ask Charles."
    Arelle raised her eyebrow.
    "The waiter at the diner we ate breakfast at." Arelle nodded and I continued. "He mentioned something about a mansion that's being decorated."
    After a bit of circling, that's what we decided on. We pulled into the diner parking lot. The bell clanged as we entered. Charles looked up at us with curiosity.
    "Back so soon?"
    "I was wondering if you happened to know where the mansion you were talking about is. Do you?" I asked.
    "Sure I know where the mansion is. Just go down the street, take a left, keep going, and then when you pass the street with all of the colorful houses take a right, and that should lead you right to the mansion."
    "Thank you so much," Arelle said.
    "It's not a problem. You girls have a good day now." I decided to drive by the mansion. When we passed we saw a three story white mansion adorned with lights and decorations.
    "That's the one," I said.
    Arelle smiled. "No doubt about it."
    "There should be a back window we can climb through. If we're lucky one might be unlocked."
    "If we're lucky."
    I looked in the rear view mirror. "Traffic is picking up, we should get a move on." Arelle agreed and we drove off before anyone took notice of us observing the house.
    As we drove, I thought about what we would have to do. "We need to plan for tonight. I was thinking we could plan at the diner, but it was too quiet in there. I don't think we want to be overheard scheming to get into a gala we probably aren't welcome to."
    "Agreed," Arelle said.
    "We can go to the library and park. I'm afraid that it'll be too quiet in there, so why don't we just stay in the car?" I asked.
    "Sounds good to me," Arelle replied.
    After finding our way to the library via road signs, we sat in the parked car and worked out a plan. We would sneak in through a back window, then we would go upstairs. We would blend into guests as needed. Once we found where the photo could be, we would close the door behind us and begin to search.
"They could have six bedrooms for all we know," Arelle said.
"Galas last awhile. We'll be fine," I replied. "And when we get the photograph?"
I thought for a moment. "Depends on where the photo leads us. If it's Denver, maybe we'll have a more specific place to go. If it's not..."
"We'll decide then. Maybe Aunt Pearl just likes hats from that shop," Arelle suggested.
"Or maybe Mom had the hats and sent it to Aunt Pearl from another place entirely."
"Mhm. This photo may set us on the right track." Arelle looked up at the library. "Did you and Ms. Hattie ever go to the library in Bellevue?"
"Oh, sometimes," I lied. "We both liked to read."
"Really? What books did you like?"
Uhhh.
"Nancy Drew."
Nice one, Vera.
"Have you tried Agatha Christie? Her books are very good."
"That's who I meant."
Arelle looked at me curiously.
Wow, you're on a roll, Vera. You do realize that Nancy Drew isn't an author, right?
"Anyways," I said, eager to change the subject, "When do you think we should put on our dresses?"
"This evening," Arelle said. "We don't want to mess them up before hand. Stains can be noticeable, and that's the antithesis of what we want."
"Sounds perfect," I told my sister.
The rest of the day was spent chatting about the plan and where our family potentially was. The subject matter of our personal lives before we met never came up, much to my relief.
As the sun started to lower in the sky, we decided it was time to head over to public restrooms and change. It wasn't long before we emerged in our new dresses. We hastily got back into the car and drove over to the mansion. As the sun set people began walking about in nice outfits, going to dinner and going out with friends.
Lights glittered in the distance. The gala was about to start.
As we turned right, we saw cars lining the street I pulled in a ways down the street, just in case. Arelle and I looked at the mansion.
It glittered in the evening light. The decorations were dazzling. Guests in all sorts of outfits wandered the grounds, laughing and drinking champagne. I caught a glimpse of a back window.
"There," I said, pointing to the window.
"Perfect." Arelle hesitated. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"
I got out of the car and looked at the sparkling house. "When it comes to my ideas, I'd suggest lowering your standards." I grinned. "Well, what are we waiting for?"
Arelle stepped out of the Ford.
"Let's get that photograph."