CHAPTER VIAnd of the Twentieth
Miranda Morphy Gardner arrived at one forty-five. She did not come alone; nor was she, as usual, attended by a secretary. Judson Hemmet entered with her.
Timuroff concealed his surprise when he met them at the door. He knew, of course, that the firm of Munrooney, Hemmet, John H. Braidstone, and Baltesar were her attorneys; and both she and Hemmet had bought a good part of their collections from him. But he could not recall ever seeing the two together, and certainly never in his shop. He said that it was nice of them to come, that Mrs. Gardner hadn’t been around for quite a while, that seeing Hemmet was an unexpected pleasure. “So perhaps I can kill two birds with one stone—” He laughed. “Or are my clients ganging up on me?”
The effect was instant. Miranda
