Drag Queen Grifters

Chapter #32

Pete recalled all Jeff mentioned walking casually right up onto the rooftop of the luxury apartment building.

Reaching the edge of the penthouse roof Pete surveys pool-patio and apartment for movement. No people seen he carefully lowers the body down hang-dropping onto the patio.

Waiting in place Pete ensures no one is around. Seeing a camera by the main patio doors Pete swiftly turns his face away and retrieves a silk stocking from pocket.

With the stocking over the head distorting the face Pete dashes over to the patio doors.

Not locked he slides the big glass-door open studying the large open living-room and kitchen dinning room off to the right. Marveling at the interior detail-work with wood paneling, decorative base and ceiling moldings, spaces are divided by marble pillars against the walls. Pete feels transported to a posh centuries old European apartment.

Slowly taking in the details Pete meanders deeper into the living-room. A central fireplace captures his attention as if seen before. The hearth and mantel seem to be one marvelously sculpted piece of stone. A wide section between the mantel and a glass-box gas-fireplace has a large round bust of a Greek man wearing laurel wreath. Over the fireplace a large oil portrait of an elegant thirty-year old mother with an arm around a pre-teen boy dressed in boys school blazer. Central on the mantel are two curious items an urn so lavishly detailed in gold and gems it seems a large Faberge Egg. Beside a golden hairdresser's blank bust donning the natural hair wig.

Drawn to the mantel cameo bust Pete runs fingers across the face recalling where such a fireplace had been seen before, a movie. Contemplating possible movies Pete glances about the room and pictures Angelina Jolie being threaten over a safe, shifting focus back to the Greek bust, "The Tourist." Pete presses the Greek bust detail but it doesn't move in. The large detail does feel loose so he pulls freeing the round detail from a magnetic catch, exposing a round safe door and its locking handle and combination dial.

Impressed with himself puts a devious smile on the lips. Glancing about Pete figures try the numbers they were given. He recalled the correct numbers first but not opening the lock he tried the numbers in a few different ways.

After a few minutes Pete's forgetting the different combinations of the numbers used so far. Getting out his phone checks average women's measurements and tries using those in different ways until reaching the point he's forgotten what was used.

Giving up for a moment Pete figures best search the place and find something instead of wasting time.

Quickly opening and closing drawers and doors Pete checks over the living-room into the dinning-room and kitchen.

The apartments rooms are large but few, having only two bedrooms, each with walk-in closets and en-suite baths. One being a guest room the drawers of furniture sat empty. The closet full of clothing, older men's and what Pete figures is the best of Harry's mother's clothing.

In the master-bedroom Pete found plenty of expensive watches and jewelry but knew that can be identified so left it. Discouraged finding nothing to prove himself capable returns to give the safe another try.