Chapter 2 Ben
TWO
BEN
“Murdered?” Ben came downstairs behind Erik and heard Hendricks’s announcement. “What happened?”
“May I come in?” Hendricks glanced at Erik, who nodded and stepped aside, shutting the door behind the chief. “We’re not putting out details publicly just yet, for a lot of reasons. But someone broke into where he was staying and shot him. Double tap to the back of the head, Mob style.”
“Shit,” Ben muttered.
“And since you two are the resident Mafia experts in these parts, I thought I’d start with you.”
While that might be true, it wasn’t something either Ben or Erik wanted to perpetuate. They both came to Cape May for a fresh start, and that included leaving their law enforcement interactions with the Mafia behind them.
Unfortunately, mobsters had long memories.
“We had no reason to connect Peter Randolph with organized crime,” Erik told Hendricks.
“He had a small stained-glass window that he was in a hurry to sell. All the paperwork was in order, his story of how he got it sounded legitimate and matched the documents, so I made him an offer, and he took it. The window is in the safe.”
Hendricks looked at him, and his eyes narrowed as he parsed through what Erik had said.
“Why on earth would he be in such a rush to sell a window that he’d go out in a Godawful thunderstorm at night?” Hendricks asked.
Erik sighed. “Because he was convinced the window was haunted, and it gave him the creeps.”
Ben knew from their prior interactions with the chief that Hendricks wasn’t inclined to believe in the supernatural. But over the course of solving the crimes that involved him and Erik, ghosts and magic played an important role. Susan also vouched for the reality of Erik’s abilities.
“Haunted? How can a window be haunted?”
Erik explained what had happened the previous night and that the window definitely had bad mojo of some sort.
“A Tiffany window? Aren’t those the fancy ones in churches? Are you sure it wasn’t stolen?” Hendricks asked.
“I saw the paperwork, and based on that and my experience with Interpol busting art thieves, I’m pretty confident that it was a bad bargain on his part,” Erik replied.
A little frost crept into his tone. Despite trying to stay on good terms with Hendricks, Ben knew that the chief and his partner often butted heads.
“What are you going to do with it—once the investigation is over,” Hendricks asked, not quite accusing but definitely all business.
“I’m going to pass it over to a contact of mine who sequesters dangerous objects. Like that warehouse in Raiders of the Lost Ark,” Erik said.
“I’m being serious.”
“So am I,” Erik replied. “It’ll be kept under specialized security so it can’t cause any harm, and probably never see the light of day again.”
Hendricks looked surprised, but he recovered quickly. “Why would you buy something just to bury it?”
“Because that’s part of what we do at Trinkets, always has been,” Erik said. “I’m just carrying on the legacy.”
“Seriously? Don’t you lose money that way?” Hendricks looked surprised.
Erik shrugged. “It’s our mission. Keeping the world a safer place by removing dangerous supernatural objects.”
“Huh.” Hendricks seemed to consider that for a moment.
“Would mobsters care about the window? Suppose we set aside the ‘haunted’ stuff. What would something like that be worth?” Hendricks asked.
His tone was less challenging than it had been, and Erik wondered whether he was reconsidering his earlier skepticism in light of their shared concern for public safety.
“It depends on the condition and provenance as well as the size,” Erik replied.
“I didn’t examine the window too closely, but it had the hallmarks I’d expect from being old, none of the glass was broken, and the soldering between the pieces was solid.
I’m guessing it was done on commission and may have once been part of a larger piece, because the picture wasn’t a common theme, so I suspect it came from a collector, not a church or a public building.
That said, the price could be thousands of dollars on up. ”
“Up?”
“A previously unknown piece with a confirmed chain of ownership and commissioned by someone famous could go for a million,” Erik replied.
“And Randolph was in such a hurry to get rid of it that he sold it to you for a song instead of cashing in and moving to the islands?” Hendricks asked incredulously.
“Like I said, it creeped him out,” Erik said with a shrug.
“Other than the double-tap, is there any link between Randolph and the Mob?” Ben spoke up, hoping to diffuse some of the tension.
“We’re working on that,” Hendricks replied.
“He hasn’t been in Cape May long. Got here a few months ago and was renting a room month-to-month at a hotel.
Told the manager that he traveled around going to antique and estate sales.
The business card he gave her goes to a website that talks about the same thing.
No idea yet whether that was a real company or a front. ”
“Seems like a strange type of guy to get sideways with the Mafia,” Ben mused. “Small fish. Murder is messy. If he pissed someone off, they’d be more likely to blow up his car or burn down his office to send a message.”
Hendricks rolled his eyes. “You’re hip deep in mobsters too. You know, this used to be a quiet little town.”
“I’ve told you everything I know,” Erik said. “And whether or not you believe us, we both do our best to leave those old undercover connections behind. There’s no inside information. Randolph’s murder probably had nothing to do with the window, and it’s just a coincidence or a red herring.”
“Maybe,” Hendricks allowed grudgingly. “But we’re going to dig anyhow. Protect the window. At some point, we’ll need to see it and enter a photo into evidence.”
“Please let us leave it in the safe,” Erik said. “That’s got special protections for fragile artwork, and we have an excellent security system.”
“That’s fine, for now. We’ll see where the investigation takes us. Just don’t take it out of the store until we look into the matter,” Hendricks replied. “It stays in Cape May until it’s cleared.”
Ben saw the way Erik’s jaw twitched and knew his partner didn’t like the order, but Erik nodded. “It will stay locked up until you give us the okay,” he agreed.
“And you probably already knew this, but don’t leave town,” Hendricks added.
“Darn, and there goes our round-the-world vacation,” Ben deadpanned.
“I’ll have someone watch the shop, just in case. When I know more, I’ll be in touch. Try to keep out of trouble.”
“Don’t worry. We weren’t going anywhere,” Erik added. He walked Hendricks out and locked the door behind him, since the shop wasn’t open yet.
Erik muttered under his breath. Ben didn’t hear the exact words, but the meaning was clear anyway.
“Come on. Let’s get showers, dressed, and eat something.” Ben herded his partner toward the steps.”
He felt vastly better after a shower, especially one that included soap-slicked hand jobs. Erik remained grumpy, but even he had relented a little.
Erik checked his watch. “Alessia and Haley should be here soon.”
“I’ll make a fresh pot of coffee,” Ben volunteered. He couldn’t hide his curiosity about working with the newly arrived medium again and hoped she proved to be an ally like Alessia.
“I’m going to get things set up so we’re ready when they get here,” he told Ben. “And now we can ask if there’s magic attached to the haunted window as well.”
Before he went to retrieve the Mohawk relics he’d found, Erik paused to draw a warded circle around the table and activate its protective magic. He draped the warded cloth over the table and grabbed the special gloves.
Erik headed into the storage room, grateful that all the items were well-marked. Rotating the inventory on display kept the stock fresh for visitors who liked to explore. He found the small box tagged with the items from the computer record, and paused when he put his hand on top.
“Lila, if you’re out there and trapped here, maybe we can help you find your way home,” he sent silently, although he doubted that the ghost could hear him.
Once he returned to the table and its protections, Erik closed his eyes, trying to pick up on the resonance of the pieces. Strong emotions could remain with an object for a long time, and he suspected that Lila’s ill-fated journey could evoke memories.
The images came in a jumble. He glimpsed a ship that he guessed was the Mohawk. After that, he saw flames and smoke, then icy water, and the vision ended.
“I saw fragments of memories attached to the items,” Erik told Ben when he opened his eyes.
“Let’s see what Alessia picks up.” Ben glanced at the table. “You decided to leave the stained-glass window in the safe for now?”
Erik nodded. “One problem at a time.”
The doorbell rang, and Erik went to check, with Ben close behind. Alessia stood on the front steps. She was in her early forties, with olive skin, black hair, and dark brown eyes. “Come on in. We have a fresh pot of coffee,” Erik greeted her
“Good, because I’m not really a morning person,” Alessia said.
“How do you take it?” Ben asked.
“Black with sweetener,” she replied. “Although I’m not fussy.”
“Coming right up,” Ben promised. “As you can see, Haley’s not here yet.”
“She was able to join us?”
“Yeah, but she said she may run late.” Erik locked the door and followed Ben and Erik to the table in the break room. Ben noticed that Alessia eyed the salt circle and Erik’s other preparations, but didn’t seem surprised.
“Expecting trouble?” she asked as Ben went to get her coffee.
“We’ve learned to be cautious,” Erik replied.
Erik and Alessia sat at the table, while Ben stood nearby, ready to lend a hand if needed. “We think bits and pieces from the wreck might be helping to anchor Lila, especially if she worked some kind of hinky protection spell that didn’t go as planned.”