Chapter 7 #2
She carried it back to the small kitchen table and set the necklace in front of Asher.
“It’s real. I knew it was special the second I saw it.
And then I recognized it as The Crimson Duchess.
I’d seen it before in an article about Forbes’s parents’ murder in Shadow Cove.
It was stolen the night they were killed.
Forbes’s mom had been photographed wearing it a few nights before her death.
It’s been missing ever since. I sent Forbes a picture, and he confirmed it. ”
Asher nodded to the jewelry but didn’t make a move to touch it, as if it might contaminate him or something. “What’s it worth?”
“It’s hard to say what it would sell for.
I need more time to study it, but its value is much higher than that of each individual gem.
It’s famous, and it’s connected to the Ballentine fortune and the murders.
Those facts will add to its value. If I had to guess, I think it would auction for over five million, maybe as much as ten. ”
He sat back. “Ten million dollars?”
She smiled. “Americans do generally trade in dollars.”
“That’s…” His voice faded as if he couldn’t find an appropriate word to finish his sentence.
“Like I said, I’m just guessing. But each one of those stones is…big.” She figured he wasn’t interested in a lecture on carat, color, and clarity.
He whistled. “That’s enough to kill for.”
“I think the other motivation is just as big. The owner of this necklace must somehow be connected to the Ballentine murders. And, assuming it’s the man from the store the other day, he’s also connected to Mr. D’s murder, not to mention arson.”
“Do you know who it was?”
“No idea. I’m sure Mr. D had records, but if they were paper records—he was an old-school kind of guy—they probably didn’t survive the fire.”
“Surely there was a receipt or something,” Asher said.
“Maybe. Some record of who sold the items to Mr. D’s niece.”
The thought made Cici wonder…Had the police warned Maria like Cici had asked them to? Was she safe?
Maybe Cici should call and tell the police everything she knew. But they suspected her. Would they take her warning seriously?
She doubted it.
“So you discovered the necklace and called Ballentine. Then what?”
“Two guys showed up. One was in his sixties, I would guess, a smooth talker. He asked about a salesperson, said his son had done business with her. It had to be the niece. As far as I know, she’s the only other person who works there.
Worked there.” Considering the store had been reduced to ash, its owner killed.
“Mr. D said it was just him working that day.”
“You were there.”
“But I don’t work there.” Asher acknowledged that with a nod.
“I was in the back room, on the phone with Forbes, but something didn’t sound right.
I peeked through the opening and saw the guard—the bald guy at the train station—standing near the door.
And then I saw the older man strangle Mr. D until he collapsed.
At that point, I grabbed the bag and ran out the back. ”
“You call the cops?”
“They directed me to the nearest precinct. But somehow the two men were waiting for me there. That’s when I called Forbes again, and he sent you.” Recalling the events had her hands trembling. She wrapped them around her mug, the warmth grounding her.
He leaned forward, elbows on the table. “Maybe the man was tied to the original theft.”
“The smooth talker,” she said. “That’s what I assume. But why kill Mr. D? Why burn the store?”
“Loose ends. They didn’t expect you to take the necklace and run. Now they’re after you—and it.” He tapped his fingers on his mug, thinking.
“Even if I hadn’t taken it, they’d be after me, right? Because I was a witness?”
“We need to assume so, yeah. At this point, we need to get you and the necklace to Forbes and let him and the FBI sort it out. Between them and your dad, they’ll be able to keep you safe.”
She nodded, the weight of it settling deeper. “I just wanted to get it back to him. It’s his family’s, you know? And after everything Brooklynn and Forbes went through…”
“How did they get together, anyway?”
“That’s a long story.” Brooklynn had seen something she shouldn’t have. If not for Forbes, she’d probably have been killed.
Weird, the similarities to what Cici was going through. If not for Asher, she doubted she’d still be breathing. The difference was obvious, though. In the end, Forbes and Brooklynn had fallen in love.
Whereas Asher couldn’t wait to be rid of Cici.
He finished his coffee, setting the mug down with a soft clink. “Good breakfast. Thanks.”
His simple compliment heated her more than the coffee had. “Anytime.”
A low rumble broke the quiet—tires on gravel. Asher was up in an instant, moving to the window. He peeled back the curtain. “Vehicle’s here.”
She stood, grabbing their plates. “Guess breakfast is over.”
“Yeah.” He glanced back at her, that unreadable look flickering again. “Can you be ready in ten?”
“Even faster.” She rinsed the dishes and loaded them into the dishwasher before starting it.
After returning the jewelry to the velvet bag, then the bag to her purse, she grabbed her suitcase from the bedroom and met Asher at the front door. He and the driver—a wiry guy in a ball cap—traded a few words. Then the guy handed Asher a key fob and headed for the stolen sedan.
Asher turned to her. “You ready?”
She checked her purse to make sure the jewels were there. “Yup.”
Asher took her suitcase and tossed it and his duffel into the new ride, a blue SUV.
She climbed into the passenger seat and stole a glance at Asher as he started the engine. Maybe he’d misjudged her family, but she’d misjudged him too—once upon a time.