Chapter 12 #3
Asher started to argue, but she lifted her hand to put him off.
“Plus, the guy murdered the store owner when he could’ve just asked to buy the piece back.
No, I’m convinced it was one of the smugglers, an accomplice in the Ballentine murders.
He wanted his necklace back, but mostly, he didn’t want to be linked to a double homicide.
He needed to destroy all of Mr. D’s records.
Would someone guilty of buying stolen property cover up that minor crime—relatively speaking—by committing murder and arson? I don’t think so.”
“Then why sell it in the first place?”
She rubbed her lips together. “He didn’t sell it. He said that his son had worked with the other clerk—Mr. D’s niece. I’m guessing the son stole the items from his dad and sold them to the jewelry store.”
“Let’s go back, though.” Not that Asher didn’t agree with Cici, but he wanted to look at this from every angle.
“You’re assuming the theft of the necklace was…
what did you call it? A crime of convenience.
But what if the Ballentine murders were related to the necklace?
What if the necklace was the reason for the murders? ”
“We know why the Ballentines were targeted, and it had nothing to do with jewelry.”
Asher let his raised eyebrows ask the obvious question. The crime had happened in his hometown, so he’d read about the recent developments in the old murder case. But if the authorities knew the murderers’ motives, that information hadn’t been released to the press.
“Forbes’s father was a confidential informant,” Cici explained. “He was gathering intel on a smuggling ring that operated through an inlet—you remember the Haunted Inlet?”
Asher nodded. Like everyone else in town, he’d heard the stories.
“Charles Ballentine was being coerced into letting the smugglers operate on his property. He agreed, but then he passed intel along to an FBI agent.”
“They’re holding that information close to the vest.”
“Still trying to gather up everyone who was involved at the time.”
“But you know it because…?”
“Because Brooklynn is dating Forbes. It’s a long story, but they’ve discovered two of the people involved in his parents’ deaths. One is dead and the other is in critical condition.”
“Meaning he’s not talking.”
“She. But yes, she’s not talking. They’re still trying to round up everyone else. They’re keeping what they know quiet because they don’t want those people to go to ground.”
Asher considered that. “So you’re saying the Ballentines were killed because the smugglers found out he betrayed them? The father?”
“Right. The killers and their accomplices searched the house after the murders. The necklace must have been found during that search.”
“Was it just…lying around?”
Her head tilted to the side, her eyes scrunching. “If memory serves, Charles and Grace Ballentine had gone to some kind of charity function where she’d worn it. My guess is they hadn’t returned it to the safe yet.”
“So the smugglers…murderers were looking for something else—”
“Evidence Charles Ballentine had collected—”
“—and stumbled upon the necklace.”
“Exactly.” Cici dipped her head to punctuate the point.
“A crime of convenience. I’m guessing the thief pocketed the things and never told the rest of the crew or…
whatever you call a band of smugglers. I think he figured he’d take all the profit, but then he realized what he had and got spooked.
He was afraid to sell it, so he just hid it. ”
“You think it’s been…what? Shoved in the back of a drawer?”
“That’s exactly what I think. Hold on. I’ll show you.” She went inside and returned with the velvet pouch. She pulled out The Crimson Duchess. “See how unused it is?”
She held it out to him, so Asher took it, surprised by its weight.
All those diamonds and rubies. He’d never touched an item so valuable.
He tried to see it like Cici did, but he had no idea what she was talking about.
It looked like any other necklace to him.
It didn’t help that the sun had set. Aside from the light from the computer screen, they were sitting in the dark.
He found a light switch near the door, which illuminated the low-wattage bulbs in the ceiling fixture. He stood beneath it to study the necklace. “Can you show me what you mean?”
She picked out something from the velvet pouch and joined him, raising the item to the light. “This is silver.”
It was a heart-shaped locket. He was pretty sure silver wasn’t generally the color of a flat black chalkboard. “Are you sure you’re a professional?”
She laughed, the sound so lighthearted that he couldn’t help but smile.
“You know how you keep jewelry from tarnishing? By wearing it. I’d guess this hasn’t been worn in years, which is why it’s so dark.
If we had polish, we could make it shine.
” She set the locket back on the table and lifted the necklace from his hand.
“It’s not as obvious with this because the metal is gold.
The purer the gold, the less it tarnishes.
And of course the gold is outshined by the gemstones.
But you see how brassy it looks? It’s not as yellow as gold should be.
And look here.” She shifted it so the clasp was on top.
He tried to see what she meant, really he did. Maybe there was a little spot of something there, but he wouldn’t testify to it. “I’m not sure.”
“I can get out my jeweler’s loupe—”
“I’ll take your word for it. What’s your point?”
“The tarnish tells me this hasn’t been worn—or cared for,” she continued. “Which tells me the owner knew it was stolen, knew it was recognizable, and didn’t dare let anyone see it.” She reached for the laptop. “Can I check something?”
“Have at it.”
“I know other things were taken from Forbes’s parents, but I don’t remember…
” Her voice trailed as she searched the internet.
“Here we go.” The screen displayed a few items. “A Cartier watch, a pair of ruby-and-diamond earrings, and a matching tennis bracelet. She probably wore them all to the charity event.” Cici spread all the items from the velvet bag onto the table.
Most of the pieces looked like junk, at least compared to The Crimson Duchess.
Cici plucked earrings, then a watch and a bracelet, which he assumed had also been stolen from the Ballentines’ property.
“Those things aren’t nearly as valuable,” Asher guessed.
“Maybe not, but the earrings are distinctive.”
“How so?”
She held them out for him to see. “The diamonds are around two carats apiece. Usually, with a design like this—a big centerpiece gem, then smaller gems surrounding it—the more affordable stone is the centerpiece. This is flipped, with diamonds in the center. In fact, if this piece was made in the eighties or after, then these diamonds could be laser-etched.”
“Meaning?”
“They’d have ID numbers etched into them, small enough that they’re only visible with a magnifying glass.”
He hadn’t known jewelers could do that.
“The point is, the thief was smart to hold onto them. If he’d sold them, he might have gotten caught.” Cici returned the Ballentines’ possessions and the rest to the velvet bag.
“What else is in there?” He nodded to the jewelry stash. “Anything good?”
“I’ve only glanced inside, but I saw nothing else that stood out. Nothing like The Crimson Duchess. What do you think?” She rubbed her bare arms in the cool air. “Is there a way to check the list your boss sent to see if anyone’s from Maine?”
Right. Back to business, Asher pulled the laptop closer. “And has a son.”
“Good point.” She stood. “If we can’t do it, I can ask Alyssa.”
“I can do it.” He certainly didn’t need Cici’s sister’s help.
While Cici stepped inside, he pulled up the list Bartlett had sent and logged in to a secure database used by his company, which allowed him to cross-reference the names.
Not many had lived in Maine. Asher narrowed the search parameters to include only men between forty-five and sixty-five.
That narrowed the list even more.
He plugged the remaining names into Google, one at a time, searching for images, and found one that looked familiar. He hadn’t gotten a good look at all the men outside the barn earlier that day. This could be the one who’d been issuing the orders.
The photograph looked professional, plastered to the About the Team page of a business that sold some kind of tech.
His name was Wendall Gagnon, sixty-three, and according to the attached dossier, he was the president and major shareholder in a company that developed software for retailers. He was clean-shaven with white hair, wide-set hazel eyes, and perfectly straight teeth.
He looked every bit the entrepreneur. No mention of a wife or family, but that didn’t mean they didn’t exist.
Apparently, the authorities had picked him up once, though for what, the file didn’t say. Which was odd.
More odd was the fact that Gagnon had never been charged with a crime, and he seemed not to be linked to any of the other criminals on the list Bartlett had sent. It was almost as if his name had been included by accident.
The sliding door behind him opened and closed. “I got us some more…” Cici’s words ended on a gasp. “You found him!”
He shifted to give her a better view of the screen. “You agree? That looks like him?”
“I can’t believe you found him.”
Thanks to Cici’s suggestion. “Do you know the names of the suspects in the Ballentine murders?” Maybe that would help him figure out how this guy had been involved.
“Leonard Taggart. He was a cop at the time, the chief of police when he was killed last month. The other one, Lois Stratton, is still in the hospital after a gunshot wound.”
“Okay, let me cross-reference those names…” Sure enough, Gagnon had once been arrested by Taggart in Shadow Cove. “I’m betting that’s how they met.”
“Maybe Taggart pegged him as someone who could help.” Cici shifted to face Asher. “I heard he used his position with the police to recruit, so that tracks. Now that we’ve found Gagnon, what do we do with this information?”
Asher saved it all, then started an email. “I’ll send it to Bartlett tonight and have him get a contact in Philly for us. We can call them tomorrow.” The last word came out on a yawn. “Of course, that puts you back on their radar, but I doubt you’ve been off. Are you okay with that?”
“Sure. I’ve done nothing wrong.”
He finished the email and hit Send. It was a solid lead, the first step in turning the tables on Wendall Gagnon.
Soon enough, God willing, this cat-and-mouse game would be over.
Asher was tired of being hunted. It was time to become the hunter.