Chapter Thirty-Five
Realizing the office door didn’t open outward into the hall, but into the office, Donovan hastily handed his gun to Phoebe.
“Come when I call,” he whispered. “Not before!”
As she took the revolver Donovan noticed the door begin to move. Quickly positioning himself, he pitched the side of his body against it sending Alexi flying backwards, then lunging forward he landed a powerful punch in the center of the gangster’s face. The man staggered and tried to recover his balance, but Donovan spun around and kicked him in the stomach sending him to the floor. Swiftly scanning the room he saw Agent Miller in dire straits, but kept his focus on the Russian oligarch doubled-over and groaning.
“Come in Phoebe!”
“Oh no, look at Agent Miller!” she exclaimed as she ran to Donovan’s side. “I have to help him.”
“Not yet! Stay behind me and keep your eyes on the entrance to the vault. Manny might still be in there. Hey, Kozlov, where’s Manny Trubello?” Donovan demanded, looming over the incapacitated man.
“Where you should be,” Kozlov rasped. “In hell with that snake Boris.”
“You’ve got three-seconds,” Donovan warned. “Where is he?”
“Three-seconds? Then what?” Alexi panted, holding his stomach.
“Don’t answer me and find out.”
“You’re making a big mistake. I have powerful friends.”
“Yeah, I do too, and one of them is in my hand,” Donovan retorted, taking the gun from Phoebe. “One—”
Alexi muttered something in Russian, then jerked his head toward the vault.
“In there…just inside.”
“What the hell…?” Rocky exclaimed, suddenly appearing at the door with his fellow agents. “Oh, my God, what happened to Agent Miller? Chad, call an ambulance,” he shouted striding towards his injured boss.
“Wait! Rocky! Clear the vault!” Donovan ordered sharply. “Manny’s supposedly in there and he might still be alive and carrying. Jim, cuff this asshole and search him.”
While Donovan continued holding the gun over the angry Russian, Jim deftly handcuffed him and quickly discovered The Alexandrite Empress.
“Wow, that’s really something,” Donovan muttered as Jim held it in the air. “Bag it, and what’s that painting on the floor?”
“Uh, it looks like one of those Victorian scenes,” Jim replied as he picked it up and handed it over.
“Damn, this is a Renoir!” Donovan exclaimed.
“Hey, Donovan, Trubello’s body is in here and it’s a real mess,” Rocky called, stepping from the vault and crouching down to help Agent Miller.
“Rocky, hold on!” Phoebe shouted hurrying to his side. “I’m a trauma nurse. Do exactly what I say.”
With everything under control but still staring at the priceless painting, Donovan called Sam and gave him a summary of the scene.
“I’ll order a forensics team right away. I’m arriving with backup and we’ll be there any minute.”
“You’re with them?”
“The moment I heard the name Alexi Koslov I headed out the door.”
* * *
Only a few minutes after Rocky had lifted the heavy marble globe off Agent Miller’s crushed feet, Phoebe heard sirens and hurried to the window. It was dark, but she could clearly see the ambulance and two SUV’s. She assumed they were carrying Sam’s men and the forensics unit.
“Rocky, thanks for your help,” she said, moving back to him. “The medics are here. Just stay where you are and keep reassuring him.”
“Phoebe, you were amazing.”
“Not really,” she replied, then walking into the vault to join Donovan, she found him just inside the entrance crouched beside Manny’s body.
“Hey, Phoebe,” he said raising his eyes.
“Can I come in?”
“No, but I’m going to bend the rules,” he replied as he straightened “You have to see the treasures in here. Just make sure you give Manny a wide berth.”
“That’s a lot of blood.”
“Yep, it even made me a bit squeamish.”
“I’ve seen worse,” she remarked. “By the way, the cavalry has arrived.”
“I thought I heard sirens. You’d better hurry. Sam will have my head if he finds you in here.”
“And I need to see Candy. She must be worried sick. It’s not fair to keep her waiting, and I have to tell her about Manny.”
“I feel for her, but you must take a quick look at this collection. I don’t know if you heard while you were busy with Agent Miller, but besides The Alexandrite Empress, Koslov was carrying out a Renoir.”
“I didn’t! But how is that possible?”
“The big time art thieves switch out the real ones with forgeries.”
“No. Surely that can’t happen. It sounds ludicrous.”
“It can and it does. Not as often as it once did, but yeah. In fact Sam was telling me about a new case out of the U.K just a couple of days ago.”
“Donovan, look at that dragon,” she murmured, gazing at a large jade figure, “and that tiara. I wonder where that came from. You’re right, there are so many incredible pieces in here.”
“And they’ll all be returned to their rightful owners. But we’d better get out before Sam arrives, and we need to talk to Candy.”
* * *
As Donovan and Phoebe stepped out into the hall, they crossed paths with Sam leading a large group of men. Donovan stopped to speak with him, but Phoebe just said a quick hello and continued on. Entering the suite, she found Candy on the couch hugging her knees and crying.
“Are you all right?” Phoebe asked, hurrying to her side. “Talk to me.”
“It’s all too much. Being locked in this room scared to death and not knowing what’s going on or who might bust through that door. Then I heard sirens and I wasn’t sure if that was good or bad. And I don’t know what I’m going to do now. It’s such a mess.”
“Take a deep breath. Everything’s under control, except…”
“Manny’s dead, right?”
“I’m afraid so,” Phoebe said softly. “I’m sorry, Candy.”
“I knew he wouldn’t survive. I wanted to get away from him, but not like this.”
“Why did you think he was in danger?”
“I met Alexi Koslov on his mega yacht earlier and he gave me chills. I begged Manny not to do business with him, but no-one can tell Manny what to do, least of all me.”
“Did you know what was in his vault?”
“Sure. We used to go down there all the time. He was obsessed with his collection. I was surprised when he told me he wanted to sell that necklace. But Phoebe, what should I do? Where should I go?”
“Do you have any family or close friends?”
“My family lives on a farm in upstate New York, and my so-called friends were Manny’s. He didn’t like me having anyone outside of his circle.”
“Are you on good terms with your family.”
“Yes, but he even restricted my contact with them. Actually, now that we’re talking about it, I want to go home. I want to be around real people, and the horses and cattle…and…uh… maybe see Mark. Though I doubt he’ll want to see me.”
“Mark?”
“He was my boyfriend. He owned a little ranch and wanted to teach people about horses. He was incredible with them. I know I broke his heart when I left, but I wanted excitement. I wanted to experience the lights and glamor in Manhattan.”
“I bet he’ll be thrilled to see you.”
“Maybe. But regardless, all I want is peace and quiet and mom’s Sunday roast.”
“That sounds fabulous. I’ll make sure you’re interviewed right away so you can go home, but you probably won’t be able to stay here in the house. It’s a crime scene.”
“Oh, I hadn’t thought about that.”
“Don’t worry, I know this lovely hotel close to here. It’s where Donovan and I are staying. I’ll get you a room, and don’t worry about the money. I’ll take care of it.”
“That’s so kind, but isn’t an issue. Every time Manny gave me cash to buy a new dress or whatever, I find something expensive on super sale and put the rest away in case something happened.”
“Aren’t you a clever girl!”
“I only have one favor to ask.”
“Name it.”
“Please call me Candace.”
“How are you, Candace?” Donovan asked, walking in as she spoke.
“Doing better thanks to Phoebe. She suggested I stay at your hotel until I can go home to my family’s farm.”
“That’s a great idea, and the crime scene is being processed so we can leave. We’ll give you a lift and get you checked in.”
* * *
A little while later, utterly exhausted, Donovan and Phoebe climbed into bed desperate for sleep. As she curled against him, he turned out the light and muttered something about Sam.
“What did you say?”
“I said Sam has another job, but he wants you to work with me again. Obviously I told him that’s not going to happen.”
“That’s fantastic. What’s the assignment?” she asked, letting out a heavy yawn.
“Didn’t you hear me? I told him no.”
“Yeah, right, like that will work. Did he give you any details?”
“I don’t believe this conversation.”
“What did you expect?”
“Consider yourself spanked and we’ll talk about it in the morning.”