Chapter 14
Fourteen
M argot blinked back tears as Max left. She desperately needed to see her girls, but it looked like it would be at least another day. Probably two. What they’d found—they needed to get it to the authorities in North Dakota.
Swiping at her face, she steeled herself. These tears wouldn’t help her do what needed to be done.
Instead of just pushing things around inside the box, Margot began removing items, spreading them out on the table. Bracelets, necklaces, heavy rings—it all went on the table. She laid out the trays of coins side-by-side. Under the last tray was another key. It looked like the safe deposit box key in Tad’s belongings. But this one had a keychain.
For a bank.
And not the one she was sitting in.
Heart beating a tattoo in her chest, she left it where it was, not wanting to touch it until Max brought gloves. What had Tad put in that box, and why would he leave her the key?
She let out a soft groan and raked her hands into her hair, briefly grasping the golden strands. What was going on?
Heaving a sigh, she turned her gaze away from the key to focus on the items strewn over the table. Nothing looked amiss, but it had been a decade since she’d looked at any of it.
Time to call Annabeth.
Finding her phone, she called her friend.
“Hey!” Annabeth’s cheery voice picked up on the second ring. “Are you headed to the airport? It’s a little early for that, isn’t it? Your flight’s at noon, right?”
“It is, but that’s all changing. We’re still at the bank.”
“Oh, man. He took it all, didn’t he?”
“No. He added things.”
“What?” Confusion colored her tone. “Like what?”
“A journal and a key. Max left to get some gloves so we can look through the notebook. But that’s not why I’m calling. Can you get in my safe and get the list of things in my safe deposit box?”
“Sure. Let me tell Dean where I’m going.”
Margot heard Annabeth moving around. She spoke to her husband, then the door opened and closed as she walked out her back door to cross the short expanse to Margot’s house.
Another door opened and closed.
“Okay. I’m here. Where is it?”
“In my closet. Left-hand corner.”
It only took a few moments for Annabeth to move through Margot’s small house and open the closet door. In seconds, Margot heard the click of hangers sliding over the bar.
“What’s the code?”
Margot told her, then heard beeps as Annabeth input the numbers.
“All right, I’m in. What am I looking for?”
“There’s a file labeled ‘Safe Deposit M and D’.”
A short pause came over the line.
“Oh, there it is.” Annabeth blew out a breath that sounded like she was clearing hair out of her eyes. “You said the item list, right?”
“Yeah. We need to go through it. Or you can send me a picture to compare.”
“I’ll do both. We can go through it together; it’ll be faster if I read stuff off. Then I’ll text it to you, so you have it for whatever.”
“Sounds good.”
“You ready?”
“Yep.” She put the phone on speaker and set it down.
“Emerald and diamond necklace. Gold. Leaf shape. Total weight twelve carats.”
Margot stood up as she found it and moved it to the other side of the table. “Got it. What’s next?”
For the next ten minutes, they went through the list. Margot shuffled items around, and they got through all the jewelry and a few coins before Max reappeared.
“That Annabeth?” He mouthed.
Margot nodded.
“1982 D Small Date Copper Alloy Lincoln Cent,” Annabeth read from the list.
Pointing a finger at the coins, Margot scanned the text on the cardboard surrounds. “Found it.” She plucked it from the tray and set it with the others they’d already been through.
Max set the sack he carried on the table and sat down. Plastic rustled as he dug into the bag.
“What’s that?” Annabeth asked.
“It’s me.” Max tore open the package of gloves.
“What else did you buy?” A curious frown wrinkled Margot’s forehead.
“Ziploc bags. We can take a few pieces of your jewelry to get them appraised. And I want to preserve any evidence on the journal before we turn it over to the authorities. Did you find anything else while I was gone?”
Margot tipped a finger toward the metal box. “A safe deposit box key for another bank.”
His gaze sharpened. He turned to the box and used a gloved hand to lift it out. “It’s the same number as the one from Tad’s keychain.”
“Seriously?”
He nodded. “Do you recognize this bank?”
“Yeah. There are several in the area.”
He set the key back in the box. “We’ll go there next, I guess.” He waved a hand at the stuff spread over the table. “Continue your inventory. I’m going to look through this journal and take pictures.” Extending an arm, he picked up the notebook.
“Did you change our flight?”
“Yeah. I just canceled it. I don’t know how long we’ll have to stay. Gallagher will probably send an agent from the field office here to collect things, but we may have to stay a day or two for questions.”
Margot’s mouth twisted. She knew that was the case, but secretly she’d been hoping he’d say differently.
“Annabeth, are you and Dean all right with the girls for a couple more days?” she asked.
“Of course we are. They’re being angels.”
Max snorted. “I highly doubt that. Lily, maybe. But I’m guessing you’ve rescued Emily from atop a chair or table at least once.”
Annabeth’s low chuckle came over the line. “Possibly. There’s also the possibility I piled pillows on the floor and told her to have at it.”
Margot groaned. “She’ll be unstoppable when I get back.”
“Then she’s your problem.”
“I love you. So much.” Wrinkling her nose, amusement crinkled the corners of Margot’s eyes.
Annabeth laughed. “I know. Let’s get back to this list now, shall we?”
With a dramatic sigh, Margot sent Max a grin. “Sure.”
It took another fifteen minutes to go through all the coins. Just two were missing.
Margot rubbed her forehead and picked up the phone. “Can you find the provenance for those two coins in the folder and send me pictures?”
“Yep. I’ll send this list too.”
“Sounds good. You might have to scan and email it later.”
“I’ll just do that now. My printer is one of those three-in-one things.”
“That works. Thanks, Annabeth. Give the girls kisses for me?” Her voice grew thick. She missed her babies so much.
“I will. Bye.”
“Bye.”
Max chimed in his own farewell, then Annabeth hung up.
Margot set the phone down and pressed the heels of her hands to her eyes with a groan. “I just want to go home.”
Max’s hand landed on her back, rubbing small circles. “I know. So do I. And we’ll get there. At least you’re not stuck here alone.”
She turned her head to give him a soft smile. “No. I’m glad you forced your way onto this trip. For many reasons.” Memories of their kiss Friday evening assailed her. She felt her cheeks flush, but didn’t look away. They hadn’t talked about it, but there’d been a shift in the way they interacted. Touches lingered a little longer and seemed to come more freely; undercurrents of need passed when they looked at each other. It was subtle, but it was there.
His eyes heated, but the rest of his expression stayed neutral.
“So, did you photograph the whole book?” She gestured to the journal.
“I did. I’ve been looking at the entries too.”
“Oh?”
“It’s definitely a betting book.” He opened it and explained what he saw.
“How do you know this?” She frowned, settling an uneasy look on him. “You don’t gamble, too, do you?”
“No. But I spent enough time around guys in the military who did to know the lingo.”
“Can you tell what they were betting on?”
“It looks like horses.”
“Horses? When you guys mentioned gambling, I envisioned casinos and blackjack tables. Not horse races.”
Max lifted a shoulder. “He could have been playing cards too. But this looks like race betting to me.”
She blew out a sigh and ran a hand through her hair. “So, what do we do now? We need to check out that other safe deposit box, don’t we?”
“Yeah. I’m hoping Tad authorized you to get into the box and didn’t just list you or the twins as beneficiaries. If the latter is the case, we’ll have to wait for the DNA results to come back and for the M.E. to issue a death certificate. Or see if Gallagher can get a warrant to get into it.”
“Can we ask to be there when he opens it?”
“We can, but that doesn’t mean he’ll let us. But for now, we’re going to put all this away, except for a couple pieces of your jewelry and the items Tad added, then we’ll go see if we can get into the box.” He reached for the drugstore sack and took out the box of Ziploc bags.
“Which of these do you want?” She gestured to the array of jewelry on the table.
Max stood, tearing open the cardboard box. Leaning forward, he perused the pieces. “That one, that one, and that one.” He pointed to the emerald necklace, the diamond pendant, and a sapphire and diamond ring.
Margot picked them up and deposited them into the baggie he held open.
“Here.” He handed her another bag, then picked up the keychain and put it inside. “We’re taking this stuff with us. Someone let Tad into your box. I don’t want that same someone removing what was added.” He opened another bag and slid the journal inside.
Her eyes rounded. “Do you really think they would? Why? I mean, what would they gain?”
“I don’t know. But we’re not taking any chances.”
She liked his logic. This could be the key to solving Tad’s death. So, without a second thought, she stuffed the three bags into her purse, then helped Max put the remaining items back into the box.
“I’ll go get the manager.” Max took a step back from the table. “Can you put the gloves and bags in your purse?”
“Sure.”
He took off the blue gloves he wore and shoved them into his pocket as he headed for the door. Margot picked up the sack, but then had a thought.
“Max.”
He paused in the doorway and turned.
“What do we say about this box? Someone let Tad into it and shouldn’t have.”
Max drummed his fingers on his leg for a moment. “I think nothing for now. Let’s find out what’s in the other box, then contact Gallagher. And my attorney. This stuff is in your possession and shouldn’t be. We—you—need representation.”
Her shoulders drooped, but she didn’t argue. He was right.
If it weren’t for the fact Tad was already dead, she’d wring his neck.