Chapter 2
The building where Anna rented an office was expensive, but in Sunrise Cove, they all were. The pros: safe and well-lit parking, vending machines stocked with saturated fats and sugar, and each floor came with a receptionist.
Anna was on the second level, in the first of six offices, which meant if her door was open, she could hear Candy, the receptionist, chewing gum.
A definite con.
Anna was elbows deep in research for one of the insurance companies she did investigations and analysis for to bring in extra cash. They were facing a civil suit, and the insurance company wanted their ducks in a row.
That was Anna, resident Duck Whisperer Extraordinaire.
Since she had her office door open to draft in fresh air from her window, she heard Candy stop chewing gum to greet someone. Then came a low murmur of an answering male voice, and odd, but she could’ve sworn he said her name.
“I’m sorry,” Candy said. “You’re not on her list for today.”
“I’m a last-minute add,” he said. “Here, I’ll just call her.” There was a silence while he presumably navigated through his phone, then, “Anna darling...”
She stared at her phone, which hadn’t rung. But also... Anna darling?
“You about ready to grab lunch?” he asked, then paused for a beat as if listening to her response. “No worries, I’ll be right in.”
Anna nearly laughed. No way would that work. Candy might have a sweet-sounding name, but the woman was no pushover. No one got by her, and if they tried, well, the ex–parole officer was working on her black belt in karate and often lamented that she hadn’t been able to kick anyone’s ass in months.
Anna leaned over her desk, precariously perched, trying to peek out the door, not wanting to miss the ass-kicking.
“She said to come right in,” the man said to Candy. “Thanks for your help.”
“Anytime, honey.”
What the hell?
In the next beat, he appeared in Anna’s doorway, startling her so that her hands slipped on her desk, making her lose her balance.
The man’s face creased in concern. “Are you—”
“Fine!” She straightened, refusing to rub the chin she’d just banged on the wood. “I’m fine.”
Appearing to be fighting a smile, he rocked back on his heels. “You sure?”
No, she wasn’t sure. For one thing, her pride hurt right along with her chin. “Who are you?”
“Your next appointment.” He even looked her right in the eyes as he lied.
Impressive. “I don’t have an appointment right now.”
“No? Well, don’t tell your receptionist.” He ambled over to one of the two chairs across from her desk and made himself at home, long legs sprawled out in front of him, comfortable as you please.
She knew “tall, dark, and handsome” was an antiquated saying, but if the shoe fit... and this one certainly did. “You lied to her.”
He steepled his fingers on his flat belly. “‘Lie’ is such a strong word.”
Leaning against the side of her desk, arms crossed, she gave him her best badass glare.
The corners of his mouth quirked. “My name’s Owen Harris, and we need to talk.”
“So talk.”
“I’d like to know how it is that you’re in possession of an 1853 P Liberty Gold coin from the SS Central America.”
Good thing she’d done some research on the coin and its origins, because she now knew that he was referring to the ship called the SS Central America, which had gone down in 1857 during a hurricane off the coast of the Carolinas—with a fortune in gold on board. “Why would I tell you anything?”
“Because you’re in possession of a coin that went down with the ship, and I believe it belongs to my great-aunt.”
“What makes you believe that?”
He slapped a few pockets before finding and pulling out his phone. While he flipped through his photos, she studied him. He had short, tousled hair in every possible shade of brown, from sun-kissed to dark, which matched the two-day stubble on his jaw. His eyes were an unsettlingly sharp green. Considering that he’d come to her without an appointment, she thought it was damn impolite of him to look as hot as he did.
Leaning forward, he showed her a snap of an old black-and-white picture that held a framed coin collection labeled 1853 P Liberty Gold. Then he swiped to the next photo—same collection, only the photo was in color now, and all the coins were gone. “They were stolen ten years ago. She filed a report with the police, but it was kept quiet at her request. She no longer enjoys being the center of attention.”
She looked up at him, but the man’s eyes, in addition to being sharp, were impossible to read. “I fail to see how this proves the coin is your great-aunt’s. They’re not numbered or anything.”
“Any coins that were recovered from the shipwreck ended up in private collections, like the one that belonged to my great-aunt Ruby’s family. They purchased the collection legally, then passed them down through the following generations. No one is missing any coins from their collection—except Ruby. So when you popped up with one...”
He’d assumed it was his great-aunt’s. “Interesting,” she said casually while her heart raced. “But still not absolute proof.”
He thumbed to another picture. Another old black-and-white, this one of a twentysomething young woman in a wedding dress. Her only jewelry was a stunning necklace.
“That’s my great-aunt Ruby on her wedding day,” he said. “She’s wearing a necklace called the Ruby Red. It’d been given to her by her mother, who’d gotten it from her mother, always passed down on the daughter’s wedding day.” He swiped to another pic, which was of a painting in an ornate frame. “This was my great-aunt’s great-grandma... on her wedding day.”
Anna took in both photos with the same striking necklace. “Very cool,” she said genuinely. History fascinated her. “But what does it have to do with the coins?”
“The Ruby Red was stolen on the same day as the coins, and nothing was ever recovered by the authorities. Have you seen this necklace?”
“Never.”
Slipping his phone into his pocket, he shrugged. “Reportedly, you didn’t know you had the coin either.” He met her gaze, and she realized she could read his eyes after all.
He was angry.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Harris,” she said. “I truly am. But I don’t have the collection or the necklace. Just the one coin, and I still haven’t seen proof it belonged to your aunt.”
That got her a smile that didn’t meet his eyes as he stood and pulled two one-hundred-dollar bills from a pocket and set them on her desk. “Now you really do have a client, one who’s given you a down payment in good faith. I’m hiring you to find the stolen coins and the Ruby Red. I’m pretty sure the job’s going to be easy for you.”
Anna stared at him. “Because you think my dad was the thief.”
“If the clues fit...”
“My dad wouldn’t steal a thing.”
“Really? Have you checked out his police record?”
Her dad had a police record? Apparently, she’d let emotion cloud her judgment from the moment she’d found the coin four days ago, because if she’d taken this more seriously, researching her dad would’ve been one of the first things she’d have done.
Her annoying guest let out a low laugh. “And you call yourself an investigator?”
Her spine snapped ramrod straight. “How do you know it’s not your aunt frauding you, probably along with her insurance company?” she asked.
“She didn’t get a payout.”
“Gee, that doesn’t sound suspicious at all. Did you know that fifteen percent of all claims are fraudulent?”
“Which means eighty-five percent aren’t,” he said. “And she didn’t get a payout because she wasn’t insured. Don’t get me started,” he muttered at her look of shock. “I had no idea she didn’t have any of it covered. She’s... not well.”
Unwanted sympathy for him filled Anna. “I’m sorry. Have you been looking for her things from the beginning?”
“From the beginning, yes. But that didn’t last long because the trail went cold.”
Until he’d seen her interview... She eyed the two hundred bucks on her desk. Starting her own business had been massively expensive. Could she really afford to turn down his business, especially when she knew she could prove her dad’s innocence? “You seriously want to hire me?”
He gave her a small smile. “Keep your friends close...”
“And your enemies closer.” She shook her head at him. “No, thank you. One, working in tandem with a client is dangerous. Two, it’ll spook whoever I try to talk to. And three, it’s not allowed anyway.”
That got her an almost genuine smile. “Are any of those things even true?”
“Sure,” she said. “Which one do you like?”
He just shook his head.
“Seriously,” she said. “I work alone.”
A throat cleared from the doorway. Mari. Anna made a point of looking at the time.
Mari strolled in unapologetically, dropping a bag that smelled like the breakfast burritos she loved so much on Anna’s desk, and Anna immediately changed her irritation at Mari’s tardiness to gratefulness.
“I assume you forgot to eat again,” Mari said, and then eyed their guest. “Hello. I’m Mari, Anna’s right hand. And sometimes her left hand too.”
Owen smiled at her, flashing white teeth and a dead sexy smile. “Owen Harris. New client.”
“Well then...” Mari opened a second bag and held it out.
Owen peered in and then removed a cinnamon roll. “Our partnership is off to a good start.”
“This is no partnership!” Anna gave Mari a look that had her retreating down the hall to her own office. When the door shut, Anna eyed the man standing before her, casually eating his cinnamon roll. “Before I get started on this... situation,” she said, “is there anything else I should know?”
He studied her a moment while he chewed and swallowed, then licked sugar off his thumb. “You’ve seen the news and the online stories about your dad being a cat burglar back in the day.”
“Baseless rumors.”
“Not all of them. I’ve asked around. The only thing that kept your dad out of jail at the time of the theft was that all the evidence against him was circumstantial.”
She drew a deep breath. If there was one thing she hated, it was being a step behind. She currently felt a mile behind, which she’d rectify immediately—soon as she got rid of him. “Anything else?”
He shrugged. “Depends on if we’re working together or against each other.”
“No matter how things go, whatever I find, I’ll be honest,” she said. “I play by the rules.”
That got her a low laugh. “Shame.”
She also couldn’t be swayed by a good-looking guy, no matter how much her body wanted to be. “I’ll be in touch, Mr. Harris.”
“Owen. And I realize you’re in the position of having something to prove, but don’t let that worry you.”
She gave a rough laugh. “I don’t have to prove anything to you.”
“According to everything I’ve read since you were photographed with the coin, you’ve got something to prove to a whole bunch of people. And while we’re on the subject, I’m going to need the coin back.”
“If it turns out that you’re right, and the coin we found in my father’s belongings is indeed your great-aunt’s, that will be no problem.”
He looked at her for a long beat. “You expect me to believe you’ll be honest, no matter what you find?”
She bristled. “I give every case 110 percent. But I’m telling you right now, my dad was no thief.”
He gave a single nod. “I’ll expect to hear from you within a few days.”
“Or?”
“Or I’ll be forced to involve the authorities.”
She sent him a glacial stare to cover her unease. “Don’t let the door hit you in the ass on your way out, Mr. Harris.”
He slid her another smile, and she watched as the man’s very fine denim-covered ass walked out the door.
Not ten seconds later, Candy stuck her head in the door. “Holy hot guy,” she said. “Good for you.”
“It’s not like that.”
“Girl, you’re due. You’re past due. Make it ‘like that.’”
True story on being past due. She was so far past due, her parts were in danger of expiring. “I hear your phone ringing.”
“Shit.” Candy vanished.
Anna pulled out her cell phone and called one of her oldest friends, Nikki Hernandez.
“Officer Hernandez.”
“Nikki, it’s me. Can you look up something?”
“Hey, chica. And sure, but it’ll cost you. Those drinks you owe me? Top shelf.”
“Deal. Can you tell me if Louis Moore has any sort of record?”
There was a beat of silence. “You mean your dad? You want me to look up your dad? Is this about all the articles on the coin?”
“Seriously?” Anna asked. “How many people actually watch the news?”
Nikki didn’t answer, but Anna could hear her fingers clicking on a keyboard and tried to be patient. It was nothing, she told herself. Nothing. But then she heard Nikki suck in a breath. A big tell from someone who had the best poker face of anyone Anna knew. “What? What did you find?”
Nikki hesitated. Never a good sign. “Are you sure you want to go down this road?”
Of course Anna wasn’t sure. “I’m already on this road. Just tell me.”
“When he was eighteen, he had a record for petty theft and possession of stolen property. And several times after that, in the following few years, he was suspected of more, but no further convictions.”
Anna sank to her chair. “You’re positive?”
“I’m looking right at the records. I’m so sorry, chica.”
“Maybe it was all just wrong place at the wrong time?”
“I mean... maybe.”
Anna heard the doubt. “But you don’t think so.”
“Once, yes. But several times?”
Dad, what the hell?
“Uh-oh.”
Anna stilled. “Uh-oh what?”
“I’ve accessed the original police report on the coin theft. Looks like your dad was an early suspect then too but was never charged due to lack of evidence.”
“Okay.” Anna set her forehead to her desk and gulped air. Okay, not being charged was good. “You knew him,” she finally said. “Can you see him doing something like this?”
“No. No way.”
Anna let out a breath and hoped like hell they were both right, for Wendy’s sake. “Thanks.” When she disconnected, she looked up, startled to find Owen Harris leaning against her doorjamb, arms crossed. Shit. She mustered a cool expression. “Déjà vu.”
“I realized I forgot to leave you my business card,” he said.
“Or you wanted to overhear what I did next after you left.”
“A suspicious thing, aren’t you.” Pushing off the doorjamb, he set his card on her desk. “I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Right. Because otherwise you’ll call the cops on me.”
His gaze met hers. “I don’t think I’ll have to.”
“No? And why is that?”
“Because if you play by the rules, you’re also the type to do the right thing. I’ll be seeing you, Anna.”
Not if I see you first...
When he was gone, she went back to her desk and sat, then found Mari standing there watching her. “What is this, Annoy Anna Day?”
“Been a long time since I’ve seen Ms. Cool and Collected get off on the wrong foot with someone. Or be interested in a guy.”
“Not my finest moment,” Anna admitted. “And I’m not interested in him.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Do you really have nothing better to do right now?”
Mari grinned. “I’ve got lots to do. But this is way more fun.”
Anna picked up Owen’s card, which read: Tahoe Adventures, Owen Harris, co-owner. So he played for a living. Why did that not surprise her? “Run him, see what you can drum up.”
“So is he really a client?”
“For now. Apparently there are a whole bunch more missing coins like the one I found, plus a necklace, all of it worth a fortune, and he seems to believe I have it all hidden somewhere. We need to disabuse him of that notion.”
Mari smiled. “And here I thought he was going to just be someone fun to tease you about. But now there’s a romantic connection and a mystery. Fun day.”
Anna shook her head and began searching through her drawers for some Advil. She looked up to find Mari still smiling at her. “You’re still standing here why?”
“Right. On it!”