Chapter Fifteen
Jenna, relieved Brock didn’t follow her, caught Dan’s eye as she did her rounds. What she was looking for exactly, she wasn’t sure. She just knew the thief or thieves were there somewhere.
Dan motioned for her to come his way.
She wound her way around two groups of loud men talking golf, followed him out the door, and onto the side balcony.
Dan grabbed her hand and pulled her to him for a kiss. “We must stop meeting like this.”
“Ha, funny. It’s admirable you can keep your sense of humor while everything falls apart. Well, you’ll be happy to hear that I did it. I gave Brock the it’s-not-you-it’s-me talk, and he pretty much kicked me out of the hotel room but in a nice way. Here I am with no place to stay tonight. Can you help a girl out?”
“It so happens I have a place in town and a place here on Tybee. We are rich in places to sleep.”
“I need to remove my things from the hotel tonight. If the thieves are striking tonight, I wish they’d go ahead so I could go back to my life. Besides, I want another drink but can’t because I’m on duty, such as it is. Sorry, I’m whining, I know.”
“What do you say we leave these people on their own? Who cares about their jewels?’ Dan hugged her. “Who cares that I might be blamed for these latest heists? We can charter a plane and disappear in the Alps.”
Jenna let go of his hand. “Nice fantasy, but yeah, I know, we have to see this through. Then you owe me something, and not just the apology.”
Dan took a step back and frowned. “Owe you? What do I owe you?”
“If you can figure that out, I will forgive you for all your past sins.”
Dan shrugged. “And if I can’t figure it out?”
“There will be a penalty. I don’t know what it will be—yet. But I have faith in you; I believe you can figure it out. Just think back to those last days together. It will come to you.”
Dan put an arm around her waist. “I think I will kiss you now that you have gotten rid of the big, blond, dumb boyfriend. Remind me to ask you later why such a drastic change in your type.”
“Darn, I thought you might be my boyfriend. Wait, what…I have a type?”
“Yes, I am your type, and I’m much more than a boyfriend.” Dan pulled her into him and kissed her.
Jenna, afraid they would attract too much attention, broke away, though it was hard to do. “Will you behave yourself? We are supposed to be catching a thief, not renewing our relationship for all the world to witness.”
“We’re talented, so I feel sure we can do both.” Dan grabbed her hand again. “I can’t stop touching you. What’s wrong with me?”
“Dan, seriously, this behavior is not helping,” Jenna whispered, as she turned away and left him standing on the balcony grinning. Back inside, Jenna checked in with Marta Roseland again, who seemed to be set on holding court in one location. A smart decision on her part. Jenna was liking Marta more and more every hour. At some point, the band picked up, and the music became livelier and louder with every set. Dan liked to joke about the Black-and-White Ball. He said it was a Southerner’s excuse to let their hair down and get kinky. She reminded him Southerners needed no excuse.
Jenna saw Dan making the rounds once again, looking for anyone or anything who might be a clue as to opportunities for the thief. As the night wore on, he seemed more reluctant to leave her alone too long and made it a point to search her out on a regular basis. He felt it, too—something was in the air, and something would happen. Jenna looked up to see Dan coming her way again. She leaned on the bar, wondering if she should try coffee. “Hey, I’m exhausted,” she whispered as he joined her at the bar.
“The waiting is always painfully nerve-racking and exhausting. But cheer up. something is bound to happen soon. There’s not a lot of time left,” Dan said.
“Well, if anything is happening tonight, let it happen soon. I must get back to the hotel and get my things out of there. Who knows what Brock will do? He was not so happy with me when we parted. If he gets back there before me and checks out, can I get back into the room? They will de-activate my key card.”
“Oh, I don’t think he is going anywhere any time soon.” Dan nodded to his left. “He seems well occupied.”
“Ah, he’s switched from Harper to Gail, I see. He does have a thing about long-legged women. Not sure what he saw in me.”
Dan handed her a bottle of sparkling water. “Your legs are perfect. As your old and new boyfriend, I have a duty to assure you of that. I am nothing if not truthful.”
“I hate those silly terms, boyfriend and girlfriend. I always feel like I’m sixteen again and worrying about being asked to the prom. It brings back odd memories, teen angst and insecurity, and the smell of pot behind the gym.”
Dan took her hand and laughed. “Yeah, I can understand that. Let’s go with a better word, let’s say lover until I can arrange something better. How is that?”
“Oh, hush. You’re distracting me from running out of here screaming, aren’t you?”
Dan let her hand go and nodded to his right. “Look, Harper is on the move.”
“You think she is the one, don’t you? Or at least one of the two or three, right?”
Dan’s gaze followed Harper as she moved across the room. “I have ruled no one out. She has a lot of the things an international thief would need. All the things we talked about before. She has money, time, connections, and a fuzzy history.”
“What about her fuzzy history? Did you hear more from Luc?”
“That’s what I wanted to tell you. Let’s find a better place to talk.” Dan steered Jenna out toward the balcony again and out of sight from others. “Yeah, it seems she has more than one name. The Harper Clavell we know is actually Diana Delmonte. She became Harper Clavell ten years ago when she started her current career. Along with accumulating large sums of wealth, sources unknown, she has homes in Paris and New York City. She has been seen around Milan at the fashion events, but Luc hasn’t found property there in her name—at least, not yet.”
Jenna could hear all the alarm bells ringing now. Harper was more than they counted on. “Why the name change? And where is she really from? And who is she?”
“Luc is still on that, along with trying to find out more about the Delmonte family. He’s waiting on Interpol and the FBI, but it’s not high on anyone’s list right now. All he can do is wait and call in a few favors. Harper has kept a much lower profile the past few years. No pictures in the magazine and no appearances at the fashion shows. That alone is a red flag. That means, to me, she is trying to blend in rather than stand out. That goes against type, so there is a reason.”
“Maybe she has been busy learning another set of skills.”
Before Dan could reply, they froze at the sound of an alarm that seemed to come from close by.
A group of security people ran past them and down the steps of the balcony that led to the lower level, and they sprinted across the lawn.
Dan pulled Jenna’s arm. “It’s the senator’s house; let’s go.”
“Wait, it might be a diversion.” Jenna looked back into the room to locate the senator and his wife. “They are leaving the Roselands here unguarded, Dan.”
Dan stopped and looked around. “You’re right. What’s wrong with them? His personal security should be there. He must have ordered them to go.”
They made their way over to Senator and Marta Roseland, who, considering the circumstances, were calm. Jenna was much relieved to see his senate-assigned bodyguard was still there. The senator and the bodyguard were both on their phones and speaking rapidly.
“Do you know what’s going on yet?” Dan asked the senator as he ended his call.
“Something triggered the alarm is all we know at the moment. I should get an update soon. Security asked us to stay here.”
Jenna looked around and didn’t see any other security other than the one personal bodyguard. “What about security here for you and the guests—how many security people are left here ?”
The senator’s face went pale as he looked from Jenna to Dan. “You think it’s a ruse, don’t you?”
Jenna nodded, looking around again and then glanced at Dan for confirmation. “Maybe.”
“I have Ray here, my personal bodyguard, and there is one man on the front door, but that might be all until we can get two more back here who Ray just called,” the senator said.
Dan pointed to the large number of guests still wandering around the room. “Not enough. Lots of ladies wearing lots of jewelry are wandering around. No one seems especially upset about the alarm.”
The senator shook his head. “No, they wouldn’t be. They are all used to security situations, and besides, they think the threat is elsewhere, not here in this room.”
“But you think it’s here?” Marta looked from Dan to Jenna.
Jenna had no time to reply before a piercing scream filtered across the room. This was followed by panic among the other guests.
Dan turned to the senator and shouted to be heard over the noise. “It came from the other side of the ballroom. Call your team leader for backup, senator. Tell him the thief might be here and not at your house.”
Dan and Jenna ran toward the scream at the other end of the room, weaving their way through the crowd.
A small group gathered around a woman who looked to be in her sixties. She shook and still clutched at her throat, seemingly on the verge of hyperventilating. A red mark was on her neck where someone put pressure to get the necklace off. She was supported by her husband, who looked on the verge of fainting himself.
Jenna took the lead and got the woman to a chair, while Dan cleared the crowd out of the way. Someone brought a glass of water, and Jenna handed it to the woman, but her hands were still trembling too much to hold it. “Hi, I’m Jenna. Can you take some deep breaths?”
The woman nodded and took a few breaths. “I’m Doreen, Doreen Stanford. I can take a bit of that water now, please.”
Her husband hovered over her shoulder.
Jenna looked at Mr. Stanford. “Can you tell me what happened? What do you remember? Take your time.”
Mr. Stanford shook his head. “No, was on the way back from the men’s room.”
Doreen closed her eyes. “In the ladies’ room, I was in there alone. Well, of course, I was alone.” She let out a hysterical giggle. She clutched the now-empty glass, opened her eyes, and looked around the room, wild-eyed. “A hand, an arm, came through the bathroom door, a hand, oh God, that hand.”
Jenna took the empty glass. “That’s good, take your time. What else do you remember? Did they say anything?”
Doreen hesitated and seemed about to respond when she was distracted by two of her friends rushing up to find out what happened.
Jenna watched Dan go into his old cop mode and take charge.
He asked the others to step away, and they did, without question. “Please, try to relax and take a deep breath, Mrs…sorry, what is your name?” Dan asked the woman.
“Doreen Stanford.” The woman now began to shake again.
Dan got down on one knee beside her chair. “Breath normally. Your husband is here with some more water. Can you get her something sweet to eat, Mr. Stanford? We don’t want her going into shock.”
Mr. Stanford went off again, still looking pale himself. With Jenna on one side of her and Dan on the other, Doreen began to calm down and stopped shaking. She took her hands from around her neck to reveal more of the red mark, a half circle, where her diamond necklace used to be.
Mr. Stanford came back with what looked to be some sort of tart.
Dan stood and took the pastry from Mr. Stanford. “Okay, now, your husband has brought you something here that looks pretty good. Have a couple of bites, and we’ll continue on. The sugar will help, and then take a few more sips of water. Don’t hurry, we have time. The security people are already looking for the thief.”
Jenna was impressed by how Dan was handling the situation, and could see why he had been a good detective.
Mrs. Stanford did as she was instructed.
Jenna saw her steal a few looks at Dan, who was looking more and more like a sexy James Bond with his tie now loose and his hair over his brow.
Dan patted Mrs. Stanford’s hand and went back into detective mode. “Do you think you can tell us what happened now?”
Mrs. Stanford smiled at Dan, nodded, and took another drink of water. “I was in the ladies’ room, alone. It’s the small one with two stalls. I heard someone else come in. Oh, can I have a real drink Steve, maybe a little bourbon?” She handed the now-empty glass to her husband.
Jenna was determined to keep her talking before she forgot what she saw and heard. “Are you thinking one person or more, Doreen?”
“Yes, I think one. I heard someone come through the door; they didn’t speak or make a noise. They didn’t go into the next stall as I thought they would. Then I heard the water running in the sink. And then, bam, the door—the door popped open to my stall, and this person—they reached in and took my necklace. They put one hand on my shoulder and jerked my head around to get the clasp open, but I put my hand up to stop it, trying to hold on to it. They slapped my hands away, got the necklace, and were gone before I knew what happened. I was sitting there, helpless. On the toilet, the toilet, for goodness sakes.”
Dan shifted his position but stayed at her side. “Can you tell us anything else about the person? Anything at all that you recall can help, even any sounds or smells you remember.”
Mrs. Stanford closed her eyes. “Yes, yes…they were tall, slender, and wearing a black jogging suit kind of outfit. The hood was up, and they wore dark glasses, the big wraparound kind. I could just see part of their face. They were white.”
Dan asked the question Jenna was waiting for. “Was it a man or woman, Mrs. Stanford?”
Mrs. Stanford started to speak but then paused and looked up at Dan. “Well, I would have said man, of course, but funny you should ask because I thought I smelled Dior perfume, one of my favorites. It can’t be mistaken for a man’s cologne. I just now remembered that when you mentioned smells.”
Jenna looked at Dan. They both knew what that meant.
Dan asked a few more trivial questions, giving Mrs. Stanford time to relax and to think more clearly. Though he was impatient for answers, he knew better than to rush a victim.
Mrs. Stanford sipped at her bourbon, which relaxed her even more. She seemed more eager to talk about what happened and was more attentive to the remainder of Dan’s questions.
Dan tried a new tack with Mrs. Stanford, hoping to keep her seeing the scene in her head so she would recall more than she realized she knew. “What else—did they speak at all? What sounds do you recall, if not words?”
Mrs. Stanford looked up at Dan, and her eyes filled. “No, there was not one word. I am sure about that. It happened so fast. He, she—a person dressed all in black, their arms reaching into my stall, and me helpless, sitting there, and on a toilet of all things” she repeated. She lowered her head, and her hand went to her neck, reaching for the necklace that was no longer there. “My necklace—it belonged to my grandmother.”
Dan watched the tears, his jaw set, his eyes blazing, and looked at Jenna. “I’m sorry you had to go through that, Mrs. Stanford. You have been a great help. I promise you we will do all we can to get your necklace back.”
Doreen shook her head. “I couldn’t stop them. That arm, that arm in black. Those black sunglasses, so scary. I’ll never forget it.”
Dan stood and looked at Mr. Stanford, who stared at his wife. “We’ll all do our best to get the necklace back for you and your wife. Jenna will help you return home if you need security to escort you. She can arrange that while I go check in with security.”
Mr. Stanford helped his wife up from the chair. “We have a car and driver standing by. Will you let us know how things are going, Dan?”
“I know you both would like to go home, but unfortunately, you will need to wait for the local police. They should be here any second, and I’m afraid you will need to rehash this all again. Mrs. Stanford, once home, if you do remember anything else, no matter how small or what you think might be useless, write it down, and then call me or Jenna. Sometimes, it’s the smallest thing that will provide a useful clue.”
Dan turned to Jenna. “I’ll go see who is missing in the room, like a few of our favorite characters, and talk to the senator. Maybe he has an update, and I need to brief him on this—what happened here. Where the heck are the local police?”
“Do you think he’d mind making an announcement to the guests to stay put until the police get here and to let them know what’s happened? Maybe he did, but I didn’t hear anything. If not, we might see a mass exodus, and that will mean chaos and a compromised crime scene. Maybe his people have started securing the scene already.”
Dan nodded toward a group of security people headed their way. “Yes, I’m hoping his security detail is on that already. If you will, Jenna, please get the Stanfords into the conference room to wait for the police. I’ll go talk to the senator and his team. Gonna be a long night.”