Chapter 29
JD and I swung by the Hyton Hotel. The book convention took up a few of the ballrooms. Jack pulled up to the valet and told the kid to keep it up front. Perks of the badge.
We stepped into the grand lobby, the Florida sunshine filtering through the atrium. A crowd of people came and went. Tourists checked in and out. The clatter of silverware drifted from the restaurant. People lounged around at the bar, sipping cocktails.
I cut in line and flashed my badge to the cute blonde clerk at the front desk.
She returned my smile. "How can I help you today?"
"I'm looking for Hendrick Van der Valk.”
She tapped a few keys and looked at the screen. "He's in room #1214. Would you like me to ring the room?"
With another smile, I said, "No. That won't be necessary. Thank you."
We left the desk, strolled across the lobby, and took the glass elevator up to the 12th floor. We stepped off and ambled down the hall toward #1214. I put a heavy fist against the door.
There was no reply.
I figured Hendrick was probably in one of the ballrooms. I pulled up his image on social media and showed Jack. There were thousands of people in attendance. It wouldn’t be an easy task without a little assistance. I called Isabella and asked her to track his cell phone.
She told me his phone was in the ballroom.
JD and I headed back downstairs.
“Is Daphne still at the motel?” I asked Isabella.
“Her phone is. No calls, outgoing or incoming.”
I thanked her for the information, ended the call, then dialed Denise.
“I’m bored.”
I chuckled. “I can imagine.”
“How much longer do I have to sit here?”
“I don’t know.”
“I have to go to the bathroom.”
“Okay, we’ll finish up here, then swing by and give you a break.”
“Hurry,” she said before ending the call.
We reached the lobby and hurried to the ballroom.
JD and I plowed through the crowd, looking for the eccentric collector.
Rows and rows of vendor tables with black pipe and drape offered all sorts of books to eager fans.
From the rarest of the rare to old adventure paperbacks to comic books, there was something for everyone.
It wouldn't be a book convention without several contemporary authors signing autographs, meeting readers, and posing for pictures.
The convention was a place for like-minded individuals to connect, mix, and mingle.
Vendors sold T-shirts and mementos from the gathering. Kiosks served overpriced fast food—nachos, pizza, hot dogs, and burgers. Of course, there were some high-end vendors with ancient tomes in glass cases. Armed security guards stood by.
The real deals went down outside the ballroom, in the lounge or the bar. Upstairs in hotel rooms. What was on display here was fodder for the public. The real treasures were under lock and key somewhere.
Hendrick stood out among the crowd. In his late 50s with wavy silver hair, a narrow face, and a trimmed mustache and goatee, he was dressed impeccably. With a three-piece suit and a walking cane that was mostly for show, he looked regal and scholarly.
His brow wrinkled with surprise when I approached and flashed my badge. "Hendrick Van der Valk? I'm Deputy Wild with Coconut County. This is Deputy Donovan.”
Nervous blue eyes flicked between us. "What can I do for you, gentlemen?"
"We just have a few questions for you about Douglas Caldwell and the Anselm Codex.”
Hendrick frowned. "Terrible what happened to Douglas. I hope he pulls through.”
"It’s my understanding you made an offer for the Codex.”
"I make offers on a lot of books. Sadly, Douglas turned me down. I felt my offer was more than fair.”
"To put up that kind of money, you must have wanted it pretty bad."
"When I set my sights on something, I rarely ever give up.”
I shared a look with Jack, then asked, "How far would you be willing to go to acquire the Codex?"
Hendrick’s eyes narrowed at me. He knew exactly what I was getting at. "I wouldn't go as far as shooting a man, if that's what you're asking?"
"Of course not. You seem too sophisticated an individual for that kind of thing. To make an offer like that, you must be a wealthy man. Wealthy men have ways of influencing people."
He sneered at me. "I did not hire someone to break into Douglas's house and steal the book. I don’t condone violence of any sort. Gentlemen, I believe in karma. What comes around goes around.”
"I suspect you have your ear to the ground when it comes to the book market," I said.
"I like to know what's going on in the industry.”
"I'm sure if that book became available, you'd know about it.”
"Every collector worth his salt would know when the Codex hits the market.”
"It's a small market."
"There are probably only a handful of people who have the resources and the interest to purchase something like that.
Of course, nowadays, private equity has its hands in just about everything.
I'm sure some conglomerate will try to snap it up, put it into a vault, and hold onto it for the next hundred years,” he said in a sigh.
"If you ask me, I think the book could fetch upwards of $100 million at auction.”
"You offered $47 million, if I'm not mistaken."
A slight smirk tugged his lips. "You've done your homework. I would have gone to $57 million, but Douglas had no interest in parting with the book. It meant too much to him.”
"Is it strictly an investment for you?”
"Gentlemen, that book could hold the secrets to the origin of our civilization,” he said in a voice full of awe and wonder. “Perhaps a connection to other worlds.”
"It could just be ink on paper."
"Ink on paper often has value beyond the sum of its parts. For some, it's meaningless. For others, it's artwork. For some, it's spiritual."
"Where were you last night?" I asked.
"I was here at the hotel,” he said in an innocent voice. “I've been here all week and will stay throughout the convention. In the evenings, I'm an easy man to find. I close down the bar most nights, then stagger back to my hotel room. Talk to the bartender if you want to verify that.”
"I'm sure a well-connected man like you would know who would be able to move a hot property like the Codex.”
"I do have a list of contacts in the industry. But that book is too hot to handle at the moment. No legitimate broker, or illegitimate broker for that matter, would go near it until it cools down.” He thought for a moment, and I suspected a name popped into his head.
He knew exactly who would deal in this kind of thing.
“If I hear something, I will let you know.”
"I would appreciate that," I said as I dug into my pocket and handed him a card.
"Now, if you'll excuse me, gentlemen, I have sights to see and people to meet."
He bid us adieu and went about his business.
JD and I watched him go, disappearing into the sea of people.
We left the hotel and headed back to the Driftwood. Jack found a place to park across the street.
I called Denise.
“Took you long enough.”
“She hasn’t moved, has she?”
“Nope. Do you need me back, or can I go about my day?”
“Can you give me just a little more time?”
Denise sighed. “Expensive. Something really expensive.”
“You got it.”
She drove off, and we took watch.
Half an hour later, she returned to relieve us. I talked to her on the phone again.
“I’m going to need another break in a few hours.”
“Just give me a heads up.”
“Oh, I will. Just pick up your phone.”
“You’re the best.”
“I know,” she said in an annoyed voice.
We headed back to the station to sift through the burglary records to see if we could make any kind of connection to LJ or Wyatt.
JD and I watched the footage that was on file from the other robberies around Coconut Key.
There were a few clips of the assailants from doorbell cameras.
Most of the footage was dark and grainy.
It was hard to make out the assailants with any detail.
Sometimes there were two of them, sometimes three.
The best footage came from a residence in Palm Haven.
The burglary happened a month prior at the Murphy residence.
The video doorbell captured a big guy, a guy with a medium build, and a petite woman.
It could have been the same people who robbed the Caldwells.
But I couldn't say with any degree of certainty.
I needed something that could put Wyatt and his gang, or LJ, or somebody, in the vicinity of the Palm Haven break-in during the time of the crime. Isabella was busy when I called and said she’d get back to me.
When she did, she had something interesting to say.