“Okay,” Maggie agreed. “I’ll keep my fingers crossed we get a hit.”
After saying their good nights, Maggie disconnected the call and climbed into bed. She switched off the light, relaxing back into her pillows. Maggie stared at the moonlit ceiling. She sighed, wondering if her idea would pay off.
Maggie checked her phone’s display. No new messages awaited her. With a sigh, she set the phone down on the shop’s counter. She tapped her foot on the floor. What was taking so long, she wondered? Charlie began the program in the wee hours of the morning. When Maggie arose at seven, she immediately checked her phone. It showed no missed calls, no messages. She called Henry over her morning coffee. No results yet, he told her.
Perhaps this was a fool’s errand. Maybe there was nothing to her idea. Maggie paced the floor of her shop. The bell sounded as the front door opened. “Good morning!” Maggie called, spinning to greet her customer. “Oh.”
Piper traipsed through the door. Her rainbow hair pulled into pigtails, she sported retro sunglasses, a contrast to her modern earbuds dangling from her ears. Something seemed different about her, Maggie contemplated.
Piper spotted Maggie and waved a to-go coffee cup at her.
“Thanks,” Maggie said, meeting Piper at the counter. She popped the lid off, inhaling the strong scent of the coffee. Maggie enjoyed a sip as Piper stowed her stuff and took a sip of her own coffee.
Maggie stared at Piper over the rim of her cup as she took another sip. She lifted an eyebrow. Piper’s makeup! Yes, she reflected. Still heavy and leaning toward goth, Piper’s make-up was toned down. Her normally thick eyeliner was slimmed down to a thin line. She had replaced her black lipstick with a nude shade. What prompted this change, Maggie wondered?
A chime from her cell phone interrupted her thoughts. She snatched it from the counter and toggled on the display. She let out an annoyed sigh at the notification, announcing an email regarding a sale at a department store.
Piper glanced at Maggie. “Jumpy, huh? What’s the matter? Have a fight with Henry?”
“No, I didn’t have a fight with Henry,” Maggie informed her. “I’m waiting on some information.”
“Oh,” Piper replied. She pulled a tray of jewelry out of the display case and began rearranging it. “So… how did your little pizza thing go last night?”
Piper avoided any eye contact with her. Maggie smirked at her. “It was fine. Too bad you couldn’t come over.”
“Yeah, well, I mean I was, like, busy,” Piper responded, still avoiding Maggie’s eyes.
“I’m surprised you’re interested. Don’t you hate my social life in general?”
Piper shrugged. “Just conversation.”
“Uh-huh,” Maggie answered. “Sure.”
“What?” Piper questioned, finally raising her eyes to meet Maggie’s.
Maggie leaned across the counter, a grin on her face. “Are you sure your interest isn’t in a certain lanky, light-haired Brit?”
“What?!” Piper exclaimed. She guffawed. “Ah, what are you even saying? You’re losing it, boss lady.”
Piper grabbed a dust rag and raced to the nearest bookcase. Maggie spun to follow her. “Oh, come on! It’s so obvious! The way you were staring at him yesterday. All that weird but flirty talk. The new make-up today, the interest in my pizza party. You like him! You like Charlie!”
“Uh, no!” Piper insisted, flitting away to another bookshelf.
Maggie followed. She crossed her arms, leaning against the shelf as Piper dusted. “Oh, really? Explain then.”
“Explain what? There was no flirting. I slept in and ran out of time this morning. And I was just making conversation. Excuse me for being nice!”
“Uh-huh,” Maggie said, grinning. “Not buying it. You like him!” She tapped Piper on the arm with the back of her hand. “You know, I could put in a good word for you.”
Piper rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”
Maggie’s phone chimed from across the shop. As much as she wanted to continue the conversation with Piper, she raced to grab her phone. A message from Henry waited: Got something!
With shaky hands, Maggie pressed the phone icon to call Henry. He answered on the first ring. “Maggie, we got something,” he announced.
“Yes!” Maggie exclaimed. “Got a match?”
“Yep, got a match on a male from the VIP party, just like you said. One James Michael Dean.”
“James Michael Dean,” Maggie repeated. “I don’t know the name. Nor do I recall meeting him at the party.”
“I’m trying to get more information on him now,” Henry replied. “I sent his information over to Frank. Let’s see what we can get on him.”
“Okay, let me know as soon as you hear anything.” Maggie disconnected the call after Henry promised to keep her informed.
“Who’s James Michael Dean?” Piper questioned, popping up behind Maggie.
“Ugh, lurk much?” she answered. “Someone from the party, that’s all.”
“Is this connected to the robbery thing?”
“Yeah,” Maggie answered, typing on her phone.
“I still don’t get why the police asked to talk to you about it.”
Maggie shrugged as she scrolled through her phone. “Figured we knew something about the missing item since we found it, I guess, I dunno.” Maggie frowned at her phone. A quick internet search of the name James Michael Dean returned nothing of interest.
“Really? They seem pretty persistent.”
“They only asked once!” Maggie responded.
“Uh,” Piper disagreed. “No.”
“Huh?” Maggie glanced to Piper, her focus finally leaving her phone’s display. Piper pursed her lips, pointing behind Maggie. Maggie spun around, finding Detective Russo standing behind her. She had been so preoccupied with her phone, the door’s ringing bell had not even registered in her brain when the door opened. “Oh! Detective Russo! I didn’t even hear you come in.”
“Gio, please,” he said with a smile. “Do you have a minute to discuss something privately?”
“Sure,” Maggie answered. “We could take a walk. I was just about to head out to pick up some lunch!”
After confirming Piper’s lunch preference, Maggie grabbed her purse and departed with the detective through the front door.
“So, what brought you by?” Maggie inquired as they strolled down the sidewalk.
“Following up on a few loose ends on that robbery,” Gio admitted.
“Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t the case no longer under your jurisdiction?”
Gio shrugged. “Jurisdiction is always a subjective matter. I find it’s best to continue investigating in the event the case comes back across our desks.”
“Ah, I see,” Maggie noted. “So, what can I help with?”
“Well, perhaps you can tell me if you came across anything since the party. You seemed pretty tight with the fed. I’m just curious.”
Maggie considered her response. “Not really,” she hedged.
“Not really? That’s a surprise.”
“Is it?” Maggie questioned as they approached the café she planned to order from.
“Yeah. Well, I mean, I heard about the incident at the museum yesterday. Heard you nearly got run down by some crazed patron.”
“That’s a bit of an exaggeration.”
“That’s not what the cameras said,” Gio answered.
Maggie shrugged. “It was unrelated. Some woman took exception to me asking if she was okay in the ladies’ room. She knocked me down, and I ran after her. I very stupidly stood in the road while scanning the area for her. There’s really nothing to it.”
Gio guffawed. “Nothing to it, huh?”
“Nope,” Maggie answered.
He smiled at her. “What is that pretty face hiding, Ms. Edwards?”
“Hunger,” Maggie answered. “Listen, sorry, I can’t help you much more, but I don’t have any information. Now, if that’s all, I’d like to grab my s
alads and get back to the shop.”
“Yeah, yeah, that’s all… for now. You take care, Ms. Edwards. Watch out for those crazy museum visitors.” He flashed another smile before backing away.
“Will do,” Maggie assured him. She turned back to the café’s entrance with a sigh. She shook her head at the strange conversation and made her way inside to order.
With her order in hand, Maggie juggled all the items. She bought lunch for four, planning on Henry and Charlie stopping at the shop to discuss the results of the ID match. The large drinks overwhelmed the flimsy drink carrier, making it hard for Maggie to manage along with her purse and the bag containing their food.
Maggie struggled to steady the container as she stepped outside. She set them on one of the café’s outside tables and slipped her sunglasses on, shielding out the bright sunlight. Grasping the drink carrier with both hands, Maggie spun to begin her journey to the shop. As she whirled, she failed to spot someone next to her. The passerby clipped the edge of the drink carrier, toppling it into Maggie. Cold iced tea sloshed backward, drenching Maggie’s dress and filling her sandals. The drinks spilled across the sidewalk, leaving a trail of ice and amber liquid.
“Ugh!” Maggie exclaimed. Her face incredulous, she stared after the man who ran into her. “Hey!” she called after him. He ignored her, continuing down the sidewalk. “Yeah, just keep walking, you jerk!”
This elicited a slight response. The man glanced back at her. His chiseled features remained expressionless as he continued moving away from her. Light-brown stubble covered the bottom half of his face, making his piercing blue eyes even more blue. Maggie threw her hands in the air at him as he turned away.
She grabbed a few napkins from her bag, trying her best to clean her dress and shoes. She glared in the direction of the stranger who caused her trouble. Her eyes narrowed. Her lips set in a pout. She continued drying her dress as she watched him climb into an ostentatious red sports car. Typical, Maggie speculated, must be making up for some deficiency.
Maggie balled up the wet napkins, tossing them on what remained of the drink carrier. She gathered the half-empty drinks and discarded everything in the nearby trash can. She didn’t bother refilling them. They could do without. Instead, she returned to her shop before any other tragedies befell her.
Maggie pushed through the door into the shop. “Lunch!” she called. “And listen, there're no drinks because some jerk ran into me and spilled them all over me, so I had to ditch them.”
Henry greeted her with a kiss on the cheek and relieved her of the bag containing their food. “Ah, thank you!” Maggie said. “My arm is almost numb! Where’s Piper? And Charlie?”
“Back room,” Henry answered as he pulled food containers from the bag. “Discussing some inventory system.”
“What?” Maggie questioned, finally taking stock of her damp dress.
“Yeah, I dunno, something about Piper rearranging the stock room and Charlie said he could help her with a program to keep inventory straight. They disappeared back there about ten minutes ago to discuss it.”
“Ohhhhh,” Maggie answered with a wink.
“Oh, what?” Henry inquired.
Maggie leaned across the counter and whispered, “I think she’s sweet on him.”
Henry raised his eyebrows. “I think he’s sweet on her,” he whispered back.
Maggie and Henry giggled together, sorting through the food as Charlie and Piper emerged from the stock room. “What are you two laughing about?” Piper asked.
“Nothing,” Maggie answered. “Here’s your salad.”
“No drink?” Piper questioned.
Maggie shot her a glance. “I’m wearing what’s left of your drink,” Maggie said, flashing her a shot of her wet front.
Piper made a disgusted face, opting for water. “I guess your drink is gone, too,” she said to Charlie. “Can I make you a coffee or something?”
“Uh,” Charlie hesitated. “I can pop ‘round to a shop if there’s one close. Grab a soda and whatever you’d like?” He directed the question toward Piper.
“Oh, why thank you, kind sir!” Piper answered. Maggie wrinkled her eyebrows. “Why don’t I come with you? The directions to the nearest convenience store are tricky. Wouldn’t want you getting lost!”
“Lead the way, Piper Brooks, Assistant to the Stars!” Charlie answered with a grin.
The two disappeared through the shop’s front door. “Isn’t the nearest convenience store on the corner?” Henry queried. He thumbed in the direction of the nearest corner.
“Yep,” Maggie answered. “Four doors down and across the street. Tricky, tricky.” Maggie chuckled as she popped open her salad container, drizzling ranch dressing over it. “So, Charlie got a match, huh?”
“He did!” Henry answered. “Great call on checking the men, princess.”
“So, what’s this guy look like? I didn’t remember his name, but maybe I met him and don’t remember.”
Henry glanced around. “Damn! Charlie took the laptop with him. We’ve got a photo of him from the party. We’ll have to wait until they get back.”
“Anything from Frank?”
“Nothing yet, though I’m sure that name’s an alias.”
“Maybe facial recognition will give us his real name,” Maggie suggested. “Or at least some information on him.”
Piper and Charlie returned with drinks in hand. “Got you an iced tea, boss lady,” Piper said, shoving a bottle toward Maggie.
“Thanks!” Maggie answered. “Gosh, it’s a good thing you were here to show Charlie the way. He’d never had made it on his own.”
Piper shot Maggie a glance as Charlie answered. “It certainly was faster finding and navigating to it, thanks to the awesome Piper.” He grinned at her. Color rose in Piper’s pale cheeks and she grinned back.
Maggie raised her eyebrow at them before glancing at Henry who shrugged. “Umm, hey, Piper, while you were rooting around in the storeroom, did you happen to see any straws?”
Piper still smiled at Charlie. “Piper?” Maggie questioned. Piper seemed oblivious. “Piper!” Maggie shouted.
“Huh?” Piper answered.
“I said did you see any straws in the back?”
“Oh, umm, yeah, I think so,” Piper replied.
“Would you mind getting one?”
“Are your legs broken?”
Maggie frowned at her. “No, but I have no idea where they are. You ‘rearranged’ everything, remember?”
“Oh, right. Yeah, okay, fine, I’ll get one.”
“Thank you.” Maggie followed Piper’s departure across the room with her eyes. Once she disappeared into the storage area, Maggie spun to face Charlie. “I didn’t want to ask in front of Piper, but can I see the man your program IDed?”
“Sure, chicky,” Charlie answered. “Though why all the secrecy?” He lifted his laptop from his backpack.
“I didn’t want Piper asking questions. She doesn’t exactly know the role we all play with our employer.”
Charlie popped the laptop open on the counter. “Sure, sure,” he answered.
“What?”
Charlie shrugged as he banged on the keys. “Just seems like you wanted my attention all to yourself.” He wiggled his eyebrows at her.
Maggie pursed her lips at him. “Just show me the guy.”
“Sure thing, chicky.” Charlie pulled up his program and tapped around on the keyboard. The picture of the “woman” who attacked Maggie in the ladies’ room appeared. Next to it, the picture of a man in a tuxedo. “Here he is. I give you James Michael Dean.”
Charlie turned the laptop to face Maggie. Her jaw fell open as she stared at the picture. “Any hits on that face through the database you were searching?” Henry queried.
“Ah…” Charlie pulled the laptop back toward him, clacking on the keyboard. “Nope, nothing yet.”
Henry sighed. “So, we’ve still got nothing. James Michael Dean is probably long gone, and we’ve got no
leads.”
Maggie recovered her voice. “He’s not long gone.”
“What?” Henry asked.
“It’s likely he is, chicky. If it was me, I’d be long gone.”
“He’s not gone,” Maggie insisted. “I just saw that man not an hour ago! He’s the one who spilled the drinks all over me!”
Chapter 6
Henry leapt from his chair at Maggie’s admission. “Maggie, are you sure?”
“Here you go, boss lady!” Piper called, waving a straw in the air. Charlie slammed his laptop shut. Piper glanced around at them. “Why is everyone acting so strange?”
“Strange?” Maggie said with a nervous chuckle. “What do you mean?”
Piper frowned at them. “Uh, yeah… strange. What’s the big secret? Everyone stopped talking when I walked in.”
“Oh,” Maggie fibbed. “We were just talking about you, no big deal.” She shrugged it off with a chuckle. She reached out to snatch the straw from Piper when Henry knocked it from Piper’s hand.
“Oops,” he said.
“Seriously, dude? What the hell?”
“Can’t use that one, Maggie. It’s been on the floor, it’s all dirty. Come on, let’s go find another.” He started toward the backroom. Maggie followed him.
Piper gawked at them. “I can’t even with you two.”
Henry pulled Maggie through the door into her storeroom. “Are you sure, Maggie?”
“Yes, I’m positive. I wouldn’t forget that face.” Henry wrinkled his nose at her. “Not like that. He looks like a Class A jerk! Total narcissist! Even had the tricked-out sports car to prove it.”
“Oh, right,” Henry replied. “You spotted his car?”
“Yep! He is definitely still in town.”
Henry frowned, placing his hands on his hips. He remained silent for a moment.
“Why the long face?” Maggie inquired. “This is just the break we need!”
“Why is he hanging around? Like Charlie said, if it were anyone else, they’d be long gone.”
“Perhaps he’s waiting for his buyer or contact or whoever he stole the ankh for to give him his next steps.”
Secret of the Ankhs: A Maggie Edwards Adventure (Maggie Edwards Adventures Book 2) Page 7
