by Cindy Bell
“I never said anything about true love.” Jo frowned.
“You didn’t have to. It was in your voice, and in your eyes. It’s okay, Jo. You’re not going to fall to pieces by admitting that you were once vulnerable.”
“Are you sure?” Jo smiled and fiddled with the charm on the necklace. “Whatever it was, it was over almost as fast as it started.”
“Drew was the one who tried to break into Clem’s?”
“Yes. I guess when he saw Bucky had this, he felt the need to give it back to me.”
“That’s sweet.” Walt glanced over at the water. “I understand why you kept it to yourself. Eddy might not understand, and Samantha would probably try to get you two back together. But you should know, Jo, you can always be comfortable with me. One thing that numbers have taught me over the years is that there is no one without fault, there is no one as perfect as a mathematical calculation. We all have our moments, our mistakes, our miscalculations, they are what make us human instead of machines.”
“Thanks Walt.” Jo reached out and took his hand. Walt didn’t pull his hand away from her, he let her hold it. She gave his hand a light squeeze before releasing it. “I better get going before Eddy sends out a search party. I really appreciate you listening.”
“Anytime, Jo. Just remember, we can’t be who we once were, no matter what. You can’t go back.”
“I know.” Jo smiled sadly. “That much I know.”
Chapter 10
Jo left Walt at the gazebo and walked up the hill to her villa. She tucked her necklace safely into her jewelry box. It occurred to her that although expert thieves were swarming Sage Gardens and beyond in search of a priceless, antique necklace, Drew took the time to chase after what was worth little more than costume jewelry. She smiled to herself. Maybe she couldn’t go back, but she could enjoy the moment. A knock on her door caught her attention.
“Jo, are you in there?”
“I’m here, Eddy, just one minute.” She rushed to the door without a second thought about the necklace in her jewelry box. She had a more important one that she had to find.
“We’re burning daylight.” Eddy squinted at her when she opened the door.
“In my experience it’s a bit easier to break into someone’s house in the dark.” Jo smiled as they walked to the car.
“Well, in my experience you’re less likely to run into the home owner if you strike during work hours.”
“Good point.” Jo settled into the car and waited for Eddy to get in as well. “But in my experience, thieves, even retired ones, don’t have day jobs.”
“All right, you win.” Eddy flashed her a grin. “Speaking of being retired, have you ever noticed that it’s more exhausting than not being retired?”
Jo cringed. “Well, I don’t have the best daily life to compare it to.”
“I don’t know, maybe I’m just restless. I find I spend most of my day trying to find things to keep myself occupied.”
“You should start doing an activity.”
“What? Like shuffleboard?” Eddy rolled his eyes.
“You, playing shuffleboard?” Jo laughed. “That I’d like to see. No maybe something sporty.”
“I can’t do much, my knees and hips aren’t what they used to be.”
“Hm. Maybe a card game group?”
He glanced over at her. “I got thrown out of the last one. Something about my temper.”
“Oh, really?” Jo pretended to be surprised and then laughed again.
“Hey, I’m a mild-mannered man.”
“Eddy wait.” Jo placed a hand on his arm as he was about to turn out of the driveway of Sage Gardens.
“What? Did you forget something?”
“No, I just think we’re jumping the gun here.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, the person most likely to have that necklace is Roger, not Tony.”
“But we didn’t get very far with him.”
“Like I told Samantha, I think we need to be a little more creative.”
“What are you thinking?” Eddy pulled off to the side of the driveway and looked over at her.
“As far as Roger knows I’m just another retiree. I doubt he has any clue about my history, or my connections.”
“And?”
“And, if I let him know, if I confront him, not as myself, but as the person I used to be, then he might be willing to give me more information.”
“Maybe, but that would also make you vulnerable. If the other thieves that are looking for this necklace find out that you live at Sage Gardens, you’re going to become a target. No one is going to believe that a master thief practically living next door isn’t involved when a priceless necklace goes missing.”
“Aw.” Jo smiled.
“Aw?” Eddy raised an eyebrow.
“You called me a master thief!”
“Oh, so that you consider a compliment?” He laughed. “All right, we can try it your way. But I’m going to be with you the entire time.”
“No way, that will tip him off.”
“I’m at least going to be close.”
“Fine. You can be close. But Roger is not a danger to me, he just stumbled onto something valuable.”
“Okay.” Eddy turned the car around and drove towards Roger’s house. He parked a few villas down. “I can see his car in the driveway.”
“Like I said.” Jo winked at him. “No day job.”
“Just be careful, Jo. It’s the people that we underestimate that can be the most dangerous.”
Jo nodded and stepped out of the car. She made her way towards Roger’s villa. She walked with a confidence and authority that she hadn’t felt in a long time. Eddy followed after her, several steps back, at a casual pace. Jo walked up to the front door of the villa and knocked hard on it. There was no answer. She knocked again, so hard that the window beside the door rattled.
“What is it?” Roger threw the door wide open. His eyes widened when he saw Jo. “What are you doing here?”
“What’s wrong, Roger? Are you having a bad day?”
“Yes. Of course I am. My wife is dead.”
“Maybe I could come inside for a moment? We can talk about it.”
Roger studied her. “What are you doing here?”
“Like I said, I just want to talk.”
“I bet.” He stepped aside and allowed her inside. Jo closed the door behind her.
“I guess you must not remember me. I don’t think we ever met.”
“We just met not that long ago.” He narrowed his eyes. “Are you trying to play some kind of game here?”
“No. But I think you are, and you’re losing, and it’s starting to get on my nerves.”
“What are you talking about?” He balled his fists with impatience.
“I’m talking about the necklace, Roger. The necklace that you and I both know that you stole. Well actually, Tony stole it, but he landed in prison, didn’t he?” He looked shocked that Jo knew so much.
“Yes.” He frowned. “I don’t have the necklace.”
“Don’t lie to me, Roger.” Jo locked eyes with him. “I know a scam when I see one. You offed your wife and decided to keep the jewelry. Right?”
“Don’t talk about her like that.” Roger sniffed. “Who are you?”
“I’m someone who never would have let her partner be caught by the police. I’m someone who was once considered one of the best, not an amateur that stumbled into some good luck. I know what it’s like to steal something that’s worth a lot, and I know that’s not something that you would give up so easily.”
“I don’t care. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I know that you didn’t sell the necklace to the fence like you were supposed to.”
“I couldn’t. It was too hot. I didn’t trust the fence not to turn me in or for it not to get back to me somehow. I’ve been stuck with that thing for so long, waiting to see when Tony would figure it out, or someone else would.”
“I don’t know! I don’t have it! How many times do I have to say it?”
“Maybe you don’t understand me. I am not here because I want the necklace. I am not here because I care that you are a thief, or even that you may have killed your wife. I am here because I was once a thief, and all of the thieves that you have drawn out with your reckless behavior will think that I am somehow involved in this. They are not going to leave me alone until they have that necklace. So, as long as you are hiding that necklace, I am going to be in danger. There’s only two ways to solve that problem. Either you tell me where you’re hiding the necklace, or you tell me who took it.”
“Stop it!” Roger pleaded. “I don’t have it. If I had it, do you think that I would still be here? They’re hunting me, too.”
“So, where is it?”
“It has to be Tony. He’s the only one that would have known I’d still have it after all these years and he would have wanted it back.”
“You think he killed your wife?”
“I don’t know.” Roger shook his head. “I’ve never thought of Tony as a murderer. But they say prison changes a person.”
“So, you suspect that Tony robbed you and murdered your wife, but you haven’t told the police?” Jo raised her eyebrows.
“Oh yes that would work out well for me. Excuse me officer, not only do I think my wife was murdered, but I believe that the guy I robbed a wealthy family with several decades ago, is the one who did it. Oh, and by the way, he stole the necklace we originally stole. How fast do you think I would be behind bars if I told them that?”
“I can see that you’re real broken up about your wife’s death.” Jo crossed her arms.
“Don’t do that. That’s not fair. I loved my wife. What am I supposed to do with people hunting me? All I can think is when will I be next?”
“There’s a way to fix that, Roger, by turning yourself in. The police are not even investigating this as a crime.”
“I can’t do that. I just can’t. Prison changes a person.”
“Right.” Jo nodded. She knew all too well how prison can change a person. “If you really don’t have the necklace then you need to let me know if you find out for sure who does. Understand?”
“Yes, all right, I understand.”
“Good.” Jo turned and walked back out the door. As she started down the driveway she was startled by movement out of the corner of her eye. “Eddy, don’t sneak up on me.”
“I was watching through the window. Do you think he has the necklace?”
“No. I don’t.” She shook her head.
“Then you don’t think he killed his wife?” Eddy led her towards the car.
“I don’t know what to think about that. But Tony should be our main suspect when it comes to the robbery.” She bit her lip to keep from adding that Drew was a possibility, too. “The only way to know for sure is if we go take a look around Tony’s house. I’m almost completely convinced that Roger doesn’t have the necklace, so Tony is the next best option on the list.”
“All right, back to plan A.”
Chapter 11
The drive to Tony’s house took much longer than it needed to. Not only was it hampered by traffic, but Eddy got lost as well, even though he wouldn’t admit it to Jo. Jo was too preoccupied to notice as she glanced in the windows of the cars that passed them. She expected to see a familiar face at any moment. It was hard for her to relax. She felt on edge. She felt like she was being followed. If she had that feeling it never failed to turn out to be true. Eddy noticed her searching gaze.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I don’t know.” Jo shook her head. “I just feel like someone is following us.”
Eddy glanced in the rearview mirror. “I’m pretty sure that I’d notice that.”
Jo nodded, but continued to look out the window.
“Here it is.” Eddy parked the car and looked through the window at the small house. It wasn’t much to look at, but it was quite tidy and clean. “Looks like someone has been weeding and mowing.”
“Looks like it.” Jo popped her door open. She squinted as she looked up and down the street. “Quiet area.”
“At least it looks quiet.” Eddy stepped up beside her. “Do you think Tony is home?”
“No car in the driveway. There’s a good chance he isn’t.”
“Pity, I guess we won’t get a chance to question him.”
“No, but I can take a look around.”
“If that’s what you want to do, I’ll keep a lookout.” Eddy nodded.
Jo smiled. Eddy once disliked the idea of her breaking into places, he had certainly softened to the idea. She walked around the side of the house to find a good window to crawl through. She wasn’t the only one who had that idea, it seemed. She spotted two legs sticking out of one of the windows.
“Oh Drew.” She sighed and shook her head. She knew that Eddy wasn’t going to let Drew slide. In fact, he might even implicate Drew in the murder. The person started edging his way down from the window. Jo grabbed one of the feet sticking out the window and tugged hard. There was a flurry of movement, then Jo found herself staring down the barrel of a gun. The man who held it was not Drew at all.
“Roger! Or should I say Clem?” Jo scowled at him. “Put that gun down right this second!”
“What are you doing here?” He stared at her with wide eyes. “Why are you here?”
“I’m here to find out if your old friend, Tony, killed your wife, or perhaps it was you after all. You gave me a good sob story, but this doesn’t look like the actions of a grieving widower.”
“You keep quiet, you have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“No? I know this is Tony’s house. Did he ask you to break in? Or was that just your way of being a good friend? Maybe make up for the fact that you bilked him out of all of the money he would have made on that necklace you stole together?”
“Oh, you know far too much, don’t you?” He released the safety on his gun and pointed it more directly at her face. “I guess that you think you know everything. I don’t care why you are involved in this, but I don’t need some nosy neighbor getting in the middle of my business.”
Jo thought of Eddy at the front of the house. As long as all was quiet out there she knew that he wouldn’t come looking for her. If she called out to him, Clem might kill her on the spot and then kill Eddy.
“You know what I don’t understand, Clem?”
“It’s Roger, call me Roger.”
“Okay, Roger. You know what I don’t understand? Valda. She didn’t have to die. All of this was about the necklace, wasn’t it? So why did anyone have to die?”
“Keep quiet.”
“I mean it, Roger. Do you think of her? I mean, you must have loved her. Why else would you let her wear your most prized possession? You had to know that it was a risk for her to even know about it, let alone wear it.”
“Of course I loved her, she was my wife! Why do you think I’m here?”
“For the necklace.”
“Yes.” He growled and started to lower the gun. “But not for the reasons that you think. I’m here because she loved that necklace. It took her from me, and I want her to go to her grave wearing it.”
“I don’t believe you. You plan to put a priceless piece of jewelry into a coffin?”
“Yes, I do. I will make sure that no more blood is shed over it.”
“Did you find it?” Jo met his eyes. “Did Tony have it?”
“No, I didn’t find it.” Roger lowered his eyes. “I heard your car and I thought you were Tony. I didn’t get a chance to finish my search.”
“That’s a shame.” Jo flicked her eyes from Roger to the house. She wondered if there was some way to warn Eddy.
“Now, I’m going to have to get rid of you.” Roger sighed.
“Listen, I was once one of the best thieves around. I promise you if that nec
klace is inside that house I will be able to find it. So, you can either wave that gun around like you’re going to hurt me and waste both of our time, or I can go in and have a look around before Tony gets back.”
“That sounds like an offer to work together.” Roger smiled.
“No, it’s not. It’s an offer to help you find out who murdered your wife. You only get one chance to accept it. If you don’t, then I will take that gun from you and make sure that you never see the outside of a prison cell again. It’s your choice, Roger.”
Roger lowered his gun. He stared hard at her. “You really think you’re tough don’t you?”
“I guess we’ll just have to find out. Won’t we?” She grabbed the edge of the window. Jo was very aware that at any moment Roger could choose to use the gun. She was fully exposed to him. But she didn’t think he would. She knew that he wanted the necklace more than he wanted her dead.
Jo jumped down through the window and found herself in the middle of a pile of trash. She scrunched up her nose at the smell in the house. It was clear that Tony hadn’t learned good hygiene while in prison. Still, she focused on the hunt for the necklace. There were two things weighing on her mind. One, she knew that Tony would be aware many thieves would be hunting the necklace, so he would hide it somewhere clever. Two, she didn’t have a lot of time before either Tony came home or Roger started shooting. She didn’t believe he was violent, but people had surprised her many times before.
Jo made her way from the living room into the back bedroom. After a quick glance around the room she ruled out several obvious places. There was a safe in the closet, a lockbox on the dresser, and the mattress was off kilter. All of these places were the first places a thief would look. However, the mattress being out of place brought her attention to the curtain rod that ran the length of the window above the bed. The house was messy, the bed wasn’t made, and Tony had paid absolutely no attention to design. However, the curtain rod was brand new, thick, without a trace of dust on it. When she climbed on top of the bed to reach it, the mattress shifted.
The rod was smudged with fingerprints. Jo smiled with triumph as she lifted the rod down. It wasn’t as heavy as she expected. She unscrewed the cap at one end and tipped up the other end. She held her hand out and waited for the necklace to slide down into her palm. After a few seconds she realized that wasn’t happening. She did her best to peer into the curtain rod. It was hard to see inside. With the curtain rod balanced in one hand she reached into her pocket for her keys with her other hand. On her key chain she had a penlight which she shone into the curtain rod. There was not a trace of the necklace, or anything else for that matter, inside the rod. Jo’s heart dropped. She was so certain that she had found the hiding spot, but she was wrong. Just like she had been wrong about being followed. Maybe her instincts were rusty, or completely broken.
