Behind the surveillance panel at Bridget’s desk, Tony gave them the signal that the new cameras in Connor’s office were online.
Only then did Bridget and Venus stroll along the hall, all the while talking about their holiday shopping, as they passed Ed’s open door and walked into Connor’s office.
Once safely out of sight, Venus pulled off the long cashmere scarf from around her neck and dropped it on the floor. They waited four more minutes as planned, and, Venus’s heart pounding, Bridget gave the signal for them to stroll back out and down the hall.
Venus hesitated in front of Ed’s doorway. “I want to talk to Ed for a few minutes before I go downstairs to spend money.” She laughed, giving Bridget a wave.
Ed stood up as Venus walked in.
Now that she knew all, the avaricious gleam in his eyes as he stared at the mermaid brooch couldn’t be missed.
“Ed, I want to thank you again for all your help with my insurance problems after the robbery. I couldn’t have gotten through it without your help. Honestly.”
“It was my pleasure to assist you, Venus.”
His smile amazingly jovial for someone obviously so desperate, he wagged his finger at her. “I hope you have that magnificent mermaid brooch fully insured.”
With deliberate slowness she traced the body of the mermaid with the tips of her fingers. “It is a beautiful piece, isn’t it? I’ll put it on my policy soon.”
“I would be most happy to take it now for appraisal. Best to have insurance coverage as soon as possible on your prized possessions.”
Venus knew it wasn’t the tight collar of his white starched shirt making Ed breathe more heavily.
“Thanks, but I’m late for a shopping date with Diana downstairs. Oh!” Her hands fluttered to her shoulders. “I forgot my scarf in Connor’s office.” She smiled. “I’ll see you later. And thanks again.”
Walking as fast as possible, she reached Connor’s office, carefully took off the brooch, and placed it strategically half under the sofa, which held such pounding sweet memories for her.
Arranging the scarf carefully around her shoulders to hide the absence of the mermaid brooch, she sailed back past Ed’s office and waved.
Heart pounding, she looked at her watch. Twenty-five minutes to showtime.
Alistair dropped down into the tall wing chair before the fireplace. Little flames lit his eyes while he studied Connor for long minutes.
“You believe I’m guilty, Connor. However, you are willing to come up with some lie or fake some evidence that will vindicate me. Do you understand what you’re saying to me?”
Determined, Connor nodded. “Yes. I’m doing it for Venus.”
“I’m stunned by your willingness to forsake your honor for my daughter, but there is no need to concoct any story. I am innocent,” Alistair stated softly.
Connor met his gaze, trying to keep anger out of his. “The evidence against you is overwhelming and you know it. Even when you disputed two of the transactions that supposedly hadn’t been authorized by my cousins, you didn’t insist on having your signature examined by an expert. Why didn’t you, if it would have proved you innocent? For the rest and the most damning, my cousins swear they sent you no signed memos and I sure as hell didn’t.”
The pain in Alistair’s eyes reminded him of Venus’s, and he had to look away to control his reaction.
“It was then, Connor, when you lied to me, that I knew you were part of the conspiracy.” Alistair’s voice held threads of pain yet sounded strong.
Not comprehending, Connor shook his head. “What in the hell are you talking about, Alistair!”
“Before you denied sending the memo, I believed it could be one of your cousins sieving money out of Clayworth’s. Then when you lied about it I knew you must be a part of the conspiracy.”
Hot anger roared through him. “Why in the hell would we steal from ourselves and set you up? And if you believed one of my cousins was behind this why wouldn’t you come to me? I trusted you!”
All at once a spark of long-dormant spirit lit Alistair’s sad eyes. “The Clayworth family helped build this city from the ashes. Twice. Clayworth’s is a symbol of Chicago. A sense of pride, of being a part of something fine for all the hundreds and hundreds of people employed by you. It had always given me a sense of pride to be a part of it. I spend my life at Clayworth’s. Your grandfather was a lion of a man and I had great respect for your uncles and your father. I’ve watched you boys grow into their shoes.”
With a deep sigh, Alistair shook his head. “I couldn’t believe it at first when I began to see a pattern of embezzlement. I didn’t want to believe you boys would destroy your legacy. You wouldn’t have believed me if I came to you with my suspicions. Your family loyalty is legendary. Clayworth men always stand shoulder to shoulder. After you denied sending the memo, there was no point. I chose to withdraw without a fight rather than help weaken an institution I spent my life protecting and loving.”
His mind tried to make sense of the words as he studied Alistair’s face. “You honestly believe the Clayworth family set this whole scenario up to make you a scapegoat?”
“Someone obviously forged my signature on those two documents. It defies logic that someone could have expertly forged your cousin’s signatures and your own as well on those memos.”
Venus’s words rang through his head. She could probably do your signature, too. Mine. Anyone’s.
Blazing heat filled every cell in his body. Long ago he’d told Tony and he’d repeated, Venus is stubborn as a mule and it’s impossible to change her mind once she’s decided on something. He laughed, harshly and painfully. “She did it. Venus never gave up, and she uncovered the truth despite everything we all did to try to stop her.”
Alistair stood. “What did Venus do?”
Reaching out, Connor clasped Alistair’s hand in a firm grip. “I hope someday you can forgive me and my family for all you’ve suffered. I promise you I will spend every day of the rest of my life trying to make it up to Venus.”
Confusion washed across the strong bones of Alistair’s face. “I don’t understand.”
“You will soon, I promise. Now I need to find Venus and help her catch a thief.”
Eyes as wide as she could stretch them, hands playing wildly with her hair, Venus rushed back into the executive offices. “Help me, Bridget! I’ve lost my mermaid brooch!” she screamed with high drama at the top of her lungs.
Looking concerned, Bridget stepped out of her office, being careful to close the door, concealing Tony at the panel.
“Venus, calm down. When did you first notice the mermaid brooch was missin’?”
“I don’t know.” Venus shook her head so violently her hair flew into her eyes. As she brushed it away, Ed came out of his office.
“What happened?”
“Venus lost her mermaid brooch somewhere in the store.”
All the color drained from Ed’s ruddy face. “Good God, this is terrible.”
“Ed, you look around up here. Venus and I are goin’ to retrace her steps down the stairs.”
Ducking into the stairwell, Bridget and Venus exchanged glances.
“This is it, Venus.”
As certain about this as she’d been all along about her father’s innocence, she nodded. “Ed will pick up the mermaid brooch and put it in his pocket.”
“He did,” Bridget gasped, gazing down at her iPhone and Tony’s text. “Now let’s see what he does.”
Her excitement making it hard to breathe, Venus followed Bridget out of the stairwell to hurry back into the executive suites.
Ed strolled down the hall, his face again ruddy and glowing. “I’m very sorry. I didn’t find anything. Did you have any luck?” he asked.
“No.” For effect, Venus buried her eyes and nose in the folds of her cashmere scarf. “I can’t believe I’ve lost my precious mermaid brooch.”
“We’ll look again up here, Venus. It could have fallen underneath a p
iece of furniture,” Bridget encouraged her.
“I looked quite thoroughly and I’m afraid I couldn’t find the brooch.” Ed appeared solemn. “I have an important appointment. I apologize for leaving you under such stress.”
“Nothin’ more you can do, Ed. We’ll keep lookin’.”
Her heart pounding, her eyes filling with tears of joy, Venus peeked out from the scarf to meet Bridget’s astonished gaze.
The instant Ed headed to the elevator, they ducked into Bridget’s office.
Tony, looking as stunned as Bridget, stared at the monitor, watching the tape of Ed, astonishment and elation in his eyes, picking up the brooch and quickly placing it in his pocket.
Eyes glued to the screen, Bridget shook her head. “God in heaven, you were right, Venus. I can’t believe it even watching him do it.”
“Wait! Somethin’ isn’t right. Where did he go?” Bridget began to push buttons on all the screens. “I alerted security to stop Ed from leavin’ the store. Somehow he got past them.”
Tony’s face hardened. “He’s making a run for it. We need to notify the police to intercept him either at his house on Taylor Street or at his office.”
While Bridget dialed the police, Venus slipped out.
Just as she couldn’t wait for the police the day Ed broke into her store, she couldn’t wait now. If he was on the run he’d first go to Taylor Street. Maxie would need her help unless she was in on this from the beginning.
Venus knew, from the night she’d come to see Connor, which door was closest to the private parking area near the loading dock.
She ran outside and caught a glimpse of Ed’s black BMW turning the corner. She jumped into the first cab in the queue waiting for fares alongside the store.
“Follow that black BMW that just turned on State Street!”
The cabbie looked over his shoulder. “You’re kidding, right?”
“No. And there’s fifty dollars in it if you catch up and don’t lose him. He’s probably heading for Taylor Street.”
The cab squealed away and her phone rang.
She ignored it to keep her eyes on the prize, several cars ahead of them, heading to Maxie and Taylor Street.
Connor sat stuck in traffic three blocks from the store. His phone rang and, seeing that it was his aunt, answered quickly.
“Aunt Bridget, do you know…”
Her frantic voice interrupted him. “God in heaven, Connor, Venus was right. Ed took the mermaid brooch and somehow got past security. Now Venus is gone and I’m afraid she’s goin’ to follow him and…”
He tried to piece together what had happened from his aunt’s unusually disjointed story, the blood pounding in his ears. “Have you called the police?”
“Yes. Took a bit of explainin’ but now they’re sendin’ squad cars to his office and his house.”
Turning at the light, Connor swung around a slow car and gunned his high-performance engine. “I’m heading to Taylor Street now. That’s where Venus will go to help Maxie.”
Chapter 23
Hurrying up the short sidewalk to Ed’s house on Taylor Street, it finally struck Venus she couldn’t simply ring the doorbell, demand the return of her mermaid brooch, and make a citizen’s arrest.
Ed’s car had disappeared into the detached garage in the alley. But had he gone into the house to gather up whatever valuables he might have left before he fled his creditors and the police? And where was Maxie and was she in any danger from him?
The idea of pudgy Ed being a menace would have been laughable a mere few weeks ago. Not so much now.
Thinking of Maxie and what a shock this would be to her gentle soul, Venus changed direction and crept through the narrow passage between Ed’s house and its neighbor. She headed to the room Maxie used to paint her fake masterpieces.
Her hunch paid off when she saw Maxie and Ed through the French doors of the family room at the rear of the house. Venus ducked back, pressing her spine hard into the brick wall. She craned her neck to keep peeking through the glass.
Maxie, dressed in a painter’s smock, stood in front of an easel with another masterpiece in progress. She and Ed appeared to be arguing while he rushed around placing statues and small pieces of art in a pile on the coffee table.
Hands cupped Venus’s shoulders, sending terror shooting through her. She opened her mouth to scream.
“It’s me, love,” Connor whispered into her ear, silencing her.
Sweet relief and even sweeter sensations of joy at once again hearing him call her love turned her into his arms. He kissed her tenderly and long, with an urgency that would have left her limp if she hadn’t heard a shout coming through the windows.
She opened her eyes and saw Ed leaving the room and Maxie crying.
“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I don’t have time to kiss you right now,” she said quickly, swinging away. “I must go in to help Maxie.”
She rapped lightly on the glass.
“No, Venus! She could be in on this.” Connor’s grip on her shoulder tightened.
“I thought about it but decided no. I don’t believe she is involved.” Venus waved through the glass at Maxie.
Her look of relief as she rushed to open the French doors brushed away any doubt.
“I do believe you, love,” Connor said in a husky voice into the hair above her ear. “And I’m here to help you.”
“Venus, I believe Edward has had a breakdown over his financial difficulties,” Maxie cried, flinging open the door so she could walk in. “He wants me to withdraw all my money from the bank and go to Brazil with him tonight to live forever. I don’t even speak Spanish.”
“They speak Portuguese in Brazil,” Connor said, stepping through the door behind Venus.
Maxie blinked. “I don’t speak that either. Why are both of you here?”
“Maxie, where’s our other suitcase?” Carrying a duffel bag, Ed rushed back into the room.
When he saw them, he dropped the bag on the floor. “What are you doing here?”
Connor pushed Venus behind him. “Ed, it’s over. We know you stole the mermaid brooch. We know everything.”
His face nearly purple, Ed puffed out his chest. “I’m sure I don’t know what you are talking about, Connor. This is an outrage and I demand you leave my home immediately. Both of you.”
For every step Connor took toward him, Ed took two back.
“We have you on camera placing the brooch in your pocket and leaving the store. The police are on their way.”
“The police? Edward, what have you done?” Maxie shrieked, and swayed as if she might be about to faint.
Avoiding Connor’s lunge to stop her, Venus rushed to Maxie’s side. “Those word games you played were a way for Ed to get you to forge signatures on real documents.”
“What did I sign for President Obama and Oprah?” Maxie wailed.
“Nothing, I trust. You signed for me.” There was the faintest twitch of humor on Connor’s beautiful mouth.
Then it hardened. “Don’t be a fool, Ed.”
This time the hands on Venus’s shoulders were rough and pulled her back tight against a rotund stomach.
“Don’t come any closer or I’ll use this to hurt her,” Ed warned, holding a marble copy of The Thinker over Venus’s head.
She saw the muscles bunch in Connor’s thighs as he prepared to tackle Ed.
“Edward, stop this at once,” Maxie cried. “Why didn’t you tell me I was signing real documents?”
“Because you’d never have done it, you trusting fool. You don’t have a devious bone in your body. You’re even afraid to jaywalk for fear of getting into trouble.”
Strangely, Venus felt utterly fearless for herself, but anger roared through her on Maxie’s behalf.
Venus stamped down hard on Ed’s right foot with the heel of her four-inch Louboutins and twisted out of his grasp into Connor’s waiting arms.
“Damn it!” Cursing, Ed hopped back and Maxie beaned him over th
e head with her unfinished canvas of Custer at the Little Big Horn.
Ed staggered back against the bookcase and The Thinker slipped out of his fingers to land on his right foot.
“My foot’s broken!” he screamed, falling to the floor, writhing in apparent agony.
“I’m glad, you brute,” Maxie cried and swayed again.
This time Connor was there to help Venus urge Maxie down on the white leather sectional sofa.
With the back of his fingers, Connor stroked Venus’s cheek and smiled. “Take care of Maxie. I’ll see to Ed.”
Venus nodded, watching Connor kneel next to Ed, who was blubbering, asking for forgiveness, and cursing the evils of gambling.
Venus heard sirens coming closer, and a few minutes later two policemen came through the French doors. Bridget and Tony were a few steps behind them.
“God in heaven, are you and Maxie all right?” Bridget asked, coming quickly to the leather sectional.
“Yes, I’m fine. And Maxie will be,” Venus said, urging her to sit up.
Connor and Tony, standing beside Ed, partially blocked the view of a policeman handcuffing him. Both policemen led him out the door, Ed hopping on one foot between them.
“I trusted Edward. Now will I go to prison with him?” Maxie asked through the monogrammed handkerchief pressed to her red nose.
“No, you won’t be going to prison with Ed.” Connor knelt beside Venus so he could look Maxie in her watery eyes. “However, you will need to make a statement to the police. I’m an excellent lawyer and I’ll be with you every step of the way through this. And afterward, where would you like to go, Maxie?”
“Back here. The house belongs to me. I bought it with the profit I made on my Google stock. If only Edward had gambled on the market like I did instead of the dice he wouldn’t be in this pickle.”
Venus met Connor’s eyes and he grinned in the new way she’d feared she’d never see again. To have it back filled her with lightness.
The whole world seemed to be taking on a distinct rosy glow. Maybe it had been grayer before because of her dad and she hadn’t fully realized it. Maybe this was what people meant when they said they were looking at life through rose-colored glasses. If so, she was all for it.
All I Want Is You Page 24
