Gina tried to explain to Tony how she was feeling.
“You tell me I should mind my own business and not get involved and stay safe, and here you are cavorting around the world on secret agent missions. Talk about a double standard.”
“Gina, I’m a trained professional.”
“And you’re doing trained professional stuff. I’m just following up on a few dresses, trying to find someone’s next of kin. Where’s the harm in that? Besides, I have a knack for investigation whether you want to admit it or not. I’m a freaking reporter after all!”
“A weather reporter.”
“There you go being condescending again.” She turned her head. She didn’t even want to look at him now.
“Okay, what if I admit you do have a talent for investigation? What if it’s exactly that that scares me?”
“Maybe we’re finally getting somewhere,” Gina said.
“I don’t think you’re going to be any happier with what logically comes next, Gina.”
“Try me.” She crossed her arms.
“Your interest in—and talent for—looking into things like this murder in Black Currant Bay scares me because you probably do know enough to get yourself in trouble but you don’t have the skills or the backup or the…weapons to defend yourself if you turn over something unexpected and the shit really hits the fan.”
Gina glared at him.
“So to speak.”
“Like what’s going to happen?”
“Exactly. Unknown factor.”
“Let me see if I’ve got this straight. You don’t want me to get involved in something that has an unknown factor,” she drew air quotes around those two words, “because of fear for my safety.”
“Yes.” Tony sounded relieved.
But Gina hadn’t finished. “Yet I’m supposed to be okay with you flying off to who knows where doing who knows what and not be concerned about your safety.”
“We’re just going in circles.”
A very analytical, male thing to say as far as she was concerned. Even if it were true they were going round and round on the same topic, every time they rehashed the material, a little more nuance was added to the conversation.
“Tell me how my looking into a bunch of clothes and finding out someone’s secret past can lead to mortal danger,” she challenged. She’d explained to Tony everything she’d discovered so far and instead of praise, she’d gotten nothing but grief.
“First of all, Louisa, or Linda if you’re on the right track, was obviously in jeopardy for some reason and here you are immersing yourself in her world. If you don’t know the cause of the threat to her safety, how can you avoid it yourself?”
Maybe he has a point. “I’m keeping an arm’s distance away.” That sounded lame even to her. Funny, despite Becki’s warnings, Gina had never felt any trepidation whatsoever. Until now. Tony’s fierce defence of his point of view was starting to scare her a teeny bit. Weaken her resolve just a tad. Her upper lip trembled.
He must have sensed the change in Gina. He put his arm around her and squeezed. “You’re thinking too linearly, my love,” he said, his voice more tender than it had been all night. “In your mind, one fact leads to the next which then leads to a third fact in a natural sequence.”
“The line is not always straight,” argued Gina.
“I’ll give you that. But have you considered lateral connections? Danger often flies in tangentially.”
“Oh.” She thought on that.
Tony seemed content to hold her in his arms.
It came to her. Something she of all people should never have overlooked. Little did he know it but by explaining his way of thinking, Tony had handed Gina a new angle on the case. And this time she wasn’t going to breathe a word of it to him.
All he’d done since he got back was admonish her for her risky behaviour and he hadn’t explained the truth about where he had been or what he had been doing and it didn’t sound like he was anywhere near ready to either.
It felt like they were growing further apart instead of closer together. As she’d reminded Tony, their wedding was just over a week away.
Should I postpone it?
Sad to say but there was no easy answer. Stopping everything at this late date seemed too drastic to contemplate. But continuing on as if everything was hunky dory seemed just as radically wrong. She’d have to wait until one option clearly outweighed the other.
When Gina’s heart sank like this, it felt like her whole being sank right along with it. The tender skin under her eyes, the apples of her cheeks, the corners of her mouth, the set of her chin, the frame of her shoulders… They all hollowed and drooped and fell and dipped and slumped.
The only thing that made her feel better was her plan to call Becki and tell her what she’d just figured out, thanks in part to Tony.
Since he probably wasn’t going anywhere tonight, the call would have to wait until tomorrow. In the meantime she would just have to pretend that everything was fine. Didn’t happiness gurus say you should act it until you feel it?
Chapter 19
Okay, so he’d been stupid. Stupid to go to her workplace, without even checking to see when she would be there. These television personalities didn’t keep regular hours. He should have remembered that. After all, the entertainment world had been his business for decades. All those years in prison had obviously done something to soften to his brain.
Garry Davenport was back in the Audi, staring out the windshield without seeing. His mind was a muddle.
It would have been so damned easy. Just check on The Weather Network itself. Watch for the shift she worked, then arrange to be there in the parking lot when she got off.
Follow her home.
He cursed at his own stupidity. Impatience—that had always been his weakness. Now he had wasted a day. Not only that, he had exposed himself to the girl at reception.
Her sunny smile had turned to a frown when she heard the query.
“Gina has gone for the day. We don’t give out home phone numbers or addresses. You can try reaching her by Twitter. Here’s her card.”
She had glanced at Garry Davenport and obviously seen an old, grey-haired man. Probably figured him for a geriatric groupie. Thinking about that made him grimace.
He shouldn’t have gone in there. It was a telltale sign of his desperation that he had made such a mistake. The only possible saving grace was his age. Young people can’t see past grey hair and wrinkles. The receptionist had hardly given him a look.
But he had to be smarter, act smarter. Tomorrow, he would do his homework and determine her schedule. Then next day, he would be there to follow her home.
It was almost a relief when the cellphone rang. Gina had programmed ring tones for all her main contacts. This call was coming from work. She swiftly left Tony’s arms to reach for it.
“Sorry to bother you,” said Kristen, who worked reception. “I wasn’t sure whether to call or not, but—”
“Never worry about bothering me, Kristen. What is it?” Gina asked.
“This creepy guy came in just now and asked about you. He was really old and wanted your phone number. I told him the usual spiel and gave him your Twitter card. But, Gina, this guy was weird.”
“Why do you say that?” She could almost hear Kristen shrug.
“Hard to pin down, but he wasn’t the type. Had to be over sixty and well-dressed. Not the usual sort to be a fan. And he wouldn’t tell me why he wanted you.”
Gina watched Tony wander off in the direction of the bathroom. She waited for Kristen to take a breath and continue.
“You know how it is. Sometimes we get people coming here wanting you to appear at charity events and things. Usually they come with an armload of promotional stuff. This guy had nothing, not even a briefcase. But he was wearing an expensive suit.”
Gina nodded to herself. Kristen could always pick out people with money. It was a valuable trait in a receptionist…actually, in anybody, even t
hough Tony would poo-poo it.
“And he didn’t say what he wanted?”
“Nope. Didn’t give his name, either. Ignored me when I asked for it. Maybe he was senile, you know? But it struck me as weird. You might have a crazy fan on your hands.”
Gina’s heart was picking up speed.
“Thanks, Kristen. It’s probably nothing, but I appreciate you giving me a heads-up.”
“No probs. Just thought you should know. See you tomorrow.” She rang off.
Gina put the cellphone down on the counter. Her heart was beating wildly. This could be the man she had been hoping to trace! Or his representative. He must have seen the article in the paper and found her first.
Of course, maybe she was jumping ahead here. Over half a million people read that paper. Most would have seen that article, and already several media personalities had tried to get in touch with her.
This guy didn’t sound like media. And he might just be a lonely older man, a groupie with a bad case of hero-worship, as Kristen had suggested.
Gina had dealt with that kind of problem in the past. It had been so uncomfortable that she had changed her phone number, put it in her mother’s name, and ensured it was unlisted. Her mail was forwarded to a box number. The only way strangers could reach her was via her Twitter address and through the station email.
A small part of her mind registered the flush of the toilet and the flow of water from taps.
Should she tell Tony? It took two seconds for her to decide against that. People asked to get in touch with her all the time, through The Weather Network. This could be nothing at all.
Besides, if it really were the man they were looking for, Tony would interfere. He would find all sorts of ways to put a cage around her.
No, it was better to leave things as they were, at least until she had a chance to talk to Becki. She would, of course, tell Becki all about it. Wouldn’t she?
Of course she would!
Now was the perfect time. Tony was out for an evening run. He had been sitting too long on the plane, he said. She picked up her phone.
“Hey Bec, how’s it going?”
“Oh, I’m glad to hear back from you. Is it awful? The repercussions from the article?”
“Don’t know. The PR people are on it. How bad can it be?”
“Just don’t want to think you’ve been made vulnerable somehow.”
“On that subject—” Gina twirled her hair with one twitchy finger.
“Oh no! Don’t tell me!”
“Okay I won’t.”
“It’s an expression, Gina. Out with it!”
“A strange guy popped into the station this evening asking for me. Wouldn’t give his name or why he wanted to see me.”
“You didn’t go out to meet him did you?”
“I would have but I wasn’t there.”
“You would have.” Disapproval rang in Becki’s voice.
“The main lobby is not like some empty dark alley or anything,” Gina offered.
“I don’t understand you, Gina. You tend to take risks. You worry me.”
“No pain no gain.”
“Oh that makes me feel a whole lot better!”
“Let me reword that. I mean, if you don’t take risks every now and then you don’t get ahead. But I haven’t told you the best news yet.”
“What?”
“Tony’s home.” The lack of enthusiasm in her voice surprised her.
“That’s a relief! Say hi to him for me.”
“Will do. He’s out for a run right now. It’s ironic, but he unwittingly put me onto a new line of thinking with regard to Linda. When he suggested lateral thinking, something flashed across my mind. If Linda/Louisa collected and saved all those fabulous dresses, she absolutely would have saved jewelry to go with them. Accessories make the outfit, right?”
“So where is it? The jewelry to match those dresses? Karl said there was no safety deposit box and we found nothing special during our search.”
“Maybe Linda had one of those behind-the-portrait safe deals and we missed it, or maybe she hid it somewhere even more imaginative.”
“But why?”
“Those designer dresses were valuable. Can you imagine designer jewelry?”
He should have been home an hour ago. Karl grumbled and felt his stomach rumble in sympathy.
Becki was pretty patient about his job, Karl had to admit. It wasn’t so much budget cuts as reluctance on the part of town council to raise taxes to keep up with inflation. In any case, there was a strict moratorium on hiring new staff until the next election. With Jenny out on mat leave, the small department was short-staffed. Karl was working the longer hours, just like everyone else. It was starting to make him weary.
Sergeant Casey popped his head in the doorway.
“Chief, you want to take this call on line two. It’s from the sparkies.”
Karl nodded and reached for the phone.
“Stevens, that you?”
“Hi, Karl. Look, we found something that might be important to you in that Davidson murder. A strongbox.”
Karl looked up in surprise. “Where did you find it?”
“I didn’t,” said Stevens. “That new fella Miller on the forensic team brought it in. Said it was hidden in the walls of the house, somewhere.”
Finally! A break in this otherwise bewildering case. The box might contain papers that would lead to the woman’s past.
“Strange, putting it in the wall,” Stevens said. “That requires some work. Making a hole between the wood studs, covering it with framed dry wall and then camouflaging it with wallpaper, most likely. Usually people just put their strongboxes in a closet or under a bed.”
“She didn’t want it found,” Karl muttered. But she also couldn’t part with whatever was in it. That made it important.
“What shape is it in?” he said.
“Singed but intact. I could probably force the lock with a toothpick. You want I should do that now, or should I wait for your guys?”
Karl couldn’t wait. He’d known Stevens for years, and trusted the man completely. It wasn’t exactly protocol, but he had to know.
“Open it,” he said.
Karl could hear the phone being switched to ‘Speaker.’ The sound of a drawer opening…then the cringe-inducing noise of metal scrapping against metal. More creaks and then a metallic POP.
“I’m opening the lid now,” said Stevens.
More creaks.
There was a moment of silence. Karl thought he could hear a sudden intake of air.
“Holy shit!”
Karl was out of his chair with the phone at his ear.
“What?”
Stevens was clearly having a hard time talking.
“You’re not going to believe this, Karl. Holy crap on a stick.”
“What? Spit it out, man!”
Another pause. A bright, tinkling sound traveled through the phone line.
“Your vic must have been the Queen of Sheba or a pirate. I’ve never seen anything like it. This necklace must be worth a fortune.”
Chapter 20
Becki was ready to jump Karl as soon as he got home. Not like that. Although that sounded good too.
His shoes thudded on the stairs coming up. He swung open the door. Then he produced that special grin that he never offered anyone else. His eyes lit up with apparent delight to see her although she could tell that he was tired from his slightly stooped posture.
“Hi, hon,” he said. “Sorry I’m so late tonight.”
She came up to him and kissed him tenderly.
He wrapped his arms around her, both hands pressing on her back, and she did the same but her hands didn’t reach nearly as high up on his body.
She was always grateful when he came home at night no matter how late. She rested her head just a little longer against his chest than need be. A cop’s wife never takes homecoming for granted. “Hungry?” she asked, pulling away.
“Yeah but I
hope you ate,” he said. “Hope you didn’t wait for me.”
“Yeah, I ate.” She felt slightly guilty, but it was a deal they had with each other. He didn’t want her starving or keeping meals warm in order to accommodate his unpredictable hours. Whenever he could, he let her know well in advance that he was running late, as he did tonight, but even so he was later than expected.
“I’ll grab something from the fridge,” he said.
Becki knew that on nights like this, he liked to amass a variety of not-so-good-for-you items and just veg out in front of the TV.
And yet the scent of June in Black Currant Bay wafted through the open windows, gently billowing the sheers. Cicadas chirped outside like they were beckoning the two of them to join them on the balcony and chat under the stars instead of holing up inside.
Becki was certain that the magic of moonlight would prove more restful to Karl than artificial blue light from the TV screen.
She convinced him to join her, and out they went together. Becki plopped down in one of the Muskoka chairs and kicked out her legs. Karl arranged his smorgasbord of treats on a patio table and then lowered himself into his own seat, spreading himself out so the tips of his toes almost touched the railing.
They soaked in a night so sensual they could almost taste it.
Ya gotta take advantage of opportunities like this, thought Becki. The older she got the more she realized how precious time like this was.
Eventually, when she saw that Karl was relaxed, she brought up the subject she had been patiently holding in. She knew it wouldn’t upset him, just spark some interesting conversation.
“Gina says there has to be some pretty impressive jewelry to go with the dresses we discovered at Louisa’s.” She didn’t mention Louisa’s real name. Or what they figured was her real name. “But we didn’t find anything when we searched. You didn’t either, right? I wonder where it could be.”
Karl’s eyes widened.
“Tony’s home,” Becki explained. “He told Gina to think laterally or something and jewels are apparently lateral to dresses.” She grinned.
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