The Case of the Chinese Boxes (A Justice and Miss Quinn Mystery Book 4)

by Felicia Rogers

  She barely contained her excitement. “Do you see these blue lines?”

  “Yes.”

  “When the boxes are aligned they link together. It resembles a road map.”

  He leaned forward and squinted. At least he was showing interest. His manly scent wafted back to her. She closed her eyes and inhaled, but that only made it worse. When she opened her eyes his neck was before her. Bare. She could lean in and plant a kiss on his throbbing vein. She bit her lip instead.

  He ran his finger along the route. “I see it. But what does it mean? Did the book say anything else?”

  “I’m not sure. Most of the words were in Russian—”

  “And you don’t speak Russian.”

  “No.” She lowered her head. What would he say now? Would he help her read the book or would he still be angry? She couldn’t take his continued anger. She enjoyed their closeness.

  “When the storm abates we’ll take the boxes with us. At the hunting cabin, we’ll read the book—together.”

  She nodded. That was all she’d ever wanted. That and perhaps him to kiss her again. But how could she tell him that now that she’d hurt him? And while she worried that his affections weren’t real?

  ****

  It stung that Magnolia had tried to investigate his grandmother’s journal without him. It stung that she’d ignored their shared affection. It also stung that the reason she ignored the kiss was because maybe she was looking for another’s affection—Vernon’s perhaps.

  She rose to her feet, clenched her skirts, and returned to the settee. She grabbed another biscuit and nibbled on the edges, while folding her legs to the side of her body. She was comfortable in his presence, so that was a check in his favor. Now he just needed to make her see that he was the only one for her. Not some knight, not some business owner, he and he alone was the answer to the problem of her life—loneliness.

  “Are you hungry?”

  The words startled him. He sat cross-legged on the floor and grabbed his own biscuit and a slice of bacon.

  “How long do you think the storm will last?”

  So she was eager to leave his company. “Not long, I would think.”

  “I should hate to be stuck here overnight.” She didn’t look up.

  “I don’t see why. There is a bed and plenty of firewood. Although we should be sparing with the food, I suppose.”

  She lifted her head. “Father would be very displeased.”

  Worried for her reputation—now that sounded like Magnolia. Her family had had enough hurtful rumors for the near future.

  “We could marry when we return then no one could say a thing.”

  She widened her eyes. “Justin Blakemoor, you should not jest about such things!”

  “Who said I was jesting.” His voice was low, but she had to have heard him.

  She opened her mouth. The door burst open. Two men stood side by side blocking the opening. They parted and between them walked another—Vernon Shelby.

  He pointed in their direction. “Bring the woman, and the boxes.”

  “What about the boy, boss?”

  Boy? He was highly offended. He was nearing his twenty-fourth birthday.

  “Tie him up.”

  He couldn’t have heard that correctly.

  The two men grabbed his upper arms and flung him into a high-backed chair. He didn’t fight as they tied him; instead he puffed out his chest as far as he could and held his breath.

  Magnolia jumped to her feet. Red flushed her cheeks. She was beautiful when angry.

  She fisted her hands to her sides. “What do you think you’re doing?”

  Vernon’s lips twitched upward and he smoothed a hair from Magnolia’s cheek. “Why, I’m taking the map that will lead me to the treasure.”

  She blinked. “What?”

  “The boxes, my dear. They are a treasure map. And just so you don’t run and tell anyone, you’ll be coming with me.”

  She pointed to herself. “Me?”

  “I see that you’re wearing my love’s old clothes. They are considerably large on you. That means you’ll need more appropriate attire for our trip.”

  He faced the men. “Secure the woman. The hunting party will notice my absence soon. We must be away.”

  One man grabbed her middle, and Magnolia kicked her legs violently.

  “No! No! Justin!”

  The troll had touched her! He’d dared to caress the cheek of his darling! And he couldn’t help her—yet. Right now he just needed to hold his breath. But he would be coming for her and he wouldn’t let anything get in his way.

  ****

  Magnolia had been tied and placed on a horse. Her head lolled, and she ached from riding. It was a bad dream. No one had busted in on her and Justin at the cabin. No one had tied Justin up. No one had hauled her away. Justin hadn’t been left alone and shirtless in the cabin. What a time for that to come to mind.

  “Charlie, Rove, drop the girl in my quarters then meet me on deck.”

  Quarters? Deck? Did she hear water?

  She was lifted from the horse and flung over someone’s shoulder. She wiggled and was dropped. The gasp escaped as pain wafted down her leg.

  “If you want to fight, then you can walk.”

  The pier rocked as she stood, ignoring the continued shafts of pain from her right side. She was shoved into motion. She took in as much scenery as possible. They weren’t in any town she’d ever visited, but there were a lot of coastal towns.

  She could hear people walking and talking, but she couldn’t see anyone. The dock buildings were too tall and too close together.

  Where was everyone? The dock was empty. Only one ship was anchored beside the pier.

  “Don’t even think of screaming. This town is notorious for pirates, so I don’t think you’d get much help.”

  Pirates? Vernon Shelby was a pirate? “There must be some mistake.”

  “Oh there ain’t no mistake. Captain Shelby knows exactly what he is doing.”

  So Vernon Shelby was a pirate. She should have known. The rakish long hair had been slicked back, but the way he wore his clothing and his swagger should have told her something. If she hadn’t been distracted by the journal, by Justin…

  There was nothing she could do about Vernon’s profession. Right now she needed to establish contact and try to make friends. It was the only way she was getting out of her current situation. “I’m Magnolia Quinn. And you are?”

  A shock of red hair peeped beneath the cap of one of the behemoths. She wasn’t getting away from them unless they let her.

  “I’m Rove. This here is my associate, Charlie.”

  “Nice to meet you. Now would you politely untie my hands? The ropes are chafing. And as you can see, there is no place for me to run.” Except into the water. She could jump into the muddy depths, but she might never come back up.

  “The Cap’n said to take you to his quarters. He’ll decide when to remove your bonds.” Charlie was the rougher one. His neck was round and thick, his chest resembled a barrel. He would never be the one to let her go.

  She’d slowed and Charlie nudged her in the back. How had her holiday turned into such a disaster? Justin was probably to blame. He was always to blame when a mystery was involved.

  ****

  Justin hid behind a row of barrels on the docks. The two brutes who worked for Vernon were escorting Magnolia onto a ship. He slid to the ground and cradled his head. How had he not known about the map on the boxes? Because his mother had never mentioned it. And why not? Had she been trying to hide the information from him? Maybe she hadn’t known herself.

  None of it mattered. He didn’t care if he ever saw the boxes again or if he ever found the treasure. Right now all he wanted was to rescue Magnolia. She was all that mattered.

  But how was he going to board the ship? The men who had taken Magnolia had been the only two on the pier, but surely there were others lingering about.

  Vernon had disappeared in town. No
w might be his only chance to board.

  Jostling men rounded the corner.

  “Can you believe the Cap’n found the boxes? He’s been talking about them for so long I thought they were just a fantasy. But he did it.”

  “But does he know how to read the map?”

  “Not sure. I think he said something about finding a book with the information. Now he just needs one more thing and we’ll be ready to ride.”

  An interpreter. Did he think Magnolia could decipher the Russian in the book? When he found out that she couldn’t she would be useless to him. Vernon might throw her overboard, which seemed kind of extreme, even for a pirate. But who knew what Vernon was capable of. He hadn’t known the fellow was a pirate. Shipping business indeed.

  He attached himself to the back of the boarding party. With the linen sheet wrapped around him and his hair disarrayed, he could pass for a shipmate, he hoped.

  Up the gangplank and onto the deck, now he just needed to find the Captain’s quarters and get Magnolia off the ship before it set sail. Easy.

  Chapter Eight: Captain’s Jewel

  Magnolia struggled against the ropes, but it was no use. They weren’t moving.

  She was lying on her side on a bunk in the captain’s quarters. Charlie had laid her so she faced the wall. It took all her strength to roll to the other side so she could look around.

  A desk was about four feet from the bed. The porthole had been left slightly ajar and the wind riffled papers littering the desk. On the opposite wall were shelves lined with Chinese boxes. Apparently the captain had an affinity for them. He must have been searching for Angelina’s boxes for a long time.

  She fell back against the pillow. How had Vernon Shelby known about the Chinese boxes in the first place? Justin had said that his grandmother lost them for a time. Had he heard about it then? Vernon wasn’t old enough to have actually seen the boxes when they were misplaced, so someone must have told him about them.

  The door opened, and she narrowed her eyes and studied the person entering. Justin!

  He put his finger to his lips, and she bit her tongue to keep from crying out.

  He moved quietly. She turned so her tied hands faced him.

  “How did you find me?”

  “I followed you.”

  “But how did you get out of the ropes?” He was still wearing that ridiculous sheet. He was more handsome than ever.

  “I held my breath while they tied me so the ropes were loose.”

  “Oh.” His ability to think on his feet was amazing.

  The ropes fell away from her wrists and she sat up and wrapped her arms around his neck.

  “We need to get out of here before Captain Crazy returns.”

  “But we can’t leave yet! He has the boxes.”

  “I don’t care about the boxes—I only care about you.” He smoothed a strand of hair behind her ear. Had he said what she thought he’d said?

  A voice boomed on the other side of the door. “She is in your quarters, sir.”

  “Excellent. Please do not disturb me.”

  She widened her eyes. “You need to hide. If he finds you in here—”

  She didn’t finish the sentence before he was climbing under the desk. How was she going to keep Vernon from sitting down?

  ****

  The door opened as she was stretching herself upon the bed. It was hard to look attractive when your clothes barely fit. Of course it didn’t hurt that the sleeve from her blouse kept dipping dangerously low on her arm.

  He stopped and cocked a brow. He was handsome. His thick dark hair was shaggy around his tanned face. His dark coloring was in sharp contrast to his white shirt that he’d left parted to the navel. She was in big trouble.

  “Miss Quinn.”

  “Mr. Shelby.”

  He was headed for the desk. She jumped in front of him. His abdomen was as well-formed as Justin’s. Today had been very eye opening.

  He frowned. “Why are you free?”

  “Charlie untied me.” A smile teased her lips. She didn’t enjoy the lie, but Charlie deserved it for the bruises she would be feeling tomorrow.

  “Hmm, that is unlike him, but he isn’t used to a woman’s feminine charms.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest. “Are you implying—”

  “I’m not implying anything. Now if you’ll be so kind as to take a seat then we can begin our acquaintance.”

  He pointed at the bed, but she took the chair behind the desk. Justin grabbed her ankle, and she withheld a gasp by folding her hands on the desktop.

  Vernon laughed. “I see that you enjoy a place of authority. Very well, I will allow it. For now.”

  He sat on the bed. If he was any closer to the head of the bed, he might be able to see who she hid. Would she ever breathe easy again?

  “Let’s get this over with so I can go home.”

  He smirked and shook his head. “I’m sorry to say that even once we’ve completed our business we won’t be going home.”

  “We won’t?” She was going to be ill.

  He shook his head again.

  “I-I don’t want to talk about that right now. I-I want to know about the Chinese boxes you have around the room.”

  “I’m sure you do, but I have my own desires. I want to know what is written in this book.”

  Uh-oh. “What book?”

  He plopped the journal before her. “Does it look familiar now?”

  She swallowed. “Yes, but how?”

  “You left it out that first night at the cabin. I know the word for boxes in Russian, and I guessed that these might be the ones I was looking for.”

  “But the letter said a treat; there was no mention of treasure.”

  “True, but after studying the boxes I know I’m correct. There is a map painted on the boxes, and I intended to use it to find the treasure.”

  “I still don’t understand.” She needed to keep him talking. The thought that she was to blame for everything didn’t sit well.

  “Must you know everything?”

  “If you knew me you wouldn’t have to ask that question.” So far it was the only sentence she’d said with confidence.

  “As much as I loathe sharing information with you, I will do so. Perhaps afterward you will be more willing to assist me.”

  She shrugged. Let him think what he wanted. The more information she had the more she could do. She hoped.

  “My grandfather worked for a wealthy Russian family. The young mistress of the house had traveled to China and when she returned, she painted a lovely set of Russian boxes. She was young, impetuous. She told my grandfather of a legend about a hidden treasure and how she had painted the map to the treasure on her boxes. He passed the story to my father, who eventually stole the boxes. But my mother,” he wrung his hands, “she took the boxes to market and sold them! She sold them for nothing so she could buy bread!”

  He ran his hands through his hair. “I’ve spent my entire life trying to reclaim them.”

  “But you’re talking about a legend. Maybe even something that Ang—I mean the Russian girl made up. You don’t know if there is really a treasure.”

  “I do know. After the boxes disappeared, the girl made mention that the treasure would never be found without her journal. My father looked for the journal for the rest of his life and never found it. And now I have.”

  Magnolia glanced at the book on the desk.

  “Now there is only one thing left to do.”

  “What is that?”

  “You’re going to translate it for me.”

  “But I can’t.”

  “Don’t you mean won’t?”

  “No, I mean can’t. I—”

  Justin squeezed her ankle. What did he want her to say?

  Vernon hauled her from the chair and lifted her by her neck. “You will translate the words and you will do so now!” The ship shifted, and he rolled his eyes. “What have the fools done now?” He sighed. “I will return and when I do,
I expect you to tell me everything within the book’s pages.”

  The door slammed shut behind him.

  ****

  Justin could have jumped from beneath the desk and wrung Magnolia’s neck himself. She’d almost told Vernon that she was useless to him. Of course Vernon would pay for touching her. He just had to figure out how to make Magnolia safe first.

  The door slammed shut, and he peeped up from his hiding space. “Are you all right?”

  Tears streamed down her cheeks and she shook her head. He rose, almost knocking the desk over, and took her in his arms. He smoothed his hand down her back. The shirt was thin, and he could feel her warm skin beneath.

  He’d never felt so helpless. They were trapped on a madman’s ship.

  “What are we going to do? You can’t keep hiding under the desk. He is bound to sit sometime.”

  He looked at the window. It was too small to crawl through, and the drop might kill them.

  “I guess I could give myself up.”

  “What?” She moved back and swiped the tears from her cheek.

  “Well at least I’d be here with you.”

  She tapped her finger to her chin and her eyes brightened. “I have an idea.”

  “You do?” The tenseness melted from her as if she’d relaxed.

  “I do. Do you trust me?”

  “Implicitly.” He hoped that wasn’t a mistake.

  Chapter Nine: The Plan

  “Translate these words for me.” She pointed at the first paragraph and prayed that Justin remembered his Russian.

  He squinted at the letters. “They are kind of smeared.”

  “Please, Justin. I need you to translate as quickly as you can then get back under the desk.”

  “Very well.”

  He bent over the pages. She jotted down what he said. She’d just finished when she heard the stomp of footsteps.

  “Get back under the desk.”

  “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”

  “You said you trusted me.”