by Penny Brooke
“Stop sounding like a wife. If you’re not going to tell me, don’t. I’ll figure it out, though.”
“I’m sorry, Fred, there’s just nothing to tell you about.”
“Okay, I got it. So, you got off without a scratch, did you?”
“Well, it’s not like I took it,” I protested.
“No, of course not. So, you have any idea where the pendant went?”
“I’ve got a lot of my aunt’s books here, and they’re not the kind you find in the Barnes & Noble. They’re sort of special books. I thought I’d look through them and see if I can find any more history about that piece.”
“Sounds like a plan.” He nodded. “I might just give you a hand with that. I don’t have much to do, and I think this is kind of interesting.”
“Great! Go ahead. Peter could use the help finding it.”
“Have we ever ascertained whether the pendant was the real thing or not?”
“I really have no way of knowing. According to what you said, it was made of rubies, but then it could be a different pendant altogether and just happen to have rubies in it. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me. That story adds a lot of commercial value, don’t you think?”
Fred sat down in the tartan wingback I had for sale, and I had to admit it looked like it was made for him. “You know…” he started, holding his chin in the palm of his hand, “the one thing I keep thinking about is why the museum makes the exhibitors foot the insurance bill. After all, if I’m going to pay for the insurance, I’m damn well going to be the beneficiary. I think tomorrow I’ll make a few phone calls and see what I can find out.”
“That would be helpful. Now, if you don’t mind, let’s go on in the house. It’s been a long day, and you could say I haven’t had a great night’s sleep lately. I pretended I was fine for Peter’s sake, but I lied.”
“Yeah, time to hit the hay. Why don’t you hand me one of those books, and I’ll take it up to bed with me?”
“Pick whichever one you like. Just turn off the light, and shut the door when you leave. It will lock behind you.”
“Sure enough. Good night now, Fiona.”
I took a steaming shower and slid into a pair of flannel pajamas I’d had for a very long time. The elbows were worn thin, and I’d used buttons that didn’t match to hold it closed. For me, it was that pair of ugly pajamas that were pure comfort. All the animals were settled in, and I joined the snoring, wheezing lot of them the moment my head touched the pillow.
The first thought I had on waking was the fact that at that moment, my store safe held an unbelievably valuable pair—the crystal ball and The Stolen Heart.
The second thought I had was fear because I heard Gretchen calling up from downstairs. “Fiona, Marlena is here to see you. Like, right now!”
Oh, gawd, here it comes, I thought to myself as I headed down to see what she wanted—as if I didn’t already know. Sliding my feet onto the cold floor, I knew there was no time for a luxuriously slow wake-up or time to get dressed. Pulling a fuzzy bathrobe from my closet and sliding my feet into the first shoes I found, which happened to be a pair of white sneakers, I headed out my door and clomped down the stairs. Marlena stood, tapping her foot in the foyer.
“Where’s my ball?” she demanded.
I heard a noise behind me and turned to see that Gretchen and Sylvia had reopened the tearoom, and there were customers having a light breakfast in the next room, staring at me. I could feel my face turn red. I nodded and turned back to Marlena. “Why don’t you have a seat in the living room, and I’ll be right back. Gretchen, would you bring our guest a cup of tea?”
Gretchen’s eyes were huge with fear. I had to admit that an angry Marlena made for a frightening spectacle.
There was nothing for me to do but clomp back up the stairs and hurriedly dress in something more… public. I presented myself in the living room where Marlena sat stiff and unfriendly on the edge of the sofa. I took a chair opposite her. “Now then,” I began, “let’s you and I talk. Tell me what you know about that crystal ball.”
“I don’t have to tell you anything,” she growled with hostility. “It’s mine. It belongs to me. Give it to me, now.”
“We’ve been over that. I explained to you that Elliott and his friends came to me, asking that I buy it so they could use the money to bail you out of jail.”
“I’ll buy it back. How much did they give you?”
The grandfather clock triggered for the top of the hour, and conversation was interrupted as we listened to the eight, sonorous chimes. I went on. “It’s not a matter of money, Marlena. The ball is now my property, and I don’t wish to sell it.”
“You can’t use it,” she tried in her bully’s voice.
“Can you?” I began to see the reason for her frenzied behavior. I’d read stories of carnival fortune tellers who had supplemented their fees by picking the pockets of their clients. Was it possible that Marlena only wanted the ball so she could return to her carnival act? Did she just want any ball, or was it that ball she demanded? Was it possible she had no idea of its power and since I did, I’d just assumed she knew? It made for interesting conjecture. “Where is Elliott now?”
She sniffed. “He’s in a cheap motel by the highway waiting for me to get my ball, and then we’ll go on with the others. You are so selfish—you don’t see that this isn’t all about you. I cannot do what the Marlena was meant to do without my crystal ball.”
Ahhh, the pieces were beginning to fall into place. No wonder Elliott had such a vested interest in getting Marlena out of jail. They were a clever team. She, the bold, beautiful and bewitching half. He, the unassuming, kind gentleman who was clever enough to leverage their united assets. Me, the unsuspecting nice lady target. Something soured inside me. I felt used and angry. The only thing Elliott hadn’t counted on was Marlena’s abundant arrogance. She was so focused on her own welfare, she put herself ahead of their combined goal and ratted him out like a little brother witnessing a cookie jar theft.
I stood, signaling the end of our meeting. “Marlena, I’m sorry, but my final answer is still the same. I was sold the ball at a time when your friends were working on your behalf, so there was nothing manipulative about it. I now own it, and I’m not interested in selling. Thank you for stopping by to ask, though.”
I walked out of the room but whispered to Gretchen to keep an eye on Marlena. I suspected she’d scour the room in case the ball was kept there.
In the kitchen, Sylvia was scrubbing pans. “What kind of mess are you in today?” she wanted to know.
“Mess?”
“You know what I’m talking about.”
“No, I really don’t.”
She looked at me out of the corner of her eye. “Are you in the jewelry business?”
I stiffened, giving her a hard look, and she nodded. “I put your clothes away and saw it on your bed,” she continued. “Sure, I was snooping, but can you blame me? That bowling ball bag landed you in jail.”
I put my finger up to my lips. “Sylvia, please don’t say anything. I intend to deal with it; I just haven’t figured out what I’m going to do. Peter needs to find it, but something is going on. The judge said it wasn’t in the bag, then the bag went straight to the Evidence room, and then Dave brought it out of the building and put it in my lap. Somewhere along the way, that pendant ended up back in the bag. If it’s even the pendant in the story. We haven’t had a gemologist verify that.”
“Does it make a difference? One minute it’s there and the next, it’s not. Someone is causing trouble and trying to hang it on you.”
I exhaled a huge breath of relief. “Thank you for being on my side. I was so afraid to talk to anyone about it.”
“You’ve looked after me. I don’t believe you have a mean or dishonest bone in your body.”
I gave her a hug. “Can we keep this between us until I figure out what to do?”
“You got it.”
“Huh,” I muttered. “For the m
oment, maybe.”
“Just don’t let that black-haired hustler in the library get her hands on it. That will be the last you see of any of them, and you’ll get the blame.”
I nodded. “And to think I moved back to town for the peace and quiet.”
I decided to go into town and pay a visit to Henry Lowden. He’d been the silent character in the story up to that point. I found him in his jewelry store, polishing his glass cases.
“Hello, Henry, do you have a moment?”
“Fiona.” He nodded as he acknowledged me. “What brings you in today?”
“I’m sure it’s no surprise that we have something in common, a certain necklace.”
“I wish I’d never heard of that thing. You can’t imagine the nightmare it’s caused me.”
“Do you mean because it was stolen, and you have to deal with the insurance company?”
“You don’t think that’s enough?”
A customer came in the door then, so I stepped aside and pretended to look in the case holding watches. The woman wanted birthstone earrings for her granddaughter but wasn’t happy with the price. Henry quoted her what I thought was a reasonable cost, but the woman seemed to be one of those who never paid the price on the tag.
“Oh, they’re beautiful,” I said. “Actually, they’re perfect for my niece. She has a birthday coming up, and that’s right in the ballpark of my budget. Since you’re not going to buy them, do you mind?” I held out my hand for the earrings, but the woman quickly snatched them away.
“I’m buying them,” she said in a determined voice. “How much were they again?”
Henry repeated the price, and the woman opened her handbag and handed him the money. “You wrap them for me?”
“Certainly.” Henry handed her the change, then put the earrings in a tiny box and carried them to his wrapping station. When he was done, he handed the package over, the woman turned it around to make sure he’d done a good job, sniffed, and then left the store. He looked over at me. “Thank you for that.”
“No problem. Now, can we get back to our conversation about the necklace?”
“What is it you want to know?”
“Where do you stand with the museum people?”
“Just about where you would imagine. They want their money.”
“The money? Or are they pushing you to find out who stole the pendant necklace?”
“Actually, no, they seem to be more interested in the money.”
“How did you come to learn of The Stolen Heart?”
“They sent out a brochure with pictures of it. In fact, I think they sent them to jewelers all over the country. I’m not sure why they only chose jewelers, but when I saw it, I knew it would be great advertising for the store. So, I applied.”
“I understand you had to pay for the insurance.”
“Yes, that’s right. Anyone who sponsors the exhibit has to pay the insurance for the days they have it.”
“I don’t know anything about the industry; is that a common practice?”
“I don’t know much more about that industry than you do, but I do know that in most situations, the owner of the property pays for the insurance. That way they are certain there is no lapse in coverage and that they are the beneficiary. Not to mention that the insurance coverage is enough.”
“Did they send anyone down to go over the details with the police, or with you?”
He thought a moment and shook his head. “I don’t think so. If they did, I don’t know about it.”
“Henry, I hope you won’t mind me asking, but it was hard to miss the fact that Marlena was flirting with you before the festival began. I know this might be impertinent, but was she flirting with you, or was it the other way around?”
He looked up at me, his face flushed as he peered through his thick glasses with the jeweler’s loupe clipped to one lens. “Oh, she was definitely flirting with me. I’m not exactly Prince Charming, if you catch my drift.”
“But you were receptive, right?”
“To a point.”
“What point was that, if you don’t mind my asking?”
“She wanted to wear the pendant.” He said it with finality, and that told me he hadn’t liked the idea.
“And did you let her?”
“Well…” he began, looking around as if someone else were in the store. “…only for a moment.”
“Really? So, Marlena literally had that pendant fastened around her neck, is that what you’re saying?”
“Oh, yes, she did. And you’d better believe I was standing right there next to her.”
I nodded. “And how long was that before the pendant went missing?”
“Well, the guard in charge of the exhibit went to lunch at noon and discovered the pendant was missing when he got back. It was sometime during that hour.”
“Henry, you let Marlena try on that necklace without security there, and when it went missing, you didn’t wonder if she took it?”
He shook his head, sheepishly. “No, I know she didn’t.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because I was the one who put it back, and she went with me, shall we say… upstairs.”
“I realize this might be making you embarrassed, but it’s important. Maybe someone was working with her?”
“I don’t think so, at least I hope not.”
“Henry, are you saying that you have feelings for her?”
He shrugged. “She’s still staying at a motel on the edge of town. Did you know that?”
“Gosh, I don’t know how to say this, but she’s not alone. She’s staying there with Elliott.”
His face went pale, and he muttered beneath his breath. “If she took it, or if he took it, why are they still hanging around?”
“I’m not at liberty to say quite yet, but I’m pretty sure I know why. Henry, if it were me, I would forget about Marlena. If the insurance company is going to pay up, delay them as much as you can because something might turn up unexpectedly.”
He looked puzzled, but I didn’t elaborate.
“I’ll see you around, Henry.”
He gave me a short salute on my way out the door. I’d gone in there hoping to dig up something that would help me solve the mystery. Instead, I was all the more confused.
15
The Appeal
Life got back to normal after the festival was over. Peter dropped by after work. I invited him to stay for dinner, and he accepted. We only had two boarders at the moment, so it was a nice, cozy group.
It had started snowing earlier that afternoon, coating the grass and sidewalk just enough to make them slippery. Talk around the table that evening was about the upcoming winter and how we all dreaded the winds off the water.
Gretchen, always the optimist, put in her two cents’ worth. “I always look forward to Christmas because the days begin to get longer, and then soon spring is here.”
Heads nodded around the table as we did justice to Sylvia’s beef stew and fresh homemade bread. Gretchen brought out a platter of pecan brownies for dessert, and we all elected to enjoy them in the living room with a cup of coffee. I was on my way there when Peter tapped me on the shoulder. “Can we talk in the library?”
“Sure. What’s up?” I asked as we sat down in the wingback chairs in front of the fireplace.
“Henry tells me you were in to see him.”
“Yes, I wanted to hear what he knew.” I sighed. “Peter, how much pressure are you under to find The Stolen Heart?”
“Well, if you’re asking if I’m going to lose my job over it, no. We’re talking a lot of money here, though, and Henry is dragging his feet to file the claim. The museum people are on the phone with me every day. Did you learn anything from Henry that helped?”
I shook my head. “No, it just added to the confusion.”
“How so?”
“You’re going to kill me.”
“What are you talking about?”
I drank the rest of
my coffee and brushed the brownie crumbs from my hands. “You just are, that’s all. Finish up. I have something to show you.”
Peter tossed the last of his coffee in the fire and stuffed his brownie in his shirt pocket for later. “Show me. When you say this, I know it’s going to be big.”
“Promise you won’t kill me?”
“Man, this is really going to be good.”
I beckoned to him to follow and left the library, heading for the hallway that led to the store. Lizzie Borden, sniffing adventurously, trotted closely behind. I unlocked the door, and we went in. I locked it again behind us. “You’d better sit down.” I motioned to the plaid wingback. I went into the back room, opened the safe, and came up to where Peter was sitting, carrying the bowling ball bag.
I pointed to the bag. “Remember the judge examined it and said it was empty?”
He nodded, puzzled. “Yeah.”
“And you remember the prosecutor did the same?”
He nodded again. “Of course. Where are you going with this?”
“Well, after we left that lunch—you, Dave and me—we stopped by the courthouse, and Dave got the bag for me out of the Evidence room. I brought it home and put it in my bedroom. One thing led to another, and I didn’t get a chance to put it in the safe. When I finally remembered, I went up and…well… the pendant was back in the bag.”
I scrunched my face, waiting for his reaction.
“What? Are you kidding me? Why didn’t you tell me? If you knew the pressure I’ve been under…”
“I know, I know, and I’m sorry for that. Obviously, I had no plan to keep it. I was using it as bait to find out who stole it the first time, as well as the second time from the Evidence room.”
“I think you were taking an awfully big chance. You know how much that thing is worth?”
Nodding, I answered, “Pretty close. So, here’s the funny thing. Marlena came to see me. Well, it was more like threaten me. She wanted her crystal ball.”
“Does she know the two go together?”
“I don’t think so. I also don’t think she had the pendant. It’s too valuable to chance getting caught with or having someone else steal it.”
