“First of all, I want you to tell me a few things.”
“You’re hardly in a position to negotiate but I like you, so ask away.” There was a clink of teacups in the background.
“Having a tea break?” Landry asked. “What time is it over there, anyway?”
“It’s late afternoon. The perfect time for a cup of reviving Earl Grey. Not that there isn’t a good time for tea, obviously.”
“Obviously.”
“What do you want to know, Landry? I’m feeling magnanimous due to the ready supply of chocolate Hobnobs on a plate not very far from me.”
“First, why didn’t you just send me the map instead of going through the whole charade with the leaflet, the antiques fair, the gilded mirror… You couldn’t possibly have known that everything would go to plan.”
“I needed you to think, at least initially, that you had come across the map by accident. It wasn’t that difficult to entice you along to the fair, though I confess to being somewhat shocked that Detective Roskam goes through his in-tray on a regular basis. It was a simple matter to send a bunch of flyers into his precinct for distribution.”
“The stallholder, was he in on this?”
“He was tasked with getting the mirror to you. He didn’t know what it contained. He’s one of Tad’s many uncles. If he’d missed you at the fair, he would have brought the mirror into Treasure Trove and offered it to you at a ridiculous price. Even if you hadn’t bought it for yourself, you would have been obliged to dismantle it to check it over for restoration but as it was, extending the subterfuge wasn’t necessary. I did tell him that you were passionate about lucky cats and to make sure he had something on the stall that would draw your eye.”
“You are one manipulative, sneaky son of a bitch.”
“Why, thank you. That’s quite the compliment.”
“It wasn’t meant to be,” Landry grumbled. “So why the warning postcard? That’s what gave it away that you had to be involved.”
“You were meant to be my tool. This little adventure wasn’t supposed to put you in danger, that wasn’t my intent, but I became aware of other…interested parties. I needed investment from my company and somehow, news of the map leaked to a competitor. These people are not known for their benevolence when it comes to hunting down rare objects.”
“I put them off the scent,” Landry said. “But they might come back. If I get hurt because of your plotting, Gage will hunt you down and remove parts of your anatomy, you know that.”
“I knew you would be resourceful. When the portrait is revealed, they’ll no longer have any need to come after you, and Gage will have no need to subject British customs to what I know must be a terrifying passport photograph. Another reason, if you need one, to point me at its location, wouldn’t you say?”
Landry sighed again—James Ellery had that effect on him. His mind was working overtime. He couldn’t get to England to look for the painting himself. His only course of action would be to contact the authorities in the UK who would probably laugh at him and that wouldn’t do anything to help Petey, who was stuck inside Treasure Trove with a psycho.
“I can hear the cogs in your brain whirring from over here,” James said. “I’m sure you’ve realized by now that the only sensible course of action is to tell me what you found over there and where I need to go to retrieve the pretty young man.”
“I still don’t quite understand,” Landry said. “You won’t be able to keep the portrait and there can’t be any insurance value attached to it, so what’s in it for you?”
“I’d have thought that would be obvious,” James said. “It would of course seal my reputation as the foremost treasure hunter of my generation. Handing it over will give both my company and myself a huge amount of positive publicity. We will have business coming out of our ears and my current difficulties with international travel will be resolved. The authorities tend to be grateful when treasures of such historical importance are retrieved.”
Landry rolled his shoulders in an attempt to ease some of the tension in his joints. “I should have known that philanthropy wasn’t your first objective.”
“I think there’s been enough dissection of my character for now. We can resume this conversation when I’m able to come and visit you in person once again. But for now, it’s time for you to tell me what I need to know because believe me, Landry, it would be the work of a moment to contact my colleague and get him to put a few superfluous holes into your friend’s body. I do so appreciate text technology.”
“I really don’t like you,” Landry said. “Gage is gonna use you for target practice if you ever set foot back on US soil, and I’m gonna watch.”
“Detective Roskam and I have a special relationship,” James said. “A bit like the UK and America. Now tell me what I need to know, Landry. It’s distasteful to have to make threats.”
Landry huffed and gave James a potted summary of all the clues he’d worked out and how they fitted together. “So you see, he never did bring the painting back here.”
“I do see. The man must have gained a conscience at some point. If the painting is still where you believe it to be, I hope that he protected it well.”
“Will you go and look for it?”
“Of course. I’m hardly going to sit here in London when it could be just a few hours away. Knowing that it’s here in England makes my life a great deal easier.”
Landry walked back to stand in front of Treasure Trove. “I’ve given you what you wanted, you asshole. Now get your thug out of my store.” The call disconnected. Landry wanted to scream into his cell but settled for stamping his foot. “That man makes me want to get stabby!”
There was a jingle as the bell above Treasure Trove’s front door rang and the man in the baseball cap walked out, clutching a brown paper-wrapped parcel. He nodded at Landry then strolled off down the street as if he were out and about on any shopping trip. Landry ran into the store and went straight up to Petey. He checked him over. “Phew, no additional holes.”
“What are you talking about?” Petey pushed him away. “And where’s my hot chocolate and cake? You’ve been gone ages. Did you get distracted by a squirrel again?”
“That guy you were just with, did he hurt you?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about Landry, have you been taking something? I just made a great sale. He bought a load of sports memorabilia, some old baseball programs and that signed football that’s been moldering in the corner for months.”
Landry stared at him. “He didn’t…do anything?”
“Other than pay me a great deal of money, no.” Petey pressed the backs of his fingers to Landry’s forehead. “Are you feeling all right? He said a friend in the UK had recommended the store and told him to visit. He was glad he did—texted his pal to let him know he was here and everything.”
“That no good, lying, smarmy, too-handsome-for-his-own-good, fucking Brit!” Landry’s cell dinged to advise him of an incoming text. He opened it to find a single emoji of a winking face. “Fuck me sideways.” Landry slumped into the leather club chair with a groan. “Take a seat, honey. I have a lot to tell you. This is gonna take a while. It’s the story of how your best friend in the world thought he was saving your behind when he was actually being taken for a ride by a criminal mastermind.”
“Sounds exciting.” Petey dropped into the nearest chair.
“Not exactly what I’d call it, but here goes.”
Chapter Sixteen
When Gage, true to his promise, showed up at Treasure Trove shortly after lunchtime he had Mr. Lao in tow. Landry, who had been hiding in the stock cupboard, peeked around the doorway.
“How does he look?” he stage whispered to Petey who was standing with his back to the door.
“Hot, in that dark, broody way he has going on, and, by the way, he either knows you’re behind me or thinks I have a serious problem with talking to myself.”
“I thought we discussed you using your ventriloquist voice,�
� Landry hissed.
“And I told you I don’t have one. The closest I come to talking with my mouth closed is when Carter brings out his gag collection.”
“Way too much information, Petey.”
“Why are you hiding from Gage anyway?”
“Because as soon as he sees me he is gonna know I’ve been talking to James Ellery and he’s not gonna like it. I like fun spankings, not punishment paddlings.”
“You’re going to have to tell him everything anyway. It looks like he’s brought Mr. Lao back with him so the two of you can spend some quality time together.”
“Any other day that would make me all kinds of happy,” Landry said. “He’s right there, isn’t he?”
“Uh huh.”
“The only reason for you to be hiding in that cupboard, Landry Carran, is because you have a guilty conscience.”
Landry swore the deep timbre of Gage’s voice vibrated through his bones.
“Did you break something, Landry?” Mr. Lao had trust issues.
Landry sidled out from his hiding place to stand behind the cash desk. “Of course I didn’t break anything Mr. L. When did I ever…? No, don’t answer that. Your stock is safe, and we’ve had a great day for sales so far, though I have to admit Petey’s done most of the work.” Petey preened a little when Mr. Lao gave him a pat on the head.
“You’re a good boy, Petey. You and I will have a fun afternoon while Gage and Landry catch up on some much-needed sleep. The pair of you look like you’ve been burning the candle at both ends using a flamethrower rather than a match.”
Gage chuckled. “We’re going to take a walk first, get some fresh air and a hot dog with all the trimmings. Landry is going to tell me what he’s been up to then we are going to come back here and sleep for at least twelve hours.”
Petey snickered but soon stopped between Gage’s stare and the clip round the ear Mr. Lao gave him. “What did I do?”
“It’s what you were thinking, not doing,” Mr. Lao said with a knowing smile.
“I can see everything is well under control here.” Gage smirked. “Grab your jacket, Landry. Let’s go.”
Landry made sure he had his wallet, keys and cell before trailing Gage down the center aisle of the store to the door. He gave Petey and Mr. Lao a small wave before Gage, with an impatient huff, grabbed his wrist and towed him out onto the sidewalk.
“Food before confessions. I’ve been craving a hotdog all morning.”
Landry nibbled on his lower lip then turned his attention to his thumbnail.
“It wasn’t my fault.”
“I’m sure it wasn’t,” Gage said. “Whatever it was.”
“Just trying for some pre-emptive self-defense,” Landry said. “Before you start using your good cop, bad cop interrogation techniques on me.”
“You and I both know, Landry that you’re gonna fold like a pack of cards the minute I scowl at you. You’ve not been able to hide anything from me since the moment we met. You couldn’t lie if the fate of the entire planet depended on it.”
Landry didn’t bother to deny it because it was true. If he attempted so much as a minor fib, his face glowed the color of a British telephone box.
“Why do they paint stuff red anyway? Buses, mailboxes, those old-fashioned telephone kiosks… It’s all red. P’raps their government has shares in red paint.”
“Would I be right in assuming that someone has got you thinking about the British?” Gage slipped his sunglasses from his jacket pocket then put them on. He turned his mirrored gaze onto Landry. “Because that sentence came out of nowhere.”
Landry was torn between annoyance at not being able to read Gage’s expression and satisfaction at how hot his boyfriend looked in a pair of aviators. “If I say yes, I’m going to incriminate myself, aren’t I?”
“You’re way beyond that, sweetheart, believe me.”
“There’s a reason Brits always play bad guys in the movies, you know.” Landry dragged his feet all the way to the hotdog cart at the edge of the small neighborhood park a few blocks from Treasure Trove but then perked up at the scent of frying onions. His stomach rumbled. “I want the works on mine,” he said, then added, “and a double portion of onions.”
“Make that two.” Gage placed the order. “You want a soda?”
“I’ll take a water, please.” Landry didn’t want to add bubbles to his already unsettled stomach. They took their food to a nearby bench, and Landry planted his ass on the unyielding wood.
“He texted me,” Gage said, managing to sound both annoyed and resigned.
“Who?” Landry said around a mouthful of unidentifiable meat product.
“Don’t try that with me, Landry.” Gage used his thumb to wipe a smear of mustard from the corner of Landry’s mouth before pulling out his cell and displaying a text that consisted of a single winking emoji.
“You’re talking about James Ellery. Are the two of you having some kind of bromance I should know about? Why does he have your number?”
Gage chewed, swallowed then looked Landry directly in the eye. “I am not averse to the idea of bending you over the back of this bench and giving you a sound thrashing. My number isn’t a secret. He texted to let me know that you and he had engaged in a mutually satisfying exchange earlier today.”
Landry fidgeted. “It might have been satisfying for him! Yes, James called me. He was working with a guy who came into the store when I went out for coffee. He said this guy would hurt Petey if I didn’t tell him, James that is, everything about solving the clues from the treasure map. So I did. He’s probably already on his way to the well in Bellingham.”
“Good.”
“What do you mean good? He said that Petey would get stabbed if I didn’t tell him everything. How is that good?”
“Petey is fine, isn’t he? There was never any danger.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because it’s not Ellery’s style. He’s manipulative and ruthless but I don’t believe he’d ever actually hurt anyone to get his way. He doesn’t need to.”
“It seemed pretty real to me,” Landry muttered. “But his accomplice, whoever he was, winked at me when he left the store and he bought loads of stuff. Petey was over the moon with the sale he made, and he had no idea what was going on.”
“Ellery probably just asked the guy to go into the store if he saw you leave. Told him to hang around near the cash desk. It would only have taken a quick text from him to let Ellery know that things were in place.”
“I’m so dumb.” Landry leaned against Gage’s solid form. “I should have known he was lying.”
“No you’re not. You thought you were protecting your friend. You did exactly the right thing.”
“But he’ll find the treasure.”
“Actually, he won’t.”
“Why do you sound so smug?” Landry rubbed his cheek against Gage’s stubble.
“Because I haven’t been sitting around eating donuts, despite what you think I do all day. I emailed a contact in the UK. Told him he needed to go well diving in Northumberland and that he ought to hang around and see who showed up.”
“You did? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I had a very strong feeling that Mr. Ellery would get in touch with you sooner or later. He set all this up. He put us on the trail. One way or another he would have had to have gotten the information out of you and I guess he has some serious competition. I’d place money that the men we saw near the waterfall are his rivals.”
“So you set a trap?” Landry nuzzled into the crook of Gage’s neck. “You’re as devious as he is. Why does that turn me on when it’s you but when it’s him it makes my flesh crawl?”
Gage walked his fingers up Landry’s thigh. “Because you are a kinky, kinky boy and that’s why I love you.”
“So what happens next?” Landry balled up the wrapper from his dog. “Will your contact in the UK let you know what’s going on?”
“As soon as he can, h
e will. It might be a while, and we promised ourselves a bit of hibernation time, didn’t we?”
Landry took a swig from his bottle of water. “I am badly in need of recuperation. I had a very stressful morning.”
“And that’s why Mr. Lao will be keeping Petey company for the rest of the day while you and I are horizontal and unconscious.”
“Sounds dreamy.”
Gage yawned. “I could sleep for a week. Solving a big case is great but the paperwork afterward is enough to try the patience of a saint. You know, diamonds in the rough look like rocks. Nothing special at all. I guess I thought they’d be more exciting.”
“You and Sancha have been on a treasure hunt too, even though you didn’t realize it. I need sleep but we can fit in some awake stuff as well, can’t we?” Landry attempted his most appealing look making big eyes and pouty lips.
“It’s always good to test the limits of our endurance,” Gage said, grabbing Landry’s hand. He took their litter and lobbed it into the nearest trash can with perfect aim. “How long were you going to wait before you told me about Ellery’s call?”
“As soon as I saw you,” Landry said. “Promise.”
“In that case, I’ll go easy on the spanking.” Gage gave Landry’s butt a pat. “I have plans for that paddle you were waving at me last night. You know, you looked more like you were trying to bring a plane into land than defend yourself.”
“Hey! It was the first thing I got hold of. It’s not like we keep a baseball bat under the bed and besides, the only ball sports I was ever any good at didn’t involve a bat. Can we go back through the store? I want you to reassure Petey that the money laundering case is done and dusted. I told him all about it, but he’ll be more relaxed if he hears it from you.”
“Okay. I told Carson everything as well. Petey has nothing to worry about. The men that attacked him were hired to steal the package, nothing more. Petey was collateral damage.”
They ambled the few blocks back but as they reached the store, the sound of shattering glass greeted them.
“Are you sure about that?” Landry ran for the door only for Gage to catch him around the waist and lift him out of the way.
The Gilded Mirror Page 17
