Page 46

you’d fix it.
I’ll call for a plumber later. Can you get the message to Oliver?
Of course.
Tell him to bring the Ghost or— I have to go.
Chad?
The line went dead.
The woman smiled at Sam. “That’s it. All very strange. I have no idea what he’s mixed up in—something to do with those cars, probably.”
As much as Sam didn’t want to alarm the woman, clearly the man sounded stressed. “I’d be glad to pass on the message to Oliver. Would you mind if I recorded it on my phone? Then he can hear it for himself.”
“Is he here?”
“Just down the street, at Chad’s shop.”
“Oh. Did he bring his uncle? I should go say hello.” She made a beeline for the front door, opened it, stopped at the sight of a police car. Her expression was one of mild curiosity, not something Sam expected to see. “The police are still here?” she asked. “I thought they’d left already.”
“You know what happened?”
“Someone broke into Chad’s shop last night. He was here at the time, thank goodness. I told him it wasn’t a good idea to live there after the last break-in.” Shaking her head, she watched as Remi and Oliver walked the constable back to his car, waved as he drove off. “This used to be such a quiet village—”
“There was another break-in?” Sam asked.
“A couple of weeks ago. Probably just some vandals, since nothing was taken. Still . . .” She gave a tired sigh. “I don’t think I’ll mention this to my sister. She keeps telling me I need to sell this place, but I won’t. I like it here.” Giving a determined nod, she looked at Sam. “I’m sure you have better things to do than listen to an old woman . . . And I have a sink full of dirty dishes that need washing.”
* * *
—
“APPARENTLY, the burglary was already reported,” Remi told Sam when he returned.
“So I heard,” he said. He played the recording of the phone call for Oliver. “Any idea why he thinks you have the Ghost?”
“None,” Oliver said. “Can you play it again?” He listened, shook his head. “Why would he accuse me of having it? He knows it was stolen from the show.”
“Maybe,” Remi said, “he thinks your uncle took it, and now you have it. After all, it’s still missing.”
“I don’t know why . . .” He sat in a chair, looking perplexed. “This is getting more complicated by the second. I’m beginning to regret talking my uncle out of taking that offer for Payton Manor and the car. It wasn’t near enough to settle his debts, but it might have kept him out of jail.” He sighed, then stared out the window, looking lost.
Sam was about to give a few words of encouragement when he thought about what Oliver just said. “Can you give me the details on this offer you were talking about?”
“Surely I mentioned that?”
“Of course he did,” Remi said. “They didn’t want to sell because of the tenants.”
“I realize that. I’m more interested in if they specifically mentioned the Gray Ghost when they made the offer for Payton Manor?”
Oliver drew away from the window. “Well, yes. Which is what made it so attractive. Just . . . What Remi said. He refused to guarantee that our tenants could remain on the property.”
Sam and Remi exchanged glances, Remi’s brows going up in question. “Who?” they both asked at the same time.
Oliver didn’t seem to hear them, and Sam crouched down in front of him so that he had no choice but to hear. “Who made the offer, Oliver?”
“Some distant relative, from what I understand.”