Page 3

Since it was late evening, and the agency’s caseload was light, there wasn’t a lot of noise coming from any of the three floors the agency occupied. I figured most of my colleagues were taking advantage of the opportunity to have an evening off. Even though I’d done the same, I wasn’t at all perturbed about returning to the agency on short notice. It was simply the nature of the job.

My dad and I headed to the middle floor where the PIs’ shared office was situated and aimed directly for the boardroom. Solomon occupied his usual seat at the head of the table but there were two other people, a man and a woman, with their backs to us. I deposited the bag of food on my desk and indicated to my dad that he should follow me.

“Here’s my investigator now,” said Solomon, standing as we entered. “This is Lexi Graves-Solomon and our consultant, Steve Graves. Steve is a decorated police detective.”

The two people pushed back their chairs to stand and when they turned, I smiled.

“Laura! Hi! This is a nice surprise!” I said, extending my hand towards her.

Laura Reynolds shook my hand, then Dad’s. “I wish we were here for a social visit but unfortunately not,” she said. “This is my brother, Alan.”

“Laura and Alan own Reynolds’ Fine Jewelry and Theia downtown,” said Solomon to my dad.

“And Laura consulted for us on the Queen’s Ruby case,” I added.

“That was a fascinating case. Is Theia a jewelry store too?” asked Dad. “I know Reynolds’, of course. I’ve bought items from there for my wife, my kids’ graduation gifts, and so forth when something special was called for.”

“That’s right,” said Alan Reynolds. “And thanks for your patronage. It’s repeat customers like you who are our bread and butter.”

“Reynolds’ Fine Jewelry has been in our family for three generations,” continued Laura. “We opened Theia a few years ago to cater to a slightly different market. We’re opening a third store soon too. Most of our customers don’t know the stores are connected and we like to keep it that way.”

“Why’s that?” I asked.

Laura pursed her lips, but it seemed less a snobby action and more resigned. “Reynolds’ customers pay for exclusivity and premium items. Yet it’s our mid-priced store that has a bigger client base and a larger turnover. We figured we could pool resources for both of them, without advertising the connection.”

“Sensible,” said Dad as we all took our seats. “I know your security is tight. I remember an attempted smash-and-grab at Reynolds’, oh, twenty years ago.”

“Twenty-five, I think. That would have been when our father was in charge,” said Alan. “I was around fifteen years old, and Laura would have been twelve, so we didn’t have much to do with the business back then. I remember the attempt though.”

“Our parents tried not to talk about it at home. The thieves didn’t get anything from what I recall, but I know our parents were alarmed,” said Laura, “and you’re right, our security has always been extremely good. Our parents didn’t scrimp on it but perhaps it is due for an upgrade.”

“I didn’t work the case but I recall the would-be thieves were indicated in several other robberies in the area over a few months,” said Dad. “They weren’t jewel robbers, just opportunists.”

Solomon reached for the water jug, refreshing the Reynolds’ glasses and then pouring for my dad and me. “The Reynolds’ would like our assistance,” he said as I gulped the cool water.

“We’ve had a suspected theft today,” said Alan.

“Today?” I asked, surprised that they were already calling in investigators and not talking to the police.

He nodded. “That’s right. We take inventory at the end of every day and when we did so today, a ring was missing. A very expensive one.” He paused, scratching his head. “Only I can’t work out how it was stolen.”

“Did you do a recount?” I asked. “Could you have made a mistake?”

“That’s what I thought initially, so I did do a recount. Then my assistant manager did. Then we called Laura and she came over and counted too. The ring’s definitely missing and it was included in our inventory the day before and that morning.”

“Did you call the police?” asked Dad.

“No, we didn’t, and I’m not sure I plan to. We pride ourselves on our exclusivity and our security. If it gets out we can be robbed, it might become open house for every other thief in the state who thinks we’re now fair game.”

“Plus, our insurers have been just dying to increase our premiums,” said Laura. “The jewelry business isn’t what it used to be. We’re doing okay but we’re not pulling in the cash like the business did in our father’s day.”

“That must stay strictly between us,” added Alan, glancing at all of us, a spark of worry in his eyes. “After taking on the third store, we’re slightly overextended on every front at present and we don’t want to put the shops in anyone’s crosshairs.”

“Everything you say here is confidential,” Solomon assured them. “What would you like us to do for you?”

“Finding the ring would be great, although I suspect it’s long gone,” said Alan.

“I know it’s only been a few hours, but it’s most likely already broken apart, the metals melted down, and the stones separated for resale,” said Laura.

“That’s what you would do?” asked Solomon. “You wouldn’t try to sell it?”

She nodded. “I would. It’s one of a kind, vintage, so it’s easily recognizable and would be hard to sell as it is, especially if it’s registered as stolen. The thief couldn’t expect to get the full sale value for it.”

“Of course, there will always be some unscrupulous people who just don’t care. Or it could end up overseas where neither the buyers nor the sellers will look too closely at its provenance,” added Alan.

“We can scour sales pages and online auction sites but it would be arduous and unlikely to pay off,” said Laura.

“What else would you like from us?” asked Solomon.

“Finding the ring is important. It’s worth a great deal. In addition, we want to know who stole the ring and how. We want to adjust our security protocols and make sure it never happens again,” said Alan. “Does that sound reasonable?”

“It does.” Solomon relaxed in his seat, steepling his fingers together. “How do you feel about having someone undercover in the store?”

“Do you think they’ll come back?” asked Alan. He and Laura exchanged a worried look, telling me that was exactly what they were afraid of.

Solomon cocked his head. “It’s possible. Stealing the ring could be a warmup for a bigger theft. They might be wondering if you noticed this theft, and if so, what you would do about it. That could determine their next moves. Placing an undercover investigator in the store would help us in that event.”

“We didn’t do anything different today after we discovered the theft,” said Laura. “Only the three of us at the shop know about it. Alan and I talked about it a little before locking up and we decided to call the agency.”

“There’s another reason,” I said, taking point. “The thief might have never left the store.”

“I’m confident there’s nowhere for a person to hide. We don’t allow clients beyond the shop floor unless it’s a private appointment.”

“Lexi means we should take a look at your employees,” said Solomon. He held a hand up when both of them started to protest. “It’s just a precaution to rule them out as fast as possible. The more avenues we can eliminate from our inquiries swiftly, the sooner we can pursue other avenues.”

“I guess,” said Alan as he exchanged a disappointed look with his sister. “But the only people in the store that day were me, my assistant manager, Jonathan, and our shop clerk, Tansy. Both have worked for us for years. Our cleaner was in this morning but she’s worked for us for years too.”

“And me,” added Laura. “I was there too, at the end of the day for the final recount.”

“You wouldn’t have stolen from us!” scoffed Alan.

Laura glanced at me, then Solomon. “All the same, I think you should work to eliminate both of us from your suspect list too.”

“Oh, goodness, Laura, that seems like a waste of their time!” Alan sighed.

“I’d like it done for my own peace of mind,” said Laura, a touch stiffly. “If we’re going to scrutinize our employees, we should be accountable under the same lens.”

“Of course,” said Solomon. “That’s prudent.”

“I agree,” said Dad. “It would be remiss not to rule everyone out.”

“We agreed to come for help, not put ourselves in the spotlight,” said Alan. Then he sighed and threw his hands in the air in defeat. “All right, fine. Investigate us too. I wouldn’t want to be accused of not being thorough.”

“Will you take our case?” asked Laura. “Can you find the ring?”

Solomon nodded, after an almost imperceptible glance at me where I wondered if he could read my mind. A theft and a potential jewelry heist to foil? And the theft was recent, meaning our chance of leads was high? Of course I wanted in on that! It sounded impossibly glamorous and I was keen on the idea of working undercover around so many precious jewels. Plus, it crossed my mind that the last time I’d worked on a case involving stolen jewels, I hadn’t exactly come out on top. This could be my chance to redeem myself.

“We’ll try,” I said.

“Let’s get the paperwork drawn up,” said Solomon.

~

“I wonder if they have tiaras,” I said wistfully, thinking how cute I’d look in a little diamond-encrusted number. We were in the car, having dropped Dad off at his house, and now we were almost home, the bag of food in my lap still untouched. That just went to show how much I was thinking about the new case, and how much Solomon was finicky about people eating in his car.

“Is there much call for tiaras on the east coast?” asked Solomon.

“There should be.”

“I don’t recall seeing anyone wear one. Ever.”

“You’d hardly wear a tiara to the grocery store. Tiaras are for special occasions.”

“What kind of special occasion?”

That was easy. “Friday and Saturday nights,” I said.

“They’re not special occasions. They’re every week.”

“They should be special. You wouldn’t have a tiara and only wear it once a year.”

“You would if you were stupendously rich. You would have a whole range of tiaras to choose from.”

“I’d like a range, as well as a range of occasions,” I decided.

“I’ll get you dangly earrings for your birthday,” said Solomon. “How does that sound?”

“Lovely.” There was nothing like the offer of some glitz to put me in a good mood. Not that I wasn’t already. The evening had been plentiful in terms of food and activity, and now there was a tempting case to get stuck into tomorrow.

Solomon pulled over in front of our house and hopped out. He moved around the car and opened my door before I even had a chance to snatch my purse and reach for the handle. “Thank you,” I said as he gently removed the takeout bag from me. Now I thought about it, the food did seem to be currently more interesting to him than me. This was why I needed a statement tiara! To be noticed!

“I thought I’d start the evening on a few good notes,” said Solomon, offering me a hand.

“The lure of jewelry, and the gentlemanly behavior. It’s almost like you want your wicked way with me.”

“It’s absolutely like that,” said Solomon, a devilish smile playing on his lips. “But I have to eat first. I need my energy if tonight’s going to be the night.”

My eyes widened. “You really think it could be?”

“I want to hedge my bets in case it wasn’t last night or the night before. If neither of those, then definitely tonight. But just to be sure, we’ll try tomorrow too. Then I might need a nap. Baby-making attempts are exhausting despite being immense fun.”

“Fair,” I agreed. “Should I check my ovulation app to see if any of these nights hold promise or should we just go for it anyway?”

Solomon stopped, frowned. “You didn’t check already?”

“No, I thought we needed practice regardless of whether it was a promising evening for my internal organs.”

Solomon shrugged. “Let’s go for it regardless, but tomorrow might be less planned just to keep excitement high.”

“Consider me excited.”

“While I eat, you can give me your thoughts on the Reynoldses. I noticed you were quiet during the meeting.”

“Not deliberately. I figured you knew more about the case from what they told you before Dad and I arrived and you’d catch us up once they were gone,” I said as Solomon shut the car door behind me and beeped it locked. “Dad is thrilled, by the way. He can’t wait to be involved.”

“I noticed that by the way he tried to keep his face impassive. That’s his tell when he’s overexcited.”

“You should have seen him do that face at Christmas when we were kids,” I said. “We would all be asking him stuff about Santa and his reindeer and the North Pole and what we might find under the tree. Dad would be so stony-faced, we thought he had enough of us pestering him, but really he was just excited about keeping secrets so we would be surprised on Christmas morning.” Now I thought about it, perhaps my older siblings had been just as in on the secret magic as my parents were. There was no way teenage Garrett would have believed that next to toddler me. Well, damn. If that hadn’t taken my entire adult life to occur to me!

“Plus, he was very nonchalant on the way home. Sure, he just happens to be free , he says. If we really need the help , he says,” continued Solomon.

“You’re going to make his year,” I said. “Thank you for letting him sit in and consult.”

“I’m not just being nice. I’d like his input on other crimes in town, be they jewelry or high-end store thefts. I figured he probably covered things like that in his time on the force, along with homicides, and he’ll be tapped into the police network to know what’s going on in town since. I’d like to know if he notices any correlations between this case and another.”

“So you don’t think the theft is isolated?” I asked as I stuck my key in the lock and pushed the door open. I flicked on the lights and Solomon followed me into the kitchen. He removed the insulated boxes from the bag and opened them, peering inside before starting to pick at the contents with his fingers.

“I think it’s unlikely an opportunistic thief picks a high-end, security-conscious jewelry store as their first target, although I’ll admit stealing one ring is conservative and strange.”

“Did Laura or Alan say how much it was worth?”

“Fifty thousand dollars.”

I grabbed the edge of the kitchen island to steady myself. “Did I hear that correctly? Fifty thousand bucks? For a single ring? And you call that conservative?”

“You did, and I do. The thief could have tried for a bigger haul, even a handful of items would be worth a few hundred thousand dollars, but instead, the thief stole a single item. They weren’t trying to draw attention with a big heist. The Reynoldses didn’t know the ring was gone until they took inventory. I think the thief is relying on confusion as cover while they get away with it. It worked initially. If the Reynoldses weren’t so diligent, it could have taken days to notice the theft, if not longer.”

“Could the ring have been targeted?” I asked.

“As in, stolen to order?”

“Yes, or the theft commissioned by someone else?”

“The middleman theory is a good one. A commissioned theft was my first thought and it’s a possibility, although it would be risky to knowingly wear stolen goods even if there were a middleman to separate the final destination from the crime.”

“Or unknowingly,” I pointed out. “What if someone really wanted to gift a ring they couldn’t afford and stole it specifically for that purpose?”

“Also a possibility. Although if it were stolen to order, it would retain far less value. The thief could never sell it through legitimate channels. It would attract attention. Giving it as a gift would rely on the gifter being assured the recipient would never resort to selling it or having it appraised. I’m not sure anyone could be one hundred percent certain of that.”

“It would have to be for someone they’re very close to. It’s a woman’s ring, right? So, a wife or fiancée? Perhaps their mother? Or a daughter? You wouldn’t give a ring that expensive to just anyone.”

“They couldn’t insure it either,” said Solomon. He reached for rice wrapped in a vine leaf and chewed, then reached for another. “Good food. We should go again.”

“Why not? I mean, yes to the restaurant, but why can’t the ring be insured?”

“Well, for one, an item like that would have to be appraised or the receipt provided. If it’s significantly beyond the owner’s means, that could raise questions as to how they acquired it. Many jewel appraisers are tapped into the wider jewel market. They might recognize a stolen item from the description.”

“Laura told me most jewels these days have an inscription mark invisible to the naked eye, rendering it impossible to sell or insure once it’s registered stolen,” I said, recalling her advice in our previous case. “Of course, could the thief want to keep it for himself… or herself? To wear or admire alone?” I frowned, wondering what kind of person would do that. Then I decided me . That’s who! I’d wear what I loved even if no one else was around to admire it.

“It’s possible. A lot of high-value art is kept in private viewing rooms, or even in freeports away from tax inspectors and detectives. It makes sense someone might enjoy stolen jewels in a similar fashion.”

“What’s a freeport?” I asked.

“It’s a special economic zone, usually situated in, or near, ports or airports. Tax and customs are different in those zones than to the countries they’re situated in.”

“I’d find it too tempting, wear it outside, and get caught pronto,” I decided with a resigned sigh. At least my mugshot would be fashionable.

“And that’s why you’re on the right side of the law,” said Solomon and blew me a kiss.

“Finders keepers?” I asked, growing hopeful.

“The Reynoldses offered a small finder’s fee on top of what we’ll bill. It’s not enough for a big diamond, but you could probably get a small one.”

“In a small tiara?”

“This is what I love about you. Always so optimistic.”

“Any food left in those containers?” I asked, even more hopefully.

“All gone.” Solomon crushed the containers and walked them over to the recycling can as I spun on my stool to watch. Years ago, I wouldn’t have found that kind of domestication sexy, but now that I was in my thirties, home cleanliness rated high on my hot or not scale. Yet above that was consistency and emotional availability. Solomon had it all in spades… and his butt was a great view too. In my twenties, a great butt had been enough. I was glad I’d learned since then that there were far better attributes in a mate.

“I have the biggest crush on you,” I said when he walked back. The man was so handsome he took my breath away. His skin had deepened brown under the summer sun and his eyes resembled molten chocolate. With the added domestication, it was all I could do not to drool.

“Ditto,” he said, coming to a stop in front of me and leaning to kiss me. “I don’t even need to know why you made that statement, but I assume it’s because you’re all heated up about my lack of weaponized incompetence, also known as I used the trash can like a normal adult human and loaded my breakfast things into the dishwasher this morning rather than leaving them next to the sink. The bar is low but it’s working for me.”

I tugged at my neckline, feeling increasingly hot. Was it possible to get pregnant from those words alone? “I thought you wanted to talk about the particulars of the case?” I asked breathily.

“I did. You just changed the topic.”

I pushed my thumbs into his belt loops and gave his hips a small push so that he had to take a step backwards. “Let’s get back to the topic before I forget all about it,” I said, already regretting it. “Let’s talk about the case.”

Solomon circled the island and resumed his position on the opposite stool, out of reach. Well, that’s what he thought. I was pretty sure I could launch myself like a torpedo across the kitchen island. The only thing stopping me was that I might give off more of a sea lion vibe than a gliding siren of the sea. “Do you like sea lions?” I asked.

“Love them,” he said. “Although I’m not sure I want to know why you asked. Give me your thoughts on the Reynoldses. You’ve met Laura before but I’m not sure if you met Alan.”

“Laura was very helpful and I’m pleased she came to us now, especially as Garrett’s superiors at the MPD tried to shift the blame on her over the ruby disappearing,” I said, still feeling bad about it. “She’s been very gracious despite that. I didn’t meet Alan before and I can’t say I disliked anything about either of them tonight. They appeared to get on well. I didn’t pick up any animosity between them, except a touch of exasperation from Alan when Laura suggested they should be investigated too.”

“What did you think of that?”

“It’s sensible to rule them out and she knows it. Either that or it’s an elaborate ruse to cover up wrongdoing by one of them.” Even as I said it, it didn’t feel right.

“Not both?” asked Solomon.

“If it were both, or even one of them, I’d have thought they would have gone to the police and called their insurers, not come to us for extra special assistance.”

“I agree.”

“But that’s not to say one did it and the other trusts them enough to believe they didn’t. Laura is correct. We should check them out so that they can be definitively ruled out by a third party for their benefit as well as ours.”

“I think that was her point.”

I nodded. “Aside from that, they seem like pleasant, earnest people. There was nothing flashy or exorbitantly expensive about the way either of them dressed. I don’t know much about jewelry but I did notice Alan wore a Rolex and Laura had a Cartier bracelet. They could have bought them at a discount through the business, not that it matters. It’s just neither of those items are out of place for their industry or what I’m guessing is their income bracket.”

“I noticed the watch. I didn’t notice the bracelet. I don’t know enough about either to assess the retail value, other than they’re high-end, sought-after brands.”

“Me neither, but I’d guess the Rolex is worth more than the bracelet. I think it depends on the year, how many were made, its age, and quality.”

“Worth more than the missing ring?”

“A lot more. The best ever sale price for a Rolex watch so far was close to eighteen million dollars.”

Solomon blinked. “I don’t think I heard you correctly. Eighteen million dollars for a watch?” he asked.

I nodded. “It was owned by Paul Newman.”

“I suppose being owned by a Hollywood icon does come with extra cachet, yet it’s still just a portable clock on a strap.” Solomon glanced at his own watch, a rugged sports model. He held it up. “Does Alan Reynolds’ watch tell you his heart rate?”

I reached for his hand and noticed a small quickening of his heart rate. With any luck, I’d make it beep a cardiac arrest warning sound later. “Nope,” I said.

“What do you think about their claim that they’ve never suffered a theft?” said Solomon.

I considered that. “It seems implausible, given the decades Reynolds’ has been in business, but not entirely impossible. We should still consider that a question mark given that the family might not have chosen to involve the police in any thefts in the past either. Officially, that would make them never stolen from. Unofficially, might be another matter.” I thought about it a moment more. “Would they have mentioned a two decade-old failed smash-and-grab if that were the case?”

“Your dad mentioned it but they were happy to talk about it. I’m inclined to think they stayed a step ahead of the times with their security. Hence, why an actual theft is so troubling to them now.”

“Especially if they can’t figure out how it happened,” I added. “What’s the next step?”

“Tomorrow, we review their security tapes and background check everyone who was in Reynolds’ this week. Everyone from the cleaner to the manager to the client. It should be a short list. It may have been an opportunistic theft, but I think it’s most likely someone cased the place prior to the theft and formulated an effective plan.”

“We should divide the tasks,” I said.

“That would be most efficient. Now, for other matters…” Solomon rose and circled the island, closing in on me like I was easy prey. Which I was. I was not going to make this tough for him.

I was just going to enjoy it.

Lucky me.