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“What was your first indication the ring I lifted was missing?” Solomon asked.

“That’s easy. There was a gap in the display,” said Jonathan. “There was a little bit of confusion with you both picking up items but I noticed you did something with your thumb that gave away what you doing under your palm.”

Solomon smiled. “I’m impressed. I’ll need to work on my sleight of hand.”

“Not around these jewels. I don’t think my heart can take it!” said Alan. He clapped Jonathan on the back. “Well caught. I missed it.”

“What about with the sapphire ring? How come you didn’t notice?” I asked, curious. Jonathan had seen movement in Solomon’s hand so subtle that I hadn’t clocked it, even while standing next to him. Yet, hadn’t I been distracted by the necklace in my hands? And didn’t Solomon and I both return the items we examined at the same time? That was four hands in a small space. No wonder I hadn’t noticed. Perhaps Jonathan was simply observing more closely since he’d been potentially hoodwinked yesterday.

I gazed through the clear counter displaying where Jonathan had deposited the vintage tray and ran my hands around the edges, finding the glass case perfectly sealed. To unlock it from the other side, I would not only have to lean my whole body across the case, but I would also need the key that Jonathan carried on a small chain at his waist. One end was attached to his belt loop, the other was tucked into his vest pocket. There was no way a thief could dislodge the key without Jonathan noticing.

“Because there wasn’t a gap,” Jonathan was saying. “It wasn’t until we were putting the displays in the safe at the end of the day that I realized the ring that should have been there was now a crude replica.”

“If Jonathan hadn’t noticed then, it could have gone undiscovered for days,” said Alan.

“A replica?” I repeated.

“I have it here,” said Jonathan, reaching under the counter, then dropping a ring on the glass top. It landed with a small clink, spiraled, and swiveled to a stop. I reached for it, knowing as soon as I felt it that the band was cheap, coated metal. The stone was the right size and color but set wonky and the prongs weren’t quite identical to the missing sapphire ring. “It’s similar from a distance and since there wasn’t an empty spot and no one had asked to see the ring, it totally bypassed me,” he said. “Pushed into the velvet tray, once it was under the counter, I wouldn’t look at it any closer unless I had cause to. It’s very embarrassing.”

“Easily done,” I said, covering the band with my thumb so I could just see the top of the gem. If I didn’t know it was a fake, and a poor one at that, nestled in the velvet amongst other pieces, I wouldn’t have noticed it was a substitute either. “I think anyone would have made the same mistake,” I decided.

“I shouldn’t have though,” said Jonathan. “I should have noticed right away!”

“What do you think of the replica?” I asked.

“Cheap crap. Poorly constructed. I will say the blue is right for the sapphire, the crystals are the right size for the diamonds, and the band is the right color for gold, but scratch it and you’ll see it’s just a coating.” I dropped the ring into his palm and he demonstrated, running his nail along the band. The paint immediately peeled.

“Interesting,” said Solomon.

“Honestly, I would have expected something better for a dupe,” said Jonathan, frowning.

I glanced at my dad, where he remained slightly behind us, watching silently. I was sure he’d ask questions if he’d had them but he was politely leaving Solomon and me to lead.

“Does any of this help?” asked Alan.

“Any information you have helps us work out what happened,” I said.

“Lexi’s correct. We need to review some more footage but we’d like to interview you in more depth shortly,” Solomon said to Jonathan.

“Of course, I’m here all day.”

“Just say when and I’ll man the store,” said Alan. “I’ll buzz you back through.”

“While we’re checking the video, can you give us a list of the people you recognized when we viewed it?” asked Solomon.

“Sure can.”

Ensconced in the small security room, the door firmly shut behind us, only Dad, Solomon and I remaining, I said, “I feel bad for Jonathan. He’s obviously taken the theft to heart.”

“I think having it happen on his watch must’ve wounded his pride,” said Solomon. “Let’s sit for a moment to review our notes before we confirm that. What do you think of Laura’s comments?”

“She’s helpful. She doesn’t seem perturbed by anything we asked.”

“Which is a good sign. Steve?”

“I agree,” said Dad.

“Is the hotel call a dead end?” I asked. “Anyone could stay at a hotel or come in off the street to use their phone.”

“We shouldn’t write it off yet. I’m going to ask Lucas to run down the guest list for the day of the call. We might find our female American caller.” He made a note, then glanced at me. “What occurred to you about the sellers?”

“That maybe they’re not as honest as Laura thought they were. Perhaps they wanted the cash and the ring back, or maybe they wanted a quick sale to an overseas buyer for some reason.”

“Interesting theories. Alan?”

“He seems sincere. He certainly trusts Laura and Jonathan.”

“I agree. And Jonathan?”

“Like I said, I feel bad for him but I think his success at catching you probably pumped his ego back up a smidge.”

“He’s got a sharp eye. Whoever pulled the wool over his eyes was very efficient,” said Dad. “I didn’t see you take the ring.”

Solomon grinned, apparently pleased with himself. “I think we should review the footage again and see if we spot any distractions. It’s a shame there’s no sound but most likely, any distraction probably came from within the store.”

“What about more than one person working together?” I asked.

“That makes sense.”

“Two people in on it as a team might not enter together and could have tried to appear to be strangers,” said Dad.

Solomon nodded. “We’ll look out for any sign of that.”

“There’s one more thing. I keep thinking about the replica ring. You didn’t handle it but it really was poor quality. The stone is the right color and size but everything else is off. There’s no way it could not be discovered quickly. So why use it?” I wondered.

“Perhaps it’s what they had on hand at the time,” said Dad.

“I think if someone plans to steal a ring like the sapphire, and wants to make sure no one finds out, they’d invest in something higher end. Look at our last case, the lab grown and paste jewels were utterly convincing. This dupe looks like something you’d find in a cheap accessories shop at the mall,” I said.

“What’s your theory?” asked Solomon.

“The Reynoldses only had the ring in their possession for little more than a month and they listed it for sale quickly. What if the thief simply didn’t have enough time to get a nice fake made so they just worked with what they could get? The plan was put together quickly and they didn’t have time for any finer detail. I can’t decide if it’s slapdash or simply audacious.”

“Perhaps both.”

“I’ll look into where the dupe came from. Perhaps we’ll get lucky,” I said.

“Don’t spend too much time on that avenue. We’ve got more time-consuming issues here. After we review the footage, we should interview Jonathan properly, without Alan observing.”

“Do you think he’s hiding something from his boss? If there’re any sour grapes about Alan’s promotion over him years ago, he hides it well.”

“I agree, and I’d like him to speak freely. So far, he’s only given us pointers on how the theft could have happened but he admits he’s not sure exactly. The video is where the evidence lies. Actually, change of plan. Maybe we should talk to Jonathan now.”

“Alan’s identifying the shoppers he knows, so he’s occupied,” I said.

“We make a good team,” said Solomon.

“Don’t I know it,” I said, delighted when he leaned in to plant a small kiss on my lips. “But I will need to call HR about this harassment.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, there’s not nearly enough of it,” I said with a laugh.

Dad coughed and looked up at the ceiling.

“Like you said, time is of the essence here,” said Solomon, reaching for the CCTV controls. “The trail is around twenty-four hours cold. We might be able to narrow that time window.”

Before he could do anything, a knock came at the door and Alan stuck his head around. “I got the receipts from yesterday’s customers,” he told us, holding up a sheet of photocopy paper. “I added the names and addresses we hold on file. The second sheet has the names and details of the three repeat customers I recognized who didn’t purchase anything.”

I reached out my hand and took the paper, scanning the list. All were locals. “Thanks, this is very helpful,” I said and passed it over to Solomon.

“I’ll be on the shop floor if you need anything else and then I need to do some admin in the office with Laura,” he said.

“We’ll be out shortly,” said Solomon and Alan nodded and shut the door. “Change of plan again,” said Solomon. “We’ll start with the video.”

“That’s half of the customers identified,” I said, pointing to the sheet. “We should check with Jonathan about the ones he recognized and those he didn’t.”

“Let’s watch the video. I’ve noted the times where the customers enter and where Jonathan and Tansy are alone in the shop. We’ll focus on the customers first, and get the clearest screenshots available so we can identify them.”

Solomon hit play and we buzzed through the footage, looking closer at what they did, with Dad confirming no one was familiar to him in his detective days, even though the possibility was remote.

By the time we’d finished, I could confirm what Jonathan had told us was accurate. The only people who had perused the vintage tray outside of its glass case was the trio of old ladies, and two men that Jonathan had called “the deli guy” and “the dad” although I couldn’t be sure who was whom.

However, one of the customers had looked at other items from the same display case so I didn’t want to rule him out either.

“This corroborates what Jonathan said,” I said. Footsteps sounded in the hallway and Dad ducked his head around the door, mouthing, “Alan.”

“Let’s see what else Jonathan can tell us,” said Solomon.

We pushed back our chairs and headed out of the room and onto the shop floor, buzzing our way in, the three of us making the small corridor seem crowded. The shop was empty except for Jonathan. He was standing behind the cash register organizing a box of smart shopping bags with corded handles.

“How’s it going?” he asked. “I can talk until a customer comes in. How can I help?”

“Alan identified some of the patrons from the day the theft occurred. We hoped you might identify the rest,” said Solomon, pulling out his phone where he’d emailed himself screenshots of the patrons. “Can you tell me if the list is correct and if you recognize anyone else?”

“I can probably remember without the prompt,” said Jonathan but he took the phone anyway and swiped through the camera roll, confirming names from Alan’s list. Then he returned to the remaining photos. “This man isn’t a regular customer but I do know him, sort of. He works at the Little Italy deli down the street. Hence why I called him ‘deli guy’,” he said.

“The nice free-standing place with all the amazing cheese?” I asked, and the mere thought of the glorious deli made me drool.

“That’s it. I think he owns it. Anyway, that day was the third time he’d been in here browsing. He was looking at engagement rings, including the vintage tray. I remember him saying he’d been trying to get his girlfriend to drop hints about what she likes but apparently, she doesn’t have any serious expectations or dream rings, so he’s second guessing himself on what to buy.”

“Aww,” I cooed.

“I suggested he buy something cheap to propose and come back with her to pick from a range in his budget. That threw up a whole new set of problems and now he doesn’t know which cheap ring to buy.” Jonathan grinned.

“What about the others?” asked Solomon.

“Let’s see.” Jonathan scrolled again, twisting his mouth in thought. “This woman always pays in cash,” he said, pointing at the screen. “I think I’ve sold her four items in the past year, but didn’t sell her anything that day. She likes earrings mostly. I didn’t show her any rings and she’s not into vintage pieces. Oh, this guy was from out of town. Dallas, I think. Wanted a gift for his wife, and another for his mistress. Left without buying anything.”

“How come?”

“No two-for-one deals,” quipped Jonathan. Then his mouth tugged down. “Sorry. I know it’s not funny. He wasn’t sure what he wanted for either woman and I didn’t feel overly obliged to assist him in the mess he’d made of his life. Oh, I remember him saying he was on his way to Boston to catch a flight that afternoon.”

“And the last man?” asked Solomon.

“Let’s see. No, no, I don’t think I’ve seen him before. He spoke with an accent. European. French, maybe? I’m not sure. He asked a few questions and I think he mentioned his mother so he might have been shopping for a gift. He said he’d return this week if he had time. Is any of this helpful?”

“It is,” I told him.

“Can you look though this next set of photos and tell me what you remember about them?” said Solomon.

“I think Tansy served the first two. This man has been in a few times. He’s the man I called “the dad”. I sold a necklace to him for an eighteenth birthday present for his daughter. It was a heart-shaped locket from the vintage section and he looked at the vintage pieces yesterday too. Let’s see. This woman is also a repeat customer. She bought earrings for herself. And this woman has shopped here for years. She has very specific taste, nothing wildly expensive usually, so I call her when something comes in I know she’ll like. In this case, it was a necklace with a bee pendant. She’s very fond of wildlife.”

He scrolled on, pointing his index finger at the screen. “These three ladies came in together. I think one of them wanted to buy something for herself. She might have been celebrating something, I’m not sure, but she wasn’t sure what she wanted. So this one encouraged her to try on a few different items. I got several trays out for them while Tansy was arranging some boxes, I think. One of the ladies fell over, this one I believe,” he said, pointing to the woman in the middle, “and she felt sore so they decided to call off their shopping and take her home to rest. To be honest, I wasn’t sure I was going to make a sale but they were a friendly, lively trio.”

“This is a big help,” I told him as Solomon withdrew his phone but didn’t tuck it away in a pocket. “I heard you design your own jewelry?”

If Jonathan were surprised I knew that, he didn’t react. “I do. Would you like to see some?” he offered.

My eyebrows arched in amazement. “You have some here?”

“Yes. Once I felt my pieces were refined enough, I showed some to Alan and Laura and they insisted they wanted to stock some items under my own name. I was flattered, I can tell you. They’ve been helping me with setting up the business even though I’ve assured them I have no intention of leaving here.”

“Why not?” I wondered. “Don’t you like the idea of being your own boss?”

“It’s not that,” he said as he beckoned for us to follow him to the end of the display case opposite the door. He unlocked the case and extracted a display with several delicate silver and gold items, placing it in front of us. “I don’t think I’m cut out for the solitary workshop life. I like talking to customers, getting to know them, and learning what they like.”

“Your bosses aren’t worried you’ll poach their customers?” asked Solomon.

Jonathan laughed. “Oh, no, not at all! If anything, they seem to think my design skills make me more of an asset; plus, I’ve been able to take on a few repairs for the shop’s clients since I have the tools and the knowledge. What do you think?”

“They’re lovely,” I said, teasing the delicate silver and gold with the tip of my forefinger. “I can’t imagine how you make anything so dainty.”

“It took a lot of practice. My first few years were about making simple, clumsy pieces, but the more I learned and practiced, the more refined my work became. I’m currently focusing on creating a core collection, some of which you see here, and some customized items.”

“I don’t see any gemstones,” said Solomon. “You don’t like to work with them?”

“I do, but they require considerable investment. I’ve just started making a simple line with small gemstones and Laura has already said she’ll stock them too. It’s not only a boost to my ego, but to my wallet too,” he added. “The Reynoldses have been very supportive. But I know you didn’t come to the shop to talk about my side hustle. What else can I help you with?” He slid the tray back into its locked case and waited.

“Of the people who looked at the vintage tray, you identified ‘deli guy’ as one of them. Another is the dad you mentioned, and you definitely don’t recognize the elderly ladies, is that correct?” I asked.

“Yes,” said Jonathan. “There’s one more thing. The man with the accent. He did look at the vintage tray and he asked about the items but he didn’t ask me to pull it out. Is that pertinent?”

“Definitely,” said Solomon. “Thanks again for your help.”

We headed into the security room, resuming our seats at the desk. “Alan noted the dad on his list and we can locate the deli guy easily.”

“That leaves the old ladies, and the guy with the accent.”

“We might not find everyone,” said Dad. “It’ll be hard to track down the man who went to the airport.” His phone rang and he glanced at it. “It’s your mom. Excuse me.” He stepped into the hallway, pulling the door closed behind him.

“We’ll see if the other employees can narrow down the list. For now, I want to show you something.”

I brightened. The office was dark and secluded. We were all alone.

“No,” said Solomon, a ghost of a smile on his lips.

I sighed. “What do you want to show me?” I asked, finishing just as Dad stepped back into the room.

“When we viewed the footage again, my focus went to the trio of old ladies. I want you both to watch closely again and give me your observations. The tape runs for around fifteen minutes at this point.”

“Okay, sure,” I said, and adjusted my seat so I could watch the screen. Dad stooped next to me, his hands on his knees, his neck craning but he waved me back into the seat when I started to get up and offer him mine.

Solomon cued the footage and it began to play. We watched as the old ladies were buzzed in and Jonathan greeted them, then Tansy. The ladies headed for the first case, leaning over to point at items and talk between them. Jonathan moved around the employees’ side of the cases to talk with them, pointing out this and that. Tansy’s head bobbed in and out of shot near the cash register where she’d busied herself stacking gift boxes.

“I’m planning to recommend they install more up-to-date tech with audio,” said Solomon. “It’s entirely owing to Jonathan’s memory that we know about the man with an accent to add to the suspect list.”

“Even though he didn’t get his hands on the vintage tray?” Dad asked.

“He could have been casing the place. Keep watching.”

My gaze remained glued to the screen as the three women asked to try things on, their mouths moving silently, and then one broke off to browse the other cases, the other two following their friend. Jonathan extracted a display case for them and they spent a couple minutes trying on bracelets before shaking their heads and Jonathan returned the case, locking it.

They split off again, then reformed as a trio a minute later and another display tray was produced for their perusal. This time, they tried on rings and held up earrings, checking their reflections in a small stand mirror Jonathan had produced from under the display cases. A couple of times, their hands crossed and then the display case was put away and another was produced.

Apparently in no hurry, they tried on some more items, then one of the ladies slipped and landed on her butt with a thump and another one of the ladies stooped to gather her up, fussing around her as they levered their friend to her feet. Meanwhile, Jonathan leaned over the counter, saying something I couldn’t quite decipher as the third lady flapped her hands around, fussing over them some more. On the other side of the shop, Tansy started to round the counter and was waved away by one of the ladies.

The fallen lady rubbed her hip and I could imagine her insisting she was all right before wincing. She started shaking her head and the other ladies fussed some more before she linked arms with one of the other ladies while the third pulled open the door, holding it for them before following them outside, out of view. Inside the shop, Jonathan put the tray away, locked the case and walked around the counters, watching them leave as Tansy came to join him, the two of them talking briefly.

Of course I knew what happened next because I’d watched the ladies head for the bus stop only yesterday.

Solomon hit pause and said, “What do you think?”

“I couldn’t work out who was doing the shopping. One or all of them,” I said as Dad scratched his head, frowning.

“Anything else?”

“They were definitely looking at ladies’ items but they seemed indecisive. Bracelets, rings, earrings…” I trailed off, thinking. “Rings,” I said again.

“Go on.”

“Their hands were all over the rings.”

“Tell me more.”

“That was confusing, and then one of them fell over. Was that the distraction?” I frowned, wondering. It looked like a chaotic couple of minutes. “Jonathan didn’t immediately put the tray away.”

“That’s what I think.”

“Play that part again,” Dad instructed. I leaned in, curious to see what I’d missed.

Solomon played it again. Then twice more, once in slow motion.

“I just don’t see the theft occurring,” I said. My elbow was on the desk and I leaned my chin onto my palm, confused. “I don’t see a hand closing over anything. Or immediately going into a pocket or a purse.”

“That’s my issue too. The chaos suggests it’s them but I don’t have any hard evidence to conclude it is.” Solomon leaned back in his seat. “So, until we can find some proof, everyone on the shop floor that day remains a suspect.”