Page 9

The discoveries we’d made about “Angela” were so suspicious, I was ready to write off all the other potential suspects. Yet I felt I couldn’t return to the office without doing a little more due diligence in my investigating, especially since my dad had texted me the names of the other two men who’d perused the vintage jewelry tray. It was partly wanting to make sure we were on the right track and partly due to knowing how long it took my dad to type a text message.

“Want to check out some other suspects?” I asked Lily. We’d just gotten back in the car and although it wasn’t much cooler, I could now touch the steering wheel without feeling like steam might billow from my palms.

“Sure. I love a criminal shakedown.”

“It’s only to absolutely rule them out,” I said. “Although there’s a small chance these guys could have cased the place in advance. Both men on my list went into Reynolds’ in the morning and our missing woman Angela was there mid-afternoon.”

“She’s bold. Imagine committing a crime like that mid-afternoon! I’d wait until the dead of night,” said Lily.

“Then you would have to contend with breaking in from the outside, bypassing the security alarms, and making a clean getaway before the police rolled up.”

“Yeah, I suppose being handed the goods is easier.”

“And with her disguise, no one even caught her on camera.” We were driving back downtown and I was thinking hard about the costume. The wig and prosthetics were both high-end, not the sort of thing she could pick up from a costume shop. The clothes could have been easily scraped up for cash from anywhere in the country. “We’ve got one top suspect with no face and no name.”

“Maybe it was one of the guys from that morning?”

“They were a few inches taller, and Evelyn and Judy didn’t have any suspicion Angela wasn’t a woman. I think she was, just heavily disguised and probably not as old as she appeared,” I decided, remembering the description of Angela’s youthful voice and spry movements.

“Perhaps they were stooping?”

“We’d see that on camera.”

“ I haven’t seen the camera footage,” Lily reminded me.

“Okay, well, the men were both taller and broader.”

“Could they have shorter, less broad, wives or girlfriends?”

“That’s a possibility,” I said, thinking. If they were in cahoots with a partner, that would make sense. Now, thanks to Lily, I didn’t feel like I was sucking up crucial time with a wild goose chase.

“The dad is in West Montgomery so we’ll go there first, then to the deli guy since he’s downtown.”

“Now do we get to good cop, bad cop someone?” Lily asked, her voice so full of hope I hated to disappoint her.

“No. We’ll just tell them there was a theft and we’re asking anyone who might have witnessed it what they saw.”

“Won’t that tip them off if they were behind it?”

“Yes, but it won’t make them think we suspect them.”

“You’re so good at this! You’re a great PI!”

I beamed. “Thanks for the hype!”

The dad shopper’s real name was Miles Wilson and he lived only a few streets from my parents’ house. As we walked towards the front door, I saw him in the living room, typing on a laptop on a desk facing the front yard. He glanced up as we approached, adjusted his black-framed glasses, and then got up, walking towards the door.

“Hello?” he said, opening the door a fraction.

“Hi, Miles Wilson?”

“That’s me.”

I produced my license and passed it to him. “I’m Lexi Graves, a private investigator. I’m looking into a theft that occurred yesterday at Reynolds’ Fine Jewelry downtown.”

“Gosh. I was there yesterday.” He stroked his clean-shaven jaw, frowning. “I can’t say I saw anything suspicious though. I think I was the only one in the shop at the time.”

“Can you tell us what you did while you were there?”

“Sure. My daughter’s birthday is coming up and I bought a locket from there last year for her eighteenth. I thought I’d get her earrings this year so I looked at a few pieces but I didn’t see anything I liked.”

“Did you take a look at the vintage section?”

“Yes. I think the locket I bought was vintage, but, like I said, there weren’t any earrings I liked.”

“Did you notice anyone near the store?”

“Can’t say I did. I was in and out pretty quickly as I had a meeting downtown, then I wanted to get home to take client calls. I’m in tech support.”

I gave him my card and asked him to call me if he thought of anything else. He said he would and closed the door, leaving us to walk away.

“He doesn’t look like I imagine a jewel thief would look like. He’s kinda nerdy,” said Lily. “You know what a jewel thief does look like?”

“If you say Ben Rafferty, I’ll scream,” I said, thinking of the handsome rogue who’d become my nemesis.

“Tempting but I won’t say it even though that’s exactly who I meant.”

We got back in the car and I gave one last glance to the house. Miles Wilson was head down, busy at his desk.

“Could You Know Who be back?” Lily asked.

I shuddered. “I don’t think he’ll come anywhere near Montgomery in the foreseeable future. His face is too well known. Let’s head to the deli and see if that guy can replace Angela on the top of the suspect list.”

The Little Italy deli had a small parking lot at the back of the building and Dad had added a note saying we should look for him here and not at his home. We parked and went inside. Lily immediately grabbed a wooden basket. “Have you seen the cheese counter?” she asked when she saw me looking.

“Yes, but we’re not here to buy cheese.” The scent of it hit me and I breathed in, contemplating the meaning of life.

“Then what is the purpose of life?”

“Fair point.” The deli wasn’t somewhere I shopped regularly, given that its goods were priced twice as high as the nearest big supermarkets, and although it seemed to have a lot of things that I knew were ingredients, I had no idea how to use them. How did one chop pak choi? What did a person do with a dragon fruit? And just what, exactly, was the point of sugar-free, gluten-free, and dairy-free cake?

“Do you see him?” asked Lily as we paused by a rustic-edged, oak table piled high with boxes stuffed with every flavor of cookie I could think of.

I’d been looking for the man from the security video as soon as we stepped inside. There were employees dressed in Little Italy t-shirts and striped, linen aprons stationed at the deli counter, the cheese counter, and the wine section, but none of them were my guy. Then I saw him, coming through a set of slatted saloon doors, carrying a crate of produce. He said something to the cheese counter girl as he passed and she laughed; then he walked over to the open fresh produce refrigerators, setting the crate on the floor and began to restock the wooden crates.

“There he is,” I said, nodding in his direction.

“Let’s box him in. I’ll advance from the rear by the apples. You round the table and approach him from the other side. He won’t be able to get away.”

I let out a long sigh, then thought better of arguing. “Fine, but we don’t need to stop him from getting away. We’re only asking a few, simple questions.” But it was pointless; Lily was already gone. By the time I reached the produce, Lily had sidled up next to him and was intently examining the apples.

“Noah Levin?” I asked.

He looked up and gave me a half smile, polite but disinterested. “That’s me,” he said. “Can I help you with anything?”

“I’m investigating a theft down the street yesterday and I’m looking for potential witnesses,” I said, producing my license and introducing myself. “I hoped you could help.”

“Oh, no. Which shop?” he asked as a tall, red-headed woman in a striped staff apron strolled past with a stack of cakes in waxy paper. He followed her movements, his attention entirely on her as she paused by a table a few yards away to unstack her cake portions.

“Reynolds’ Fine Jewel—”

“Let’s talk outside,” he said, his attention snapping back as he swiftly cut me off. He dropped the leeks he held into the display crate and motioned to the front doors.

“Okay,” I said, frowning, and followed him, Lily on our heels. We passed through the automatic doors and the alarm started to beep.

“Whoops. That’s me,” said Lily, stepping back inside.

“She’s with me,” I explained.

“The baskets have a security tag on the base, otherwise, people can walk out with them,” explained Noah. “That’s what you get for going chic instead of using the standard metal baskets but we wouldn’t be us if we didn’t do that little bit extra. You said there was a theft at Reynolds’? When?”

“Yesterday, possibly in the afternoon. We’re asking anyone who was in there yesterday if they saw anything.”

“I went there in the morning so I can’t see how that’s any help to you, sorry. If it does matter though, it was Jonathan who assisted me. I think he’s the manager or the assistant manager.”

“Did you see anyone suspicious lurking around?”

“Inside? No. There was only me and Jonathan. I think his assistant might have walked in but I don’t think we spoke. I’m afraid I didn’t really notice anyone outside. I was in a hurry to get back to the deli. I might be the owner but I don’t want my staff to think I’m taking liberties. We’re an everyone-pitch-in kind of place.”

“Was there a reason you wanted to talk outside?” I asked, curious about the flash of panic I’d seen crossing his face as soon as I mentioned the shop.

“My girlfriend works here part-time and I didn’t want her to know I’ve been… I’m assuming Jonathan told you I was looking at engagement rings? I want it to be a surprise.” Noah scratched his head, his eyes darting nervously.

“The red-haired woman who walked past us?” I guessed.

His face lit up. “Yes, that’s Livvy.”

“Do you remember what you looked at?” I asked.

“Uh… lots of different rings but I wasn’t sold on any of them. Some new stuff, the vintage tray because I thought maybe that would suit Livvy better, and then I wasn’t sure. Anyway, Jonathan locked everything in the case when I finished looking at them. There was a lot of choices and I guess I got a little bamboozled by all the options. I figured I’d go back later in the week and try again. I don’t suppose that’s any help to you though?”

“It’s plenty,” I said, “Thanks for your time.”

“Anytime. Hey, what was stolen anyway?”

“Some jewelry.”

He cracked a smile now. “I figured that. I guess we should all be on the lookout for thefts. I can let you know if I hear anything, although I think it’s unlikely a jewelry thief would be bragging about it in the deli.”

I gave him my card and he walked past Lily into the store. “I’ll be right back,” said Lily who was waiting near the doors with her basket. She darted into the shop and a few minutes later, returned to where I waited by the AC vent, carrying her items in a cotton tote bag bearing the deli’s name and an artist’s drawing of the shop.

“It’s reusable and it only cost fifteen dollars. Saving the ocean, however, is priceless,” she said when I raised an eyebrow at the bag. “Plus, I got cake. What now?”

“To the car,” I said, pointing to the rear doors.

“Prolonged AC, hurray!” said Lily as we headed through the shop to the rear doors. Just as we reached the car, I heard a woman’s voice calling, “Excuse me? Hey? Hello?”

I stopped, turning around, and found myself facing the tall, red-haired woman Noah Levin planned to propose to. “Did I hear you say you’re from Reynolds’ Fine Jewelry?” she asked.

“Not quite. We’re investigating a robbery on their behalf. We’re canvassing the local area. If you saw anything happen there yesterday, we’d appreciate you telling us,” I said.

Instead, her shoulders slumped. “No, sorry, I didn’t. I was working in the deli, covering for one of the other workers who had to pick her little girl up from school. All kind of last minute but I did see Noah coming out of there when I drove past.”

“We spoke to him already.”

“I know. I saw. I just…” Livvy stopped and laughed. “Sorry, it’s silly. I just had a hunch that he’d gone there to buy me a ring.”

“Oh?” I tried to keep my face impassive.

She laughed. “I feel silly now. I was going to tell you that if you were from there and you wanted to talk to him about rings, I would love it if you dropped the hint that I inherited my grandmother’s diamond ring. My grandfather bought it for her engagement ring and that’s what I want more than anything for my engagement ring. It just needs resetting. I know he’s been hinting. He’s not exactly subtle.”

“I couldn’t say what he was doing in there,” I said, “but if it comes up in conversation with my clients, for some reason, I suppose I could mention it.” I tried, and failed, to hold back a smile.

Amusement crossed her face, like she wasn’t quite sure if I were confirming her suspicions or simply being helpful. “I’m sorry I wasted your time. I think I was just overeager. He might not be planning that at all.” She started to stop back, uncertain and apologetic.

“No problem,” I said. “I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you.”

“That’s sweet of you,” she said, darting a glance toward the store. “I’d better get back inside.”

“Aww,” said Lily. “She’s going to be thrilled when he does propose. Can we cross him off the list?”

“Yeah,” I said, “And her too. She’s too tall to be the woman in disguise. They’re definitely not our thieves.” I tapped out a message to my dad, asking him to relay Livvy’s request to Jonathan Mazzina, so he could be ready next time Noah went to Reynolds’. As I hit send , my phone buzzed with a text. “Let’s go to the agency,” I said after reading it.

Lily and I walked into the agency office twenty minutes later. Delgado was seated at his desk on a call, which he wrapped up quickly.

“Note how I never bring any family members to the office,” he said, looking from me to Lily as he swiveled in his chair and leaned back, relaxing for a moment.

“I’m here and I’m your sister-in-law too so technically, you have,” said Lily and stuck out her tongue.

“ I didn’t bring you,” said Delgado.

“I’m still your family member. Lexi is merely the method of delivery.”

“Please never bring my sister,” I said, contemplating what I would do to keep my workplace a Serena-free zone. I wasn’t sure I had limits to safeguard that boundary.

“No problem,” said Delgado. “I like to keep my personal life and career entirely separate.”

“Explains why you married into my family,” I said.

“And became in-laws with your boss,” added Lily.

“Forget I said anything,” said Delgado with a small eye roll. “Make yourself at home.”

Before we could do anything of the sort, the door opened and Solomon strode in, heading for the boardroom, beckoning us to follow. I hurried after him, Lily on my heels and Delgado joined us with a, “What’s up, boss?”

“Our case is getting complicated. We’ll need to head back out there soon,” said Solomon to Delgado. “How did it go with you two? Did your dad get you what you need?”

Lily practically squeaked with excitement, “We found the thief!”

“You did? Well done! Why didn’t you call it in?” The last part was addressed to me.

“We didn’t find her exactly,” I said as I tipped the contents of Lily’s reusable shopping bag on the table. The rubber prosthetics, wig, clothing and shoes tumbled out in a heap. “We found what was left of her.”

“She’s dead?” Solomon frowned as he reached for the blouse.

“No! She was in disguise. We found all this stuffed inside a trash can at the retirement village where Lily tracked the old ladies to,” I said, before explaining our conversation with Evelyn and Judy.

“Weird,” said Delgado, reaching for the prosthetics. “That’s a lot of trouble to go to in order to steal a ring. I don’t think I’ve seen anything like it. This is remarkably like skin.” He passed the nose to Solomon who turned it over in his hands.

“This is definitely professional quality,” he said.

“That’s what we thought,” I agreed. “Our thief clearly had an airtight plan, including dropping Evelyn to the floor as a distraction. I’m positive now that’s when she swiped the ring and they left within minutes while it was still chaotic. I think Jonathan was distracted by everything as he put the case away. Meanwhile, ‘Angela’ was in the wind within an hour of leaving the jewelry store. I think she had a car stashed at the retirement home, ready for when she ditched her disguise.”

“This kicks the case up a notch,” said Solomon as Delgado passed him the strips of skin. “We’re dealing with a professional who has access to the kind of resources that would buy them an expensive disguise like this. Not just financial resources, but someone with the knowhow to make or commission prosthetics and a thief who can convincingly act the part.”

“Everything except the voice,” I said, thinking. “The ladies said their fake friend sounded decades younger.”

“They said she was spry too so maybe she wasn’t all that good an actress,” added Lily. “She should have gotten a cane to appear like she was slower.”

“I wish we had more to tell you other than we’re looking for a much younger woman. If it weren’t for Lily being able to identify where they went, we wouldn’t even have that.”

“That’s right!” said Lily, beaming and standing a little straighter. “You’re welcome!”

My dad walked through the door a moment later, a lanyard swinging around his neck identifying him as a contractor for the agency. “This seems to be a family affair,” he said, smiling, the sparkle in his eye telling me he was trying his best not to show how absolutely thrilled he was to be here, and part of the investigation.

“Hi, Dad,” I said, as he tucked an arm around me and pulled me in for a side hug.

“Steve is going undercover,” said Solomon, without preamble.

“Where?” I asked.

“At Reynolds’ Fine Jewelers. This new development clinches it. He’s going to be a shop clerk for the next week in case our thief returns for another attempt. This single theft could be the precursor for something much bigger.”

I was momentarily stunned, having assumed it would be me to go undercover but it made sense. Dad would be able to observe the comings and goings of the shop, leaving me free to follow the leads as we’d done today. It was a perfect allocation of the resources available.

“Steve has also been able to give us some background information on comparable robberies over the last decade although there’s been nothing similar reported. Steve?” Solomon nodded to my dad.

“That’s right. I checked in with my contacts still on the force…”

“Jord?” asked Lily.

“Garrett?” I asked.

“No and no.”

“Uncle…” I started.

“Tara?” asked Lily.

“I do know more people beyond our family,” said Dad. “Okay, I might have mentioned it to them. Yes, all right, all of them , but I asked around too.”

“Please continue,” said Solomon, waving him on.

“Thanks. So, I spoke to my contacts and there have been seven reported burglaries or attempted burglaries at jewelers in town. Three unsuccessful attempts at a chain store, different crew each time, each of them caught and convicted. Two more robberies at pawnbrokers, and the attempted thieves were the sellers who thought they’d just help themselves to the goods. The other two were a smash-and-grab, and a distraction attempt. The last one caught my eye.”

“Go on,” prompted Solomon.

“Obviously, it’s long odds that our distraction thief was also this distraction thief but it’s the only similar crime,” said Dad, as he pulled out a notepad and flipped the cover. “I noted it happened more than a decade ago. One of my retired buddies caught the case and said the thief made off with ten thousand dollars’ worth of earrings and rings. Not exactly big fry for a jewel thief but the thief was also a woman. She came in like she was some kind of big shot, asking to see this and that and the vendor got all muddled with the display cases and didn’t realize the items were missing for more than an hour. By then, she was long gone.”

“Could she be the same woman?” I asked.

“It’s possible. Maybe this is how she started out. Small thefts, perfecting her craft, then she moved up to the big stuff.”

I thought about it. “What’s the likelihood of this woman committing that theft, sticking around town and not targeting a single other jeweler until more than ten years later?”

“Seems low,” said Dad. “Most thieves I caught didn’t just stop cold turkey. Of course, that’s not to say that thief didn’t steal other stuff or commit other crimes. I have a note here that says the jeweler filed an insurance claim and beefed up their security. They went out of business a few years ago when the owner passed away but there was some question that not all of their goods were on the up and up.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Like, they weren’t too scrupulous about whom they bought their merchandise from,” said Dad. “I can ask around more.”

“Did anyone mention the woman wearing a disguise?” I asked.

“Nope, unless you count the smart outfit. Just that she was young and pretty.”

“It’s too tenuous a link,” I decided. “But I can put a call in to Maddox and see if he knows anything about similar crimes state-wide or in neighboring states, anything that might have got on the federal radar.”

“Do it now,” agreed Solomon.

I stepped outside to leave them to talk and placed the call. Maddox answered quickly with a cheerful, “Hello to my favorite nuisance. To what do I owe this pleasure?”

“Hello to you too. I’ve got a case that I wanted to run past you.”

“Fire away. I’ve got time.”

“Have you come across any cases of jewelry thefts, possibly involving a distraction, and maybe even a disguise?”

“Like your dead body cold case?”

“Similar but more alive, more recent, and more local,” I said.

“A disguise? Can you narrow it down?”

“A woman using high-end prosthetics to change her face and a very good quality wig.”

“There was a distraction theft at a jewelers’ in town years ago. That was a woman. I didn’t work on the case but I remember it. She scored a few thousand dollars’ worth of jewelry.”

“Dad mentioned the case. He said the shop closed down a few years ago and there were rumors about their purchasing scruples. I got the impression the thief wasn’t caught.”

“No, she was. I remember it because I was good buddies with a detective from the burglary squad and he was all abuzz about it, although it wasn’t his case. She hit up a couple of places in Boston and she was caught. If I remember correctly, she got fifteen years.”

“So, she’s still inside?”

“I would think so. How high-end are these prosthetics you’re talking about?”

“Good enough to make a younger woman appear like a senior citizen. Face, nose, gray wig.”

There was a long pause and then Maddox said, “And this woman committed a jewel theft in town? You’re sure?”

“Given the disguise, yes.”

“Huh.”

“Huh, what?”

“What did she steal?”

“A vintage ring worth a small fortune.”

“Hmm.”

“What occurred to you?” I asked, sensing Maddox clamming up.

“Nothing. Thanks for calling. Catch you later!” And with that, Maddox was gone.

I stared at the phone, puzzled by his weird behavior, then I reminded myself I should be used to it by now.