Jewelry Can Be Deadly (Sage Gardens Cozy Mystery Book 6) (3 page)

S
amantha stared
out through the windshield of the car. Ever since Eddy picked her up to take her down to the station he had been in quite a bad mood. In fact, he had repeatedly told her that she was to be extremely cautious about how she spoke to the officers and what she told them. For what felt like the thousandth time he repeated the same statement.

“I wish you had never spoken to the officer at all.” Eddy jammed on the brakes as a car pulled out in front of him. The traffic that sunny day was intolerable.

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“You shouldn’t have admitted to delivering the muffins.”

“I should have lied? Wouldn’t that make me look more guilty?” Samantha looked over at his reddened cheeks and furrowed brow.

“Look Samantha, as a former officer of the law I would never tell you to outright lie to the police, I mean they are just trying to do the best job that they can. But in this case you outright implicated yourself. How do you even know it was one of your muffins? Her husband or someone else could have switched one when she wasn’t looking. You don’t know.”

“I didn’t think it mattered at the time.” Samantha sighed and looked down at her hands. She was shocked when Eddy reached out and took one.

“You’re right. I’m sorry. You shouldn’t blame yourself. But when you go in there and talk to these officers it’s important that you say as little as possible. Don’t lie, don’t evade, but just answer what they ask and nothing more.”

“Okay. I will.” Samantha swallowed hard. Eddy withdrew his hand quickly as if he had just noticed what he’d done and turned into the parking lot of the police station. In contrast to the packed roads it was not nearly as crowded. They walked into the police station together, but Eddy remained in the waiting area while Samantha was led off to a room for questioning. Eddy would have attempted to follow her, but he had something else in mind. He sat casually in one of the chairs until he spotted the person he was looking for.

“Chris!” Eddy stood up and walked towards the man in a short, white lab coat. Chris turned to look at Eddy with a smug smile.

“I wondered how long it would be until I heard from you.”

“You did, why?” Eddy shook his hand.

“I saw the location of the recent DOA. I figured you’d be interested.”

“Is there anything you can tell me about it?”

“Come into my office.” Chris gestured to a room encased in glass and filled with technical equipment. Eddy nodded and followed after him. Chris closed the door behind him.

“They’ve got my friend, Samantha, in here to talk about her muffins.”

“Oh no trust me, that’s not why she’s here.” Chris put an x-ray paper up on a light box to the side of his computer. Eddy could see that it was a pair of lungs.

“Then why is she?”

“Because the DOA came in as a choking victim and is now classified as a potential homicide.”

“Why?” Eddy’s eyes widened. “I thought it was clear that she choked.”

“It’s clear that she suffocated.”

“Can’t someone suffocate from choking?”

“It’s not exactly the same. You see for someone to die from choking normally whatever they are choking on is either blocking their airway or has been aspirated into their lungs. Valda had muffin crumbs in her throat, nothing she would choke on, and her lungs were clear.”

“But Samantha said her mouth was full of muffin.”

“Samantha was right. Nearly an entire muffin in fact. But there is good reason to believe that muffin was not there when she died, but was placed there after the fact.”

“Wow! Someone killed her and then shoved a muffin in her mouth to cover it up?”

“That’s one theory. Another is that she had some other medical event just as she took her first bite. Either way, it’s clear that Valda was dead before she tasted the muffin. There was no muffin in her stomach, and none further down in her throat, and as I said, no remnants of anything in her lungs.”

“So, this was very likely a murder.”

“Yes, I would say that.”

“That doesn’t explain why Samantha is here.”

“Samantha is here because they feel she might know something about the crime. She was at the home of the deceased twice on the same day that the victim died. They’re hoping she might have seen or heard something unusual. You know how some officers can be when it comes to questioning, they might shake her up a bit, but in general she is not considered a suspect.”

“That’s a relief.” Eddy sighed. “I’m sure she will be happy to hear that.”

“Maybe she’ll make us some muffins.” Chris winked at Eddy. Eddy stared at him for a moment and then chuckled.

“She probably will. Do they have any suspects?”

“Nothing solid just yet. We’ll know more when the full exam is completed.”

“You’ll let me know?”

“Sure I will, Eddy,” Chris replied. “It wouldn’t be a normal month if I didn’t have you getting me in trouble somehow.”

“I appreciate it, Chris.”

Chris looked over at him. “I don’t mind it at all. If it means that someone pays for a crime, even better.”

Eddy clapped his hand against Chris’ back and walked back into the waiting area. Just as he reached it Samantha was on her way out as well. She cast a troubled look over her shoulder and then turned to Eddy.

“Get me out of here.”

“You’ve got it.” Eddy placed his hand lightly on the small of her back and steered her out of the police station. As soon as she was out, she exploded.

“Really, I will never understand the intimidating tactics that you people use…”

“Hey, wait a minute, you people?” Eddy raised an eyebrow.

“Oh please, you still use them and you know it.”

Eddy opened the car door for her. “Would you like to get in? Or is that me being intimidating?”

“Eddy stop! Do you know they questioned me for ten minutes before they even told me that I wasn’t a suspect?”

“All right, but they needed to get information from you.”

“Like what?”

“Like, did you notice anything suspicious at the scene, did you observe anyone suspicious around the villa, all of that.”

“Which I would have answered without them demanding the recipe for my muffins.”

“Oh.” Eddy grinned. “Chris was hoping you’d make some.”

“Ugh, get in the car!” She plonked herself down. Eddy closed the door and leaned in the open window.

“You’re using a very intimidating tone to speak to me right now. I feel very intimidated.”

“Eddy!”

His laughter wafted through the open window as he rounded the car to the driver’s seat. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t tease you.”

“It’s not funny anyway,” she said but she smiled slightly. “No one should be making me feel like I’m a criminal when I’ve done nothing wrong.”

“So, how do you suggest the police catch criminals? Ask them nicely?”

Samantha huffed and stared out the window. She was relieved not to be a suspect, but not so thrilled at the way she was treated by the investigating officers.

J
o paced back
and forth through the living room. Her mind shifted from thoughts of the murder, to the suspicion around Samantha, and right back to the necklace. She could not shake the memory of it from her mind. The necklace looked so familiar to her as if she might have once owned or worn it, though she knew that was not the case. There were three things that Jo could be certain about. It was old, it was valuable, and it was stolen. She flicked through her phone again.

As a rule Jo had cut contact with most of her friends and connections involved in theft. She thought it was the best way to go cold turkey. However, there were a few people she still had the phone numbers for. She called these people when she had a question about a recent heist, or if she just wanted to chat until three in the morning about the merits of being a thief. Most of the time she didn’t call them at all. Now, she felt like she had to. Her hand shook a little as she dialed the number of one of her oldest contacts. Mildred, as she liked to be called though her name was Ronda, was well-known and well-connected in the antique fencing rings. She expected to hear the beep of a voicemail on the phone, instead she heard Mildred’s smoke-damaged voice.

“Jo, is that you?”

“Yes it is, Mildred. I’m sorry to call out of the blue.”

“That’s all you ever do. I think the last time you called me was about two years ago. I was starting to believe that I would never hear from you again.”

“I know. Mildred, I wouldn’t be calling…”

“If you didn’t need something. Don’t worry, Jo. I know that you’re reformed. So, what can I help you with?”

“I saw this necklace recently. It looked so familiar. I mean the piece itself is beautiful. Definitely antique, and highly valuable.”

“Did you steal it?” It sounded as if there was a bit of excitement in Mildred’s voice.

“No, of course not.” Jo frowned. “But someone did.”

“Okay?”

“It’s just that I can’t figure out where I’ve seen the necklace before. I feel like I should know, like it’s important.”

“Tell me more about it.”

“The gold chain was old, yellow gold with three, small round diamond studs on either side of the pendant, and the diamond was huge, about three carats. It was princess cut in an antique square mounting.”

“Wait, are you talking about the ‘Rose Diamond’ necklace?”

“It didn’t really look like a rose.” Jo pictured the setting in her mind. “It didn’t have any petals or layers.”

“No, it’s called the ‘Rose Diamond’ necklace because it was owned by a very wealthy family, the Roses, before it was stolen. The patriarch of the family claimed it was a relic from the old world.” All of a sudden Jo recalled that there were many thieves after that necklace, but one in particular she remembered very well. Jo had tried to forget about that time of her life, but memories started flooding her mind all at once.

“So, it is stolen!” Jo congratulated herself inwardly. She didn’t want Mildred to know how much she actually knew about the diamond.

“If it’s the same necklace it is not only stolen but legendary. Don’t you remember?” She paused and then cleared her throat. “Oh, I guess you wouldn’t. You were in prison at the time of the heist. It was quite the scandal because so many people had been trying to get their hands on the necklace, and then out of nowhere it was snatched.”

“Oh, I do remember that!” Jo’s eyes widened. “Now, I remember very clearly. I read an article about it in the newspaper. There were several photographs in the newspaper of the necklace. I thought the thief was caught?”

“He was, but the necklace, along with everything else that was stolen that night was never recovered.”

Jo rolled her eyes. “Are you trying to tell me that you don’t know what happened to the necklace? I don’t believe that for a second, Mildred.”

“You cannot believe it all you want, but trust me, it was a huge issue. There were several far more experienced thieves that had that target on their list and when the necklace was taken they were very unhappy. They tried to hunt down the necklace, but since it was never found they assumed there must have been an accomplice to the robbery who kept it.”

“Any idea who the accomplice was?”

“Nobody ever found out. They must have been a nobody though because otherwise they would have bragged about it or someone would have caught on eventually, you know how thieves can’t keep their mouths shut about the big heists.”

“True.” Jo frowned.

“Anyway, why are you asking about the necklace?”

“I saw it in person, on a woman’s neck, the other day.”

“You didn’t. You must be lying!” The thrill in Mildred’s voice was quite clear.

“I’m not. A woman was wearing it, and now that woman is dead, and the necklace is gone.”

“What do you mean the necklace is gone?” Mildred asked.

“Stolen I guess.”

“Are you saying that the ‘Rose Diamond’ necklace is in play?” Mildred’s voice grew higher and higher with each word she spoke.

“I don’t know if it’s in play or not, but whoever has it may be responsible for a woman’s death. Do you have any idea who that might be?”

“I told you I don’t. I know the fence that bought most of the stolen goods from the ‘Rose Robbery’ though.”

“Great. That’s a start.”

“Sure, when you see Bucky make sure you tell him that I said hi.”

“Will do. Thanks Mildred.”

“Oh, and Jo, make sure you wear something dingy. He’s still the same Bucky.”

Jo cringed at the memory.

As Jo hung up with Mildred, Samantha called in.

“Hi Samantha, how did it go?”

“Well, it seems I’m not a suspect anymore, but it was definitely a homicide. Or at the very least a suspicious death.”

“Interesting.”

“I guess.” Samantha sighed. “Eddy just dropped me off at home. I’m all frazzled from the questioning.”

“I’m sorry you went through that. Did they mention anything about the necklace?”

“The necklace again? Why are you so fixated on that necklace?”

“It’s a very famous necklace. Do you remember an article you wrote about the theft of jewelry from the Rose family?”

“Hm.” Samantha paused a moment. “Oh, that necklace! I remember that article. It was featured several weeks in a row because there was such a response. Everyone wanted a chance to try to figure out the mystery. There was no way a necklace like that could just disappear. Not with how much it was worth and what people were willing to do to get it. In fact, as I recall, one of the readers of the newspaper gave the police a solid tip, about a man that could have been the accomplice.”

“Oh really? Any chance you remember his name?” Jo asked eagerly.

“Unfortunately, no. But I do know that the police brought him in for questioning. I’m sure they kept a record of that. However, as far as I know there was never an arrest.”

“We need to figure out if this accomplice and Roger are the same man. It’s the only way that we’re ever going to make any progress.”

“I bet Eddy could help with that. He still has some connections that could access the case file. I’ll give him a call and ask him to look into it,” Samantha suggested.

“Good idea. Samantha, see if you can find a copy of that article somewhere, too. I’d like to read it again.”

“I will. But Jo?”

“Hm?”

“I want to ask you something.”

“Okay.” Jo furrowed her brow. “So ask.”

“Is it a murder you’re trying to solve, or a theft?”

“Does it matter?” Jo lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “In the end we’ll solve both.”

“Even if we find out that Roger is the accomplice, that doesn’t prove that he’s the one that killed his wife.”

“No, it doesn’t, but it might get us closer to who did. If someone found out that he was the accomplice and had the necklace in his possession, there are many professional thieves that would be very interested in discovering the location.”

“So, we have a wide range of suspects?” Samantha asked.

“I don’t think so, not yet at least. Whoever found out about the location of the necklace, if they did, would keep it a secret to prevent other thieves from getting to it first.”

“Hm. Interesting.”

“Yes, very,” Jo agreed.

“I’ll call Eddy right now about the name of the man they brought in for questioning.”

“Great, see if he can get a picture. I have something I have to do.”

“Okay, it’s nothing dangerous is it? Do you want me to go with you?” Jo thought about it for a moment. It never hurt to have a second person with her when she visited Bucky in case of an avalanche, but she knew that Samantha was still frazzled from her interview with the police.

“No, it’s nothing, I’ll be fine. Text me if you get any information from Eddy.”

“I will.” Samantha hung up the phone. Jo changed into thick jeans, a long-sleeved shirt that she had no particular attachment to, and pulled her long, dark hair up in a ponytail. She experienced a strange desire to dig through her jewelry box. For just a moment she thought that she might have forgotten that she had gotten rid of it. Finally, she fished the silver necklace out from the bottom of the pile.

On the end of the necklace was a delicate charm, a tiny rose. She stared at it for a long moment. She thought about dropping it back into her jewelry box, instead she fastened it around her neck. Then she traded her sandals for heavy duty boots. She tucked her wallet and phone into her pockets and grabbed her keys. She did not want to take her purse where she was going. When she opened the door to step outside she found Walt on her doorstep.

“Hi.” He pushed his glasses up along his nose. “Sorry to just show up.”

“Walt? I’m about to leave. Is there anything you need?”

“Actually, that’s why I’m here. Samantha called me and told me that you might need company.”

“Oh no.” Jo laughed and shook her head. “Not you.”

Walt’s eager smile faded. His eyes dropped. “Oh? Someone else then? Eddy is working on some information so…”

“Walt, I didn’t mean it like that, I’m sorry. I just meant that where I’m going is not the kind of place that you would want to be.”

“I’m sure I could handle it.”

“Walt, trust me, it’s not going to be pleasant.”

“Maybe it’s you that needs to trust me, Jo.” He lifted his chin and squared his shoulders. “I am a capable and daring man you know.”

Jo couldn’t help but smile at his attempt at being stern. “I know you are, Walt. I didn’t mean to imply that you’re not, but I still don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“Too bad. I’m going, and that’s final.”

Jo sighed. Now, she didn’t find his sternness to be so cute. “If you insist.”

“I do.” He offered her his arm. Jo shrugged in surrender and took his arm. “I’ll drive.”

“Oh, no way, I’m driving,” Jo said with determination.

“Okay fine. But just this once,” Walt said.

Jo laughed and met his eyes. “Are you turning over a new leaf of stubbornness?”

“I suppose I am. I think it suits me.”

“Maybe it does.” Jo grinned. “I guess that we’ll find out.”