17.

THE ROBBERY HAD taken place in one of the newer houses in Edilean. In Colin's opinion, too many houses had been jammed together on twenty acres that had once been farmland. The long-term residents had tried to stop the building when it began five years before, but they hadn't been successful. City people, charmed by the idea of living in "the quaint little town of Edilean, Virginia, a place untouched by time," as the ads said, had s.n.a.t.c.hed up the houses before they were finished. Since then, a lot of people had moved out. Edilean, for all its proximity to larger cities, was too rural for them.

Colin knew more about the "newcomers" as they were called-and would be no matter how many years they stayed there-than the other original residents did, and he was somewhat familiar with this family. The wife was a stay-at-home mom with a young daughter and a three-year-old son. The husband worked in Portsmouth, something to do with the military. Colin's impression had always been that they seemed like a nice family.

"What happened to you?" Roy asked as soon as he got inside the house and she saw his messed hair and sleepy-eyed look. She'd already put yellow tape across the bedroom door and taken many photos throughout the house.

Colin gave her a look to be quiet.

"Oh, right," Roy said, "Jean." She was smirking at his general air of having just tumbled out of bed.

"We broke up," Colin said under his breath, and the way he said it told her he wasn't saying any more. "Tell me what happened here."

Roy filled him in on the details of a diamond ring that had been stolen. The owner had kept it inside a hidden compartment of her bedpost. Unfortunately, there were no photos of the ring. "From the way the bedroom was tossed about, it looks like the thief had a difficult time finding it. My guess is it was some local kids," Roy added. "Maybe on a dare. I think it was just dumb luck that they found the ring."

Colin stepped under the tape across the doorway and began to look around. While it was true that the room was in disarray, with pillows knocked off the beds, a corner of the rug rolled back, and a chair overturned, there was something about it all that didn't seem right. For one thing, putting the room back together would take only minutes. In a way, it looked as though the thief had moved things about as an afterthought.

He looked at the bedpost. The end had been screwed off, exposing a small hollowed-out area inside. Not much could have been hidden there, but a ring would fit easily. His first thought was of Mrs. Ellis at the furniture store. Only someone who knew furniture would know there was a hiding place there-or a customer who owned the same set.

He told Roy to find out who in the area had bought an identical bed and she made a note of it.

After Roy left the room, Colin walked about, looking at all of it. On top of the dresser were the usual perfume bottles and cosmetics, a few framed photos of the family. He didn't see anything in the closet that looked as though it hadn't been touched, nor did the bathroom seem to have been disturbed.

When Roy returned, she told him the bed had belonged to the woman's parents and that her father had made it. "It's one of a kind."

That news startled Colin. Only someone who knew the owner would know that there was a hiding place inside the post. It looked as though someone close to the family had done it.

Colin found the woman sitting in her kitchen, her hands shaking as she drank a cup of coffee. She told Colin that she was upset because the robbery had taken place in broad daylight.

"I was outside deadheading the roses, and the kids were on their big play set. I came back in to make dinner, and it wasn't until after we'd eaten that I saw my bedroom had been ransacked," she said. "I don't want to think what could have happened if I or one of the kids had gone in and interrupted the thief." She took a drink of her coffee; her hand was shaking. "If only I'd kept my mouth shut!"

He listened while she told him that her aunt had died a few months before and left her a diamond ring. At the last playgroup at Armstrong's grocery that she'd taken her little boy to, she'd shown it off. "Anyone could have seen it. Half of the county goes to that grocery."

"Are we talking multiple diamonds, something that would need to be insured separately?"

"No, not really," she said. "The ring had a center diamond, then some smaller ones around it. I think the middle one was about half a carat, maybe a bit more."

"Do you know what it was worth?"

"I have no idea," she said, but looked down at her cup for a moment then back up. "Two or three thousand at the most, but I think I may have hinted that it was worth more."

She looked so guilty that Colin smiled warmly at her. "Bragging isn't a crime, and we all do it. I want to know about your bed. Who knew the ring was inside the post?"

"No one!" she said emphatically. "My father showed me that hiding place when I was a little girl. My mother was very stingy and one time when I wanted something and she said no, he showed me where he hid a stash of money. It was our secret. When I got married, my parents were going to buy us new furniture, but I asked for the bed Dad had made. He knew why I wanted it."

"Did you tell your husband about the bedpost?"

"No, I did not. And I didn't tell my kids or my best friend. I never told anyone at all about that place. It was my own personal little safe."

"Do you have any siblings who your father might have told?"

"I have a brother who lives in Wisconsin. He and my father never got along, so I doubt if Dad told him. Do you think he flew back here to steal the ring?"

Colin wasn't sure if she was serious or being sarcastic. Whatever, he closed his notebook and looked at her. "Has anything else in the house been touched?"

"Not that I've seen. Roy went through every room. She said I'm a good housekeeper."

Colin gave her a small smile of rea.s.surance and asked her to please not use the bedroom tonight. He didn't think it would turn up anything, but he wanted it dusted for fingerprints.

He and Roy left the house.

"What do you think?" she asked as soon as they were outside. "Kids daring each other?"

"No, I don't think so." He was looking up at the windows and frowning. He didn't want to say what he thought, but his instinct told him that this wasn't an ordinary robbery.

Inside the house, the woman's ten-year-old daughter looked at the little sprig of leaves her mother had left for her on her chest of drawers. She often left flowers, especially roses, but this was different. The leaves were long and thin, light colored and very pretty, and at the bottom her mother had tied a pink ribbon. She didn't know the branches were from a willow tree. Smiling, the child put the little bouquet under her pillow. Maybe she would dream of who had robbed their house and stolen her mother's pretty ring.

18.

WHEN COLIN LEFT the site of the robbery, his mind was so absorbed with it that he couldn't think clearly. His only real thought was to go home to Gemma and tell her what he'd seen and how puzzling it all was.

It wasn't as though there'd never before been a robbery in Edilean, but usually it was easy to see what had happened. The thief would break a pane in a gla.s.s door and let himself in. He usually took a TV, stereo, emptied a jewelry box, then ran out a different door.

But with this robbery, things were different. Colin didn't count it as significant that no one'd had to actually break in. Most of the people in Edilean left their doors unlocked, and they certainly did during the day when the owner was home.

What puzzled Colin was that this thief had so easily found the ring hidden inside a bedpost. The woman's jewelry box lid had been opened, but she'd told Roy that nothing had been so much as moved. To Colin, that meant the robber was accomplished enough to know by sight that none of the jewelry in the case was valuable.

And why had the furniture been overturned? he wondered. Did the thief think the police were going to believe he was searching under a chair?

Colin didn't think it was possible, but even though he was guessing, he'd say it was a professional job. But that made no sense. Why would a professional thief bother to go after a ring worth just a few grand?

As Colin pulled into his garage, he saw that the truck was still there. That meant Gemma was probably inside, and that thought made him smile. He opened the side door-and thought about telling her to keep it locked-and called out to her. When there was no answer, his smile faded. She was gone. Did she walk home or did someone give her a ride?

He called her cell but was sent to voice mail. He wandered about the empty house, saw that she'd made the bed with freshly washed sheets, and he stretched out on it. It was late and he knew he should shower and go to bed, but he didn't want to. Besides, he didn't want to wash Gemma off his skin.

He lay there, looking at the ceiling and thinking about her, especially about how she made him feel. That he'd talked to her about Jean, been honest with her and she'd not judged him, had been good. There were so many things he liked about Gemma, how calm she was, how . . . He grinned. How beautiful her body was.

He indulged himself in memory of their time together in bed. He liked the strength of her, the- He broke off when his cell buzzed. It was his father.

"I hear you were out fighting crime today," Peregrine Frazier said. "What was it? Kids?"

Colin wasn't about to discuss a case with his father. His solution to every crime in Edilean was for Colin to turn it over to the Williamsburg police, and go back to selling cars.

"Dad," Colin said seriously. "I need to talk to you."

"Yeah? What's going on?"

"Is Mom there? Will she hear you?"

"No, I'm alone," his father said as he looked across the room at his wife. She moved to sit on the ottoman near him and put her head beside the phone.

"How upset do you think Mom will be to hear that I've broken up with Jean?"

"Well," Peregrine said slowly while waving at his wife to stop dancing about the room. "Your mother has always liked Jean. In fact, we all love her, but . . ."

"But what?"

"Neither your mother nor I could see her living in Edilean."

Alea Frazier was mouthing "Gemma! Gemma!" to her husband.

"Look, son, I wouldn't be too down about this. Breakups happen. I remember one time when I was in college, and I-"

Alea looked at him in threat.

Grinny cleared his throat. "I played golf with Henry Shaw today and he said you were at Sara and Mike's yesterday."

"No secret in that."

"He also told me that pretty little Gemma was so angry at you about something that she wouldn't speak to you."

Alea looked at her husband in horror, as that was news she hadn't heard. She made a grab for the phone, but her husband kept it out of her reach.

Grinny got out of his chair and turned his back on her. "What I mean to say, Colin, is that it isn't good to mistreat an employee so she gets angry at you. I think you should-"

"We made up," Colin said.

"Made up? What does that mean?"

"Dad, you aren't that old. Gemma and I made up," he said emphatically.

Grinny turned to his wife and gave a thumbs-up. "I'm glad to hear it. Henry said Gemma put on a sort of boxing exhibition. Did she?"

"Oh yeah," Colin said in a way that let his father know how good she'd looked.

"Sorry I missed that," Grinny said, and Alea frowned at him. She pointed to her ring finger on her left hand. Grinny looked at her in disbelief, then turned away. "So you and Gemma are now on good terms?"

"We're friends," Colin said, "and that's all you're going to get out of me. Have you seen her in the last hour or so?"

"No," Grinny said. "She isn't with you?"

"Not at the moment. I thought she'd gone back to the guesthouse, but she's not answering her phone."

Grinny took a deep breath, as he always did before he started a speech. "You know, son, Gemma is a pretty young woman and she's fresh blood in this town, if you know what I mean. She's been seen out a lot with young Dr. Tris. If I were you, I'd make my feelings for her known sooner rather than later. I don't want you to hesitate and lose your chance."

"You mean I should hurry up and claim her as my own?" Colin said.

"That's exactly what I mean."

"Mom is there, isn't she? And she's nagging you to help her get one of her kids married."

"You're right on, boy. You hit that nail square on the head."

"Mom doesn't care who I marry, just that I do it, is that right?" Colin said.

"I think it's more the end result."

Colin groaned. "Not grandkids again. I wish Ariel'd come back so Mom could go after her."

"You're the oldest, so responsibility falls on your shoulders." Grinny was looking at his wife and she was nodding in approval at what he was saying.

"I'm doing my best, Dad. Would you check that Gemma got back safely?"

"Sure," Grinny said. He paused. "You think Jean will . . . I mean . . ."

"Come and cook for you?" Colin asked. "She probably would, but she might spike the punch with antifreeze."

"Too bad," Grinny said. "Too, too bad. You think Gemma can-"

"No, she can't cook. Good night, Dad."

"Good night, son."

As Colin got off the bed and went to the kitchen, he was shaking his head at his father's phone call and thinking about his mother listening. He knew there wasn't anything in the refrigerator, but he looked anyway.

The unopened bottle of champagne from Tess was there, and to his surprise, Gemma had filled the refrigerator with food. There was also a note from her. That she'd left it inside the refrigerator made him laugh. She was beginning to know him almost too well.

I had fun at the grocery. Tell you about it later. Sleep well. Gemma He pulled food out of the fridge, and minutes later, he was sitting at the counter and eating chicken, broccoli rabe, a big twice-baked potato, and drinking his favorite beer from the bottle.

When his phone buzzed, he grabbed it, hoping it was Gemma. Instead, it was a text from Sara.

Did you hear what Gemma did with Mr. Lang today?

Immediately, Colin called Sara. She answered on the first ring. "Tell me everything," he said.

"I want to, but Mike says I can't. He says it's up to Gemma to tell you. Think it'll get you two back together?"

"Don't play dumb with me! I'm sure Luke and Rams told you that Gemma and I bought a lot of furniture today. We are back together. Lang didn't play one of his tricks on Gemma, did he?"

"Calm down," Sara said. "Mr. Lang is now so in love with Gemma that I thought Mike was going to have to give him a pill to calm him down."