Page 96 of Lost Cause
“See, I told you.” The owner’s voice boomed through the backroom. “She left.”
Abby reached them in time to see Burke glancing around. He locked eyes with Abby then gestured for her to leave with him. On the sales floor, he took a long look at the place. “Thank you for your help, Mr. Shaw.”
She didn’t have any other questions, so she went to the door, Burke’s footfalls sounding on the vintage wooden floor behind her.
Outside, he looked up and down the street, then back at the building. “Shaw doesn’t have any security cameras. Most surprising with his high-end inventory.”
Abby nodded her agreement. “I noticed a security system. Maybe he doesn’t think he needs cameras too. Or for some reason, he doesn’t want his dealings recorded. Maybe a customer privacy thing.”
“Whatever the reason, it’s time to take a better look at this street. Someone around here could have cameras that recorded the woman entering the building.”
Abby’s heart slammed against her ribs. Was this it? Were they finally about to find Estelle?
24
In her room at the inn, Abby put on fresh clothes. The long hot shower should’ve cleared her mind of their failure to locate any cameras, and it had. Mostly. The only thing she couldn’t seem to erase—Burke’s kiss last night. She hadn’t had any free time to think about it until now and it played over and over like a popular song she couldn’t forget.
It had been amazing. A kiss beyond all expectations. She could’ve walked away, but she’d wanted him to kiss her. She’d instigated her actions. And she didn’t regret it. Not one bit.
Had her prayers given her peace about being with him—maybe the reason she couldn’t let it go? She now felt free to daydream about a future with him.
But she didn’t have time to keep thinking about it now. Not when the attorney for tomorrow’s deposition had called and basically demanded she come in for a refresher. She didn’t want to miss more of the Lemoine investigation, but she wanted to do her best to put a kidnapper behind bars, so she had no choice.
Taking the company’s SUV, she settled in for the short drive to the lawyer’s office in Seaside Harbor only to be told he wasn’t ready for her. She took a seat in the waiting area, and her phonealerted her to a video call from Hayden. She answered and put in her earbuds for privacy from the receptionist.
“You got a minute?” Hayden seemed all business.
Her pulse raced in hope of good news. “Sure.”
“I just found out Leonard Shaw knew Estelle back in the day.Morethan knew her,” he said. “He’s one of the men she was rumored to have an affair with. They shared the love of antiques, and apparently Victor could care less about them. Shaw accompanied her when Victor didn’t want to go to social gatherings.”
“How did we miss something like that?” Abby asked. “Why didn’t Victor mention it?”
“I can’t answer why Victor didn’t tell you, but I only learned about it from a gossip columnist. I located an article where she speculated on the affair. You’d think if it weren’t true, Victor would’ve insisted the newspaper print a retraction, but that never happened.”
“Wow! Just wow! I’ll ask Victor about it when he’s well enough to talk, but who knows when that will be.” Abby’s excitement lessened. “His doctor said it’s possible that asking him additional stressful questions could cause another stroke. I don’t want to risk that.”
“I discovered something else about Shaw that might mean you don’t have to question Victor.”
“You’ve got my attention—spill it.”
“I was hoping you’d say that.” Hayden shared a mischievous grin with her. “Shaw showed up on the list for potential fences in the area. In fact, he’s the most likely person to be able to fence such a high-priced item.”
“No way!” She’d caught the receptionist’s attention and lowered her voice. “You’re sure he’s a possible fence?”
He nodded. “His name is all over the dark web. His screen name is AntiquityAssassin.”
“Clever.”
Hayden looked at her with the burning focus he was known for. “The name might be, but he wasn’t clever enough to hide the trail to his real identity.”
She shook her head. “How was I so wrong about him? Sure, he came across as defensive of the woman in his shop, but otherwise he seemed reputable. Clearly he isn’t. I’m in Seaside Harbor right now and need to pay this guy another visit.”
Hayden narrowed his eyes. “Just be careful, okay. I have no idea if someone who deals in stolen antiques is dangerous, but he could be.”
The last thing she wanted to do was put herself in a life-threatening situation. “Does it appear as if he has any partners in crime?”
“As far as I can tell, he’s a loner.”
