Page 5 of Lost Cause
Abby’s lips pressed into a line. “Makes sense why you couldn’t have it appraised, but you won’t be able to determine the value.”
“I have conducted internet research for that. As far as the art history world is concerned, its current whereabouts are unknown, and it hasn’t been displayed in any museum or private collection. Of course it hasn’t.”
His laughter came slowly at first, like a creaky door easing open, but then it developed into a gravelly chuckle. “This absence has led to speculation about its fate. They’re wondering whether it was lost, destroyed, or remains hidden in a private collection. The crown’s disappearance adds to the mystique of the French Crown Jewels, and articles I’ve read claim it would command up to sixteen million dollars at auction.”
Burke let out a low whistle and shook his head. He didn’t expect anything like this when the call had come into his office. In fact, he’d thought it was a simple theft and begged his sheriff to assign the investigation to someone else. Didn’t happen. Apparently, Victor Lemoine held some political sway, and the sheriff wanted his best investigator on the case.
He’d picked Burke—even after everything. Burke had just gotten off probation after losing it when his fiancée ran off with his partner, Miles Ramsey, leaving Burke at the altar. Burke lost it. Couldn’t cope with the betrayal from the two people closest to him. After a fight with Ramsey at the office and the obvious tension between them, Burke got demoted and Ramsey took over. A year later, Burke was back to normal status at work, but one wrong move now, and he could kiss the only thing he’d managed to hold onto goodbye.
Now that Lemoine’s story intrigued him, Burke was more motivated to work this case. More than motivated—downright fascinated. “Can you show us the crown’s display case?”
Victor gripped the carved arms of his chair and pushed to his feet. “It’s just over here.”
He hobbled across the room, leaving his ornate cane behind and limping heavily. At the bookshelves, he turned to them. “Take a good look. Can you see the hidden compartment?”
Abby brushed past Burke to the bookshelf and bent close. She was a petite thing, so he stepped up behind her to look over her shoulder, catching a whiff of the same tantalizing citrus scent he remembered from the weeks they’d worked together.
He forced himself to concentrate. “There.” Reaching over her shoulder, he stabbed a finger at the third shelf down. “The books are fake. There’s something behind them.”
“Wow.” Abby leaned closer to the shelf. “Your great-grandfather did a good job of camouflaging the display case.”
Victor lifted his shoulders and expanded his chest. “Money can buy the very best craftsmanship.”
“Show us the case,” Burke said.
Victor flicked his fingers as if he wanted Burke and Abby to back up, so they did.
He reached into the space above the fake books. The shelf dropped open until it lay flat, the fake books still connected and hanging underneath. He raised the shelf above it. A light came on, revealing an empty glass-front display case lined with rich purple velvet.
A bare crystal pedestal—the resting place for the crown—cast shimmering sparkles of light glinting over the velvet like little jewels. A crystal pedestal of this size from the 1800s had to be worth good money too. Why hadn’t the thief taken the stand too? Perhaps too bulky and too much to carry.
Burke looked at Victor. “Do you have a picture of the crown?”
Victor withdrew a worn photograph from the pocket of his ancient smoking jacket and pressed out a few wrinkles before handing it to Burke. “This is the best one I have.”
Abby scooted closer, and they studied the gold-framed crown boasting arches shaped like eagles.
Victor tapped the top of the crown. “This mondeor globe-shaped ornament symbolizes the monarch’s authority over the world. It’s surmounted by the cross signifying divine authority.”
He drew another picture from his pocket and handed it to Burke. “This case held the crown when my great-grandfather bought it. It has a mahogany frame with leather dyed deep red. The lining is of the finest velvet, and the royal initials are embossed on the box. It was kept on the shelves below. It’s also missing.”
Abby shook her head, her eyes wide open. “Now I understand why you didn’t want to talk about it on the phone.”
“And like I said,” he shifted his gaze between them, “you must keep this as quiet as possible.”
Burke didn’t know how he could enforce Victor’s wishes and still properly investigate the theft. Questions had to be asked, often requiring him to give information to get information. But more concerning to him was the sharing of this investigation and information with Abby Day and her team. Not only because she was a former sheriff and would likely want to take over, but he didn’t need to have a woman distract him when he was finally on solid footing in the job. And especially not during such a high-profile investigation.
Losing control was the one thing he couldn’t afford. Especially if he wanted to keep his job. He would cling to it with everything he was made of, no matter how hard she tried to break through.
2
Abby paced, feeling Burke’s eyes following her every move.
Ignoring him seemed impossible—especially when he looked annoyingly good in his sharp black suit and white shirt that was still crisp even at this hour. His midnight hair was longer than she remembered, with a curl falling over his forehead in just the right way. Add in the neatly trimmed beard and those ice-blue eyes that seemed to see straight through people, and he had a perfect mix of danger and control.
Basically, everything she found irresistible in a man—and exactly what she needed to steer clear of if she wanted to stay focused enough to get paid for the missing crown.
She stopped in front of Victor. “When was the last time you saw the crown?”
