Page 42 of Lost Cause
Burke loaded his plate and had just settled in place when his phone rang, the call from Officer Mullen.
“You’re not going to like this,” she said, and her urgent tone led him to believe her. “The beached boat was reported stolen yesterday.”
Burke ripped open a roast beef sandwich. “So the boat registration won’t likely tell us anything.”
“Sounds doubtful, but I’d still be glad to check into it.”
“Much appreciated. Thank you.” He ended the call and shared the information with the team. “I’ll let you know when I get the registration details.”
Abby frowned. “But as you said, it’s likely a dead end unless the fingerprints prove the thief was related to the owner.”
Burke turned to Sam. “Do you know when you’ll be able to process the boat’s forensics?”
Sam set down her unwrapped sandwich. “I called in my assistant to help. She’s arriving this afternoon. I’ll give her instructions for the work here, then head back to the mainlandto handle the boat. Depending on what I find, I should have it done today.”
“Perfect,” Burke said. “Thank you for being so flexible.”
“She always is.” Gabe’s expression resembled a parent’s look when their child had done well. He nodded at the file in front of Burke. “Those the documents from the bank?”
Burke nodded. “The crown appears to be the real deal, but I want to have the document authenticated for age.”
“I’m already ahead of you.” Dipping into the potato salad, Abby looked up. “Our team met last night and tasked Jude with finding an expert who can authenticate it. After our interviews with Sylvia and Ugo, I’ll give Jude a call.”
Burke was impressed with her initiative. He’d been bone tired when she left him last night, but she still managed to hold a team meeting. “Did you decide on anything else? I don’t want to replicate the work.”
She brought her plate to sit next to him. “Hayden’s our computer guy. He’s searching for background information on Victor and Estelle. Nolan will visit the nearest antique shop to find out who in the area might have the right connections to fence a high-priced antique like the crown. He’ll also ask about the locket.”
“He knows to be discreet and not mention the crown, right?” Burke popped open his bag of chips, being careful not to explode the chips all over the room.
“You can count on Nolan to be discreet.”
“I might be questionable,” Gabe said. “Not Nolan. He’s a professional through and through.” He laughed and shoved more of the sandwich into his mouth.
Abby reacted to his comment with a groan. “Reece is trying to find someone to date the torn velvet we found in the greenhouse.”
“Good,” Burke said. “This is all very helpful.”
“Why don’t I schedule an update video call with the entire team for three o’clock?” Abby asked. “We can find out if they’ve learned anything new.”
“Sounds great.” Burke met her gaze. “I really appreciate this, Abby. You have resources our department doesn’t have.”
She beamed with pride. “I’m not one to brag on myself, but I’ll be sure to stand behind what our team can do.”
“Yeah, man,” Gabe said. “We’re the equivalent of the Veritas Center for investigators.” He gave a mischievous grin and took a handful of potato chips.
Burke had been annoyed with this guy at first, but it was pretty hard to stay aggravated with someone who tackled life with such humor. He wanted to be more like Gabe. Maybe not as much of the sarcasm, but less of an intense approach to everything.
But the impact of his strict upbringing held him in check. That’s why he was so drawn to law enforcement. He liked the black-and-white rules and laws to abide by. If a person violated them, they had to pay. End of story. His other motivation—his brother Kyle’s overdose and death—also contributed to his career choice.
Stop. Don’t go there. Don’t dwell on the painful loss.
He grabbed the file and ignored the surrounding conversation about Blackwell Tactical. He would like to learn more about their organization, but finding immediate leads to locate the crown and keeping his job motivated him more.
Victor had given them permission to review his will, so Burke dug it out of the folder and laid it next to his plate. He alternated eating and reading. One cookie left to eat and he’d reached the end of the will.
At a break in the conversation, he swiveled toward Abby. “Victor’s will is pretty straightforward. Everything goes to hisson, except for gifts of cash and specific collectibles to his daughter and grandchildren.”
Abby set her water bottle down. “He didn’t mention having grandchildren. Maybe the daughter knows about the will and feels like she’s not getting her share of the property. A perfect motive for stealing the crown.”
