Page 58 of Smoke Screen
“You’d deny an old woman?”
He swallowed, washing it down with a swig of his beer. “Grams! You’ve wrecked four cars and our UTV. I’m sorry. It’s not happening. Besides, something happens in that Audi. It’s like a demon takes over and suddenly you’re doing a hundred. Consider it for your own personal safety that I won’t give you the keys.”
At that, Zeke laughed. “Good one, little brother.”
He walked to the same refrigerator where Phin had gotten his beer, grabbed one of his own and then strode from the room.
“If you hadn’t noticed,” Phin said, “that was Zeke’s not-so-subtle message to hurry up. Cruz and Rohan are working the web and need info on the missing jewels.”
Fork midway to her mouth, Maddy paused. “Do they have a lead?”
Please let them have a lead.
Phin shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not. Can never tell. Could be con artists. That’s why they want details. If they’re scammers, they’ll be able to tell by how much they know about the pieces.”
She held the fork up, being careful not to lose a drop of the barbecue sitting on it. “Then eat up, Phin. I want my life back.”
Devouringthe last two pieces of his mama’s cornbread left Phin with only an inch—maybe less—of guilt. Chances were his brothers only saved some because Mom told them to.Thank you, Mom.
Meal complete, Phin walked Maddy down the flagstone path back to the Annex. Lights blazed in front of the Morton-style office building. In the growing darkness, the black metal roof faded into the mountain backdrop and the blue-gray siding took on a darker hue.
“So,” Maddy said. “This is where the magic happens.”
“You know it.”
He could deny it, play down what they did, but why? There wasn’t a lot he was proud of, but BARS? Recovering priceless items? Not a lot of people had the balls to do what they did.
“I like the stone entry.”
Phin focused on the bottom third of the building, accented with stone that also covered the vestibule. “My mom wanted as much uniformity with the Friary as we could get. We weren’t up for spending boatloads on the office space, so we did the stone, hoping it would tie in.”
Hustling a few steps ahead, he opened the outer door for Maddy and then once again pressed his palm against the pad, opening the inner door as well.
Inside the Theater, Zeke, Rohan, and Cruz were still huddled around the large conference table in full research mode. Cruz must have been raking his fingers through his curly hair, which fell well below his ears. Unlike Maddy’s, his curls didn’t fall in soft rings. His had a maniacal bend. When tired, he’d rifle his hands through his hair and take on a mad-scientist look.
Rohan sat back in his chair, stretching his back while Zeke stood. Both of them looked a lot better than Cruz in the fatigue department, but that inch of guilt over the cornbread suddenly became a mile. He should have been here today, helping his brothers.
He’d make it up to them. Somehow.
“Hello, boys,” Phin said. “Sorry we’re late.”
Phin pulled out a chair for Maddy. She quickly bypassed it, moving to the end of the table near Cruz. She stopped before she reached the whiteboard and pointed. “May I?”
Cruz held out his hand. “Please do. We could use your help.”
Photos of the stolen pieces hung on the board, each label indicating whether it came from the Pierre collection or the queen’s.
Still in his seat, Cruz pointed. “Let’s start with the one on the left. The queen’s bracelet.”
Maddy swiveled to face him. “Sure. What do you need to know?”
“Everything. Clarity, occlusions, number of carats. Anything we can use to identify the pieces.”
“Clarity is easy. All the stones—the Pierres’ and the queen’s—are flawless.”
Cruz let out a low whistle, his fingers banging against his keyboard.
Maddy shifted again, tapping her finger against the photo. “The bracelet has two strands of brilliant diamonds that surround a larger rectangular one.”
