Page 6 of Smoke Screen
“You’re persistent.”
“I am. He arranged for me to present the idea to the board. I asked an artist friend to help with a rendition of what the exhibit would look like. My presentation lasted twenty minutes, where I ticked off all the points about how the public would enjoy items most would never, ever, get a chance to see up close. I left there with a promise that they’d speak to the president and First Lady.”
“I guess it got approved.”
Maddy couldn’t even summon a smile. At this point, she regretted the entire proposition. “The following morning, President and Mrs. Thompson called me themselves. They told me I had impressed the board with my passion for the project and they loved the idea. That’s the kind of people they are. They’re all about sharing their experiences.”
He smiled at her again, this one not so much the CC one. This one, softer and … genuine. And, oh boy, that smile might be more devastating than the CC one because her nipples waved a white flag.
“That’s amazing,” he said.
Maddy cleared her throat. “At the time, maybe. Now? Nightmare. I feel responsible.”
He drew his eyebrows together. “For what?”
“If I hadn’t talked everyone into it, the jewels wouldn’t be missing.”
“That’s crap. You didn’t break into that building.”
“I created the target.”
Phin considered that a moment. “They marketed the hell out of that exhibit. Everywhere I went there was an ad, a news clip, or social media post. That kind of press draws criminal attention. Typically, someone knows someone who knows someone at the target location. My guess is that’s how the thieves got around the security system.”
An inside job? If that was meant to make her feel better, it didn’t. President Thompson and his wife ran a meticulous operation. The idea of one of their carefully vetted employees stealing? Sickening.
“How many pieces are gone?”
“Seven. The FBI is investigating. It’s moving slowly.”
“It’s only been a few days.”
She put up a hand. “I know it sounds unreasonable to be critical after so short a time, but …”
“What?”
“Kayla thinks, at the very least, you might ask around and get information for us. Your fee, whatever it is, won’t be a problem. The board wants these items recovered.”
“I can see why. Louis Pierre’s jewels are priceless. We recovered a thirty-five-carat emerald last year. Stolen from a private collection. It was originally a necklace, but by the time we found it, the gems had been removed from the setting and the gold melted down. We got to the stone before it could be recut.”
“That’s what I’m terrified of.”
“Not to be flip, but even if the pieces are broken up and melted down, his father created them. He could remake them if we find the stones.”
Maddy shook her head. “It’s not just the Pierre items that are missing. It’s literally an international incident.”
Phin studied her for a few seconds. “I’m not following.”
Of course he wasn’t. “There were seven pieces stolen. Three were Pierre’s work.”
“And the other four?”
“Jewels borrowed from the personal collection of the First Lady’s grandmother. The Queen of England.”
2
If ever therewas a time for Phin to soil himself, this was it.
He sat back, stared out at the darkening sky while his head went to war with his body. Between his slamming pulse and the thoughts bombing his brain, he needed to get hold of himself.
