Larkin stepped back and gave Doyle a minute.
Doyle hastily wiped his face in the crook of his arm.He cleared his throat and said, “I love you too.”
Larkin’s mouth twitched, but he said grimly, “I think we have a problem.Noah’s not wrong about the Honda Civic.”
“What do you mean?”
“I saw it too.”
Doyle’s brows drew together.
“Last night,” Larkin clarified.“It was double-parked outside the precinct.Honestly, I only gave it a second thought because it looked like your car, and we’d just been speaking.But when I started walking toward it, the driver sped away.”
“Someone followed you from Pier 34?”
“That’s what I’m thinking.”
“But who’d have known you were even there?”
“Unfortunately, a good number of people.O’Halloran said Port Authority called it in, and because of the message on the fridge, were already inquiring if someone by my name worked for the department.The press was also there, although I didn’t note from which outlets.”
“How does that align with… with what Noah told you?”
“He said he’s seen this particular vehicle several times, the most recent being around one o’clock this morning.”
Doyle was already shaking his head, saying insistently, “I locked the door like you asked and got back in bed.I didn’t—”
“Ira, you don’t have to convince me.Noah’s going to call back with the times and locations he remembers seeing the car.Perhaps it’ll be enough to piece together a timeline that’ll allow for identification.You haven’t noticed any similar activity lately, have you.”
“No.”
Larkin frowned but said, “I’d like to keep it that way.I can’t afford whatever this distraction is—not right now.”
Doyle reluctantly returned his attention to the evidence.He fiddled with the packaging for a long minute before retrieving the brooch from inside.He held it in his gloved hand and then went to the drafting desk, took a seat in the tall chair, turned on the magnifying lamp, and swung its head down.“Black enamel on a gold backing,” he called.“Looks like there’s been some oxidation.”
“Is that relevant,” Larkin asked, following and standing in front of the desk, looking at the brooch upside down.
“Only from a historical standpoint.There was this law in England that introduced fifteen, thirteen, and nine karats—the 1854 Hallmarking Act—which made gold more accessible to the emerging middle class.”
“But alloy additives cause gold to tarnish,” Larkin concluded.
“Tells you a little about who once owned this, don’t you think?”
“Very interesting.So this wasn’t American-made.”
“It’s got the trappings of English design, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t have been sold to an American client.Looks like there’re a few seed pearls missing….Those prongs can loosen over time, especially if they’ve passed their centennial celebration.”Doyle turned the brooch around.Without taking his eyes off the magnified backside, he flipped open the sketch pad on the desk, grabbed a pencil, then began writing what he could decipher of the inscription.
Larkin slowly moved around the desk to stand behind the chair.He watched over Doyle’s shoulder, entranced by the juxtaposition of such masculine hands producing delicate penmanship.
“It’s not an exact match,” Doyle began.“But this script is pretty similar to English round hand.Spencerian was the dominant style in America during the latter half of the nineteenth century.”He motioned to the spaces between letters on the paper—an incomplete name.
Cha ot aur Fu
“It’s ironic…,” Doyle said thoughtfully.“This person was loved so much that their name’s been lostbecauseof grief.”
“The middle name is Laura.”
Doyle turned in his seat, one eyebrow cocked.
