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“Did we even have anything to steal?” I asked.
“At that time, yes. An old great-aunt had died and left some things to Vicky and me.”
“What kind of things?”
“Jewelry. And some loose gems.” Her voice was icy.
My neck chilled. “Was it worth anything?”
“A lot, actually. Our great-aunt had married into money but hadn’t had any kids. Most of her assets went to charity, but her jewelry went to Vicky and me. It was a pretty big haul. Vicky and I were both thrilled.”
“So what happened?”
“Since we were both living in Snow Creek, the stuff was shipped to me. We never had the chance to divide it up. We were robbed a day later, and they took everything.”
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“Someone knew you had the stuff in the house.”
“Yeah. Someone.” My mother paused a moment. “Damn him.”
My mother almost never cursed.
“I hadn’t looked through everything,” she continued. “It all happened so fast. Aunt Esther was fond of diamonds, and her husband bought her anything she wanted.”
I cleared my throat. “Yellow diamonds?”
“Probably. Like I said, I didn’t get the chance to go through everything.”
“Would you recognize any of the jewelry if you saw it again?”
“Bryce, it’s been thirty years.”
“Think back. Would you recognize any of them?”
“It’s been forever. I think there was a ruby pendant and matching earrings. Several diamond rings. Pouches of loose stones. Maybe some emeralds. Oh! There was this gorgeous brooch with a large pink stone. I never knew what it was, but it was going to be my first pick when Vicky and I divided it.”
Big pink stone. In a brooch.
A pink sapphire, according to Marjorie.
Unbelievable, as my mother had said.
My father had robbed my mother. Perhaps he’d used some of the stones to finance his other life, though I doubted it. From all accounts, he’d been very well paid for his work. Still…he had the safe house where Joe had found him and Colin, the place where Melanie had nearly been killed, and who knew what other properties? Whether he’d used the jewelry or not, much of it clearly remained.
It belonged to my mother and Aunt Vicky.
This was good news for them. Good news for all of us. This wasn’t dirty money. It was stolen property that belonged to our family.
“Looks like you and Aunt Vicky can still go through your inheritance,” I said. “I’ll get it into a safe-deposit box as soon as I can.”
The only problem was…I was being watched.
Someone was watching me.
No one else could know about the jewels, or they’d have leverage to extort from me. My father had left us with next to nothing, and he’d left my aunt childless. I was going to make sure my mother and aunt got their inheritance, even if it was thirty years late.
“I have to go, Mom. First day of work and all. Give Henry a kiss, and I’ll call him this evening to say good night.”
