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Each stand included something different, some priceless object that was up for sale, and people moved around them, reading the cards and speaking quietly to each other.
I tipped my head towards Henner until my lips almost brushed his ear. “These must be all the things for sale.”
“No pictures,” he murmured back. “No record of the things they have, no proof anything ever passed through their hands.”
It was sneaky, and it felt weird that this kind of thing was just happening underneath everyone’s noses like it was. Even back in Hollywood it would have made more sense, with all the pretty young things with too much dough looking for a thrill, but then I guess people are people everywhere.
We finally found the right card set up next to the only open doorway. That must have been the place where everyone went for the auction itself, into the largest theater. The doorway was dark, flanked by a pair of golden lion statues.
Golden figure of woman and snakes, third century Greece. And didn’t that just sound like the Erepto family’s missing idol? I got a little thrill in the pit of my stomach. Look at me, tracking it down like a real live gumshoe. I could have given any of them lady Pinkertons a run for their money.
Now, the trouble was this; the people around me were all dressed up like the fanciest Hollywood party I’d ever been to. Women in evening gowns, dripping with the kind of jewelry that looks elegant and understated and probably cost a fortune and a half. Men in tuxedos and suits with watches that cost more than my car had. This was the kind of crowd that knew what it meant when clothing was ‘bespoke’.
Add that to the fact that none of the elegant little hand-written cards had anything resembling a price tag, and it came up to a less than a stellar total. There weren’t even starting bids written down, which meant more zeros than most phone numbers.
Lillian Gold might have a pile of clams, but Darla Rowe not so much. There was no way I could come up with the kind of cash these people threw around. I was pretty sure my credit card capped at twenty thousand buckeroos. And this place was probably a cash only kind of joint.
But I had a job to do, and everything was riding on me getting that idol back. If I let it get sold at the auction, it would disappear into some fat cat’s private collection and we’d probably never find it again.
Which meant that we only had one option left to us; a heist. I’d have to cat burglar the thing.
Are you insane?Cain growled from the back of my head where he’d been watching the crowd.We’re not thieves, we’re investigators.
Well, technically, I’m a medium and you’re a ghost, and we ain’t investigators at all.I had to work to keep my face still looking bored and a little aloof. It was harder than normal, what with having a whole silent conversation going on in my head.Besides, stealing something that’s stolen isn’t really stealing. It’s recovering our client’s property.
Darla, how in the world do you think you’re going to steal this thing?
I don’t know, but I’ll figure it out.
And, furthermore, this isn’t the type of place that’s going to react well.
Well, what other choice do we have? It’s not like I can afford to buy the darn thing.
Cain mulled it over for a few minutes before he spoke up again, his voice begrudging.I don’t like it. Not one bit.
I managed to not roll my eyes.Okay, stick in the mud. If you’ve got another idea, I’m all ears.
He was silent.
I didn’t rub it in. I’m a classy dame like that.
I steered Henner to another one of the little card stands and filled him in on what Cain and I had been talking about. “I don’t know about you, but I don’t have the kind of clams to throw around to buy this thing back.”
“So... you’re going to steal it?” he whispered, frowning.
“Well, is taking back a stolen thing really stealing?”
Henner was a bit more reasonable about the whole heist angle, though he did quirk an eyebrow at me. “I doubt very much that the people organizing this will feel the same way. See those guys milling around in the tuxes?”
I followed the jerk of his head, watching one of the guys he’d pointed out from the corner of my eye, so it wasn’t obvious I was gawking. They were big fellas, nice suits, a little too tight through the neck and shoulders. They were also the only ones without dates or someone with them, and they were watching the crowd, not looking at the cards or even the décor.
“Security,” Henner breathed. His lips brushed the shell of my ear, and I shivered. “Human security, but still. It’s still a complication.”
He had me there. Security, yeah, I expected as much. Especially with a bunch of bigwigs who were used to getting their own way.
But it added an extra layer of problem. Neither Henner nor I were big flashy supernaturals, like witches or vampires. No one was summoning a lightning storm, or using their super strength to rip a wall down. But we’d still have to be real sneaky, because even outside of Haven Hollow, we didn’t want too many people asking questions that might make folks’ life in Haven Hollow hard.
But we did have Henner’s Technomancy. He might not have been able to brew a potion or toss a hex like his witch grandmother, but Henner wasn’t exactly a slouch, either. He had a connection with machines. They listened to him, worked for him. If he asked the cameras not to record us, they wouldn’t.
