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Caroline had never been boy-crazy, but it was easy to get her head turned by Ryland. She wasn’t usually one to kiss first. Besides, now was not the time to worry about Ryland. She had murders to solve and a brother to save.
Returning to the office, she sat at the computer and pulled up her files from the cloud. She’d been working for months on tracing the three missing vases. If someone owned them, they were in danger of being killed, and there was no way to warn them.
She had considered doing a social media appeal. Something like,if you own one of the Vases of Destiny, you will die.
But she would look like a crazy crackpot. Not a great color on anyone. Joan had shot down that idea too. She didn’t want anyone else looking into this mystery for her own reasons.
As she continued to search through Ryland’s home, Caroline didn’t find anything too terrible. He was tidier than most men she knew, but his walls were shockingly bare. For a man who worked in international crimes … which often translated to stolen art … there was no indication that he enjoyed any art on his walls.
Caroline stood at the very last door in the apartment. The last one to open. She tried to turn the handle, but it was locked. Frustrated, she tried again.
Why would Ryland keep a room in his own house under lock and key? He had a secret. One that he was ashamed of. That was the only logical explanation she could come up with.
She was rifling through the junk drawer in the kitchen, looking for the key, when there was a knock on the front door. Caroline stilled. Her guilty conscience was playing tricks on her. She paused and listened again.
Yup. There was a knock on the door.
She quickly grabbed her phone and texted Ryland.
Caroline: Were you expecting a visitor?
Ryland: Fuck no. Don’t answer the door. No matter what you do, DO. NOT. ANSWER. THE. DOOR.
Caroline: Stop shouting at me.
She grinned at her phone as she imagined the anger Ryland would feel when he saw her response.
The visitor knocked again, this time with more insistence. Caroline pursed her lips and shook her head. Ryland had probably forgotten that he had someone coming over. She snuck to the door and took a peek through the peephole. If he didn’t want people to peep, he shouldn’t have a peephole, right?
There, on the other side of the door, was the most elegant woman Caroline had ever seen. She wouldn’t have looked out of place in Paris or London. Her silver-white hair was perfectly coiffed, and for a lady with a full head of white hair, she didn’t have any wrinkles.
It wasn’t the work of a plastic surgeon, either. This was purely good genes.
Even her blue dress was pure elegance.
Valerie Wolverton was a stunner. Caroline recognized her from the perusal of Ryland’s life.
When Valerie smirked right into the peephole, Caroline gasped.
The woman smirked. “I don’t know who you are, but I can hear you through the door.”
“Shit,” she whispered and ducked as if the woman could see her.
It was ludicrous! There was no way the woman could’ve seen her. Caroline just had to wait until she tired herself out and left.
“I’m Valerie Wolverton. You’re in my son’s apartment, and you might as well open the door. We’re meeting for dinner tomorrow evening.”
At the very same time, another text came in from Ryland.
Ryland: Don’t open the door to anyone! Even if she claims to be my mother! Especially if it’s my mother.
But it was too late. Caroline had already unlocked the door.
Valerie beamed at her. “I knew you’d be a brown-haired beauty. You’re just adorable. Thanks for letting me in.”
“No problem, Mrs. Wolverton. I’m Caroline.”
Valerie walked through to the living room and settled on the couch. “My son is going to be livid that I’m here, but I knew he’d find a way to avoid dinner tomorrow. He’s never brought a woman home, you see. I raised that boy. I know how he is.”
