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“Did he tell you where it was?”
I held my breath. Did Collin actually have it? “No. He just gave me the watches to appraise. He never mentioned where anything else was.” Was I doing the right thing? I had no idea how Collin was really involved in the Ricardo deal. For all I knew, I was screwing him over. But I had to survive this encounter, and throwing Collin under the bus was the only way I saw that happening. I’d deal with the fallout later.
“Did he plan to take you to the collection?”
I hesitated, not sure of what the right answer would be. “We never got that far.”
His eyes narrowed. “Marino was never certain whether Dailey had it or not. He claimed he didn’t, but we all know that every other word out of his mouth is a lie, so we’ve been watching him and biding our time. Marino had begun to believe Dailey really didn’t have any part in the theft.” He grinned. “Until you showed up with those candlesticks. So many alarms went off in that one visit.”
My heart sped up. “So, you think Collindoeshave it?”
“That or he knows where it is. Doesn’t this watch he gave you prove it?” He sat back a bit and I let out my breath. “Marino thinks that map he loves so much might have a clue about where the collection is hidden. Did you ever see anything on the map that might support that?”
“No.” I shook my head. “I barely saw it. I’ve been trying to get the map myself.”
He perked up. “You’ve been trying to get the map? Do you still have access to Collin?”
Oh, crap. “I see him around.”
His jaw tightened as he gripped the arm of the chair with his left hand, his right still holding the gun steady. “Are you or are you not still working with Collin Dailey?” His eyebrows lifted ominously. “Think carefully about your answer.”
Shit. What should I say? Both yes and no seemed fraught with danger. If I said no, then he’d probably take me to Marino, and Ireallydidn’t want to go there. If I said yes, he might kill me because of my association alone. Neither sounded like a good option. God, I hoped I was making the right choice. “Neither.”
“Whatthe fuckdoes that mean?”
“I’m a middle-of-the-road kind of girl and I’m not big on commitment. Collin comes to me every now and then to ask me a question about antiquities. Sometimes I answer, sometimes I don’t.” I gave him a wicked smile, trying to keep my chin from quivering with fear.
He stood. “I think we need to make a trip to Buxton.”
Wrong answer. I stood and scooted around the arm of the sofa. “I’m sorry. I already have plans today.”
He pointed the gun in my direction as he leaned over and closed the lid to the box. “Change them.”
He was going to take Daddy’s watches and I really needed them now. How could I get out of this situation alive andwiththe watches? “Wait. There’s one more.” My words came out shaky. I had to get myself together to make this work.
His head lifted. “One more what? Watch?”
“Yes.”
“How do I know you’re not lying?”
I pointed to the box. “If you look closely, there’s an impression of the third watch in the case.”
He lifted the lid and leaned closer. “I’ll be damned.” He looked up, his eyes hard. “Where is it?”
I forced myself to take slow, steady breaths. “I hid it. In case Collin ever tried to take them back. Insurance.”
“Smart girl.”
“If you give me some time, I can try to get Collin to tell me where the rest of the collection is.”
He looked dubious. “You think you can really get him to cooperate?”
I put my hand on my hip. “I’m not like all of Collin’s other women. Don’t underestimate me. Give me until next week and I’ll have more information for you.”
“You have until tomorrow night. I’ll be here at eight.”
“My neighbors are extra nosy. Make it eleven.”
