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“Marjory is correct. Someone pulled the diamond necklace off her neck.”
“And you saw this?” Shah asked. “When the lights were off?”
“Er, well…” The older gentleman glanced at his wife. “If Marjory said that’s what happened then that’s what happened. We need to call the police.”
Police. Yeah. No. That would be a serious problem. Police were never allowed in a Society location if it could be avoided. Hell, half the locations were hidden so the cops didn’t even know they existed.
Shit. He was going to have to step in and try to smooth things over.Not his forte.
“As I started to say before,” Mrs. Carruthers broke in. “I can assure you that—”
“Mrs. Addison,” Flynn said, overriding Mrs. Carruthers’ voice, “I’m Flynn O’Connor, one of the lead security officers for the Rainy Day Club worldwide. I’m sorry this happened to you. It’s been a traumatic evening, but maybe you’d consider dealing with all of this in the morning. It’ll give us a chance to review our security protocols and search the Manor for your missing necklace.” She started to speak but he cut her off. “If we don’t find it, then if you’ll provide us with the insurance documents for it, we’ll be happy to cover the cost of the necklace.” He was making it up on the fly, but he needed these people to go home.
He watched her expression closely. Her eyes narrowed and her mouth pursed. Cash wasn’t working for her.
“Or,” he continued, “we could have your necklace remade at…” What the hell was the name of that jewelry store… “Harry Winston in New York.” Her eyes got narrower still. “Of course, if you have a preferred jeweler, I’m sure we could get it remade with them.” Ryker was going to have his ass for this if it didn’t work out.
Mrs. Addison blinked. “Harry Winston,” she murmured.
“My wife’s necklace had sentimental value,” her husband stated. “Merely replacing it will not be the same as finding the original.”
“Of course. Understandable,” Flynn agreed. What the hell would make this woman happy? “Maybe we could add matching earrings? We will, of course, search the Manor for your necklace. Everything possible will be done to find it.”
“Matching earrings?” She grabbed her husband’s arm. “From Harry Winston?”
Flynn nodded.
“Well, I’m sure…that is, I am of course devastated that I lost my necklace, and nothing can make up for the loss of such a beloved item, but I can tell you’re sincere in your apologies and well, these things can’t be helped sometimes. What is this world coming to? Having the necklace remade at Harry Winston along with matching earrings would, of course, be acceptable.”
Flynn did his best not to smile. He just bet it would be acceptable. “Thank you for being so understanding. Someone will be in touch to make sure we get everything set up for the replacement.” He turned and offered her his arm, which she took promptly, and walked her toward the door. “Please drive safely and once again, our sincerest apologies for this evening’s happenings.”
“Of course.” With that, Mr. and Mrs. Addison were escorted out the door by a young kid with an umbrella and taken down to their waiting car.
Flynn turned and looked at the small crowd that had walked over to the door with him. “Someone want to tell me what the fuck is going on?”
Shah rubbed his face. “At least they’re happy now. Good thinking on throwing in the earrings.”
“Has this type of thing happened before?” Flynn asked.
“Yes, but only small things, and I’m Gina Ling, by the way,” said the attractive woman wearing the fairy wings. “We didn’t get a chance to meet earlier.” She extended her arm.
He shook her hand and waited for more details.
“Mrs. Carruthers would know more than I would. Mrs. C.?”
Mrs. Carruthers said, “Gina is correct, we’ve had a few small things disappear. A brooch, a favorite pen, a book. Small trinkets mainly. This is the first time something of extreme value was taken.”
Shah eyed him. “What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking the first power outage wasn’t an accident. In the morning, Mrs. Carruthers, organize a search for the necklace. I don’t think we’ll find it but who knows.”
There was a loud bang and Flynn spun to his left. Then swore and put his hand to his head.
“It was just a shutter hitting the side of the house. Are you okay?” Shah asked.
“Yeah. Fine.” He fucking hated small towns and all their nonsense. Give him an apartment building any day. “Okay, let’s call it a night. Keep your eyes open and let me know if anything else goes missing.” Flynn turned and went back to the stairs.
Whatever the hell was going on here, whoever was involved, they’d just upped the ante by hitting him in the back of the head. He could guarantee they weren’t ready for the hell he was going to rain down on them. They weren’t even gonna see it comin’.
