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The wind had wreaked havoc with her hair twist, and she pushed strands of dark hair off her cheeks. “There’s that hope, at least. I don’t know what I would do without your support, Lucas. You’re the only one I can really talk to about all of it. And here I thought all along you didn’t like me.”
“I didn’t know you,” he shot back. “And what I thought I knew was wrong. I believed what Eric said.” With her big brown eyes fixed on him, he struggled to express what he meant. “I’d known him a long time, and it goes to show how people can beso different from what you think. I never would have guessed Eric to be the straying type.”
“What did you used to think about me?”
“You were young when you and Ryan were dating. When you guys broke up, I thought you were using your sisters as an excuse to toss him aside and you had someone else already picked out. I told you that directly, and the next day you broke up with Ryan. When you started dating Eric, I was sure I was right. But now that I’ve seen the way you put everyone else’s needs ahead of your own, I realize that wasn’t it at all. You’re only now starting to break free of the chains your family has shackled on you. Back then, those chains must have been strangling you.”
She looked down at her hands. “It’s not wrong to take care of other people.”
“Of course it isn’t. Being a police officer is my way of caring for others. But your sisters have hobbled you.”
“I know. I realized that yesterday. Guilt is never a good basis for any kind of decision.”
“You’ve had nothing to feel guilty about. And you still don’t. You can choose to do whatever you want with the egg. It’s yours. Make the decision based on what’s best for you and Noah.”
She caught her bottom lip in her teeth. “Even now I know I need to sell it. It’s too beautiful to be stuck in a safety-deposit box.”
He dragged his attention away from her utterly delicious-looking mouth when his phone dinged with a message. He glanced at it. “And right on time. Here’s the report on Elizabeth I mentioned. We might be getting somewhere.”
Twenty-Four
While Lucas examined his report, Carly pushed Noah in his stroller out on the walkway around the water. The trees blocked the heat of the sun high overhead, and the cool breeze off the river evaporated the perspiration on her forehead.
She might as well follow through with her decision. She looked up the Willard website on her phone and placed a call to the auction house. “Um, I spoke with William Taylor today, but I didn’t get his phone number. Do you have it?”
There was a long pause before the woman spoke. “Mr.Taylor died two weeks ago. Are you sure that’s who you spoke with?”
Carly froze. “He said he was William Taylor.” She told the receptionist about her email and his call before describing the man to her. “I noticed he didn’t look like his picture on the website, but he said those are all fake for privacy concerns.”
“That’s not true. The pictures are accurate, but we haven’t had a chance to remove Mr.Taylor’s information.”
“But he had my email message. Would it have been forwarded to someone else?”
“Let me track down your correspondence. Please hold.”
Music played in her ear, a light classical piano number. The man had provided ID. Surely he was an employee.
It was several minutes before the music stopped and a male voice came on. “Ms.Harris, this is Brian Schoenwald. We’ve tracked your email, but no one seems to have received it. I’m not sure how the impersonator got your information, but it’s very concerning to us. If the man contacts you again, please inform law enforcement. We will look into it on our end.”
“You think you were hacked?”
“We have very tight online security, but there doesn’t seem to be any other explanation. I looked at your pictures, and I believe we would be very interested in taking a look at the egg. May I come for a visit myself and evaluate it?”
She wanted to say no, but she’d already made a decision she felt was right. “Yes, but I’d like a few days. I-I have a busy week ahead. Maybe next week?”
“Today is Friday. How about the end of next week, say next Friday?”
“That would be fine.” She gave him her phone number and the bank address. “Thank you for your help.”
When she ended the call, she glanced back at where she’d left Lucas. He was off the phone as well, so she gestured for him to join her, and he strode toward Noah and her.
He frowned when he saw her. “What’s wrong?”
“William Taylor, therealWilliam Taylor, is dead. That guy was an impostor.” She told him what she’d learned. “He had all the right documentation. How did he even know I’d offered the egg to the auction house?”
His mouth flattened. “It’s easy to hack email and monitor electronics. Someone has a vested interest in discovering what you’re up to. I’ll have Tech go over your computer and phone, but it might have been a remote hack. I’ll put some tighter security on your computer, but in the meantime, you shouldn’t do anything critical. Use my computer—it’s locked down well. There are impressive listening devices out now, though in this case, I suspect someone has rerouted your email. It was a good thing you followed your instincts and didn’t let him have it. If this other guy wants it, don’t let him take it either. We’ll handle security on our end and deliver it to them ourselves.”
Her pulse was beating fast at the thought of how badly things might have gone wrong this morning. It was further confirmation that something had to change in the egg’s circumstances. “What did your report show?”
