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“Then how did Ivan Bury come to know about it? And how does Roger fit in?”
She blew out a frustrated breath. There were still big voids in their knowledge. “Will you be getting a copy of Roger’s phone calls? Maybe we can figure out who his contact was.”
“Already got it. It’s on the printer. Hang on.” He went out of the room to his office and returned with a sheaf of papers.
She took half of the papers and pored through them while Lucas studied the other ones. Only unfamiliar names were on the list, and she laid the papers aside. “Nothing.”
“I might have something.”
Lucas’s voice held a strange note—trepidation maybe—and she moved closer to him to see. She recognized the numberinstantly. “Dad? Dad talked to Roger?” It wasn’t possible for her dad to be mixed up in this, was it? “D-do you still have Eric’s phone call list handy?”
“Yeah, it’s in my office.”
While he retrieved it, she ran through the rest of the calls. Her dad’s number appeared eleven times. Eleven! That wasn’t a random call about selling things at an auction. How had her dad gotten to know Roger?
“Eric talked to my dad too. Why would he do that? They were never really close.”
“Your dad just traveled out of the country,” Lucas said. “I’m not sure why he would do that if he was involved in this.”
Her gaze met his. “Was he really out of the country, though? Can we find out?”
“I can check his passport. But, Carly, this might explain why Isabelle doesn’t want to talk. She’s fifteen. Could your dad have been manipulating her? She’s crazy about Caroline. What if he promised she could keep the baby if she helped him? Kids that age are easily swayed. They don’t have clear thought processes in place yet. And she longed for his approval and felt abandoned when he left her. He might have just asked her to keep him informed of what we’re discovering.”
Why did it hurt so much to know her dad might be involved in this? He’d left her and her sisters long ago. She’d always known they meant little to him in the grand scheme of things. But could he have had anything to do with Eric’s murder?
“What about Eric?” She navigated through her thoughts like a minefield, not sure she wanted to disturb a possible bomb of information that might blow up her life even more.
“Let’s go back to your original list.” He picked up a pen. “Eric found the provenance. Your dad would be the logical person to call, right? He lived in the house all his life until he married. Kyle was often at his grandmother’s house where that chest had been until she died. Maybe Eric thought your dad knew exactly where the egg was and whether it was of any value. For all he knew, Eric might have thought it had been found and sold long ago.”
“But Dad knew nothing about it.” She spoke slowly, feeling her way through the possibilities. “When Dad heard there might be a priceless artifact, he was intrigued. Why would he contact Roger Adams?”
“Maybe Eric didn’t tell him everything. So your dad took it from there and called Roger to see if he had anything that might help him find the egg. Roger might have gone to see Eric on his own to see what else he could find out. Maybe he and Eric struggled and Roger shot him.”
Carly frowned. “Why didn’t Eric take the egg and sell it?”
“Maybe he realized it was wrong. He backed out of letting anyone go through the chest. Or maybe he only found the provenance and hadn’t found the egg before he was killed.”
She nodded. “The items were all still in the chest, so nothing was gone but the provenance. The provenance could have been right on top and Eric missed the egg wrapped in the shawl. I didn’t find it until I shook out the shawl.”
A movement came from the doorway, and a very pale Isabelle moved into sight. Her tearstained face was set and determined. “I can answer most of those questions.”
Thirty-Nine
Carly shot to her feet and went to embrace her sister. Isabelle trembled like a frightened puppy in her arms, and Carly led her to the sofa. “You feel hot. Are you still sick?”
She smoothed Isabelle’s blonde hair, which was a rat’s nest of tangles that included dirt from the ordeal this afternoon, and she caught a whiff of vomit. The poor thing. “Are you sure you want to talk about it now?”
Isabelle rubbed her eyes. “I have to. I can’t sleep until I tell you. I’m so ashamed. I knew better, but I thought if I did what he wanted, he’d love me. He’s never loved me, not really. Neither has Mom.”
Carly held her while she sobbed on her shoulder. “I love you, Isabelle. So do Gram and our sisters. I know it hurts.”
Isabelle lifted her head when Caroline began to fuss. “I’ll get her.” She rose as if her bones hurt and stooped down to gather the baby in her arms. Caroline settled as soon as Isabelle snuggled her against her chest, and her eyes closed.
“She loves you too. So does Noah.”
Isabelle shook her head. “I can’t believe I let him talk me into this.”
Lucas exchanged a glance with Carly. “Start at the beginning.”
