Sinner or Saint Read online

  “Where do you work now?” Bridget asked.

  “At Foot Locker in the mall, right across from Lemming Jewelry. Matt Jr. smirks at me every day as he helps customers. I’d like to knock him out!” Pete said, making the overflowing ashtray jump as he pounded his fist on the table.

  “How was he able to run the business without being certified?” Marlee asked.

  “Junior was operating under his father’s name and no one noticed. Not until I snooped around. I heard that he’s working on his certification now.”

  Marlee scooped up the real emeralds and the fake emeralds and put the pouch in her coat pocket. The cousins said their good-byes and walked out the door. Pete stood in the open doorway and watched them walk away.

  “For the record,” Pete said, “I don’t think you’re too old to be strippers. I’d love to see you both naked.”

  Marlee and Bridget rushed to the end of the hall and raced down the stairs. “He’s such a swine,” Bridget said as they hurried outside to the SUV.

  “I know. I don’t care how much he knows about emeralds, he’s a pervert. And I’m going to have a word with Denny tomorrow. He’s another pervert. I wouldn’t be at all surprised to find out that Denny actually does send strippers to his clients when their cases are thrown out.”

  Bridget snorted. “I’d hate to see what he sends his clients when they win a case.”

  Back at Marlee’s house, the two grabbed bottles of beer from the fridge and sat in the living room. “If what Pete Jackson says is true, why would two of the emeralds be real and two be fakes? What’s the end goal? I can understand if they were all real or all fake, but why a mixture?” Marlee moved some papers and poured the stones out on the coffee table.

  “In case whoever is receiving them checks to see if they’re genuine?” Bridget suggested.

  “But would an expert only check one stone? If so, there’s a fifty-fifty chance that they’ll determine the stones are fakes. I can understand trying to pass all four stones off as real, thinking that no one will know enough to determine their legitimacy. And if it was believed that the stones would be examined by an expert, then I’d think all of the stones would be real. This mixture of real and fake emeralds doesn’t make any sense to me.” Marlee took a swig from her bottle of Bud Light, swishing it around in her mouth as she thought about their encounter with Pete. “When Denny Harlow told me about Pete, he said the guy was a jewel expert, but only if he was sober. Is it possible Pete made a mistake?”

  Bridget shrugged. “I saw the Jack Daniel’s bottle, but I didn’t smell any alcohol. Just pot. If I were paying to receive emeralds or anything of high value, I’d want an expert to ensure authenticity and value.”

  “But if the emeralds are stolen, then it gets a bit trickier to find an expert. If you’re part of a jewel theft ring, I suppose they have plenty of their own experts. But what about Joe Schmo who gets into this business? How does he go about finding an expert on jewels?”

  “How does Joe Schmo get into the illegal jewel trade to begin with?” Marlee asked. “If I were going to get involved in jewel smuggling, I’d have a jewel expert lined up to begin with. But I’m a Type A person and like to have all my bases covered.”

  “You might not be the ideal candidate for jewel smuggling,” Bridget said with a laugh.

  “But I know who is.” Marlee grabbed her coat and started toward the door. “Conrad Thayer!”

  I get the feeling I’m not the only one running a side scam. You really can’t trust anyone.

  Chapter 26

  Conrad opened the door to his mansion before Marlee and Bridget reached the doorstep. “I wasn’t expecting you, but then again, this seems to be your home away from home.”

  The McCabe cousins ignored the sarcasm and entered the grandiose house, barely giving Conrad’s attire a glace. As was customary, his clothing and accessories portrayed a theme, and tonight’s theme was drunken Civil War soldier. He was clad in a Union blue overcoat with a bayonet in a scabbard strapped to a leather belt. A blue woolen forage cap topped his head, and to make the ensemble a little more authentic, he had bandaged his right hand and tinged the white rag with red. He wore a cloth-covered canteen in cross-body fashion. In Conrad’s left hand, he held his signature Scotch on the rocks with one lonely rock.

  “You two are certainly taking casual dress to the next level,” he said, eyeing Marlee’s concert t-shirt and flannel pants and Bridget’s college sweatshirt and fleece pajama bottoms. “Are you undercover as destitute non-traditional students at the university?” Although his speech was clear, Conrad teetered as he walked toward the sitting room. They both waved him away as he pointed to the drink cart.

  “Have you heard anything from Ian, Patrick, or Kelsey?” Marlee asked as she and Bridget settled in on a newly-acquired antique couch with nature-themed upholstery.

  “No, why should I? The three of them are a bunch of con artists. They scammed me and took the glass with them. I don’t know why they all bothered to come to the U.S. in the first place. Kelsey could’ve done all the dirty work on her own.”

  Marlee knew the green glass story was a farce but played along to keep Conrad talking. “So, you think Kelsey was just as involved as Ian and Patrick? I think Ian was the mastermind and Patrick and his family got caught up in the whole thing to save their B&B. Anything Patrick or Kelsey did was to preserve their livelihood,” Marlee said, not at all committed to what she was saying, but hoping to elicit more information from Conrad.

  “If you believe that, then I have some property I’d like to sell you,” Conrad snorted. “It wouldn’t surprise me at all if Kelsey double-crossed Ian and hung her father and the family business out to dry. That girl is much more cunning than you think.”

  “A nineteen-year-old who’s never left home before orchestrated this whole thing?” Bridget shook her head in disbelief.

  “Not from start to finish, but I think she’s sharp enough to maximize her opportunities. She’s no dummy, and when something came along where she could benefit, she took it. Once Kelsey made it through airport security with the glass, she formulated her plan to make everything work to her benefit. When things didn’t work out as she planned, she’d roll with it and devise a new scheme.”

  “You may be right about, Kelsey,” Marlee said as she shifted her weight on the uncomfortable couch. “How did you know for sure the glass you were receiving was real? It would’ve been easy for Ian to send any old green glass and pass it off as the James Joyce glass.”

  “I’ve worked with Ian O’Sullivan several times in the past, and we developed a trust. Until now, that is,” he said staring into his drink.

  “Had Ian not shown up and barged into your house and had he or Kelsey not stolen the glass, would you still trust him?” Bridget asked.

  “Maybe. I don’t know. So much has happened that it’s impossible to say. I won’t trust Ian or any of his associates again.”

  “Even though you trusted Ian, were you going to have an expert certify that the glass was authentic?” Marlee had moved to the edge of the uncomfortable couch, tapping her foot in anticipation of Conrad’s answers.

  “Of course. I’m not a fool. I have everything in my collection vetted and appraised, regardless of the source.” Conrad hoisted himself from a wingback chair, wincing as he got to his feet. He tottered over to the drink cart and poured himself another Scotch. “Sure you won’t have a drink?”

  “Well, okay,” Marlee said in an effort to keep the conversation going. “A gin and tonic, please. Diet tonic, if you have it.”

  “Same for me, but regular tonic,” Bridget said, crossing one slim leg over the other as she perched on the couch without any discomfort.

  “And nothing Ian procured for you raised any suspicions?” Marlee reached for her drink as Conrad walked by with a small tray.

  “Everything was legitimate. He’d found some sculptures and a painting for me last year and six first-edition books in the two years prior to that. He had the proven
ances for the art works and the letters of authenticity for the books. I had them verified by my expert, and they checked out.”

  “So why did Ian choose this time to double-cross you?” Bridget asked.

  “I don’t think he started out trying to con me. I suspect he had Kelsey lined up to transport the glass, thinking she was a dimwit. When it turned out that she tried to double-cross both of us, Ian had to do something. Ultimately, he burned a bridge when he pulled this stunt. I won’t be doing business with him anymore, and I’m putting out the word to my collector friends that Ian O’Sullivan cannot be trusted. He can go back to small time loan sharking and running his pathetic strip club.”

  “Do you think Ian is dangerous? I mean, would he kill Kelsey?” Marlee asked.

  “Doubtful. Ian doesn’t like to get his hands too dirty. But he might hire somebody to do it,” Conrad said.

  “How do you know your so-called expert is legit? He could be playing you and in cahoots with Ian,” Bridget said.

  “No, Matthew wouldn’t do that. He’s been my trusted expert and confidant for over twenty years,” Conrad insisted. “He worked with me when I ran my gaming business in California and moved here last year so he could continue working with me.”

  “He’s a computer expert and an authority on art, books, literary memorabilia, and other collectibles?” Marlee asked, raising her eyebrow. “This guy has all sorts of unrelated areas of expertise. That seems like an unlikely résumé.”

  “Any chance he could’ve been working against you all along? Or maybe he was a loyal employee until someone paid him to lie to you,” Bridget said.

  Conrad’s jaw dropped as he slowly made the connection. “That bastard! I’ll wring his scrawny neck when I get my hands on him.”

  “What’s his name, Conrad?” Marlee asked, hoping the eccentric billionaire would finally divulge the name of the person who was the key to the whole mystery.

  “You wouldn’t know him. He only recently moved back to Elmwood.”

  “Back here? He lived here before he worked with you in California?” Marlee asked.

  “I’ve known him since we were children. I came to Elmwood during the summers to visit my grandparents, and he lived across the street from them. I trusted him with everything! Never ever did I think he’d double-cross me like this!” Conrad raged, downing the last of his Scotch and wobbling toward the drink cart for another.

  “Is it Pete Jackson?” Bridget asked.

  “Who? Never heard of him,” Conrad said.

  “You called him Matthew. What’s his last name?” Marlee pushed.

  “None of your business. If I tell you, then you’ll get the cops involved. I prefer to handle this little weasel on my own. Now, if you’ll be so kind as to leave my house.” Conrad gestured with his bandaged hand toward the door.

  “But, what’s the harm in telling us?” Bridget argued. “We promise not to tell Hector or anyone else about this.”

  Marlee grabbed Bridget by the arm and steered her toward the door. “Shut up!” she hissed at her cousin. “I know who it is.”

  Bridget wrestled her arm away from Marlee and glared at her as they walked toward the SUV. “Well, who is it?”

  Wait a minute! Everything changed again. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.

  Chapter 27

  “Think about it for a minute. Who do we know of named Matthew that has a background in appraisal and lives here in Elmwood?” Marlee asked.

  “The guy who fired Pete Jackson! The son of the owner who took over Lemming Jewelry when the dad died!” Bridget gasped.

  The two drove back to Marlee’s house in order to formulate the rest of their plan. “Of course, it’s Matt Lemming. We should have known as soon as Pete mentioned him. Duh!” Marlee shook her head in disbelief at her own stupidity.

  “But we didn’t know if Pete was being straight with us. He whipped off his shirt and got ready for a lap dance when he thought we were strippers. He’s not exactly the most honorable guy around.”

  “True, but he did provide us with plenty of information on Matt Lemming. We know his store is in the mall, which wouldn’t have been too hard to figure out on our own once we had his name,” Marlee said as she pulled into the alley leading to her detached garage and hit the garage door opener.

  “And Pete said that Matt’s store is right across from Foot Locker. I think we should go there first thing in the morning to confront him,” Bridget said, slamming the passenger door and marching toward the back door of Marlee’s home.

  “Let’s think about this for a minute,” Marlee said, glad the mall wasn’t currently open. At least there was time to decide how to act rather than confront Matt with no particular plan. “We need to find out how many other jewelers there are in town and the surrounding area. I’m sure Matt is Conrad’s expert, but I want to make damn sure before we accuse him.”

  Once inside the house, Marlee placed an order to Domino’s Pizza, and Bridget grabbed a new bottle of Limoncello and two shot glasses. The McCabe cousins sat at the table in front of their laptops searching local experts on jewels, jewelry stores, and pawn shops. Sipping on Limoncello, they each sank into their own world until the doorbell rang.

  Marlee jumped from her chair and grabbed a twenty-dollar bill and a few singles from her purse. Teo Cook stood at the door, hunched over from the cold wind which had picked up in the past hour. “Hey, Dr. McCabe. A big storm’s blowing in,” he said as he unzipped the black, insulated pouch and handed her the extra-large, thin-crust pizza topped with Canadian bacon and green peppers.

  “Step inside and warm up, Teo,” Marlee said motioning him into the foyer. “Do you want a cup of hot chocolate or some tea?”

  Teo smiled his appreciation. “No, but thanks. I have coffee in the car.” He rubbed his gloved hands together as he spoke.

  All of a sudden, Marlee remembered that Kelsey mentioned meeting Teo at a coffee shop. She’d even asked Marlee if he was single. “Teo, I think we have a mutual acquaintance; Kelsey Rafferty. She’s visiting here from Dublin and mentioned that she met you the other day.”

  “Right. We were texting a lot, and then she just stopped. I don’t know what I said, but I made her mad. Or made her not interested in me anymore.”

  “When did you last hear from her?”

  “Yesterday morning and then nothing. I’ve tried texting and calling. I apologized, even though I don’t know why she ghosted me,” Teo said with a shrug.

  Her first instinct was to comfort the hurting young man, but she resisted. Marlee knew that Teo’s temporary heartbreak was minor in comparison to finding out where Kelsey was and if she was okay. “Did she mention anything to you about her dad or a man named Ian O’Sullivan?”

  Teo shook his head. “She never mentioned either of them. Mostly she talked about how happy she was to be here in Elmwood and how nice everyone was to her. She was going to be a professional makeup artist and move to Hollywood to work on films sometime down the road. But for now, she was happy here and talked about how much she admired you.”

  Marlee bit her lip, deciding what to say next. She needed to put her feelings on a back burner and deal with the facts if she had any hope of finding Kelsey. “Did you know anything about Kelsey using pain killers? And before you insist that she wasn’t a drug addict, I can tell you that I know she was. I saw her taking pills, and she admitted it to me.”

  “She asked me if I knew anybody who could hook her up with Oxy,” Teo replied. “I’m not into all that, and I told her so. Kelsey just laughed it off and said she wasn’t a regular user but that she was treating a back injury from a car accident, and her prescription ran out in Dublin. She claimed it was too much trouble to get another one here.”

  “And?” Marlee motioned Teo into the living room and waved for him to sit down.

  “And I let it go at that. Deep down, I didn’t believe her, but you know how it is when you meet someone new. Especially when they’re from another country and they seem so nice and fun.
I was uneasy but chalked it up to cultural differences. If a friend from around here asked me about an Oxy dealer, that would be a major red flag. With Kelsey, I gave her the benefit of the doubt. Looking back now, I shouldn’t have been so understanding.”

  “I think we’ve all made allowances for people when we shouldn’t, Teo, so don’t be too hard on yourself. From what I know about Kelsey now, she had a lot of secrets that none of us could’ve predicted. The last I knew, she was forced to leave with her father and Ian O’Sullivan.”

  “Forced? Kelsey was kidnapped?” Teo’s eyes widened and his jaw hung open.

  “I don’t know. Maybe she was kidnapped. Maybe she was an accomplice in a jewelry heist gone wrong. She told me a lot of lies, so I don’t know what to believe. Kelsey mentioned you met at the coffee shop, and she seemed to like you, so I thought you might know something about her whereabouts,” Marlee confided.

  “Is that why you ordered pizza tonight?” Teo asked.

  “No, we just really wanted pizza. I didn’t think about talking to you about Kelsey until I saw you were the delivery person.” Marlee gave an affirmative nod to show Teo she was sincere.

  “You mentioned a jewel heist. Was Kelsey involved in the break-in at the jewelry store at the mall?”

  “A break in at the mall? When? How do you know about it?” Bridget asked, barging in from the dining room.

  Teo looked at Bridget questioningly before turning to Marlee. “This is Bridget. She’s my cousin.”

  He nodded as he eyed the dissimilar cousins. “My grandma has a police scanner, and she called me. Said someone held up the jewelry store in the mall. A gun was involved from what grandma heard.”

  “Was anyone hurt?” Marlee asked.