“I promise.�
18
It didn’t occur to Olivia until after she’d entered the store that the reason Andrew could have been so reluctant to visit Stanley’s was because he’d commissioned their engagement ring from him. Lowell had jewelers, of course, but they were chain stores with no heart. However, when they entered the small store, which sat a few streets back from the town square, Andrew didn’t look particularly concerned.
Stanley’s Gems might be an expensive jewelry store, but it housed everything from costume jewelry to large sparkly diamonds. There was a small corner section with plastic tiaras and colored glass, probably where Snowball’s owners got his sparkly decorations, but there were also glass display cases with gorgeous and expensive-looking gems. Diamonds, sapphires, rubies, pearls.
And emeralds.
Stanley’s daughter, Julie, stood behind the counter and gave them a wide smile. “Welcome to Stanley’s,� she greeted them cheerfully. “You two look like a couple in love. What are we looking for today? A gift for a special occasion? Anniversary? Engagement, perhaps?�
Finally, someone who didn’t know that Andrew was supposed to be proposing to her. Giving him a sly side look to gauge his expression, she was disappointed to see his face was still impassive. It would be so much easier to discuss the engagement before the proposal if she didn’t have to give away that she already knew about the whole thing. “None of the above. We found this ring on the sidewalk this morning, and we wanted to return it to the owner.�
Julie immediately pulled out her jeweler’s loupe to examine the ring. “I see that it doesn’t have an inscription,� she murmured. Putting the loupe down, she shook her head. “We can inscribe even the thinnest bands, you know. Initials or a simple ‘I love you.’ It can make all the difference in the world.�
Olivia exchanged an amused look with Andrew. “We’ll be sure to spread the word,� she assured her. It seemed that while Stanley was the designer, his daughter was the sales woman. They made a dynamic team.
“That’s so sweet of you!� Julie beamed as she went back to examining the ring. “It’s an emerald, beautiful color and stunning clarity. Just a little under two carats. Platinum setting. If I remember the design correctly, this ring had two small diamonds that were supposed to sit on either side of the emerald. It’s a shame that they’re missing. I’m sure the owner is more than anxious to get them replaced, which we do here without a fee for the first five years.�
“Yes, I’m sure they’re very anxious. Did your father make this ring in the past five years?� Olivia prodded her.
“I don’t think that it was a special order,� Julie said, handing the ring back. “And I’m afraid that I don’t remember the sale, but I think we must have featured this ring in our design catalogue because it’s simply stunning. If that’s true, then it’ll be possible to link the catalogue number with the purchaser, assuming that they used a credit card.�
Olivia had been just about to thank the woman when Julie reached under and pulled out a huge three-ring binder. It hit the counter hard, and she pushed it their way. “Okay. If you find it, please let me know.�
Olivia stared at the book in dismay, then looked up at Andrew. It would seem that Julie was much less interested in them now that she realized they weren’t here to buy. “I think we’re going to be here for a while.�
He kissed the top of her head. “Why don’t you finish up here, and I’ll run into the city and get you a replacement phone. I want to make sure that I get there before the store closes.�
A replacement phone meant that she’d finally be able to discover who was after Rose’s necklace. “That would be amazing, thank you.�
“If it does link back to Yvette, you’ll take the ring straight to Nick?�
“Scout’s honor!� she promised.
“Okay.� He sauntered out the door, and she clutched the binder to her chest and sat down heavily on one of the chairs by the wall. Her ankle still ached a little, and she needed a break.
The book wasn’t the most organized. Olivia had hoped that it was, at the very least, divided by gemstone, but it wasn’t. As she slowly flipped through the book, she couldn’t help but let a forbidden question pop into her head.
What kind of ring had Andrew gotten her? Did he think that she was the princess-cut type or maybe the dainty teardrop? Was it a gold band or silver? While Olivia didn’t wear much jewelry, she had a whole stand crammed full of jewelry that she’d collected over the years. Some pieces were from ex-boyfriends who’d refused to take them back. Most were impulse buys that she’d purchased herself but never wore, a mix of metals and colors. One spring, Olivia had gone crazy over mint-green stones, and that winter, she’d obsessed over black pearls.
There were moments when she wanted to be girly. Despite her chef coat, Janelle was always impeccably dressed underneath. Even Jackie, in her own quirky way, managed to seem feminine and gorgeous. Olivia was never like that. When she looked at women liked Delilah, she wondered why Andrew had chosen her. She wanted to wear perfect makeup and deck herself out in shiny baubles, but those moments were few and far-between.
A customer entered the store, reminding Olivia of her mission. She went back to flipping through the book until, what seemed like hours later, she finally discovered what she was looking for.
There it was—the deep green emerald popped out in the photo, sparkling on what was probably Julie’s perfectly manicured finger. Holding her place with her hand, Olivia hurried back up to the counter to get Julie’s attention, laid the binder down and pointed to the photo of the ring.
“Did you find it?� Julie asked with loud enthusiasm. “Yes, you did! You’re such a good detective!� She was using almost the same voice that Olivia used when praising Goodwin, but it wasn’t the tone that bothered Olivia. It was the praise itself.
Olivia furrowed her brow. “Detective?� Did Julie know what she was doing?
“Yes! You’re taking the time to hunt down the owner of this ring. Putting your nose to the ground and sniffing out clues! I’ll just take this design number to the back and see if I can’t find who purchased it.� With a bright smile, Julie practically bounced to the back room. Briefly, Olivia wondered how much coffee the woman had to drink in order to have that much energy.
Left alone with the other customer in the store, Olivia looked over at him and gave him a weak smile. “Hi,� she said lamely. “I’m not really doing any detective work. I kind of promised my boyfriend that I wouldn’t. He worries about me. I’m just trying to return a ring.�
“You didn’t like the ring?� he asked.
“Oh, no. I’m not returning it here. I’m returning it to its owner. It’s not an engagement ring. At least, it’s not my engagement ring. I found it. But my boyfriend has a ring. At least, I assume that he has a ring. I’m sure I’ll love it. It’s not like I’m the kind of woman who would turn down a proposal because I don’t like the ring. No, I would turn down the proposal because I’m not sure he’s asking for the right reasons. My friend thinks that I have an aversion to commitment, but that can’t possibly be right.�
Stopping to take a deep breathe, she recognized the look on his face. She was babbling. Trying to clarify things, she started again. “Marriage is a big step, and I think both parties should really give it some serious thought. I mean, you’re just supposed to do it once, right? My parents got divorced. Some kids might be messed up over that, but not me. Iâ�
�™m an adult. I realize that my parents were unhappy. The fact that they were fighting because of decisions that I made to change things is completely irrelevant. People get divorced. They get divorced all the time, but I don’t want to get divorced.â€�
Realizing that she was starting to sound like her sister, Olivia stopped. “So, what are you here for?�
The man looked confused. “I’m not sure. I thought I was going to pick out an engagement ring for my girlfriend.�
Crap. “Oh, I bet you have great taste. You’re wearing that excellently tailored suit, and I’m sure your girlfriend is just amazing, and you’ll pick out the perfect ring, and you two will just live happily ever after. Congratulations,� she finished lamely and turned her head to stare at the wall. What was wrong with her? An hour ago, she had been feeling so good, and now she was a bumbling idiot.
Thankfully, Julie returned. “All right. It looks like this was purchased almost two years ago by a J. Kennedy.�
Jacob. Two years ago, Jacob was with Yvette, which meant that he’d purchased the ring for her.
Swallowing hard, she stared at the ring in her hand and willed herself not to cry. Did Jacob rip it off her finger after he’d killed her? Did he throw it in a rage? Is that what relationships came to when proposals and weddings didn’t go well?
Tracing her finger lightly over the photo, Olivia took a deep breath. That wouldn’t happen to her and Andrew. She’d have a talk with him, and he would understand. Just like he understood that she couldn’t move in with him.
Not for the first time, she wondered how many times Andrew would understand.
Unable to look at the photo anymore, Olivia turned it over and stopped. The photo on the other side was also familiar.
“That’s Samantha’s ring,� Olivia whispered as she stared at it. Rage burned inside her. Was there no thought put into Jacob’s next engagement ring? Two years later, he simply chose the very next one in the book?
“Why yes, Samantha just fell in love with that one,� Julie said brightly. “Don’t you just love it? I think it’s the most gorgeous diamond that we have in the store. If you’re interested in one yourself, we have plenty of ways that we can personalize it, just for you.�
Of course Samantha fell in love with the diamond. She would have loved anything that Jacob gave her. Would she be Jacob’s next victim? Thanking Julie, Olivia slowly walked out of the store. A dark cloud had settled over her head. It looked like the case was finally solved, but not in the way that Olivia had hoped.
As she had promised, Olivia slipped the ring into her pocket and headed straight for the sheriff’s station.
19
Andrew pocketed Olivia’s new phone and headed to his car. He was curious about what Olivia had discovered about the ring, and since he couldn’t call her, he did the next best thing and called Nick. Knowing that Olivia would do as she promised, he assumed that she’d take the ring straight to the sheriff if it was important to the case.
“Andrew,� Nick answered in his husky voice. He sounded even more tired, if that was possible. “I guess you’re wondering if that tip panned out. One of these days, you’re going to have to let me know how Olivia came by that information.�
“And when you’re retired, and this whole mess is behind us, I’ll tell you. I actually called to see if Olivia stopped by. We found a ring outside of where Yvette’s food truck used to be parked, and Celeste, of all people, hinted that the ring might have belonged to Yvette.�
“You asked Celeste about the origins of a ring?� Nick asked in a perplexed voice. “Olivia must really be feeling desperate.�
“No!� Andrew laughed as he navigated traffic. “It’s a long story. Olivia actually took it to Stanley’s to see if he could identify the buyer. She promised to take it straight to you if it belonged to Yvette, and since her phone is broken, I can’t call her to ask what she discovered.�
“She’s not here,� Nick sighed, “but I had to let Jacob go.�
“Let him go? Did he lawyer up?� Andrew started to panic. If Jacob was free, he could go after Olivia again, and this time, he might succeed. “Have you lost your mind? He’ll kill her!�
“It’s not Jacob,� Nick insisted. “He has an airtight alibi for the morning that Olivia was nearly run over. He was talking to the manager of the condo facility because he’s planning on selling the place. The whole office confirmed it, and when I confronted him about the contract that I pulled from his law team and the photos on his computer, the man fell apart. He was practically in tears. Apparently, Jacob only drew up the contract in the first place to force Yvette to finally make a commitment. He said that when he realized that Yvette’s free spirit had nothing to do with him, he tore up the contract, and the lawyers confirmed that as well.�
Andrew frowned. “That’s one hell of a move.�
“You’re telling me. If I ever tried something like that with Mary, I’d be out on the street. But Yvette was desperate to expand her business. Somehow, in the renegotiations of the contract, Yvette finally broke down and told him that she still loved him, but she was terrified that they weren’t going to work out. According to Jacob, he’d finally decided to set Yvette free and see if she truly loved him enough to make it work. He was willing to be with her without a marriage. Andrew, you should have seen him. I’ve never seen a man so broken before. He said the last thing he got from Yvette was a message saying that she didn’t want to be with him anymore because she knew that he deserved better. That was sent the morning of her murder. In fact, according to the lab, it was probably sent right at the time of her death, give or take a few minutes.�
“That text could have set Jacob off,� Andrew insisted. “He doesn’t have an alibi for the murder.�
“He claimed that he was supposed to meet with Tiki, but she was sick that morning. She confirmed it. Instead, he went to his father’s to get advice about expanding the food truck business. That’s what Franklin told me. And if Jacob were with Yvette during the time of her murder, she wouldn’t have needed to text him. She would have just told him.�
Andrew gripped the steering wheel and tried to sort through the problem. “Okay, but Olivia wasn’t in any danger until after she discovered that contract of Jacob’s. Who else would be threatened by that?�
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, horror dawned on him. “Oh, God. Why didn’t we see it before?�
“Andrew?�
“You need to find Olivia right now—before she makes a horrible mistake.�
Halfway to the sheriff’s office Olivia’s ankle started to ache. Wishing now that she’d allowed Andrew to get her that ankle brace, she hobbled the rest of the way to Happy Endings and stopped in to rest. Chances were good that Nick already had Jacob in custody, so it wasn’t like there was any huge rush to get the ring to him.
“Olivia!� her sister gasped. “I’ve been trying to call you all day! Jackie told me what happened.�
“Did she also tell you that my phone was broken?�
Janelle pulled up short and frowned. “Yes. Now that I think about it, she did. What did Nick say? Does he think that it’s connected to the case?�
“Does he think that my amateur sleuthing nearly got me run over? Yes, he might have mentioned that,� Olivia said dryly.
Janelle’s eyes widened in fear. “Oh, God. Did you tell him that we broke into Jacob’s condo? Olivia, I can’t go to jail. I’m not strong enough. I wouldnâ�
�™t make it, and I do not look good in orange.â€�
“Janelle, you’re not going to jail,� Olivia sighed, sinking into the nearest chair. “Andrew passed along the information without telling him what we did, so you can relax. Do you think I could get some ice for my ankle? It’s killing me.�
“Right away!� Janelle said, and hurried into the back, returning quickly. “You poor thing,� she sympathized, brandishing a scone in one hand and a towel-wrapped bag of ice in the other. “I bet you’re in so much pain. This should be a lesson to you. Don’t stick your nose where it doesn’t belong.�
“You’re not wrong.� As Janelle adjusted the ice bag on Olivia’s ankle, Olivia took a bite of the scone and moaned in pleasure. “But you’d be lying if you didn’t admit that you had some fun the other night.�
“I was mortified when I woke up the next morning, and I had a terrible hangover, but Patrick just laughed it off. I still haven’t told him, and I feel terrible about it. We don’t keep secrets from each other.�
Olivia shrugged. “I’m sure there’s no harm in telling him now. He might even see you in a whole new light. It might freshen up your marriage a bit!�
“My marriage does not need freshening,� Janelle said frostily. “And I take offense to you suggesting that.�
“Please. You may have date night once a week, but you always go to the same place. When was the last time you took a vacation? Even Mom is taking romantic vacations,� Olivia pointed out.
Janelle grimaced. “You might be right, but with the money that I’m putting into the business, we don’t exactly have anything left over for a vacation. Still, it probably wouldn’t hurt to switch things up a bit. Where are you going, anyway? You don’t have any dogs with you. Did you finally lose them all?�
Barking up the Wrong Bakery (Happy Tails Dog Walking Mysteries Book 1) Page 16