by Patricia Fry
“Sure,” Savannah said, still poking around in her jewelry box. “Wait,” she called. “Mom, do you remember seeing those emerald-green earrings I wear with this sweater—you know, they’re kind of a teardrop shape.”
“Did you wear them on our trip?” Gladys asked.
“No.” She emptied the pouch and pored through the contents. “Not here. Wait!” she shouted. “Something’s wrong.”
“What, dear?” Gladys asked, entering the room.
“My diamond earrings aren’t here, either—those Dad gave me when I graduated from high school.” She opened another drawer. “My garnet ring—oh no—the anniversary ring Michael gave me last year. Where is it?” She began pulling out drawer after drawer in the jewelry box. “I know I left those rings in that top drawer.” She peered at her mother. “My gold necklace isn’t here, either.”
“Maybe Michael hid all that stuff before we left. Does he do that when you travel?” Gladys asked. “Your father used to do that.”
“I’ve never known him to, but I’ll sure check with him. Let’s hope he did it this time.”
“Well, I’m leaving, honey,” Gladys said. “See you later. Come by if you’re out and about.” She went to Lily, who was playing with a bow on one of Savannah’s shoes. “’Bye sweetie,” she said, kissing the baby on top of her head.
“Shoe,” Lily said, holding up a sandal.
“Yes, shoe. Grammy’s going now. Love you. ‘Bye.”
Lily was too busy to respond and Savannah was now on the phone, so Gladys left with a quick wave.
“Michael, sorry to bother you, but I just need to know—did you hide some of my jewelry? There seem to be pieces missing. Call me when you get a chance.” Shortly, her cell phone rang. “Hi, hon,” she said. “Sorry to interrupt your day, but some of my jewelry seems to be missing and I wondered if you put them someplace when we left Monday.”
“No. Why would I do that?”
“To hide it from burglars, of course.”
“Well, I didn’t. Is anything else missing, Savannah? The computer?”
“Let me go see,” she said, first glancing at Lily to make sure she was still occupied, then walking down the hallway into the office. After looking around, she reported, “The computer’s here.”
“So nothing else is missing?” he asked.
Returning to the bedroom, she said, “I don’t know. Not that I’ve noticed.” She glanced at Lily again, then began searching around the room. “Oh!” she shouted. “The coin jar—it’s gone. Michael, we’ve been robbed.” She hesitated, then said, “But how would someone get in without a key? You said everything was locked up when we got home.”
“Did your aunt or Colbi neglect to set the alarm one day? I wonder if the system is faulty. Do you see any sign of someone breaking in?”
“They were supposed to set the alarm,” she said. “I showed them how. I’ll ask them.”
After a pause, Michael said, “Well, it appears that someone wanted just what they could carry and easily pawn. But who, and how did they get in? You talk to your aunt and Colbi and I’ll check the pawn shop on my way home, okay?”
“Yes. Gosh, I sure don’t want to lose that jewelry—it’s all sentimental stuff and my diamond earrings are probably worth two thousand dollars now.”
Michael was quiet before saying, “Well, I suggest you look around some more for those things and if you can’t find them, go ahead and make a report with the sheriff’s office. It’ll be embarrassing, though, if they eventually show up somewhere in the house.” He then remembered something. “Savannah, check Rags’s stash.”
“Oh my gosh, I didn’t think of that. But, Michael, I doubt this is his doing; he doesn’t know which pieces are most valuable. Plus, he can’t open the drawers to my jewelry box.”“Hmmm. I’ll be home soon and see if I can find any sign of a break-in.” He was quiet for a moment, then asked, “Savannah, you don’t suppose Colbi…”
“Michael, what are you saying? Of course I don’t think Colbi took my jewelry. That’s absurd. Hey, Lily’s throwing shoes at Buffy, I’d better go rescue her.”
“Yeah. Let me know if you discover anything else missing, will you?”
****
Later that afternoon, Savannah arrived at Colbi’s with Lily in her arms and Rags on his leash.
“Oh, Lily, come to Aunt Colbi, you angel girl,” Colbi said upon answering the door.
The baby seemed happy to fall into Colbi’s arms. “Ki-ki,” she said, pointing at Rags.
“Yes, I see you brought your kitty, didn’t you?”
“Sorry I’m late,” Savannah said as she placed Lily’s diaper bag on the sofa and reached down to unfasten Rags’s harness. “We ran into a bit of a problem at home this morning and that threw my whole day off.” Before she could continue, Dolly ran into the room toward Rags, who strained against his leash. “Just a minute Rags,” she said while removing the harness. “There you go. You’re free. Now stay out of trouble,” Savannah called after the cat.
“How are you?” Colbi asked the baby as she danced around the room with her in her arms. “I missed you. You were gone a long time.”
“’Bye-bye,” Lily said.
“Yes, you went ‘bye-bye and left Aunt Colbi all alone.”
Lily laughed out loud when Colbi spun around with her. “I bought you something,” Colbi said to the baby. Placing Lily on the floor, she reached into a box and pulled out a musical toy. Lily’s eyes lit up as Colbi showed her how to play with it and both women laughed when Lily began bouncing to the musical sounds.
“I see she learned the hula,” Colbi said, laughing.
“I think that’s more of a Tahitian move,” Savannah said. “Colbi, how sweet of you to think of her. She loves anything that makes music. Drives me crazy hearing some of those ditties over and over every day, but she loves them. Thank you.” She looked at Colbi sheepishly. “Can she leave it here for when she visits?”
“Absolutely,” Colbi said. “So how was the trip?”
“Marvelous. We had such a great time and Lily was good. She seemed to enjoy it all, and so did Mom. It was a neat group of people, but we didn’t have to stay together all the time, or anything. We did a lot of exploring on our own. Each day we had a photography challenge. We’d shoot flowers or architecture. One day we took a bus out to the North Shore, where they get those really big waves. I got some good shots of hot-dog surfers. Yeah, it was just great. I could live there. Ever been to the islands?”
Colbi shook her head. “It’s on my bucket list, though.”
“Hey, we brought you something,” Savannah said. She dug a package out of the diaper bag and called to Lily, “Here, give this to Aunt Colbi.”
Lily looked at the package in Savannah’s hand and patted her new toy a couple of times.
“Come get this, sweetie, and give it to Aunt Colbi,” Savannah repeated.
When Lily continued to focus on her new toy, Savannah took the package to her and said, “Can you give this to Aunt Colbi?”
The toddler handled the package, turned it over a couple of times, tore at the bow, then tossed it in Colbi’s direction.
“Thanks little one,” Colbi said, laughing as she retrieved the package. “You guys didn’t have to bring me anything.”
“Yes, we did. We wanted to share a little of the beautiful islands with you, especially since we’re still stuck in winter mode here for another several weeks.”
“A shell necklace. How pretty. I love it! And I’m not waiting until summer to wear it. It’ll look great with my sweaters as well as my summer blouses,” Colbi said, slipping it around her neck. “Thank you.”
Savannah looked at Colbi. “So how are you? Did you say you and Damon aren’t speaking?”
“Yeah, he walked out a couple of nights ago and I haven’t seen him since.”
“That’s going to make the work environment uncomfortable, isn’t it?”
“Uh-huh, but I know his schedule and I’l
l just try to avoid him for a while. I’m taking some time off, actually. I just have too much on my mind right now.”
“Are things any better with Harrison?”
Colbi smiled. “Yes, I think so. I don’t see him much—he’s out looking for work every day. At night, I guess he hangs out with friends. Uh-oh, here come the feline tornadoes!” she said, laughing.
“Ki-ki,” Lily said, pointing as Dolly appeared puffed up nearly twice her normal size with Rags racing behind her. They tore around the room, then headed back up the stairs.
“Want iced tea, coffee?” Colbi asked.
“Sure, tea sounds good.”
Colbi headed for the kitchen and called over her shoulder, “I have cookies from the bakery. Can Lily have a sugar cookie?”
“I can share mine with her.” When she noticed Lily following Colbi, she joined them in the kitchen.
“Cookie?” Lily said.
“Yes, we’ll have a cookie,” Savannah said to the baby, “and I have juice in your sippy cup for you.”
Colbi leaned down to the baby’s level. “Can you carry these napkins?”
Lily reached out and hugged the stack of napkins to her.
Savannah, who was carrying a plate of cookies, steered the baby back into the living room. “Sit here by Mommy,” she said, placing the cookie plate on a side table and prying the napkins from Lily’s grip. “Want a sip?” she asked, offering her some of her juice.
“Cookie,” Lily said. “Cookie.”
“Okay, sit down and Mommy will give you a cookie.”
In the meantime, Colbi placed a glass of iced tea on a coaster next to Savannah and one on a magazine lying on a table near her own chair.
Suddenly, Savannah spotted something on the floor. “What’s this?” she asked, squinting. “It looks like one of the earrings you gave me last year.”
“What?” Colbi said, frowning. She looked at Savannah. “Were you wearing them? Did you lose one?”
“No, actually, I was looking for them this morning so I could wear them with this sweater.” Her mind danced all over the place as she attempted to make sense of what was happening. “I couldn’t find them anywhere. But how…?” She picked up the earring and peered at Colbi. “Did you buy yourself a pair like this, too?”
Colbi shook her head as she walked over to take a closer look. “No. Was it stuck to your jacket? Does Lily play in your jewelry box?”
Savannah started to say something, then thinned her lips, finally saying quietly, “There were other things missing, too.”
“Like what?”
“Most of my best jewelry—of course, they were sentimental pieces—and our change jar with maybe a hundred bucks in it. That’s all we know of so far.”
“So you think they were taken while you were gone?” Colbi asked.
“It looks that way. I know those pieces of jewelry were there when we left because I considered taking them, but changed my mind to make traveling less of a hassle. Didn’t want to worry about losing expensive stuff, you know.”
“Maybe Michael hid the jewelry before you left?” Colbi suggested.
Savannah shook her head. “No. I checked with him.” She took a deep breath. “But how this ended up here is a real puzzle. Colbi, did anyone else besides you have access to our house key?”
Colbi stiffened. “Are you accusing….”
Savannah shook her head. “No. I would never accuse you of anything like this. But…well, this is just too weird.”
“Maybe Rags got into your jewelry box and the earring somehow attached itself to his harness—the Velcro on his harness—and he brought this from home.”
Savannah thought for a moment. “Well, I don’t think so. He can’t open the jewelry box—it’s cat-proof—and it was closed when we got home.”
“If someone took stuff out of your jewelry box, maybe they dropped this one and that’s how you inadvertently carried it here,” Colbi suggested.
Suddenly, Dolly came trotting down the stairs. Savannah chuckled. “I see she still remembers Rags’s teachings. Looks like she’s carrying something in her mouth.”
“Yes, she still runs off with things sometimes. But I haven’t seen her do it in a while. Come here, Dolly. What do you have there?” Colbi coaxed, moving toward the cat. She took the item from the cat and frowned. “My God, it’s more jewelry—it’s not mine. I’ve never seen this before.”
“Let me see,” Savannah almost demanded, walking toward Colbi. When she saw what her friend held in her hands, she gasped.
“What’s wrong, Savannah?” Colbi asked. “Do you recognize this?”
“I sure do. It’s mine,” she said, taking the bracelet from her and peering at it more closely. “I didn’t notice it was missing.”
The women looked at each other and both said at the same time, “Harrison.”
Colbi choked up and tears formed in her eyes. “God, I hope this isn’t what it seems. But how…why…what other explanation is there?”
Savannah asked quietly, “Colbi, did he have access to our house key?”
“Well, no. How could he? I mean…”
“What about when you were sleeping. Where do you keep your keys?”
Colbi’s shoulders drooped. “In my purse down here on the kitchen divider. Oh my God, Savannah, he did have access to your key and he knew I was feeding your animals.” She looked at Savannah. “But I just know he wouldn’t…he couldn’t…”
“Did you take him to our house?” Savannah asked.
“No. I wouldn’t do that—I’d never do that without your permission.”
“Do you know how he might find out where I live?”
“You’re in the phone book, aren’t you? You still have that landline. You’re probably on the Internet, too—the PeopleFinder, PeopleWho, and the White Pages directory…all available online. Or he could have asked someone. As you’re aware, he’s charming and knows how to use that charm.” She took a deep breath and exhaled. “Oh, Savannah, I can’t begin to tell you how much I hope this has nothing to do with my brother.”
Savannah put her hand on Colbi’s shoulder. “Let’s go take a look upstairs, shall we?”
Grimacing, Colbi nodded.
“Show us, Rags and Dolly,” Savannah said, as they walked up the staircase, Lily in Savannah’s arms.
As if Rags understood, he raced ahead of the women and into the room at the top of the stairs. Dolly ran through the door after him. Once inside, Rags disappeared under the bed and Dolly crouched peering in at him, her furry tail waving in the air.
Colbi eased down onto her hands and knees next to Dolly and reached in, pulling out a plastic bag. “More jewelry,” she said disgustedly. She stood and pulled the bed out from the wall, explaining, “There’s something shiny in the corner and I can’t make out what it is.” Reaching behind the bed, she said, “A fancy jar…full of coins.”
Savannah cringed. “I’m afraid all of this stuff came from our house.”
“Yeah, there’s the other green earring,” Colbi said, studying the bag Savannah now held in her hands.
Savannah grimaced. “I’m so sorry, Colbi. I don’t know what to say.”
“That lying, thieving…” Colbi said, clenching her teeth. She then burst into tears. “I’m the one who’s sorry. It’s all my fault. If I hadn’t…”
“No harm done, kiddo,” Savannah said hugging her friend. Lily, who was still in Savannah’s arms, reached around and patted Colbi on the back. “Come on, let’s go sit down and see if we can figure out what to do, okay?”
Before leaving the room, Colbi looked around. “I just wonder what other dirty secrets he’s hidden in my home and what other criminal activities he’s involved in.”
As Colbi ranted, Savannah continued studying the contents of the bag. “Wait, something’s missing.” She looked around on the floor. “Maybe it fell out when the cats were messing with it.”
“What is it?” Colbi asked.
<
br /> “The ring Michael gave me. It’s not here.”
“What’s it look like?”
Suddenly, the women realized they were not alone when they heard a booming voice demand, “What’s going on, Colbi?”
The two cats skittered out of the room and the women looked up to see Harrison’s frame filling the doorway.
Colbi grabbed the plastic bag from Savannah and held it up for her brother to see. “How could you, Harrison?” she shouted. “I trusted you and you betrayed that trust in the most inexcusable way. You stole from my best friend, for God’s sake!” she screamed.
An innocent look on his face, he said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about, big sister. I’ve never seen that stuff before.”
“The cats found Savannah’s jewelry here in your room. I don’t know when you did it, or how, but you took the Iveys’ house key from my purse and burglarized their home while they were out of town.” Raising her voice, she shouted, “Dammit, Savannah and Michael trusted me to take care of things and you…you went there and stole from them!”
“Oh now, come on; don’t put that on me. You’re the one with a key. You must have taken the stuff when you were there supposedly feeding the stupid dog.” He looked Savannah in the eyes. “It wasn’t me.” He shrugged. “Must have been Colbi. I didn’t do it, honest.”
Savannah stood stunned, watching her friend react to Harrison’s accusations. Colbi’s face turned beet red. She was so furious, she looked like she would explode. Rather than respond to her brother, however, Colbi pushed past him and raced down the stairs, sobbing. When Savannah caught up to her, she said, “He’s delusional.”
Colbi continued to sob. “I’m so embarrassed.”
Just then, Harrison came bounding down the stairs, taking two steps at a time, and headed toward the front door. Savannah reached for Lily, moving her out of his path. He opened the door, turned, and said, “I may be home late tonight.” He winked. “Got a hot date—a secretary at one of the companies where I applied for work today.”
The two women watched as he walked out and closed the door behind him.