Sancha’s silence spoke volumes. Gage leaned against the wall, arms folded. “First things first. Tell us why Treasure Trove was targeted.”
“That was my fault.” Tad pinched the bridge of his nose. “I put an article in a box of antiques that ended up at the store—an item that had little value in itself but contained something of worth to some very dangerous people.”
“The lucky cat,” Gage said.
Tad nodded. “My grandmother died recently and my family had boxed up some stuff that was going to be sold. I put the cat in the crate when I was helping clear out her place. There was no way I could keep it anywhere it might be associated with me. I took the box over to a guy called Eddie Lao, who I knew by sight. He’s the nephew of the guy that owns the antique store. He said he’d do me a favor and drop it off. I thought the cat would be safe in amongst the other antiques, but the Yakuza have spies everywhere. It didn’t take them long to track down the crate.”
“They knew about the cat?”
Tad shook his head. “No, not specifically. They knew I had the key. They turned my place over looking for it. I had a business card from Mr. Lao and they must’ve followed the trail.”
“By sheer accident, the cat wasn’t in the store when your friends paid a visit,” Sancha said. “The shop assistant had a terrifying experience. He could have been killed.”
“What do you mean, the cat wasn’t there?”
“Because it was broken, the shop assistant had taken it to his apartment in the same building. He happened to collect lucky cats.”
“Normal people collect baseball cards or matchbooks,” Gage muttered.
“Is he okay?” Tad asked. “I really didn’t mean for anyone to get hurt because of me.”
“He’s fine. So it was you who wrote the key code inside the cat?”
“Yes. I was given that cat as a kid. I broke it open, wrote the code inside then glued it back together. Did a pretty good job too, you could hardly see the break.”
Gage moved to stand at the side of the table. “So where is the security box that the code unlocks? I assume it’s a safety deposit box or something similar?”
“It’s for a private storage facility. You know—one of those places that rents out small boxes, not one of the huge warehouses. It’s called Guardian Storage, on Howell Way. They do an anonymous service. No names. No ID. You just need your box number and code.”
“So the first two digits of the key are the box number and the last four the access code,” Gage said. “What’s in the box?”
“A package I was asked to store for a friend.”
“What friend?” Gage snapped.
“You don’t need to know that.
“I’d guess that package contains some very valuable jewelry,” Sancha said. “From a heist in Japan a while back. We’ve already recovered some of the other stolen property. The question is, why was the jewelry separate from the rest of the stuff and why was it sent to you?”
Tad shrugged. “I’m not telling you anything else until I know I’m getting protection.”
Sancha grunted. “You get to stay here while we check out the storage place. If what you say is true and we find the package, then we’ll talk.” She shoved her chair back then she left the room, Gage close behind her.
“What do you think?” Sancha asked once they had briefed the duty officer to keep Tad under lock and key until they returned.
“I think he’s telling the truth,” Gage said. “He’s scared, despite the bravado. Perhaps one of the crew that carried out the raid in Japan betrayed the plan and took the jewels.”
“How did they get them across the Pacific?”
Gage shrugged. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they were put in the mail. A small package. Not everything gets checked.”
“You think it could be that simple?” Sancha asked.
“Why not? The simplest plans are sometimes the most successful. Let’s go, we’ll take the Jeep.”
The drive across town to Guardian Storage took around twenty minutes. Gage found a parking spot right outside.
“Talk about hiding in plain sight,” Sancha said. “It would have taken us weeks to track down this place. We were checking the more obvious ones first. Whoever’s behind this would have known that.”
“Clever.” Gage had a grudging respect for whoever had masterminded the theft. He led the way into the front office where a receptionist staffed a single desk. She looked bored. Gage flashed his badge. “Where are the storage boxes?”
“In the back.” She made no attempt to ask for a warrant. Gage went to the door she indicated. Inside, there had to be five hundred boxes. It didn’t take long for Gage to find box thirty-two.
He punched in the key code then pulled open the door. “Fuck.” There was nothing inside except a single piece of paper. “Someone beat us to it,” he said, handing the paper to Sancha.
“Too late.” Sancha read from the sheet. “Cocky bastard.”
Gage banged the side of the metal cabinetry. “We should get the crime scene people out here but I’d bet good money they won’t find anything.”
“Let’s go see if Alison can tell us anything?”
“Alison?” Gage was confused.
“The receptionist. One of us bothered to ask the poor woman her name.” Sancha rolled her eyes. “Call yourself a detective.”
Gage opened his mouth to respond but couldn’t think of anything suitable to say so he closed it again and walked past Sancha into the front office, ignoring her gleeful cackle. He approached the assistant, who was deep in conversation on her desk phone.
“Alison, I’d like to ask you a few questions,” Gage said.
“Sure,” she said. “Gotta go, sweetie.” She ended her call.
“Has anyone else been in today to access the boxes?”
“Yup, not so long ago in fact. One guy came in, got something out of a box. He met someone else outside. I could see them through the door. They walked off together.”
“Can you describe them?”
“The first guy was tall, blond, very good looking. I noticed him because I prefer blonds. She shrugged. “I’d have to have been dead not to notice him. He looked like a movie star or something.”
“And the other guy,” Gage prompted.
“He was cute too. Smaller, about my height. Blond as well, but a lighter shade. He was just wearing a T-shirt and pants, which seemed strange because it’s quite cold out.”
“Do you have any CCTV?” Sancha asked.
“We do,” Alison said. “But the cameras weren’t working today. Some kind of electrical fault.”
“Thank you. Don’t let anyone into that room. We’ll be sending someone over to dust for prints. The cops will also take a formal statement from you.”
“Were those guys criminals?” Alison asked, her face reddening.
“I’m afraid I can’t talk about an ongoing investigation, ma’am,” Gage said. “But thank you for your cooperation.”
He and Sancha headed outside. “I don’t know what’s going on, partner, but those two could only be James Ellery and Landry.” He pulled out his phone and sent a text to Landry asking him to call back. “I think we should drive over to Treasure Trove.”
Sancha’s phone rang and she hauled it out of her purse. She listened to the call, frowned then tossed the phone back in her purse. “We need to get over there right now. Someone’s reported a break-in. Operations just let me know because we put that alert on any incidents in the area of the store.”
Gage stared at his cell, willing it to ring. He called Landry’s number but it went to voicemail. “Where the hell is he?”
“Stop talking, start driving,” Sancha said. “The sooner we get there, the sooner you’ll find out.”
Chapter Sixteen
“I can’t believe you went to a drive-through,” Landry said, clutching the bag of burgers and fries that James had thrust at him.
“I’m hungry and I imagine you are too…because you always
are.”
Landry’s stomach chose that moment to rumble. “Oh, for fuck’s sake.” Landry stuck his hand in the bag. He pulled out a burger, unwrapped it then took a huge bite. “Oh, that’s so good.”
“Extra cheese. Are you going to give me one, or is this your way of punishing me?” James asked.
“Find somewhere to pull over. I’m not going to become an accident statistic because you were eating and driving.” Landry didn’t feel like being cooperative. He kept munching, making lots of appreciative noises. It was a small revenge but so worth it. James pulled into the lot of a Walgreens, taking a spot near the back, away from the store.
“Give me the food, Landry, or I swear I will spank you right here.”
Landry was about to say there wasn’t enough room but the back of the van had ample space. He thrust a burger at James. “Choke on it, you’re not getting anywhere near my ass.”
James ate the burger in a few swift bites. “Junk food is always best in a crisis, I find.”
“This is a crisis?”
“You want me to tell you how I knew about the secure box?”
Landry nodded.
“Then be nice.”
“Fine, but this is a temporary suspension of hostilities.” Landry shoved a handful of fries into his mouth.
“I’ll bet Gage uses a gag on you.”
Landry glared but ate more fries. “You’ll never know.”
“I robbed the robbers.”
“Huh?” It was difficult to express a lack of understanding with his mouth full. Landry chewed, swallowed then took a breath. “I don’t understand.”
“It’s not that difficult, Landry. I stole the jewels from the people that stole them in the first place. I needed to get rid of them as quickly as possible so I mailed them to a friend with instructions to store the package at the Guardian Storage place.”
“You airmailed priceless jewels?”
“Why not?”
“I… Unbelievable. Why Guardian?”
“Obscure. Plenty of people around. Safe enough to slip in there without being observed and they have an anonymous service. I found it online.”
“But you didn’t have the box number or code.”
“No. I was traveling. I didn’t want my friend to risk making unnecessary contact. We were supposed to meet once I got to Seattle, but by the time I got here he was in trouble and had gone to ground. I had to be careful. Somehow, someone identified me in Japan. I had the Yakuza after me on both sides of the Pacific. I decided my best bet was to attach myself to the detective investigating the case over here and that led me to you.”
“How did you know the lucky cat had ended up at the store?”
“I didn’t. You were my route to Gage. I hoped he would talk about the case to you then I’d persuade you to talk to me but then the Yakuza attacked you at the store and I knew there had to be something I was missing.”
“You were watching me.”
“Fortunate for you that I was.”
“So how did you get beaten up?”
“I heard a rumor on the grapevine that some of the stolen goods that had reached the States were about to be moved to a private collector. When you’ve been in the investigation business as long as I have…well, I have a network of informants. I got a bit too close.”
“You tipped off the cops, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“What about the piece of paper Gage’s partner found at the raid?”
“Me again, I’m afraid. Hints to the right people, a scribbled note shoved in a mailbox. I was trying to put them off the scent. Unfortunately it backfired.”
“You manipulative, lying son of a bitch,” Landry snapped. “I could have been killed but I don’t suppose you care. You’ve gotten what you wanted.” Landry thought he detected a hint of color on James’ cheeks but his expression revealed nothing.
“I didn’t count on liking you.” James turned on the ignition. “Time to drop you off. It should be safe to go back to Treasure Trove by now.”
“And by safe you mean…for you, not me.”
“Less cops. Relaxed vigilance. They won’t find any trace of Yakuza, after all.”
“The people I saw. The shadows outside the window….”
“Could have been anyone. Handy timing that they showed up when they did.”
“I hope Prisha doesn’t get into trouble for calling in a false alarm.”
“She’ll tell the cops about us getting away, won’t she? She’ll be fine.”
Landry sulked on the drive back. He wanted to shout and scream but instead seethed and muttered. He did notice how tightly James gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles bleached with tension.
Good. He should be stressed after what he’s put me through. Why didn’t I see him for what he was? I’m such a fucking idiot. Gage was right not to trust him. Idiot. Idiot. Idiot.
Three blocks from the store, James pulled over. “I think you can make it the rest of the way on your own.”
“You’re leaving?”
“Did you expect me to drive right up to your boyfriend and let him arrest me?”
“I… That would be nice.”
“I’m not nice.”
“No fucking kidding.”
“It was fun knowing you, Landry.” James got out of the van. “I’ll be seeing you.”
“Not if I see you first,” Landry snapped, even though he knew it made no sense. He shifted into the driver’s seat then watched in the rear-view mirror while James crossed the street, hailed a cab and was gone.
With a heavy sigh, Landry drove up the street, thankful that it wasn’t far. Gage’s Jeep and two cop cars were parked outside the store. Landry swerved into a space on the opposite side of the street, in front of the Eastern Emporium. He bumped the curb and wasn’t anywhere close to aligned but he didn’t care. Prisha came running out. Landry had barely got out of the van before she was crushing him in a monster hug.
“What have you got yourself into, Landry? I rang the cops like your friend said. Where is he by the way? He was cute. Is he single? And anyway, they were here so fast! There were people swarming all over the store, I think they broke your door again…it was like the Wild West! I don’t know if they found any bad guys. Life hasn’t been so exciting round here since that dumpster fire two years ago. My dad says you’re a bad influence but he still sent me out here to check on you. How’s the van? You didn’t kill it, did you? And, by the way, you can’t park worth a damn. How did you ever get your license?”
Landry extricated himself from Prisha’s arms. “Honey, we’ll have to catch up another time. I have to go let the cops know I’m back and still have all my limbs. The van is unharmed but I owe you some gas money.”
Prisha waved him away. “How many favors have you done me? Forget it. Call me when you can.”
“I will.” Landry jogged across the street to the store. He could see that the door had been forced, though not smashed in like the last time. Landry explained who he was to the cop standing guard then got ushered inside. Sancha spotted him before Gage. She gave Gage a sharp elbow in the ribs.
“Look who just came in.”
“Landry.” Landry didn’t have a chance to get closer. Gage flew toward him, scooping him off the floor into a tight embrace. After putting him down, Gage gave Landry a thorough examination. “You’re okay.”
“I think you just crushed a few ribs, but yes. My pride is a bit battered but the rest of me is intact.”
“Where’s that fucking Brit? He was supposed to be taking care of you.”
“Gone. I have so much to tell you. You’re not gonna believe it.” Landry discovered his legs were shaking. “I think I need to sit down.” He hung on to Gage’s arm.
“Can you make it upstairs? You can tell Sancha and me everything over a cup of tea.”
“Tea! You’re joking, right?”
“Isn’t everyone supposed to drink tea in an emergency?” Gage attempted to hide a smile.
“Stop teasing me! I’ve had a very bad day.” Landry gave Gage’s arm a half-hearted slap. He surveyed the store but, apart from the broken door, couldn’t see much damage.
“There’s no sign that anyone got into the store before the locals arrived. We’ve checked the storeroom and the cash register. There’s cash still in it.”
“There wasn’t anyone here. It was all a ploy to get me away from the store. I didn’t know that when James told Prisha to call the cops.” A wave of fatigue washed over Landry. “If Mr. Lao doesn’t fire me, he’ll have me doing inventory every night for the rest of my life.”
Sancha patted his shoulder. “He’ll understand. None of this is your fault, Landry. Blind chance and coincidence got us to this point.”
Landry retrieved his phone from beneath the counter. “I left this in the panic to get out. Oh, there’s a text from Mr. Lao—he says the grandson’s name is Tadanobu Tsukamoto.”
“We know. We have him in custody,” Sancha said.
“Too little, too late. Seems I’m always three steps behind everyone else,” Landry said. “I would have liked to be the gay Miss Marple.”
“Not Hercule Poirot?” Sancha asked.
“With that mustache?” He led the way upstairs to his apartment where he grabbed a glass and a bottle of wine from the fridge. Sancha and Gage were on duty so they declined his offer to share. Landry had no capacity for alcohol, but it seemed like the right time to drown his sorrows a little. He needed something to get him through the retelling of his day to Sancha and Gage and it was easier to hide behind a glass, not wanting to see their expressions, whether they be of pity or sympathy. Or worse, in Gage’s case, disappointment. Landry felt like an idiot. Despite everything, there had been something about James Ellery that had appealed to him. Not in the same way that Gage appealed, because Gage pushed every button Landry possessed, but James Ellery had a hint of mystery about him and Landry had been intrigued. He was also a sucker for anything hurt or injured, and there was no way he would have been able to throw Ellery out on the street the previous night. It just wasn’t in his nature to be so callous and it had seemed to him that he and James shared a common enemy.
He sat at his small dining table, Gage on one side, Sancha on the other, and recounted the events of the day as best he was able. When he got to the part at the drive-through, Sancha snorted with laughter.
The Lucky Cat Page 17