Slow Burn
Page 36
“Yes. How did you know?”
She shrugged. “It has a faulty catch. My father bought her that bracelet the year he died and she loathes parting with it. She should have had it fixed years ago but she keeps putting it off.” She shot him a defiant look. “If she said she’d lost it, that’s just what happened.”
“Not when no one saw her wear it in the first place or after she came back from the den.”
He knocked the wind out of her sail with that one. Jade reached for her drink and took a long sip as she raked her brain for something plausible to say. There must be an explanation.
“You said you’ve spoken with everyone who was at the party. Don’t you find it strange that they’re all saying the same thing?” She was grasping at straws but she didn’t care. Her mother was innocent. As for Vince, his poker face didn’t give his thoughts away. “They’re fingering her because she isn’t here to defend herself.” Amusement flickered in Vince’s eyes, causing her to bristle. “You find this funny?”
He drained his drink and set his glass aside. “No, I don’t. I find your loyalty admirable.”
She waved his comment away. “What do you expect me to do? Agree with everything you say? She’s my mother, for chrissake. I know her. Stealing is something she’d never do.” Yet her behavior before she left on the cruise had been strange, a voice mocked in her head. “My mother carries delicate, tiny purses when she’s about town. Where could she have hidden this statue? How could she have gotten it out of the house?” Why was she even bothering to question him? He appeared to have made up his mind. “Who was on the guest list? I would like to talk to them.”
His eyes narrowed. “Why?”
“To verify what you’ve told me.”
“Don’t you trust me?”
She started to laugh, but stopped when their gazes connected. Air lodged in her throat and her stomach started high-energy aerobics.
“I, uh.” She cleared her throat and covered it with laugher. “No. Not when you’re convinced my mother is guilty of something she hasn’t done. Of course, you could be feeding me a line for all I know but….” Vince pulled out a beautiful black statue from his duffel bag. “That’s beautiful.”
“Tell me if you’ve ever seen this before.”
She reached for it just as he was passing it to her. His finger slid between hers and nestled at the sensitive base between her two fingers. Both of them froze. She couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but he didn’t pull away either. The connection was erotic, stimulating. It unleashed a storm of emotions inside her. She wanted to say something witty, but her mind drew blank.
When he pulled away and nudged the stone statue closer to her, Jade snapped into focus. The figurine came to her rescue. It was awe-inspiring, the handiwork meticulous and flawless. She recognized the feathered serpent deity right away—Kukulcan, an ancient Mayan god. He stood upright like a human, had the face of a snake and wings on his back. His features were well-carved, lizard-like eyes outlined, and detail paid to clothing and jewelry. Ancient text was scribbled on the base.
When was the last time she saw such a well-preserved ancient Mayan artifact? Not since the year she spent touring museums around the world. Most Mayan ruins were raided by robbers, the priceless artifacts sold to the highest bidders and private collectors. Even the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston with its extensive collection of ancient relics couldn’t lay claim to such a find.
Jade ran a finger over the surface and studied the grime. Too smooth, the patina thicker than normal. Maybe it wasn’t well preserved. Given time, she could do stylistic and historical analyses on the figurine and one of her physical chemist colleagues could support her conclusion with chemical analysis. But, Vince didn’t need her professional opinion.
She had interrupted her mother on the phone and Mayan was mentioned. Could there be a connection? Jade bit her lower lip, pushed the statue toward Vince and shook her head.
“No, I’ve never seen such a statue before,” she said.
“But?”
“It’s nothing. Beautiful piece. Really.”
“What is it?” Vince leaned forward, drawing her gaze to his face.
“Well, uh, I hope it isn’t one of your father’s treasured antiques.”
“Why?”
“It is a forgery. A good one, but still a forgery.”
Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2