After they each had their treats, Gabby approached.
“May I get something for you?” I asked her as sweetly as I could manage.
“No, I believe you’ve done more than enough today,” she replied icily.
“Happy to help. Since you came in so late, the donuts are on the house. In another twenty minutes, I was just going to give them away anyway. Enjoy. You have some great family there, Gabby.”
“Thank you,” Gabby said, the frost decidedly melting a little in her expression. I knew from experience that she loved a bargain, and it didn’t get any better than free.
“You can do it,” I told her softly. “Just don’t let them see any fear.”
“I only wish I could hide it better,” she said with a slight smile. Turning back to her grand-nieces and – nephews, Gabby said, “Older ones, take the younger ones by the hand. We’re going next door to ReNEWed to enjoy our treats.”
“It smells like old people in there,” one of the little girls protested.
“Lauren,” Gabby said, warning her not to keep saying that.
“Well, it does,” the little girl protested.
“May we please just walk next door together without any drama?” she asked them.
I refrained from answering her rhetorical question.
“Come on,” an older girl named Katelynn said as she took her little sister’s hand. “It will be fun.”
It was clear that Gabby didn’t think so as she bravely marshaled the troops and left Donut Hearts.
Once Gabby was gone, Emma looked at me and burst out laughing. I couldn’t help myself as I joined her in her mirth. I’d been tense ever since I’d found Snappy’s body in the donut shop, and it felt good letting a little joy out.
“What was that all about?” Emma asked me once we both caught our breath.
“Evidently Gabby was babysitting an entire generation of her family line, if you can believe that,” I said.
“They may not have been able to handle her one on one, but as a group, she was outmatched before she walked in the door.”
“I believe you’re right,” I said as I looked at the nearly empty display cases. “There aren’t many donuts left, and I have a full afternoon ahead of me. Why don’t we close up a few minutes early and call it a day?”
“It sounds good to me, boss,” she said. “There are eighteen donuts left, by my last count. What should we do with them?”
Ordinarily I would have offered them to her, but then I realized we might need some to grease the wheels for our tasks at hand later. “Tell you what, box them in six-packs. I’ve got a good use for them today.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Emma said. She did as I asked, and then she took the remaining trays, plates, and other dishes in back to get started on the last round of washing. While she did that, I ran the register reports, and I was pleased when we balanced to the penny.
By the time Jake showed up, three minutes early at that, the shop was closed for the day, Emma had taken the deposit to the bank on her way to school, and everything was put away, ready for Young and his crew to start fixing up Donut Hearts.
“What are those for?” Jake asked as he spied the three half boxes on the counter instantly.
“I thought we might be able to use them as bribes,” I explained. “But if you’d like one or two before we go, feel free.”
Jake patted his waistline. “No, I believe I’m good. At least I’d better be. I thought your mother and Phillip would be here by now.”
I looked outside and saw them approaching. “You know what they say. Speak of the devil and he appears.”
“I’m going to tell her that you said that,” Jake answered with a laugh.
“Don’t worry. I’ve called her worse over the years, and to her face, too,” I replied, grinning as I said it.
“What are you two smiling about?” Momma asked as she and her husband walked into the donut shop.
“It’s an inside joke,” I said, not wanting to distract any of us from the task at hand. “Do you have the gems with you?”
“Two emeralds apiece, just as promised,” she said as she handed me one of the two fancy felt bags in her hand.
“May I?” I asked as I tugged at the drawstring. My curiosity was irresistible.
“Be my guest,” my mother said graciously.
I emptied the two stones out onto my hand. They were deep green in appearance, both cut into facets that seemed to magnify their light. Each stone was not much bigger than a pencil eraser, and I had to wonder how much they were worth. “Would it be tacky of me to ask you what these cost?”
“No, of course not. You need to know if you’re going to present yourselves as legitimate buyers of more stones. One gem is worth approximately seven thousand dollars, while the other is worth eleven.”
“Thousand?” I asked.
“Yes, of course.”
Jake studied them a moment. “Funny, but they don’t look all that different to me. Why the price difference?”
Momma touched one with her index finger. “This one’s a little too dark, and the clarity is a little less as well.”
They still looked nearly identical to me, even after her explanation. “You can really see the differences?”
Momma laughed. “I couldn’t at first, but I’ve trained myself to recognize quality stones over the years.”
“What do you think of the ones we found here?”
“They were excellent,” Momma said.
“Why didn’t you mention this expertise yesterday when Suzanne found those jewels?” Jake asked her.
“I wasn’t sure it would be appropriate at the time,” she said. That was my mother, rarely letting the left hand know what the right was up to.
“And now?”
“We needed emeralds, and I happened to have some in my collection. It’s as simple as that. I don’t believe there is any way the police chief would have parted with the gems you found, so I offered an alternate solution.”
“I’m glad you had them,” I said. “They may come in handy.”
“One word of caution. Don’t let them leave your possession, not for a single moment, no matter how benign the request might seem.”
Jake frowned. “Are you afraid of a switch?”
“It’s entirely possible,” she said.
“Switch?” I asked innocently.
“Some unscrupulous folks have been known to be tempted to appear to examine a good stone, all the while trading it for one of lesser quality,” Momma said.
“Wow, it’s getting so you can’t trust anybody these days,” I said with a dry laugh. After all, we were going to be visiting these shops under false pretenses ourselves. The idea that someone might try to take advantage of us at the same time we were doing the same thing to them amused me on a certain level while horrifying me on another. “So, it’s settled then. Jake and I will take the two shops in Maple Hollow, and you two will take the three within the area of April Springs. Is everyone still good with that?”
“You know, this might be a fool’s errand,” Phillip said. “I spoke with Chief Grant, and he drew blanks across the board with his inquiries. Also, there’s nothing that says the killer couldn’t have taken the stolen gems to Charlotte, or even Atlanta.”
“I know, but we can’t canvass every pawn store in the south,” I replied. “We’ll just do the best we can. Who knows? We might get a hit. So far, none of our suspects has ventured out very far, or we would have known about it. We might just get lucky.”
“What are those for? Are they extras?” Phillip asked as he spied the donuts as well. What was it about the men in my life that donuts were such a great attractor?
“They’re meant to smooth the way. You two can have two boxes, and we’ll take the last o
ne.”
“And do they each have to have six donuts in them?” the retired chief asked as he lifted one of the lids.
Momma laughed at him. “Try to restrain yourself. We’re not going to bribe anyone with a partial box of treats, Phillip. I’m sure if you get peckish, we can pick up some fruit for you along the way.”
“Sure. Fruit sounds just as good as donuts,” he said with the hint of a frown.
“Why don’t we meet back at our place this evening?” Momma suggested. “I’ve got a big batch of turkey chili simmering away all day in my slow cooker, and I can whip up some fresh biscuits to go with it.”
“Sold,” Jake said before I could utter a single word. I looked at him for a moment. “What? Suzanne, it would be rude to refuse your mother’s invitation.”
“Yes, I’m sure that’s why you said yes so quickly. It was strictly out of politeness.”
“Well, I wouldn’t say that was all of it,” Jake answered as he winked at my mother.
She laughed. “You two are good together, you know that, don’t you? Now, if you’ll excuse us, Phillip and I have some pawnshops to visit.”
“So do we,” I said, and we were soon all on our way.
Chapter 12
As Jake drove us to Maple Hollow in his truck, I said, “I’m hesitant to say anything for fear that you’ll blow it out of proportion, but something happened this morning at the donut shop you should probably know about.” My husband had gotten my Jeep a new battery, so out of gratitude, I’d let him drive again. I hadn’t checked the weather report, but how different could it be from what we’d experienced yesterday? Unfortunately, I was about to find out.
“What happened?” he asked as he risked a quick glance in my direction.
“Emma and I were on our break outside when someone drove past the donut shop,” I said.
“I realize it’s the middle of the night for most folks, but that alone can’t be all that unusual. Did you happen to see who was driving?”
“Unfortunately, no. The windows were tinted black, and when I tried to get the license plate after it turned around and went past again, there was a bag over it.”
“Could it have just been a coincidence?” Jake asked.
“I didn’t think you believed in those,” I countered.
“Normally I don’t, but whether I like it or not, these things happen sometimes. Did you at least get the make and model?”
“All I can be sure of is that it was a dark sedan. That’s all Emma and I could agree on with any certainty, at any rate. So, you don’t think it’s important?”
“I don’t know. We’ll keep our eyes open for a dark sedan for now and leave it at that.”
“The truth is I feel better just telling you about it,” I said.
“Good. That’s why I’m here.”
“Oh, I can think of a few other reasons,” I said with a grin.
“Not while I’m driving, though,” he answered with a hint of laughter in his voice.
“Excuse me. We’re looking for gemstones,” I said as Jake and I walked into the Three Brothers Pawnshop in Maple Hollow. It was in the seedier section of the downtown area, one that had not yet been touched by the urban redevelopers. The shop itself was bright and well lit, with display cases showing everything from handguns to pocket watches to gold lighters neatly displayed, basically an array of everything anyone might want to trade in for cash, either for a short-term loan or as an outright sale. Guitars lined the section of the wall behind the man I’d learned was the manager, and I wondered if there were any left in town, since there was such a vast supply of them there.
“We’ve got our diamonds, rubies, and emeralds over here,” he said as he showed us a selection of rings, pendants, and earrings. “What’s your pleasure?”
“Sorry, I should have been more specific,” I said. “We’re interested in loose emeralds. Have you had any come in over the last day or two?”
The owner’s gaze narrowed for an instant, and I saw his smile grow to a thin line. “Not lately, no.”
“Do you have any in stock at all?” Jake asked him.
“You’re a cop, aren’t you? Don’t you guys ever talk to each other? Your buddies were already here.”
“I’m not a police officer,” Jake said emphatically.
The man continued to size him up, and it was clear he didn’t believe him. “Maybe not, but you used to be, and not that long ago, either, unless I’m wrong, and the thing is, I’m never wrong about stuff like that.”
How was it that folks who lived on the shadier side of the street were so good about picking up on the fact that Jake used to be a law enforcement officer? Was it the way he spoke, the way he carried himself, or something even more subtle than that? Whatever the reason, it had happened more than once when we’d been together, and I knew if Jake continued to be a part of my investigations, it would continue to occur.
“Okay, you got me, but I’m retired. I’m just a plain old civilian now.”
The man didn’t seem as though he believed him, so I handed him the donuts I’d brought with me to ease our way. “I myself am a donut maker, and if you want any more proof than that, here you go.”
“I’m not looking to buy any donuts, lady.”
“That’s good, because these are on the house,” I said.
“Seriously?” he asked as he looked steadily at me, as though it were something I’d lie about.
“Seriously,” I said with a grin. “Help yourself.”
Judging from the man’s massive girth, he had never said no to a confectionary treat in his life. He flipped open the lid and immediately wolfed down the closest donut to him. I wasn’t even sure he’d been able to taste it, but he smiled at me with real satisfaction as he licked the icing off his fingers. “That was first rate.”
“Thanks,” I said. “Now, about those emeralds.”
He looked around at the nearly empty shop, and then he lowered his voice as he explained, “Like I told the cop who came in earlier, nobody’s brought any stones by.”
“Okay,” I said.
Before I could ask a follow-up question, he added, “Somebody did call an hour ago, though. They had half a dozen emeralds they wanted to sell, and quick.”
“Did you happen to catch a name? Was it a man or a woman?” Jake asked in rapid order.
“I didn’t take the call; one of my people did. My nephew isn’t the brightest bulb, if you know what I mean. I asked him about it, but he couldn’t even say whether it was a man or a woman. Evidently the person on the other end was whispering, and sometimes it’s hard to make anything out.”
“Is the seller coming by later, by any chance?” I asked.
“My guess is no. Evidently they’d never done business with a pawnshop before, at least one that was on the up and up. Billy told the caller that they’d have to provide a photo ID before we could buy anything from them, and as soon as he said that, they hung up on him. We get those calls every now and then. Amateur thieves most likely, and we don’t go out of our way looking for trouble with the police or anyone else. We do our best to run a clean business here. Sorry I couldn’t help more.”
“You’ve done plenty, well worth the price of half a dozen donuts,” I told him with a smile. I gave him a business card for the donut shop and jotted my cell phone number on the back of it. “If they happen to change their minds and come in, give me a call. There’s another dozen donuts in it for you if you do.”
“With a payoff like that, I’ll make sure my entire staff knows.”
Once we were outside, I asked Jake, “What do you make of that?”
“It’s pretty clear at this point that we’re dealing with an amateur, and they can be unpredictable. But we already knew that, didn’t we? I’m curious to see what the next place has to say.”
Jake smiled for a moment before he added, “Those donuts were magic, weren’t they?”
“They can be,” I said. “Are you sorry I gave Momma the last two boxes?”
“It couldn’t be helped, but now we’re going to have to rely on our charm instead of your treats.”
“Wow, then we could be in trouble,” I answered with a laugh.
The other pawnshop in town was quite a bit shadier than the one we’d just visited. It was tough getting into the place for all of the lawnmowers and chainsaws stacked out front, and once we were inside, I had a difficult time seeing anything. Whereas the last place had been brightly lit, this one was dark and creepy. There had been some order and organization at the first pawnshop as well. Here, things had clearly been placed in random order with no thought given to anything but expediency.
“Let me handle this,” Jake said.
“Sure,” I replied, wondering what he had in mind.
“We need to see your latest unmounted emerald purchases,” Jake demanded when we found the woman in charge.
“You guys need to stop pestering me. You’re bad for business. This place has been crawling with cops today. People are going to start talking.”
Jake took the bag of Momma’s stones out of his pocket and emptied them into his hand. “We’re not fooling around here,” he said, and it took me a moment to realize that Jake hadn’t corrected the woman’s assumption that he was an officer of the law.
“Let me see those,” the pawnshop dealer said as she reached for them.
Jake was too quick for her, though. “I don’t think so. Now answer my question. Have you taken any in?”
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