by G. K. Parks
This time, I didn’t go inside. I stayed in my car and called Sara to ask what she knew about Pauley’s Pawn.
“We’ve busted them a couple of times for selling stolen property,” she said. “But we’ve busted all the stores a time or two.”
“Is there anything else you can tell me?”
“No, sorry. They aren’t on the radar.”
“All right, thanks.”
“You just left a couple of hours ago. You can’t seriously have a lead already.”
“I never said I did.”
“Just be careful, Lucien.”
“What fun would that be?” Hanging up, I was glad I didn’t waste a trip inside. The only reason I made the call from the parking lot was in case they had open files that I’d want to sneak a peek at. But they didn’t.
Once I got back to the office, I laid the signed fabric out on my desk, scanned it in, and blew up the photograph Knox had provided. I placed one image on top of the other. The signatures lined up perfectly. Every swirl, dot, and line hit precisely.
“They’re numbered,” Justin said from the doorway.
“What?”
“In the bottom corner. They do that on some collector’s items.” Justin watched me compare the number to the info on Knox’s certificate of authenticity. “Does that belong to our client?”
“Yes.”
“That’s a new record for you, solving a case in twenty-four hours.”
“It’s far from solved. This is just one part of his collection. I didn’t see anything else.” Another thought hit me. What if the thieves had spread Knox’s collection out over several stores? It’d be harder to track them down that way. But the way the woman told me to come back for the ring made me think she knew where it was, which meant she might know where the rest of Knox’s collection was being held. “What did you find on Pauley’s Pawn?”
“Step into my office and I’ll show you.” Justin stepped back into the outer office. “Oh wait, not my office, the reception area.”
I gave his shoulder a shove for good measure while he brought up the info he’d ascertained. “What do we know about Lenmere LLC?”
“Filings look good. They have a few holdings, Pauley’s, a self-storage center, and another pawn shop. Both pawn shops have received citations and fines. The owner’s clean. No criminal record, just plenty of moving citations.”
“Who owns it?”
“Dmitri Lenmere. He’s sixty-two. This is his second act. He used to drive a taxi, retired, and bought a few shops. From what I gather, he’s hands-off.”
“All right.” I stared at the screen. “No B&Es in his past. Did you find any known associates with a history of break-ins?”
“Nothing, but cabbies meet a lot of people.”
“That’s a stretch.”
Justin pulled Dmitri’s driver’s license. He didn’t live in the city anymore. If he was still driving a cab, I’d have wondered if he and Knox had crossed paths and if Knox had bragged to him about his collection, but that couldn’t be the case.
“What do you want me to do?” Justin asked.
“Run Dmitri’s name and photo by Knox. I’m guessing our client doesn’t know this guy from a hole in the wall.” I rubbed a hand over my mouth. “We were hired to find and retrieve Knox’s property, not figure out who took it or why. That being said, if this was a random break-in,” which I still didn’t believe, “we just recovered one stolen item. I’m going to follow the breadcrumbs back to the source.”
Ten
I’d seen a few cameras inside Pauley’s Pawn but none outside. Still, cameras were everywhere. I just had to figure out which ones covered the pawn shop and hack into them. That shouldn’t be too hard, except each one was on a closed circuit. That would make life more difficult.
Since I couldn’t access the cameras remotely, I checked the time, went with plan B, and set out for a few more pawn shops. Even though they all had shelves dedicated to sports memorabilia, I didn’t spot any of Knox’s collection. I asked about several of the other pieces and the ring, but no one made any solid promises the way the woman at Pauley’s had.
Most of the pawn shop owners weren’t willing to send me away empty-handed. They could tell I was a potential big fish. They weren’t going to toss me back into the ocean the way the first pawn shop I visited had.
“Come back in a few days. We have constant turnover. There’s no way to know what we’ll have, but I bet it’ll be something great,” one of them said.
“Give me your number, and if I get a line on one of those game balls or that ring you’re so anxious to find, I’ll let you know. And if anything else comes in that might strike your fancy, I’ll set it aside so you can have first pick,” another one said.
Reluctantly, I gave them my personal number because I didn’t want to risk this tracking back to my P.I. firm. Pawn shop owners didn’t like cops. And while I was the farthest thing from a cop, something told me they’d lump me into the same category as the boys and girls in blue.
After hitting those dead ends, I dropped by to see a fence I knew. He called himself a concierge because he could get anyone anything at any time. When I’d been trying to be a big shot on the money scene, I’d gone to him for different things, everything from dime bags of coke to Renaissance art.
“Lucien Cross, I’ll be damned.” Freddy Giles ushered me into the penthouse apartment. He wore a silk kimono and nothing else. He tugged on the belt. “What can I do you for?” He sniffed and wiped at his nose with the back of his hand. “You want to do a line?”
“No, I’m good.” I glanced around his place, wondering how he’d made such a vast upgrade since the last time I’d seen him.
“I’m housesitting for one of my clients.” He strode to the bar. “At least have a drink.”
“Sure, that sounds great.”
He poured a gin and tonic, light on the tonic, and brought it over to me. Movement from the bedroom caught my eye. A woman in nothing but a lace thong crossed in front of the doorway. Freddy handed me a glass and took a seat on the couch across from me.
I sat back in the chair and stared at the crown molding, hoping Freddy would take the hint and close his knees.
“So what exactly is it you’re looking for? You said something about sports shit on the phone.”
“I’m looking for this.” I pulled a photo out of my breast pocket and held it out to him. He scooted forward on the couch, enabling me to stop staring at the ceiling. “That’s the most expensive piece from the collection, but there’s more. A lot more.”
Freddy whistled. “That’s a one of a kind piece. It’ll be hard to come by.”
“I know. The rest of the collection isn’t as prestigious, but the original owner wants it all back.”
“Stolen?”
“Yeah.”
“Recently?”
“Less than two weeks ago.”
“So it’s smokin’ hot right now.” Freddy picked up the two fingers of scotch he’d poured for himself and took a sip. “Unless the thief already has a buyer lined up, it’d be imbecilic to try to move this.”
“Uh-huh.” I sipped my drink. “Do you think you can find it for me?”
“Hey, I’m Freddy G. When have I not come through on something for you, huh?”
“Never.”
“Damn straight.” He pointed a finger at me before flopping back against the couch cushion and spreading his arms out wide. I resisted the urge to stare at the ceiling. “Have you already put out feelers?”
“I made a listing or two on the dark web, checked the usual online auction sites, and visited area pawn shops. I might be on to something. Pauley’s Pawn, do you know it?”
“They do a decent business. They get some nice stuff from time to time, not that I do much business with them.”
“Are they legit?”
“Is any pawn shop?”
“Maybe.”
Freddy chuckled. “Well, they’re the poor man’s concierge. Did they promise
they’d get you results?”
“I was told to check back next week.”
“All right. I’ll see if I can do you one better. Let me know if they come through in the meantime.”
“Do you know where they get their merchandise?”
“The same place we all get our stuff. It fell off a truck.”
“The Rembrandt you got me didn’t fall off a truck.”
“No, that deal was brokered by yours truly. All legit. Paperwork’s golden. But I’m guessing since your pal lost his shit and you’re looking to reappropriate it, you know this isn’t going to have legit papers to go along with it.”
“I’m just trying to recover his stolen property.”
He cringed. “I don’t like that word. Let’s call it redistributable merchandise.”
I finished my gin and stood. “I don’t care what you call it, Freddy. I just need to know who has it so I can get it back.”
“No, Luci, that’s not how this goes. Either I get it and act like a middleman and the two sides never meet, or you’re on your own.”
“Fine.” I hated it when he called me Luci. “Find the ring, and we’ll negotiate terms on how to go about recovering the rest of the redistributable merchandise.”
He grinned. “See, I taught you something new.”
The woman stepped out of the bedroom, practically naked, and moved over to the couch. She sat down beside Freddy, running her hand along his arm until she was leaning against him, and stared at me from beneath fake lashes. Her eyes were almost as glassy as his. Licking her lips, she whispered something in his ear.
“She wants to know if you’d like to join us,” Freddy said.
“I can’t. I have a dinner date.”
He snorted. “When did you become so reputable?”
“You should try it sometime.” I put the empty glass on the bar. “I’ll see myself out.”
“Hey, Lucien,” Freddy called, sounding more serious and a tad more sober, “I can be a reputable businessman when the situation calls for it, but that’s not why you came to see me tonight.”
“I guess you’re right.”
“I’ll see what I can do. Just remember, my name never comes up with your pops or with your client. I’m not getting involved in a police investigation because I do have a reputation.”
“Thanks.” I eyed the woman. “Have fun.”
Shaking off the nagging at the back of my mind that always came following a trip to Freddy’s, I called Jade to let her know I was on my way to pick her up. As I walked out of the apartment building, I felt eyes on me. But when I looked around, no one was there. Visiting Freddy had made me paranoid, as it so often did. No matter how old I got or what I did, being that close to someone with that much contraband always made me nervous. I probably had my father to blame for it.
As I drove away from the building, I made sure to maintain my speed and not violate any traffic laws. I kept one eye on my rearview mirror, but I didn’t see any police cruisers or tails. That helped squelch the uneasy feeling that had wormed its way into the pit of my stomach. By the time I opened my front door and found Jade waiting for me, it was no longer even an afterthought.
“Hey, honey, how was your day?” I took off my jacket and grabbed a hanger from the coat closet.
“It was okay, I guess.” She picked at a hangnail, her gaze darting from me to the floor.
“Did something happen?”
“Nope, everything’s great. I saw Mary Beth.” Her chin quivered a little. “We talked about some hard stuff.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?” I crossed the room and knelt in front of her, reminding myself she didn’t like to be touched.
“I’m fine. Stop asking me that.”
I held up my palms. “Okay. Give me five minutes to change into something else and then we’ll go.” I’d just pulled a black button-up with silver pinstripes from the closet when I noticed Jade lingering in the doorway. “Enjoying the view?”
“Yes.” She chewed on her bottom lip for a few moments, a mischievous grin on her face.
After changing into something stylish but casual, I closed the closet, went into the bathroom to wash my hands, ran a hand through my hair so it’d do that sexy, messy thing Jade liked, and grabbed my keys. “Still in the mood for Chinese?”
“Absolutely. I’m starving.” From the way she’d been looking at me, I wasn’t convinced it was food she wanted, but the rest could wait until after we ate.
While I set the alarm, she stepped into the hallway. I followed her out and pushed the button for the elevator. When we made it to my car, I opened her door and waited for her to get in.
“You’re such a gentleman.” She kissed my cheek and slid into the passenger seat. After I put the car into drive, she took my hand in hers. “You really haven’t dated anyone since I left?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Jade, come on, why are we having this conversation?” I already knew it would lead to no good.
“Humor me.”
“I’ve been busy. When would I have had time?”
“What about before?”
“Before what?” I glanced at her before returning my eyes to the road.
“Before I showed up at your office that day. Before we met. Before Scott…”
Since she had taken my free hand prisoner, I didn’t have to worry about demonstrating my usual nervous tic. Instead, I found my throat had gone dry. After clearing it, I shrugged. “I haven’t seen anyone steady in a long time.”
“Except me.”
“I guess, if you call what we had steady.”
“We weren’t casual.”
“No.”
“You let me stay over whenever I wanted.”
“I’d let you do anything you want. You know that.”
She fell silent. Unsure what minefield I would wander into by pursuing this line of questioning, I let the quiet linger for a while. When I couldn’t take it anymore, I turned on the radio, flipping through the presets on the steering wheel controls until I found something fun and poppy. Jade squeezed my hand and sang along until we parked at the restaurant.
The hostess greeted us and asked for our names. After marking something on the chart, she led us to a table near a window. I pulled out Jade’s chair and pushed it in after she sat. Since she thought I was a gentleman, I figured I better act the part.
A moment later, someone arrived to take our drink orders. We started with cocktails and a variety of appetizers. After he disappeared, Jade carefully studied the menu.
“I haven’t had good Chinese food in a long time.” She frowned at the selections.
“Is something wrong? If you’d rather go somewhere else, we can leave.”
“No, it’s not that. I just can’t decide what to get. It all looks so good. General Tso’s chicken, beef and broccoli, shrimp lo mein, moo shu pork.” She looked up at me. “What are you getting? We can split our entrees, right?”
“Jade, you don’t have to pick. This is your last night in the city. You can have whatever you want. It’s my treat.”
“No, I can’t eat that much. Maybe we should have gone to one of those buffet places.”
I cringed. “Didn’t you say you wanted good Chinese food?”
She laughed. “You got me there.”
The appetizers came, and while Jade was distracted by the shrimp toast and spare ribs, I ordered a selection of soups, white and fried rice, and told the server we’d need a few minutes to figure out entrees. Jade appeared to be in heaven as she crunched on the fried shell surrounding an egg roll.
After limiting our ordering to one item from each protein category, I settled into my chair, watching Jade nibble little pieces of everything. When the soups came, she picked out two to sample. Halfway through her cup of hot and sour, she abruptly put her spoon down and wiped her mouth.
“Stop staring at me. Aren’t you going to eat anything?”
“Sorry. I just forgot how cute you are.�
�� I grabbed the bowl of wonton soup and scooted it closer. “Is it good?”
“It’s fantastic.” She nudged the tray of appetizers closer, and I snared one of the egg rolls since she had no interest in them besides a single bite. I’d forgotten she didn’t like them. “That’s better. You were making me feel like a glutinous pig.”
“You’re not a pig. You’ve barely made a dent in anything.”
“It all adds up.”
“Don’t tell me you’re watching your figure. You’re perfect no matter what.”
“You mean that, don’t you?”
“I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t.”
She stopped eating and wiped her mouth on the napkin before placing it back on her lap. “It’s quite possible you’re the most amazing guy in the world.” The way she said it made it seem like that was a problem, but no matter how I twisted it around in my head, I couldn’t figure out what was wrong with that.
Eleven
“Should we splurge and get the green tea ice cream?” I asked.
Jade stared at me with wide eyes. The server had already taken back our five entrees to box up, along with the leftover appetizers and soups. “You’re joking.”
“It’s green tea ice cream. Didn’t you drag me out of the house at one a.m. that time to get green tea ice cream because they wouldn’t deliver and you had to have it?”
“I didn’t drag you. Plus, you skipped PT that day. You were supposed to walk around. I just wanted to make sure you got your exercise.”
“Uh-huh.”
“I needed exercise too.”
I snorted. “Fine. If you don’t want to split a scoop of ice cream, I’ll have to eat it all by myself.”
“I don’t want it.”
“Okay.” When it came, I picked up one of the two spoons, took a bite, and waited. Just like our first encounter, Jade stared at the food on the plate in front of me, except this wasn’t a giant cookie, it was ice cream. After another spoonful, I pushed the bowl to the middle of the table. “All right. I’m done.”