them up for a burglary while I charm them over dinner. That’s a stretch, Chief, since I never set eyes on Laine before yesterday, don’t—as yet—know her residence or if she’s got something worth stealing in it. Be smarter, wouldn’t it, to hit the shop? She’s got a lot of nice merchandise in it.”
Vince simply watched Max eat, said nothing. “Couple of good thick glasses over there,” Max said after a moment, “if you want some of this coffee after all.”
“I’ll pass. What’s your business in Angel’s Gap, Mr. Gannon?”
“I’m with Reliance Insurance, and I’m here doing some fieldwork.”
“What kind of fieldwork?”
“Chief Burger, you can contact Aaron Slaker, CEO of Reliance, and verify my association with the company. He’s based in New York. But I’m not at liberty to discuss the details of my work without my client’s permission.”
“That doesn’t sound like insurance work to me.”
“There’s all kinds of insurance.” Max opened a little jar of strawberry jam and spread some on a triangle of toast.
“You got identification?”
“Sure.” Max rose, walked over to the dresser and took his driver’s license out of his wallet. He passed it to Vince, then took his seat again.
“You don’t sound like New York City.”
“Just can’t drum the Georgia out of the boy.” He was just irritated enough to exaggerate his drawl and make it a challenge. “I don’t steal, Chief. I just wanted to have dinner with a pretty woman. You go ahead and call Slaker.”
Vince dropped the license beside Max’s plate. “I’ll do that.” He started for the door, turned with his hand on the knob. “How long do you plan to be in town, Mr. Gannon?”
“Till the job’s done.” He scooped up more egg. “Chief? You were right. They do a really good omelette here.”
Even when the door shut behind Vince, Max sat and ate. And considered. A cop being a cop, Burger would run him, and the run would turn up his four years on the force. And his investigator’s license. Small towns being small towns, that little tidbit would get back to Laine before too long.
He’d decide how to play that when it had to be played. Meanwhile there was the matter of the break-in. The timing was just a little too good to be serendipity. And it told him he wasn’t the only one who thought the very attractive Miss Tavish had something to hide.
It was all a matter of who was going to find it first.
“Don’t worry about anything,” Jenny assured Laine. “Angie and I can handle things here. Are you sure you don’t want to just close the store for the day? Vince said your place is a wreck. I could come over and help you out.”
Laine switched the phone to her other ear, scanning her home office and thinking about the very pregnant Jenny dragging chairs and tables into place. “No, but thanks. I’d feel better knowing you and Angie have the shop. There’s a shipment coming in this morning, a pretty big one from the auction in Baltimore.”
And, damn it, she wanted to be there, getting her hands on all those lovely things. Admiring them, cataloguing them, arranging them. A good deal of the enjoyment came from setting up new stock in her place, and the rest came from watching it walk out the door again.
“I need you to log in the new stock, Jen. I’ve already done the pricing, that’s in the file. There’s a Clarice Cliff lotus jug, with a tulip design. You want to call Mrs. Gunt and let her know we have it. The price we agreed on is seven hundred, but she’ll want to negotiate. Six seventy-five is firm. Okay?”
“Gotcha.”
“Oh, and—”
“Laine, relax. It’s not my first day on the job. I’ll take care of things here, and if anything comes up I can’t handle, I’ll call you.”
“I know.” Absently, Laine reached down to pet the dog, who was all but glued to her side. “Too much on my mind.”
“Small wonder. I hate the thought of you handling that mess on your own.
Vince simply watched Max eat, said nothing. “Couple of good thick glasses over there,” Max said after a moment, “if you want some of this coffee after all.”
“I’ll pass. What’s your business in Angel’s Gap, Mr. Gannon?”
“I’m with Reliance Insurance, and I’m here doing some fieldwork.”
“What kind of fieldwork?”
“Chief Burger, you can contact Aaron Slaker, CEO of Reliance, and verify my association with the company. He’s based in New York. But I’m not at liberty to discuss the details of my work without my client’s permission.”
“That doesn’t sound like insurance work to me.”
“There’s all kinds of insurance.” Max opened a little jar of strawberry jam and spread some on a triangle of toast.
“You got identification?”
“Sure.” Max rose, walked over to the dresser and took his driver’s license out of his wallet. He passed it to Vince, then took his seat again.
“You don’t sound like New York City.”
“Just can’t drum the Georgia out of the boy.” He was just irritated enough to exaggerate his drawl and make it a challenge. “I don’t steal, Chief. I just wanted to have dinner with a pretty woman. You go ahead and call Slaker.”
Vince dropped the license beside Max’s plate. “I’ll do that.” He started for the door, turned with his hand on the knob. “How long do you plan to be in town, Mr. Gannon?”
“Till the job’s done.” He scooped up more egg. “Chief? You were right. They do a really good omelette here.”
Even when the door shut behind Vince, Max sat and ate. And considered. A cop being a cop, Burger would run him, and the run would turn up his four years on the force. And his investigator’s license. Small towns being small towns, that little tidbit would get back to Laine before too long.
He’d decide how to play that when it had to be played. Meanwhile there was the matter of the break-in. The timing was just a little too good to be serendipity. And it told him he wasn’t the only one who thought the very attractive Miss Tavish had something to hide.
It was all a matter of who was going to find it first.
“Don’t worry about anything,” Jenny assured Laine. “Angie and I can handle things here. Are you sure you don’t want to just close the store for the day? Vince said your place is a wreck. I could come over and help you out.”
Laine switched the phone to her other ear, scanning her home office and thinking about the very pregnant Jenny dragging chairs and tables into place. “No, but thanks. I’d feel better knowing you and Angie have the shop. There’s a shipment coming in this morning, a pretty big one from the auction in Baltimore.”
And, damn it, she wanted to be there, getting her hands on all those lovely things. Admiring them, cataloguing them, arranging them. A good deal of the enjoyment came from setting up new stock in her place, and the rest came from watching it walk out the door again.
“I need you to log in the new stock, Jen. I’ve already done the pricing, that’s in the file. There’s a Clarice Cliff lotus jug, with a tulip design. You want to call Mrs. Gunt and let her know we have it. The price we agreed on is seven hundred, but she’ll want to negotiate. Six seventy-five is firm. Okay?”
“Gotcha.”
“Oh, and—”
“Laine, relax. It’s not my first day on the job. I’ll take care of things here, and if anything comes up I can’t handle, I’ll call you.”
“I know.” Absently, Laine reached down to pet the dog, who was all but glued to her side. “Too much on my mind.”
“Small wonder. I hate the thought of you handling that mess on your own.
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