Chapter Six
Bree
"Are you sure you want to do this? After the last pawn shop, maybe you want to wait here?" I asked Nathan. "I can go in on my own."
He flashed me an icy look. "No, I'm fine. How about you wait in the car?"
"Me? I'm not the one who just hauled a man over his own counter and threatened to shake all his teeth loose," I said.
"I lost my patience." Nathan opened his car door.
I grabbed his arm before he got out. "Can we just think about this for a minute? Please?"
Nathan sat back in his seat with an impatient sigh. "Look, the first pawn shop guy was bad enough. He spent the whole time trying to convince us to buy a television."
"But he did show us his purchase receipts and you didn't see anything that looked familiar," I pointed out.
"I saw the second pawn shop owner's receipts, too," Nathan grumbled.
"After you tossed him to the floor and went through his books yourself."
Nathan groaned. "He made us believe he had some information and then he wasted almost forty minutes trying to exhort money from us. I wasn't going to pay for my own belongings."
"But he was lying, Nathan. He was just trying to make a little fast money."
"Yeah, well, he made a black eye instead." Nathan got out of my car.
I jumped out and caught him at the trunk. "That's why I think we should have a plan before we go in here. Why don't you let me do the talking?"
"What am I supposed to do?" Nathan asked.
"I don't know. How about you try to look like you just got out of the hospital? That is the story you're telling," I said.
Nathan rolled his eyes. I could attest to the fact that he felt just fine. Yes, he may have had some dark bruises on his torso but if he was in pain, Nathan had blocked it from bothering him.
"Hello," I said as soon as we entered the third pawn shop.
The clerk was an older man. He put down the magnifying glass he was using to study an antique pewter mug. "Hello. I always like seeing a nice young couple come in. Selling engagement rings is always good for a smile."
I put a hand on Nathan's arm before he could start growling. "Actually, we're wondering about a few items someone might have sold you recently."
The clerk arched an eyebrow at Nathan. "Let me guess. Went on a bender and what? Lost them in a poker game or got mugged?"
"Poker game," Nathan muttered.
I ignored him and stayed focused on charming the clerk. "We're not looking for your sympathy. We just want to track down what happened."
The clerk sighed but finally smiled at me. "Sure. Knock yourself out."
He pulled out his files and spread them out on the counter. I could already tell it had been a slow week and that Nathan was most likely not the owner of the porcelain mouse collection that had been sold to the pawn shop on the day he was injured.
"Did anyone try to sell something and get turned away?" I asked the clerk, pointing to the day in his files.
He shrugged. "I wasn't here that day."
I gave the older man my best batting eyelashes and even a sniffle. "He wasn't mugged, you know. Someone hit him with a car and left him in a ditch outside of town."
The clerk frowned. "Fine. I'll call my assistant. He's supposed to be coming in soon anyhow."
The young man arrived five minutes later with an unfortunate haircut and a worried frown. "Did I do something wrong?" he asked.
Nathan stepped forward. "Has anyone tried to sell you anything you thought was stolen these last couple of days?" he asked the young man.
He ruffled the bad haircut, making it worse, and then said, "It's been quiet. I haven't had to turn anyone away since someone tried to sell their AA chips two weeks ago."
"Wow," I said. "How much money did they want for them?"
"Not money. He wanted an engagement ring. Didn't have the heart to tell him Lucy won't marry a drunk." The young man tried to smooth down his hair. "Speaking of engagement rings, we have a great selection. Let me show you one I thought of as soon as I saw you."
"Better luck next time," Nathan growled. He grabbed my hand and hauled me toward the door.
"Thanks anyway," I called over my shoulder.
If Nathan hadn't been pulling me along awkwardly next to him, I never would have noticed the small glass case near the door. I wrenched my arm free from his grip and went back to take a second look.
"You aren't seriously shopping right now, are you?" Nathan asked.
"No. Look! Any of those look familiar?" I asked, pointing at the case.
It was filled with keys of all shapes and sizes. Someone had sorted them by type, and there was an entire row that looked exactly like the key found in Nathan's pocket.
"Excuse me, sir? What kind of keys are these?" I called back to the clerk.
He went back to reading his paper as his assistant rounded the counter and hurried to help me. "The little ones? Those are mostly decorative. A few might have opened up fancy cigar boxes or something back in the day but the locks are long gone."
"You really know your stuff," I told the young man. "Any chance you could help us identify a key?"
"Sure." He smoothed down his hair again. "If you tell me what the story is between you two. I mean, if he's not buying you an engagement ring, does that mean you're single?"
Nathan stopped the hopeful young flirt with one stone cold look. "What kind of key is this?"
"Oh, that? That's a safety deposit box key. But, like, from an older bank. They still use them." He backed slowly away from Nathan and headed back to the counter.
"Do you know which one?" Nathan asked.
The young man shrugged. "All I know is that one side usually has the box number on it and the other side either has the name or the insignia of the bank."
"Thanks again," I called.
We got back into my car without saying a word. Nathan sat in the passenger seat twirling the key between his fingers.
"See? That went better, right?" I asked.
"Yeah, especially the part where the young assistant decided to either sell us an engagement ring or ask you on a date," Nathan said.
"Jealous?"
He let a smile slip through his gruff look. "I'm just not ready to lose my little detective yet."
"Then let's go find the next clue," I said as I started the car.