Chapter Thirteen
After Gabby and Jake’s intimate dinner, Will and Charlie had joined them in the dining room. Gabby loved hearing Charlie’s stories about their classmates. Even more, she loved feeling like a normal person with friends, like how it’d been in school.
Being in the elaborate dining room, surrounded by fine art and antiques as lovely as she’d ever seen, gave her comfort. It was nice to be back in England, with its unique style and culture cultivated by the passing of time. Not new and American, like home.
She looked around the huge table, and it dawned on her that the only friends she had now were all in front of her. Will, worried sick for his brother, and Jake and Charlie, who were getting along slightly better, but each was still wary of the other.
She’d once wondered if her and Will’s friendship could ever grow into a relationship one day, but after meeting Jake, there was no comparison between the two. Will was quiet, kind, and sweet like vanilla ice cream. Jake, on the other hand, was rocky road with hot fudge poured all over the top: exciting and fun. And why was she using ice cream as euphemisms for sex lately? She obviously needed more of both in her life.
But back to business. “Will, what has Dean told you so far?”
Will drained the glass of water in front of him like he hadn’t had a drink in days. “Dean saw an opportunity to raise millions for the museum by selling the statues as a pair. He’d had multiple bids, so he sold both statues to the highest bidder.”
“He didn’t have the authority to do that.” Gabby’s hands balled into fists. “Did he steal the Father statue from us?”
Will shook his head. “No! The people he’s with did, not Dean. When that statue turned up stolen, Dean asked me to run down to New Mexico and dig up the Son statue to keep it safe. But it wasn’t there. I sent Dean a picture of the map and letter inside the box I found. He told me to make copies of the paperwork. Then I reburied the copies and the empty box. These are the originals.” Will pointed to the paperwork he’d laid on the table. “Dean said we needed your help because you knew the most about the statues and that you grew up here in London. And because we couldn’t get in touch with you, I should leave the shard in case you’d decided to look for the Son statue, too. So you’d know to track one of us down. Your phone was just going to voice mail.”
She’d deliberately stayed off her regular e-mail, too, so her father wouldn’t find her. “That’s because I ditched my phone, got a new one, and left for New Mexico after the Father statue was stolen from DC.” Assuming her father had taken it. But she couldn’t share that part.
Will said, “Two men who Dean had made a deal with for the Son statue showed up at his apartment. They told him they needed him to accompany them to New Mexico to get it. Dean panicked when he realized the men weren’t asking. When they found the map in the hole instead of the statue, they gave him thirty-six hours to find it.”
Doubt about Dean’s motives began to sink in. Seemed like he’d send his brother to the police if it were all about raising funds for the museum.
“I don’t understand how this statue thing ever ended up in New Mexico.” Jake frowned at the faded, weathered paper in front of him. “It makes no sense.”
“This is the stuff Gabby and I loved while at university.” Charlie leaned forward as if telling a juicy secret. “During World War Two, many of England’s treasures and important papers were scattered over the countryside, hidden in the larger estates, or shipped overseas. To protect them from the fires the bombing raids on London had caused. In 1942, we asked your State Department to hang on to many great pieces of art by Goya, Rembrandt, Botticelli, among others. They sent it all down to some place in the Carolinas. What was it again, Gabby?”
She took a sip of tea, then said, “The Biltmore House in North Carolina. There, a curator originally from New Mexico was checking the manifest and noted that both the statues, formally separated and owned by cousins, had ended up together again. Knowing the legend of the curse that supposedly caused the fall of the Incas and World War One, he took the Son statue back to his Native lands, had it blessed by an elder, and then buried it there for safekeeping until after the war.”
Will asked, “Did the curator tell the owner what he’d done?”
“He tried by sending a letter, but he never heard back before he passed away. After the war had ended, the Father statue was sent back to England with the rest of the art, but no one claimed it, so it was sold on the open market. Seems both cousins who owned them were killed during the war. And no one in their family wanted them because they were convinced they really were cursed. That’s how the Father statue ended up in our museum in DC. And just recently, someone found that letter the curator sent, and so the fun began.”
Jake asked, “So why move the Son statue back to England? And leave a note where it’s buried?”
“I can answer that.” Will cleared his throat. “From what Dean deciphered from the Native writing, bad things had happened to the tribe ever since the statue had been buried there. The elders insisted it be returned to their deceased owner’s lands and buried again. So the bad spirits would leave them alone and finally rest where they belonged. But Dean couldn’t make any sense of the partial map of London that was in the box. He couldn’t make out any of the street names or find a landmark to orient a search.”
“Spirits and curses?” Jake grunted. “All I know is Dean’s in trouble. Do you know where he is? And have you gone to the police here?”
Will shook his head. “Dean told me not to. He said they’d kill him if I did. And I don’t know where he is. We’re communicating by text.”
Jake turned to Charlie. “Who could pull off a heist in a heavily guarded museum in DC?”
“Not too many. Even then, I’d venture Dean helped them.” Charlie’s right brow arched. “No offense, Will. That’s probably why he doesn’t want the cops involved.”
“Yep. My take, too. Why don’t you guys work on this map while Gabby and I have a little chat?” Jake stood and headed for the stairs.
Jake wasn’t a happy camper. Therefore, she probably wasn’t going to be one, either. She slowly stood and followed behind Jake upstairs. When she caught up, he stood with a bedroom door open, waiting for her.
“After you.” He held out a hand.
She passed by him and forced a smile. “Everything okay?”
“Nope.” He shut the door behind them. “I need you to e-mail your father and find out if he knows who we’re dealing with. And then I’m going to call the local police and tell them what’s going on. After that, we’re going home and staying out of this.”
“But, we’re so close. Charlie—”
“If my gut’s right, and it’s rarely wrong, Dean is working with these people and using you and his brother to abscond with a fortune. There are too many holes in Will’s story. Think about it, Gabby. If Dean was under duress, there’s no way they’d be letting him talk to his brother like that. And why lead the others on a wild-goose chase around New Mexico unless he was trying to give Will time to find the statue and then give his partners the slip? Once that Son statue is found, chances are Dean’s dead anyway.”
Gabby’s stomach started to ache. “So you think Dean planned to sell them and disappear forever? But when he couldn’t figure out what the clues meant for the Son statue, he asked Will to find me? Dean knew I cared about saving the statues for the public enough that I’d help him. Dammit!” She hated that Dean had manipulated her. He did that all the time at work, too. Preyed on her inability to say no to her boss. Made her do his dirty work.
Jake pulled her close and ran a comforting hand up and down her back. “Don’t beat yourself up, Gabby. The good in you is what makes you so special.”
She wrapped her arms around Jake’s waist. Her heart did a happy dance because he thought she was special. But in her head, she berated herself for being so gullible. Dean couldn’t have known who her father was, though, and now her former boss was going to wish he’d never helped steal the Father statue. She asked, “Would you guess Dean has the Father statue here with him? Maybe to sell the pair?” Jake hadn’t let go of her, so she snuggled closer.
“Good chance of that. And I think your boy toy knows more than he’s letting on, too.”
She smiled. “He does know more. You cut me off before I could tell you. The people following him are the police. He was just playing with them earlier.”
Jake’s hand stopped rubbing her back. “Gabby, please don’t tell me we’re harboring a wanted criminal. At this rate, I’m never getting my badge back.”
“He’s not a wanted criminal . . . yet.” She gave his waist a squeeze. “After I’d asked him to see if there was any buzz on the statues, the cops—who monitor the online traffic Charlie allows them to monitor—approached him to help them find it. Charlie said winning a few brownie points with the police by retrieving an artifact that rightfully belongs in England couldn’t hurt. Cops are outside watching the house right now. So no need to call them. And did I forget to mention that Charlie is gay?”
Jake leaned back and blinked at her. “How did I miss that?”
“Probably because you were so busy being jealous of him. Which I thought was pretty cute.”
“I was protecting you.”
“Right. Lucky for you, you’re the only boy toy I want to play with.”
“Good.” He laid a quick kiss on her lips. “Now that the police are involved, I feel better about all of this. E-mail your dad. Let’s get that Son statue back for England and try to keep Dean alive.”
“Okay. Have I thanked you for helping me, Jake? I couldn’t have done this without you. Wouldn’t want to have done it without you.”
“Happy to help. But I have ulterior motives. I’m looking forward to after all of this is over. When we can spend the rest of my time off together.” His smile was so sweet it melted her heart.
“Then let’s get this over with so we can get started with that.” She crossed the room and found her laptop. After she had sent her dad an e-mail, she and Jake headed downstairs.
She smiled every time she walked into the massive dining room. It had beautiful portraits on the light-blue silk-covered walls and lovely old vases on the sideboards. It was like eating in a museum, her favorite place on earth, and made her feel right at home.
Jake leaned down and whispered, “I hate how all those people’s eyes in the pictures seem to watch while I eat. It gives me the creeps.”
To each their own.
Will and Charlie had their heads bent over the map. She laid a hand on Charlie’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “What are we thinking?”
Charlie shook his head. “The lack of detail on this map is unusual. And I only have this ruler when I could really use a proper scale.”
“I have one. Be right back.” As she passed by Jake, she held out her hand. “You owe me ten bucks. I told you on the way to Annalisa’s we’d need something from my backpack. I think you’ll be paying me off again before we’re through.”
Jake scowled as he dug out his wallet and tugged out a twenty. “Here. There’s an extra ten so I don’t have to hear about the next one. I’m going to talk to the cops outside. See what they know. Be back in a few.”
Jake walked out the front door while she ran upstairs to get the scale and her laptop. Maybe her father had answered. When she returned to the dining room, she sat beside Charlie and studied the London map. It was odd how things were outlined—no details were filled in—but it was clearly a partial section of a specific part of the city. She’d never seen another like it. And the bottom edge was ragged like it’d been torn, and there was no printed scale. On the top, the heading read “Special Emergency Edition,” and a memory struck. “Charlie. Could this be an ARP?”
Will glanced up with a wrinkled brow. “What’s that?”
“A map used for Air Raid Precautions planning during the war.” Charlie’s handsome face lit up with a smile. “Yes, that’s why the scale isn’t making any sense. The maps were rushed and never available to the public. Gabby, do you recall the scale? You’re the genius with sums and numbers.”
She closed her eyes and conjured up what she’d learned so many years earlier. “I think this should be one to twenty-five thousand.”
Charlie laid the scale down and used his phone to do some quick math. “Yes. That makes more sense. Now, if only we can figure out where this piece of the city is.” He went back to studying the vaguely outlined landmarks.
After Will had gone to the wet bar in search of a stiff drink, Charlie whispered, “This map is worth a fortune. They were never released to the public, and there are only so many. If it goes missing, can we call it payment for services rendered?”
“I’ll pretend I never heard that. And don’t even think about taking anything in here. Annalisa was nice to let us use her lovely home.”
“I had my eye on that vase over there, but this map might be all it takes to stifle my desire to nick it.”
“Stop.” Gabby smacked his arm. “Jake won’t hesitate to turn you over to those cops outside.”
“Duly noted. But I can see why you’re smitten. Jake’s rather dishy, isn’t he?” Charlie smiled as he studied the faded ink.
“Yes.” Her heart did a little backflip. “But we’re just having a fling. We live on opposite sides of the country. He has his life, and I have mine.”
“Anyone told him it’s just a fling, then? Because it’s a wonder you two don’t just burst into flames there’s so much sexy tension when you look at each other.”
“Part of that is because he can be bossy. And he knows how to push my buttons. It annoys me sometimes.” She propped her chin in her hand. “But there’s something I can’t put my finger on that makes me happy when I’m with him. He’s so different from anyone I’ve ever met. I think I’m falling in love with him.”
“You’ve already taken the fall, love. And look here. I finally found a street name that I can make out. I think I just figured out where our little gold friend is buried.”
Gabby leaned closer, thrumming with excitement. “Where?”
“In a graveyard that’s been around forever, of course. Logical, coming from a burial site in the states. In Paddington, no less. Lots of war casualties buried there. Spooky and delicious at night, I’d wager.”
“But where in the cemetery? The whole place is marked with an X.” Gabby picked up the note left with the statue and studied it again. It’d been addressed to the man who’d last owned it. “Wait. Lots of war casualties are buried there? Both cousins who’d owned the pair of statues died in the war. What do you bet he’s buried with this man?” She pointed to the name on the envelope.
Charlie lips spread into a slow grin. “Yes. That’d make sense. We should go tomorrow and check things out, then later dig it up when it’s dark. Don’t want to go through all that red tape required for a permit.” Charlie stood and took a picture of the map. “For my catalog. The one the cops don’t know about.”
Will said from behind them, “I need to tell you guys something.”
Gabby turned around, and all the air whooshed from her lungs. He had a gun in his hand. Had she been wrong about Will? Was he working with Dean after all? “What are you doing?”
Charlie glanced over his shoulder. “His brother’s dirty work. Seems they were in on it together, Gabby.”
“No, we’re not.” Will lifted both hands as if in surrender. “Dean warned me that Gabby would try to turn the statue over to a museum. He wanted me to take it from you to save him. I just can’t do it, though. Now that you know where the Son statue is buried and Dean has the Father, I want to go home.” He lowered his hands from above his head and stuck the gun out toward them. “Here, take this, please. You might need it.”
Jake walked in, and his face hardened. In a lighting fast move, he disarmed Will and then held him in a headlock. “Gabby, come take the gun, please.”
Will whimpered, “I was just trying to give it to Gabby.”
“He’s telling the truth, Jake. You can let him go.” She took the gun and checked the safety.
Jake slowly released him. “How did you get a gun? And what were you thinking?”
Will rolled his shoulders. “After I told Dean I was meeting you, he told me to get on a bus. Some guy sat beside me, handed me a bag, and then got off. I wasn’t going to shoot anyone, Jake. I never even put the bullets in. Dean told me to get the Son statue.” He handed her the bullets. “I just wanted to help my brother, but when guns came into play, I drew the line.”
Charlie hissed, “Dean’s been using you. By adding a gun to the mix, you could’ve gone to jail for a long time.”
Will winced. “I know. I didn’t know what else to do. He’s my brother.”
“A brother who betrayed you. You best get on a plane and go home. We’ll take things from here.” Charlie turned to Jake. “Okay with you?”
Jake met his gaze. “We need to haul his ass outside and hand him over to the cops. Let him tell them what he knows about Dean.”
Will’s eyes widened. “No cops. Please. I have my practice back home to think of. I haven’t done anything wrong.” He turned pleading eyes to her. “Please, Gabby. You know I’d never hurt you. I didn’t know what else to do. But I’m worried sick for Dean.”
Will was a rich doctor, in over his head, too, who loved his unlovable brother. She had no more sympathy for Dean after she’d learned he was going to sell the statues. He was responsible for his own fate, but it wasn’t fair of Dean to take his brother down with him. “We could just send him home. Get him out of harm’s way, right, Jake?”
His jaw tightened. “I vote for the cops outside. What if he’s still working with his brother, Gabby? Let the police sort that out.”
Will turned to her again. “I didn’t realize I was doing Dean’s dirty work. And I’d never hurt you. You know that, right?”
“Yeah.” She huffed out a breath. “Give me your phone. And the password.”
Will slowly dug it from his pocket and handed it over. “It’s eight, zero, zero, zero.”
She tried the password. It worked, so she stuck the phone in her back pocket. “Don’t contact Dean. And go straight home. You’ve already done more for your brother than he deserves.”
“He’s all the family I have left. I know he’s flawed, but—”
“I understand loving a flawed person, but Dean didn’t hesitate to put both of our lives in danger. A brother who loved you would never do that.”
Will opened his mouth to protest but then slowly closed it. His shoulders slumped like he’d just taken on a massive burden. Or perhaps in relief. He wasn’t cut out for espionage any more than she was. “You’re right. But someone followed me here. I don’t know if they’ll let me get to the airport alive.”
Charlie said, “They’ll never know you left. I’ll sneak you out in my car. Let’s go.”
Will laid a kiss on her cheek. “Please keep Dean alive if you can.”
She nodded as Charlie took Will’s arm and hauled him toward the garage. Charlie said, “I’ll see you two in a bit.” Then they disappeared through the garage door.
Jake sighed as he laid his forehead against hers. “That might have been a big mistake, Gabby. But seeing a gun pointed at you . . . my heart nearly stopped.”
Jake’s concern warmed her soul. “Thank you for letting him go.” She slowly slid her arms around his shoulders.
Jake didn’t flinch or even hesitate. Instead, he wrapped her up and lifted her against his chest. “Add one more thing I’m ignoring. How many is that since I’ve met you?”
“More than I should ask of you.” She kissed his cheek. “You’re officially my favorite cop, if that helps.”
He grinned. “And you’re my favorite trespasser, assailant, and airplane tire murderer.”
“You probably say that to all the girls.” She kissed him, taking her time, savoring him, until he grew impatient and took over. He upped the intensity, and made her insides turn to mush all over again.
Just when she was considering hauling him upstairs with her, he leaned away and said, “You’ve made getting bashed over the head worth the pain, Gabby.” Then he kissed her again.
Her heart just fell another few feet in love.