Chapter 4 - A Telephone Call to the Wrong Woman|
I sat in my car outside Nadine's office for almost twenty minutes.
The photograph of Colin beside the vault had changed everything.
In my first life, he told the police he had never personally handled the necklace before giving it to me.
Now I had reason to believe that was another lie.
But there was something I couldn't understand.
Why would Roland Shaw allow Colin to steal his wife's necklace?
Unless Roland didn't know.
Or unless the necklace itself was part of a much larger scheme.
I looked at Marlene Shaw's name on my phone.
Marlene was sixty-one, elegant, intimidating, and famous for donating millions to hospitals across Illinois.
I'd met her at three charity dinners.
She always remembered the names of servers.
And unlike her husband, she rarely smiled when someone praised her generosity.
I called her foundation office.
“Shaw Foundation. How may I direct your call?”
“My name is June Mercer. I'd like to speak with Mrs. Shaw regarding a personal jewelry matter.”
The receptionist hesitated.
“Mrs. Shaw doesn't usually accept unsolicited calls.”
“Please tell her it's about an antique emerald necklace.”
Silence.
Then:
“One moment.”
I waited.
A woman's voice finally answered.
“This is Marlene Shaw.”
My hand tightened around the phone.
“Mrs. Shaw, I'm sorry to bother you.”
“June Mercer.”
She remembered me.
“Yes, ma'am.”
“What do you want?”
I swallowed.
“My husband recently gave me an emerald necklace.”
A long silence followed.
Then Marlene asked:
“What did it look like?”
I described the stones.
The antique setting.
The unusual clasp.
Her voice changed.
“Where is it now?”
“With Tessa Lane. She's supposed to wear it to next Thursday's gala.”
Another pause.
“Did your husband purchase it?”
“He said it was an anniversary gift.”
Marlene didn't respond.
Then she asked something unexpected.
“Did you accept it?”
“Yes.”
“Did you wear it?”
“No.”
Silence.
A strange, heavy silence.
Then Marlene spoke quietly.
“June, do you know where that necklace belongs?”
“I believe you may own it.”
Her breathing became audible.
“Who told you?”
“I recognized it from photographs.”
I wasn't ready to reveal more.
Marlene seemed to consider that.
Then she said:
“Come to my house tomorrow morning.”
I hesitated.
“Why?”
“Because I want to show you something.”
“What?”
“A document your husband signed.”
My heart began pounding.
Marlene lowered her voice.
“And June?”
“Yes?”
“Don't tell Colin we're speaking.”
I looked at the photograph resting beside me.
“Why not?”
Her answer frightened me more than anything Colin had done that morning.
“Because three weeks ago, I told my husband that if my necklace ever left the vault without my written approval, I'd expose every illegal transaction connected to it.”
I stopped breathing.
May you like
Marlene continued:
“And yesterday, someone filed paperwork claiming you requested its release.”
