he stole the necklace from the O’Sullivan collection, and I wasn’t going to lose one of those pieces.”
“You crazy girl,” Zoe admonished. “Are you okay? Do you need to go to the hospital?”
“For what? Tussling with a man?” She looked Zoe straight in the eye. “I had worse fights when I was a kid.”
“Those pieces are insured, as is everything in this store,” Zoe told her, shaking her head. Her heart was pounding. “Ireland, I should suspend you. You could have been killed. What if they’d had guns? How would I have explained that to your family?”
“Mr. O’Sullivan made those pieces for his wife and he adds a piece to his collection every year. I wasn’t going to lose them to some two-bit hustler. I didn’t feel like he was a killer. I know it sounds silly. I just didn’t feel in imminent danger.”
Ben touched Zoe’s arm. “I think she’s gotten your point.” He extended his hand and they shook. “Ben Hood, I work with Zoe. I’d like to know if you remember anything more about the man who asked to see the tiara?”
“Remember the remake of the movie The Thomas Crown Affair with Pierce Brosnan? Remember the part with the bowler hats? These guys were all dressed in jeans, white T-shirts, and sneakers. When they left, each put on a Yankees baseball cap. Kind of like they’re yanking our chain. When they walked in here, I got a weird feeling.”
“Can you put it into words?” Zoe asked.
“There was one guy who asked a lot of questions about the tiara. How many diamonds, the weight, etcetera. He wanted to know if he could have his jeweler do his own tests to authenticate the stones.”
“You said no?” Ben asked.
Ireland folded her arms over her chest. “That’s right. He told me his name was Rodrigo Martinez and I told him it was an insult to bring his expert into our store without talking to you first. He flirted, but I told him if he didn’t like my answer he could take it up with you.”
“Where was Faye?” Zoe noticed the two mall security guards head down the mall.
“We were supposed to be working this same side of jewelry cases, while Debrena had the left side and Charletta had the right. But there were so many men in the store, I didn’t notice that Faye was gone until it was too late.”
“Faye was gone where?” Zoe demanded. She’d expressly told Faye to help Ireland. It was as if the criminals had used her to facilitate their robbery.
Ireland’s cheeks turned pink with anger. “Faye had stepped outside the store and was leaning on the front window like a high-school sophomore talking to one of the men. I called her a couple times and even signaled Debrena to get her, but she never looked up.”
“Ireland, are you telling me Faye couldn’t hear you? There’s only fifteen feet of space between here and the door.”
“That’s right. The noise level was so loud, I could hardly hear myself think. I walked over to Faye’s station, saw the open case and the O’Sullivan jewels missing and I thought I was going to be sick to my stomach. I closed the case and secured the tiara.”
“Okay, Ireland. Were you able to provide the officers with a detailed description of the man?”
She nodded.
“Why do you really think Faye stepped outside?” Ben asked Ireland.
“Faye is selfish, and she’s jealous of Zoe. She’s trying to sabotage her sister’s success. Zoe, perhaps you don’t see it, but that’s the truth.”
Hearing the words she’d thought all her life was worse than suspecting them. But she’d always tried to make nice with Faye for the sake of their family. Her mother insisted they put up a front of unity to the world and handle their differences behind closed doors. Only those uncomfortable issues had never been resolved.
“Did she leave the case open intentionally?” Zoe barely managed to get the words out.
“I don’t believe in coincidences,” Ireland said definitively. “She’s been in back the whole time and hasn’t come out to see how things are going or to express her sorrow. Yet Debrena’s stuck her head out that door fifteen times. You’re Faye’s sister and this is your store. With that kind of sister, you don’t need enemies.”
“Where’s the tiara now?” Ben asked.
Ireland drew back, her expression closed for the first time.
“Please, Ireland, you can trust Ben. I trust him.” Zoe’s heart skipped a beat at the true statement. “I want to know, too. Where is it?”
“In the floor.”
Zoe didn’t move. Nor did Ireland.
Ben glanced between them. “Ladies, I can’t help you if you don’t tell me everything.”
Zoe understood the jeopardy of full disclosure. She now had to put her words into practice.
“Ben, when I first designed my store, I thought it would be good to have an extra measure of safety. I designed a floor safe. The problem is that you have to be at the right position behind the counter to drop merchandise into it, and it isn’t cost effective. I only built one. In this store.”
“Zoe,” Ireland cut in, “I promise it was the right time. The tiara is worth forty thousand dollars. He didn’t want to turn over his driver’s license, though, as collateral. That’s why he couldn’t touch it.”
Ben nodded. “Smart decision.”
“Where was everyone?” Zoe asked.
“At their stations. Mr. Martinez was so intent on the tiara, I couldn’t not serve him. I just found it odd that a discerning man like him wasn’t disturbed by the noise level and manner of the other men. Unless he wasn’t that discerning.”
“That’s a good observation. What else?” Ben asked.
“He asked pointed questions. The noise level increased and he leaned close to me, frustrated that I wouldn’t allow him free access to the tiara. He muttered, so I leaned in. When I straightened, no more than ten seconds later, Faye was outside and the store was full of twenty men dressed alike.
“I called to Faye, signaled Debrena, but she couldn’t get Faye’s attention. I was still wearing the tiara, but he reached for it and actually got hold if it. I saw that Faye’s case was open and the jewels gone. I yanked the tiara from his grasp and activated the safe and the alarm.”
“What did Martinez do?” Ben asked.
“He protested. The men in the store got louder. I saw the man who had the O’Sullivan jewels. Suddenly, all the men left going in different directions. I took off after the man with the jewelry.”
“Show me the safe and where you were standing,” Ben said.
Ireland took him to the floor safe. Both she and Zoe entered their security codes and the doors opened. The tiara sat on its head in three feet of velvet. Zoe donned gloves to lift it out. She examined it. “It’s perfect. No harm done.”
