Page 64 of Tangled Up In You

Was Charles Weatherly the one who had sent someone to steal the diamond? Or was that someone else?

A familiar Jeep pulled up in front of the store, and Adam got out, holding a vase of flowers. Her heart skipped a beat. He bypassed his crutch to simply hobble over to her.

"What is this?" she asked in surprise, taking the vase out of his hand.

"A little something to celebrate the big day."

She was touched by the gesture. "This is so sweet, Adam."

He shrugged uncomfortably. "It's not a big deal."

"It's a big deal to me. Thanks."

"Was that a customer you were just talking to?"

"No, it was a lawyer. Can you come in for a minute?"

"Sure." He followed her inside the store. She put the flowers next to the cookies.

"I see someone else dropped by," he said.

"Chloe. Would you like a cookie?"

"No, thanks." He looked around the store with surprise and admiration. "You have transformed this place. I barely recognize it."

"I divided the shop into sections: nutrition, sleep, mental health, physical fitness, with subcategories within each section," she said, waving her hand around the space.

"No crystals?" he teased.

She smiled. "They're in the section under mental health. Some people really do believe in them."

"I know." He turned back to her. "Tell me about the lawyer."

"Lance Baylor is his name. He's representing Charles Weatherly. Apparently, Caroline gave Charles a diamond worth three million dollars. It was supposed to be in a safe in the house, but they discovered it had been replaced by a fake. Baylor and, apparently, Mr. Weatherly believe the diamond was inadvertently given to Phoebe."

Awareness entered his gaze. "So that's what everyone is trying to steal."

"Yes. But I haven't seen a diamond. I would have noticed. It has to be huge for that amount of money?"

"I would think so. Is the diamond in a ring?"

"I didn't ask if it was set in a ring or just loose. Anyway, Mr. Baylor wants to send someone over to look through what came from Caroline. I told him it would have to wait until I had a chance to talk to Caroline's attorney. Plus, I'm swamped today and tomorrow." She paused. "At least, I hope I'll be swamped. There's not exactly a line waiting to rush through the door."

"The customers will come. I'm glad you told Baylor you need to check with Caroline's attorney."

"I don't know when I'll have the chance to do that."

"She's out of the office until today. I already have a call in to her. I'll ask her about the diamond."

"That would be great. What happened with Caroline's step-siblings?"

"I went up to the north shore yesterday and spoke to Ray Kenney. He owns an auto shop. He's married, and his wife, Erica, works in the office. They were both friendly. Ray said he only saw Caroline a few times in his life. She was rarely around and so much older than him that she didn't seem like a sister. Nor did she apparently act like one. Although, he did say that she'd left both him and his sister a significant cash inheritance, which they were excited about."

"Did he say how much?"

"No, but I'll find out when I talk to the attorney."

"Did Ray see Caroline when she moved back here? Did he meet Phoebe?"

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