Page 66 of Tangled Up In You

"Sure." He followed her out to the sidewalk.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"I understand you're related to Caroline Montgomery."

Her gaze shifted. "This is about Caroline?"

"Yes. I spoke to your brother yesterday. He mentioned that you saw Caroline more than he did."

"I saw her once after she moved back here, but I wasn't there long. She wasn't feeling well. I didn't realize at the time that she'd stopped all treatments, and she would die soon after our conversation. She didn't talk about that at all."

"What did she talk about?"

"Nothing in particular. She said she was divorcing her third husband, Charles. I had gotten a divorce last year, so we commiserated about that. We weren't close, but we were tied by her father and my stepfather."

"What was Caroline's relationship with her father?"

"She didn't like him at all. She thought he was selfish and demanding. I can't say she was wrong. He and my mother didn't have the happiest of marriages, but there were problems on both sides. Why are you asking me these questions?"

"There's a very large diamond that seems to be missing from Caroline's estate. Have you heard anything about that?"

Her eyes widened. "No. What do you mean, missing?"

"Just what I said."

"I don't know anything about a diamond. Caroline left me and my brother twenty-five thousand dollars each. It was a very generous gesture. We weren't blood relatives, and we weren't close. I was surprised she left us anything."

"That's a significant amount of money."

"It will really help me. My husband left me with a lot of debt."

Was that a motive he'd just heard?

"I knew my husband was loose with money when I married him," Kim continued. "Thankfully, with this gift from Caroline, I'll be able to finish cleaning up his debts and go forward with a fresh start."

"Is there any chance your brother might have felt that twenty-five thousand wasn't much considering how much wealth Caroline had accumulated?"

"No. He was incredibly grateful." She paused. "I heard that Caroline left a lot of her personal things to her friend, Phoebe. I know Phoebe passed away shortly after Caroline did, but maybe the diamond is in her belongings."

"That seems to be the theory, but Phoebe's heir has not found it."

"Well, I don't know what to tell you. If I had a diamond worth millions of dollars, I wouldn't be cutting hair. Is there anything else?"

"That's it for now. Thanks."

As Kim entered the salon, he wondered if she'd told him the truth. Maybe Kim and Ray were just keeping up the pretense of being working class people who were grateful for the crumbs that Caroline had left them. That cynical thought was replaced by Molly's optimistic voice in his head, suggesting they could be innocent and genuinely happy about the unexpected inheritance.

It could probably go either way. He walked back to his Jeep and then drove to the station. When he got into his office, he contacted Caroline Montgomery's attorney again. Finally, this time he was able to get through to Ava Washington, who was based in Beverly Hills.

"How can I help you, Detective?" Ava asked. "I understand you've been calling about Caroline Montgomery?"

"Yes. There's apparently a three-million-dollar diamond missing."

"I've just been made aware of that by Mr. Weatherly's attorney. The diamond was supposed to be in a safe at Caroline's house, but I understand that there was a fake in its place."

"Who was supposed to get the diamond upon her death?"

"Well, the ownership of the diamond was in dispute during the divorce. Caroline had purchased the diamond. She was going to have it made into a ring and cufflinks for Mr. Weatherly. She told him about the gift on his birthday, but then they had a falling out, and she filed for divorce. He insisted that the diamond was a gift to him, and it should be in his possession. Until the judge ruled, it was supposed to be in the safe. Now that Caroline has passed away, the diamond will probably go to Mr. Weatherly."

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