Page 48 of Girl, Sought

‘Mr. Thorne? My name’s David Cross. Got your number from a friend who said you're the man to talk to about appraising collectibles.’ Luca's voice was as smooth as a con man's patter, but Ella heard the faint tremor beneath it. He was flying by the seat of his pants, and she prayed Thorne was the trusting type.

Silence stretched between them. When Thorne spoke again, his tone had shifted two degrees colder. ‘I don't give my number out lightly, Mr. Cross. Who exactly gave it to you?’

‘Guy at an auction house down in Norfolk.’ Luca's lie came gift-wrapped in false confidence. ‘Said you were the go-to guy. Apologies if I’ve got it wrong.’

More silence. Ella could hear Thorne's brain cataloging inconsistencies, checking stories against known facts, searching for the trap hidden in casual conversation.

‘Understood, Mr. Cross. And yes, I can help you if you need something appraising. Where are you based?’

Ella tried to match the voice to the one they caught through Alfred Finch’s CCTV, and she had to admit that there were clear similarities. Pure Richmond, with its casual disregard for the letter U. Did it match perfectly? Definitely not, but cell acoustics were different from CCTV acoustics. She couldn’t be sure.

‘I’m in Chesapeake. Right now.’

‘Where about?’

Luca looked at Ella blankly. She mouthedGreat Bridge.So much for Luca’s winging skills.

‘Great Bridge.’

‘I see. Well, I can set up a meeting with you, if you like. My offices are-‘

‘Uh, I’m kind of in a rush, to be honest. Any chance we could do it today?’

Another beat. ‘Today? Mr. Cross, I’ve learned that anyone who’s in a rush to sell their collectibles is hiding something.’

The question caught Luca flat-footed. His poker face cracked as he scrambled for a response. 'No, sorry, I mean, I'm only in Chesapeake until tomorrow morning, and I've heard you're one of the best in the game. There's nothing sketchy about my item.'

Ella gritted her teeth. Poor Luca had violated rule number one. Never use an adjective with a negative connotation, even with the wordnotin front of it. Only a creep would sayI’m not a creep.

‘Well, my schedule’s jam-packed until the end of the week. Would you be returning to Chesapeake in the future?’

‘Uh… no.’

‘Then maybe I could visit you in…?’

Luca shot Ella a panicked look. She shrugged, biting the inside of her cheek to stop her jumping in to try and salvage this mess he’d made.

‘Massachusetts,’ he said. ‘Forty miles outside of Boston. It’s a long trip, so don’t worry, I’ll just stick with the appraisal value I’ve already had.’

Ella could feel this conversation coming to a close. She leaned in and strained her ears for any background noise that might give away his location, but the line was clean. She snapped her fingers like mousetraps in the air. She mouthed:Location. Get his location.

I’m trying,he mouthed back.

‘Your item’s been appraised already?’ Thorne asked.

‘Yeah, but I think I got lowballed. Two-hundred grand. I think I can get more than that.’

Thorne coughed. ‘Two hundred thousand dollars? What for?’

Luca caught Ella’s eye. She saw his mouth twitch, like he couldn’t decide which lie to shoot for. ‘Air Jordans, 1985. Size 7, red and white. Worn in the third game of the 86 season.’

Ella bit back a groan. Of all the collectibles in all the world, Luca had to pick something basketball related. It would have been charming if it wasn’t so predictable.

But then something changed in Thorne’s tone.

’85 Air Jordans? Signed?’

‘Black ink, right on the heel.’

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