Page 56 of The Aura Answer
Evie left Iddy to talk art with the gallery owner while she wandered off, trying to keep an eye on the door to the office. Nick, weirdly, struck up a conversation with Layman. To give Gracie time to take photos?
Nick was discussing marketing and exchanging business cards with the billionaire, like the good networking consultant he was. She’d be suspicious, except his aura was crystal clear. That didn’t mean he wasn’t doing something dangerous—just that he enjoyed doing it.
Iddy thanked the gallery owner and made farewell noises. On the verge of panic, Evie glanced at the back room but heard nothing. She texted Gracie, who didn’t reply.
OK, then, fine, she’d go around the back way. Tailing Iddy out, grumbling, Evie studied the street, trying to decide the easiest way of reaching the back of the building.
Holding onto the retriever’s leash, Iddy grabbed Evie’s elbow and dragged her away. The raven flew ahead. “They’re loading the sketches into Gracie’s little car. They might be better off in my van. C’mon.”
“Gracie is stealing the sketches?” Evie asked in horror, running after her long-legged cousin.
She didn’t have to ask how Iddy knew. The raven would have shown her.
“No idea.” Iddy’s long strides carried her down the street faster than Evie could walk. “But if Mr. Gladwell is covering for her, we need to get moving.”
Gracie wasn’t the world’s swiftest person. She dithered a lot. Evie ran down the street hoping her cousin knew where she was going.
They met Gracie and Verity Janus at the alley, shaking hands. Evie almost expired of relief. Verity had a few suspicious shadows in her aura, but on the whole, she seemed to be the same kind of intense do-gooder personality as Toby Block. She hoped. Because Gracie dragged Evie away before she could look deeper.
“I have to go back in and let Nick know we’re done. Keep an eye on my car?” Gracie started to walk away.
“Wait, give us your keys. If you just stole those sketches, we should move them to Iddy’s van, redirect suspicions.” Evie didn’t know how. She simply didn’t want stolen art going home with Gracie.
“We need a vault to hide them in.” Gracie tossed the keys and hurried back up the alley.
“Right, vault, sure.” Evie took Gracie’s Kia and drove it deeper into the alley far enough that Iddy could back in her SUV, and they could shift the covered artwork unseen.
“Musical chariots,” Iddy muttered as they transferred the art and the cars, and Evie handed the keys back to Gracie when she reappeared with Nick.
They all jumped into their respective vehicles and peeled off before anyone could chase after them.
“Where does one find vaults?” Evie asked from the passenger seat of the Tahoe. She typed the same question to Jax.
Jax, understandably, exploded all over the screen in reply.
“I didn’t know these emoticons existed.” Evie showed Iddy the screen while they stopped at a light.
Iddy laughed. “Your lawyer is highly articulate in hieroglyphics.”
Evie sent hearts and flowers and smiles back and waited. Sure enough. The phone rang.
“My landlord has a vault for his accounting files. He’ll rent us space. But do you really want him to see stolen art?” Jax sounded resigned.
“Do you really want it in the garage?” she countered. “I have no idea what Gracie and Nick have done.”
“Why not just a storage facility for now? There’s a small one over by the city utility lot. I can rent one and meet you there. Pris is threatening to throw out the lasagna unless we’re at the table soon.”
“Remind Pris of the existence of microwaves. Just stay out of pot-swinging range when you do. And thank you. I love you more than orange dreamsicles.”
He laughed and clicked off.
“I want a man like yours someday,” Iddy said. “How did you ever convince a supremely useful lawyer that you’re not a candidate for an asylum?”
“Jax has his own devils. You want to explain what a hunk like Dante sees in grumpy Pris?”
“Huh. Maybe I’ve not been looking in the right places. I’ve been thinking I have to settle for local yokels when I should be checking in at Yale and Harvard?”
“Go for it, wealthandintelligence! Like Great Aunt Val. Except she’s gone through multiple husbands. All I want right now is dinner and to look at those sketches.”
