Page 26 of Sleigh Bells and Snowstorms
“A necklace. But not any necklace. A priceless family heirloom known as the Emerald Crown. It was stolen froman estate outside London, and my associates tracked the thief here.”
“Are you with the police?”
“No, I work for a private organization.”
“A private organization that catches thieves?”
“In a sense. My job involves recovery of stolen items.”
“What kind of items?”
I leaned back and crossed my ankle over my knee. “We’re hired to track down stolen art, antiquities, priceless heirlooms, that sort of thing.”
“So you’re telling me you’re a thief hunter, and you came to Tilikum to track down a stolen necklace?”
“The Emerald Crown, yes.”
She nodded slowly, but her skepticism was clear as she started to get up. “And I’m supposed to believe that?”
“Wait.” I put up a hand. “Let me call Maple. She’ll verify my story.”
She lowered herself back onto the couch. “Who’s Maple?”
“My handler.” I got out my phone and called, putting her on speaker.
“Yes, Jensen?” Maple answered.
“Maple, I’m here with my new friend, Natalie.” I met her eyes. “She’s understandably skeptical about my reasons for being in town. Would you explain to her what it is we do?”
“Well, this is a new one,” Maple said. “Hello, Natalie. Lovely to meet you.”
“Hi?” she said, sounding confused. “Nice to meet you, too.”
“I assume Jensen filled you in on the fact that he’s tracking a stolen necklace?”
“He did say that.”
“Brilliant. Yes, we traced the thief to your town, which is where Jensen comes in. He’s there to recover the stolen item.”
“Why would a thief who’s good enough to steal a priceless heirloom come here?” she asked. “What’s in Tilikum?”
“We don’t know. But we’re confident in Jensen’s ability to recover the item.” Maple paused. “I almost hate to say this where he can hear me, because it will inflate his already enormous ego, but he’s the best at what he does.”
Natalie gazed at me. “I guess you’re either both in on some kind of elaborate prank, but I can’t really think of why, or this is real.”
“It’s quite real,” Maple said. “But your questions are understandable. We keep what we do out of the public eye as much as possible.”
“Thank you, Maple,” I said.
“Of course,” she said. “Keep me apprised as the situation develops.”
“I will.” I ended the call and set my phone on the armrest. “Does that help?”
“I think so?” Natalie’s voice was still tentative, but she settled back against the couch cushions. “I have a feeling I’m going to regret this later, but now I’m curious.”
“For you, darling, I’m an open book. I’ll tell you anything you want to know.”
“Is Jensen Lakes your real name?”
