Page 105 of Wicked Little Lies

But that doesn’t matter. Stories have levels of power and one of the most dangerous powers is belief.

I’ve seen people kill for what they believe.

Harry taps the ring’s image. “I need to work out where the ring is, who has it. And the earrings.” She nods to a plastic bag that’s sticking out under some files on the table behind me. “Hendrick sent me the necklace I made.” She holds up the fake Heart of Dark Desires.

I look at it. “If we can’t find the original—”

“We will and it’s ours,” she says.

“—that’ll pass, like the rest of your fakes.” My brain in get out of dodge mode. The closer to this being done, the more antsy I am.

Not just because of what might be waiting from the kidnappers. No. I’m antsy because the more time I spend with Hendrick and Jac, the deeper down I go and the harder it’s going to be to leave them in the middle of this mess.

Harry nods, frowning. “I’ll get what I can done, but I don’t think you should go for the ring until we know definitively what the last piece is.”

I eye her. “Make the kidnappers think I’m looking for the ring right until the end?”

“Take the earrings, definitely, because if I’m wrong, they’re still worth absolute bank.” She nods. “And then we go. With all the jewels I can carry.”

“Not a problem. But—” I stop. “We know where the ring is?”

“This family.” She points to a prominent Delacroix blue blood family that don’t seem to mix in with the criminals.

“So I keep that until last, throw bullshit, and we take the earrings?”

“I have to dig to find who has them. This was the last owner.” She points to a small crime family that’s into moving stolen goods like cigarettes and shit like that. “Small used to be big. Sold the earrings at auction twelve years ago to a hidden bidder.”

“I’ll look into it.”

She stares at the board and at the jewels that didn’t make her cut, ones on the iPad, along with a few that weren’t. And some of the displays have layers, which, knowing Harry, she’s collated jewels that belong to one family or person together to make it easier.

This board, apart from being a jewel-thief’s wet dream, is probably something law enforcement would pant over. It’s got every organized crime affiliated family up there, and then some.

Harry goes through the papers on her work bench.

“I’ve got piles of info on the jewels, histories. Owners. Or, like the earrings, last known owners. I’m still digging, though.” She gets a drink and holds up the bottle to me, but I shake my head. “I went too far but you know me.”

“It might come in handy one day.” I grin. “You think I have a problem.”

“No, you do.”

“So do you,” I say then look back at the board like I’m missing something. I know I am.

Everything just seems too…simple.

“The Quinate members have a lot of these here. Jac has these…” She points to black diamond cufflinks that she dug up. “They weren’t on the iPad, but they have a similar feel to the ring. So does this choker.” She lifts up some pictures to show me the choker. Black diamonds and white gold. Not ornate but fucking gorgeous, and I want to wear it. “And Hendrick has this.”

I gasp. The tiara is ridiculous, and I already know I want to wear it, too. Just that. Okay, maybe the earrings, too. And the choker. But I’d take the Heart of Dark Desires and…

“Harry, do all these pieces have names?”

“Some.” She tops up her drink in a chipped mug and joins me. “Why?”

“Curious. What about these?” I point to the ones we have and the ones I’ve yet to get.

Slowly, she nods. “I started sorting them all by the ones without names and the ones with a name, but then honed in on names and the look. She points to the mayor’s necklace. “You already know this is Lover’s Delight.” Then she points to the pink and red bracelet that’s currently on her work bench. “Love’s First Blush.”

“And the ring?”

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