They all went back to the report and the property. Collins handed the purse to Ben. Lainie noted that it was an expensive and pretty white Coach bag, now stained with dirt and blood.
Ben opened it and Lainie turned her attention to him. He took out the wallet and handed Lainie the purse. As he flipped through the wallet, Lainie opened up the purse. There was expensive makeup, a checkbook, a few pens, and a baggie labeledjewelry. Curious, Lainie set down the purse and opened the baggie. A watch, two rings, and a cross necklace fell into her hand.
Lainie’s heart stopped. This was Evie’s jewelry. She’d given the cross to her sister years ago. And she recognized the wedding ring.
Ben held out a business card. “This card is for Vine’s cigar club in Long Beach...” He stopped. “What’s wrong?”
Lainie’s pulse pounded. “This is Evie’s jewelry.”
Ben turned toward her. “Serious?”
“Yes. I recognize all of it.”
“Now we know for certain that she had something to do with your sister’s disappearance,” Shea said. “How else would Benton have this? We’ll put it into evidence. And we’ll get a warrant to search her home.”
Shock rocked Lainie like an 8.0 earthquake. She held in her hand almost certain proof that Evie was dead. She would never have parted with these items willingly.
What was Benton doing with her sister’s jewelry?
Every answer Lainie came up with disturbed her to the core.
CHAPTER 31
Lainie dropped Ben off after midnight.
“Be careful when you go home. There’s a gunman out there hunting for you,” he said as he opened his car door. “Stay on your toes.”
“He might have been shooting at you. You be careful as well.”
Their eyes met, and it was hard for Lainie to deny the connection she felt with Ben. They’d only known each other for a week—the worst week of her life—yet she felt as if she’d known him and depended on him a lot longer. Then, with a smile and a nod, he was gone.
As light as she tried to keep her thoughts, Lainie was on edge as she drove home. She thought about Crystal Benton in the hospital bed.
She’d been bound.
There were guns, duct tape, and handcuffs in the car.
The car’s driver was a hardcore gang member.
It was obvious that something nefarious had been planned for the woman. How long had she been held captive? Where had she been, and where was she going? If it was Vine reacting because Benton was stealing from him, it surprised Lainie that he would do that to someone he knew—but then again, Benton did betray him.
As tired as Lainie was, she couldn’t deny that being shot at had amped her up a bit. She double-checked all the locks, windows, and doors, then placed her loaded gun on the nightstand before she lay down to sleep.
Ben was stiff and sore when he woke up. He took a shower though the doctor had advised him not to get his stitches wet. It was a guilty pleasure to stand under the hot water, get rid of the grime, and the smell. He was certain he smelled like a dirty gym bag. At some point he needed to Uber over to the lot and pick up his vehicle.
Carefully, he tilted his head to wash his hair. He enjoyed the hot water for as long as he could.
When he moved the wrong way and tweaked his injury, he thought about Efren. Efren would have been first in line to give him grief about getting shot.
“Don’t you know how to duck, Isaacs? I thought I trained you better than that.”
The memory of his buddy made his heart hurt. Worse than the pain of the stitches in his head. For a few minutes Ben let the water run down his face to soothe his psyche and wash away the tears.
When he finished showering, he knew he had to call Efren’s wife and tell her about the car.
She answered on the first ring. “Ben.”
“Candy, I wish I had good news, but I don’t.”
