I tried calling Jake a few times, to let him know I’d found our person of interest, but he didn’t answer his phone. After several minutes, I gave up and went searching for him. I found him shamelessly flirting with a man at a pet booth, holding studded collars to his neck as he made playful faces in the mirror.
“I think red is my color, don’t you?” he asked, toying with the poor guy as he turned this way and that.
“Oh, no. You should try the blue,” the guy said, batting his long dark lashes. “It’ll match your eyes.” He reached for the light blue one, but instead of handing it to Jake, he leaned over and held it against his throat.
I coughed loudly to get their attention. It was either that or gag, and I decided to be civil considering my shitty mood earlier.Okay, mostly civil.
“I think what he really needs is an electric shock collar, so I can zap him every time he doesn’t answer his damn phone.”
Jake blushed as he set the collar down, quickly pulling his phone out and cursed. “Sorry, Beck.” He noticed the bag I was carrying and rolled his eyes. My purchase was protected in bubble wrap, but it was still fairly obvious what it was. “Really? Another one?”
“What? I only have like, seven, I think. And none of them are like this one.” I would have unwrapped it to prove my point, but I didn’t want to risk damaging it. I was anxious to get this beauty on the wall above my fireplace, front and center, getting the attention it deserved.
“Beck, you have like twenty of those damn ships around your tiny apartment. They’re everywhere.” Then he barked out a laugh and slugged me in the shoulder. “Oh my God! I’ve never thought about it before, but you’re a pirate! Obsessed with ships and treasure!”
Imayhave growled a little, but only because I’d been considering myself a pirate of sorts for years, long before Jake decided to be clever. It wasn’t about the treasure so much as the hunt itself, though. It’s even where my business name came from, Spyglass Services.
“You done yet?” I grumbled. “We need to go.”
***
We ended up waiting over two hours for Amelia to show up, under the ruse that she was bringing lunch to her friend. When she arrived, Jake and I were only a few feet away in the shadows.
“Amelia Rhinehart?” Jake asked, flashing his official badge.
She stiffened, pale blue eyes going wide with alarm. “Y-yes.”
“My name is Jacob Thompson. I’m a police officer with the Atlanta PD. This is Beckett Sanders, a private investigator. We’d like to ask you a few questions.”
Please don’t run…I thought, when I saw her eyes dart to the left.
She started to shake her head, causing her short purple-streaked blonde hair to stir. She was a petite thing, barely reaching my shoulders. “I didn’t kill her!” she said quickly. “The woman! I didn’t…”
Her words clearly startled her friend, who was now looking at Amelia as if seeing her for the first time.
“We know,” I said quickly. “That’s not why we’re here.”
She didn’t seem to believe me.
“Is there somewhere we can talk?” I asked, holding my hands up in a placating gesture. “I promise, you’re not in any trouble.”
She handed the bag of food to her friend, ignoring the questioning look she received in return, then led us over to a secluded grove of trees at the edge of the park. Folding her arms over her chest defensively, she turned to face us, waiting for our interrogation.
“First, did you know the victim, Nadia? Or see the murder?”
She shook her head. “No, she was already dead.”
“Okay. Well, you should know, the man responsible is behind bars. They have it on video he was the one who shot her and he confessed. We’re here about the item you stole from the crime scene. Can you tell us why you took it?”
She tried to make herself as small as possible, shame clear on her expression.
When she didn’t say anything, I added, “The family it belongs to is not looking to press charges, Amelia. They just want it back.”
This seemed to surprise her, and she glanced up through her lashes. “They’re not?”
“No. Can you tell us why you took it?”
It took her a few minutes to find her voice. “Um, I… I needed money to get home so when I saw it on the ground…” she trailed off.
