It didn’t take long to scoop up all the jewelry, including the egg. In under a minute, the bunnies were done and heading for the French doors.
The head bunny dragged Catalina toward the exit, and I followed. When he’d reached the door, he pushed her away, then bolted outside.
I rushed to Catalina. “Are you okay?”
She nodded, still trembling.
I sprinted outside with JD, and we chased after the bastards.
Feet kicked up white sand as they sprinted toward the surf.
It wasn’t going to do any good, but I shouted, “Freeze! Coconut County.”
One of them glanced over his shoulder at me.
They splashed into the water and climbed into a white Go Fast boat with red trim that waited in the shallows. The outboards howled as the boat crashed through the surf, heading out to sea, disappearing into the inky void.
I called dispatch and alerted them to the situation. With a BOLO out on the perps, the Coast Guard and the Harbor Patrol would be looking for them. But for now, they had gotten away clean.
“Pretty smooth,” Jack said.
“Pretty smooth,” I agreed.
My jaw tightened, and I may have let a few obscenities fly.
JD and I sucked it up and marched back to the ballroom, feeling defeated.
By that time, EMTs and paramedics had arrived. Their flashlight beams slashed the darkness as they hurried in. “Who called for a medic?”
“Over here!” someone shouted.
They made their way through the frazzled crowd and found the victim. The socialites stood around as the medics went to work.
Sirens warbled in the distance, drawing near.
JD and I cut the flex cuffs from the security staff and got their take on what happened.
The power finally came back on.
The jewelry had been completely cleaned out.
Chatter filled the ballroom.
I found Catalina, who still looked flustered. “I’m sorry. There was nothing we could do. But I assure you, every law enforcement officer in the county is looking for them.”
“This is completely unacceptable! Why didn’t you stop them?”
“Because escalating a situation like that could have resulted in casualties.”
“Forty. Million. Dollars.”
I frowned. “I hope you have insurance.”
She was not amused.
5
“I’ll need an itemized list of everything that was stolen,” I said to Catalina. “They can’t unload that stuff at a pawnshop. They’ll need a high-level fence or some very exclusive clients. Was the entire collection yours?”
