A balding man with buck teeth that give him a rodent-y vibe comes up on the other side of the case. “See anything you like?”
I furrow my forehead, sweeping my gaze over the entire case again. “Do you, like, do some kind of background check on people or something? To make sure they’re not selling you anything stolen?”
The guy must get asked that enough that he chuckles at the question rather than getting offended. “I keep a record of ID in case I need to pursue something. Don’t worry about it; we’re both covered. What can I get you to try on?”
What I’d really like to get my hands on is his records. He isn’t going to hand them over willingly, though.
I had time on the ride over to consider how I’d proceed if I found a piece I wanted to look into. I motion vaguely at the case. “I saw an aquamarine ring the last time I was in here... Like a princess cut in white gold. Did that get sold, or maybe it’s just in the back or something?”
The man frowns. “I don’t remember seeing that. Let me check for you.”
As I hoped, he moves to the laptop computer set up behind the cash register. I wait until he’s definitely logged in, tapping away on the keyboard, and then I focus on the ephemera I can sense embedded all through the building and every abandoned object in it.
With a brief push of magic, a crash sounds from the back room.
The man flinches and spins around. “What—? I’m so sorry, I’ll be right back.”
He dashes through a doorway without looking back.
Not wasting a second, I lean over the counter to yank the laptop around. An inventory app is already open with a partial search entered.
I search for “diamond earrings” instead. Multiple entries come up, but only one isn’t marked as sold.
They came in earlier this month. Just two days after the last entry in Other Elodie’s log.
Jackpot.
I click on the file to bring up more information. There’s a note about the seller’s reason for parting with the earrings and, even better, a photo of his driver’s license.
I snap a pic of it with my phone and hastily return the search to its previous state. I’ve just slid the laptop into its spot beyond the cash register when footsteps come thumping back.
The rodent-y guy emerges a moment later, pasting his professional if smarmy smile into place when he sees me. “Sorry again. Where were we...?”
He finishes the search and shakes his head. “It doesn’t look as if we’ve had any rings with aquamarine and white gold in the past year—definitely nothing still in stock.”
I let my face fall. “Oh. Maybe I saw it somewhere else and got mixed up.”
“If there’s anything else I can interest you in...”
I make an apologetic gesture. “I might be back, though, if I can’t find it!”
“You’ll be more than welcome.”
I step out into the damp spring air and shoot a glower at the overcast sky as if I can intimidate the gathering rain into stayingin the clouds a few hours longer. A glance at my phone shows that the next shop I wanted to investigate is a twenty-minute walk away.
Better get moving.
As my sneakers rap out a brisk rhythm on the sidewalk, I consider what I’ve found so far. I can’t be completely sure the earringswereOther Elodie’s—the similar style could be a coincidence.
Maybe I can sneak into Beacon Prep on Monday and take a look at their student records for someone with the same last name as the person who brought them in? Would the office have notes about this extra training too?
That would be awfully nice of them. A highlighted comment pointing me straight to Other Elodie’s killer would be even more appreciated.
A wry smile tugs at my lips—and a thin growl warbles from the alley I’m about to pass.
I halt in my tracks with a stutter of my nerves. The dim sunlight reflects off a pair of luminous eyes with slit pupils in the alley’s shadows beyond a couple of bulging trash bags.
I only have a few seconds to make out a taut body and lashing tail before a cat launches itself at me with a screech of a snarl.
