Willa was very still across the table.
“The second journal belonged to Victoria,” Holt told them. “She began writing in it around the same time she started compiling those documents. A year after she began dating Alvin Frost.” He looked at Tom briefly. “We believe Victoria made a decision at around fifteen years of age to follow in her grandfather’s footsteps.”
Tom’s expression didn’t change, but the muscle along his jaw tightened.
“The FBI had been tracking two cat burglars for years,” Holt continued. “Operating separately enough to appear unconnected, but linked by method, by target profile, and by the specific type of items they stole. One was known as the Shadow. The other was known as the Specter.” He let that settle for a moment. “We now believe those two identities belonged to the same person, Victoria. She would alternate between them to confuse the investigation. It worked for a very long time.”
Carmen let out a breath that wasn’t quite a word.
“Victoria stole my late sister Carly’s jewelry set,” Holt said. The words were steady. He’d had five days to practice saying them. “The heirloom set that went missing from my sister’s room theweek she died. Victoria was in the house that day. She had access to that room.”
June was watching him from across the table. He didn’t look at her directly.
“She also stole something else that day,” Holt continued. “Cynthia Frost’s crystal-jeweled slippers. At first, it was another fake pair that my mother had made for Cynthia, who was also cooperating with the FBI to catch the thief.”
Dean looked up sharply from the far end of the table. “The crystal slippers Cynthia wore to the Miss Sandpiper Shores pageant?”
“Yes,” Mina confirmed. “Those slippers.”
“Victoria also had a genius way of getting her stolen goods out of the country,” Holt explained. “Tony Vincent would hide them in the panels of his stolen cars that would be shipped out of the country.”
“So it’s true then,” Tom said, his eyes darkening with anger. “Victoria was involved with Tony’s business and was a thief.”
“Like the report I gave you explained,” Holt said, his voice dropping slightly. “Until we actually catch Victoria…”
“Yes, I know,” Tom said. “But you have the hard evidence of her journal.”
“Still, we need to hear from Victoria,” June reminded Tom with a compassionate smile.
“We also know from the journal that Victoria was the one who turned Tony in,” Holt tells them. “You see, we also learned through her journal that Alvin was stealing and replacingCynthia’s expensive real jewelry with high-end knock-offs to fund his gambling habit.”
“Let me guess,” Tom said. “With the help of my ex-wife?”
“I’m afraid that’s what it looks like,” Holt confirmed. “We don’t know the extent of Alvin’s involvement, though.”
“In Victoria’s journal, she stated she was finally ready to move the family heirloom set,” June continued for Holt. “Only when she went to Tony did he refuse. He said he was going legitimate, so Victoria set him up and then called the FBI.”
“What a cow!” Mina drawled.
“But Victoria hated Tony,” Tom said in disbelief. “How did I not see any of this going on right under my nose?”
“You were her perfect cover,” Holt said.
“Unbelievable,” Tom hissed angrily. “When we get hold of her…”
“We have to give her a fair chance to explain,” Holt said patiently.
“Or we could shove her in a car and roll her down a bank,” Margo suggested.
“I’m with Margo,” Mina, Lucy, and Willa said in unison.
“That will get her to confess,” Margo said.
“Or kill her,” June pointed out. “Then no one gets justice.”
“We’re good with that,” Willa and Margo said in unison again.
“We know from Victoria’s journal that she used the visit with Cynthia to the mental health clinic in Miami to see someone who could help her move the real crystal slippers and my sister’sjewels,” Holt continued the case briefing. “Thats where we’ve found a timeline overlap for her and Gilbert. He was doing an expose on people who fenced stolen goods.”
