Had there been a leak?
Why? she pressed. Whats wrong, Clive?
She knew that the man was very closemouthed, but she also knew that while shed lived in this cold mausoleum of a house, she had been his favorite. So she looked up at the tall man and waited for a response.
It came. Its the Tears of the Quetzal, Miss. Im afraid that someone seems to have made off with it.
An image of Candace, flaunting the ring in front of the cameraman, flashed through her mind. It was immediately followed by the sight of her lifeless body lying on the rug, her hand denuded of the legendary ring.
You can say that again, she murmured under her breath. Where is he?
Hes on the terrace, Miss. Hes been there for most of the night. I tried to get him to come in, but His voice trailed off.
Youre a good man, Clive. But some people wont allow themselves to be helped. She was talking about Candacenot her fatherbut for now, it was applicable to him as well.
Turning, Natalie made her way to the back of the house, no small feat. As far as houses went, shed always felt that this one could have provided shelter to a small third world country. Neither she nor her stepmother, Anna, had cared for its enormity, but Candace had loved it and her fathers current wife, Rebecca Lynn, the worlds only living brain donor, had actually been lobbying for something even bigger and more ostentatious.
Maybe the Taj Mahal was up for sale, Natalie thought sarcastically. She could remember thinking when they first moved to this house that she needed to drop bread crumbs to mark her way or be forever doomed to wandering the halls, looking for the way out.
Shed found the way out years ago.
Finally reaching the back of the building, she walked out onto the terrace. She was immediately struck by her fathers profile as he sat at the table. He was still a handsome man, Natalie caught herself thinking. But right now, he looked gaunt and incredibly weary, as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders.
That was Rebecca Lynns fault, no doubt. He was trying to keep up with a woman half his age who was determined to do it all. Either that, or become a young widow. God knew she wouldnt put it past Rebecca Lynn.
She didnt say anything until she was almost at his elbow. Hi, Dad.
Shed startled him. He sucked in his breath, his body tense and rigid. Natalie, what are you doing here?
There was no point in beating around the bush. It only prolonged the inevitable, and that wasnt her style. I have some terrible news, Dad. Natalie sat down at the table and placed her hand over his. Her father wasnt the touchy-feely type, but this time, she thought some contact might actually help. Candace is dead.
He visibly paled but didnt look nearly as surprised as she thought he would. She supposed that, given Candaces lifestyle, all of them had been expecting this day now for a long time. When?
Last night.
He slowly nodded his head, as if that helped him take in the information. Where?
They found her body at her condo. The nanny came home with the kids after a sleepover and discovered her. She called the police. She enunciated the words slowly, refusing to allow her voice to break, her emotions to leak through. Her feelings were private, even from her father. Candace was murdered.
It took Harold a moment to process the information shed given him, and then he looked up at her, his expression
devoid of emotion. Did she have the ring on her?
Ring? Natalie repeated, stunned. She remembered what Clive had said about her fathers distress because the ring was missing. Candace was dead. Didnt that trump a missing ring? Didnt he care? Is that what youre concerned about? she cried, struggling to keep her temper under control. The damn ring?
He grew more upset in the face of her reaction. Natalie, please understand, of course Im devastated about Candace, but that ringthat ring can mean the difference between our familys financial collapse and success.
How could he even think about money at a time like this? What are you talking about?
Harold nervously ran his tongue along his dry lips. I made some shaky investments, he confessed. Im spread rather thin right now, and I had to borrow some money from He paused for a moment before finally blurting out a name. The Schaffer family.
Hed been desperate at the time; there was no other explanation for his doing what hed done. He didnt have his fathers flair for making money, so hed turned to a family known to have underworld connections. Men who broke legs as easily as matchsticks and with less thought. He wouldnt put it past Matt Schaffer to try to ruin him.
His eyes grew bright. Matt Schaffers the one who has the ring. Id bet my life on it, he concluded heatedly.
She hadnt thought shed ever hear that name again. Matt Schaffers in California, she heard herself saying hoarsely.
And then her father blew her world apart by saying, No, hes not. Hes right here in Vegas. Working for Luke Montgomery. Or at least thats the story he gives out.
Matt Schaffer.
Here. In Vegas.