“That man this morning…I think he was after my necklace.” She fumbled with the chain inside her smock and grasped the charm in her palm.
“That’s the conclusion I reached the minute I saw the scratches on your neck,” he said. “And I think it’s possible whoever broke into your apartment last night was also looking for the necklace.” He pulled out of the parking space and headed toward her apartment building.
“But, why? What does the necklace mean? It’s been with me for as long as I can remember. Why would somebody be after it now?”
Kevin tightened his grip on the steering wheel. “Like I told you this morning right after the attack, I think maybe I brought this to your doorstep. When I found you, I found the necklace for somebody else.”
“Who is this Loucan who hired you?” she asked as she tucked the necklace once again into her smock. “How do we know he isn’t the one behind all this?”
Kevin didn’t answer until he’d parked his car at the curb in front of her building. He shut off the engine, then turned to face her. “I don’t think Loucan had anything to do with the attacks on you. I hadn’t contacted him to let him know I’d found you when these attacks occurred.” He gestured toward the building. “Can we finish this conversation inside your place?”
She hesitated only a moment, then nodded. “Of course.”
Kevin had a feeling she was a person who didn’t particularly like to share her personal space. He knew from her neighbors that she didn’t have visitors and even though she’d agreed to allow him in, the agreement had been given with a bit of reluctance.
As they rode up in the elevator, she released a deep sigh. “Why is it I get the feeling that what happened last night and what happened this morning is just the beginning?”
He wished he could tell her she was overreacting, but he couldn’t, nor was he going to give her any false assurances that her life would now return to normal. “Unfortunately, I can’t tell you that your feeling is wrong.”
They stepped out of the elevator and entered her apartment. He was vaguely surprised to see that all the mess of the night before was gone. And just as he’d suspected, she seemed to be an immaculate housekeeper.
“You must have been up half the night cleaning up,” he said, gazing around the room with interest.
Now that the clutter was gone, he could see that the room was decorated in warm colors of dark blue and burgundy, but there was a certain sterility.
Again he was struck by the fact that there were no personal artifacts, no pictures, or knickknacks sitting around. The furniture was tasteful, the place was clean, but it could have belonged to anyone.
“I had trouble sleeping until the mess was cleaned up,” she replied and motioned him toward the sofa. “Please, make yourself at home.”
“I’d have trouble realizing somebody had searched my place,” he said. “It always looks pretty much like yours did last night.”
“So, not only are you a good private investigator, you’re telling me you’re also a slob?”
He grinned. “Yeah, I guess that’s what I’m telling you.”
She self-consciously ran a hand down the pants of her uniform. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to change clothes real quick.”
He nodded and took a seat on the sofa. “Go do what you need to do. I’m fine right here.”
She disappeared into the bedroom and closed the door behind her. Kevin settled back on the sofa, fighting against a wave of exhaustion that momentarily threatened to overtake him.
He hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before. The confines of an economy rental car weren’t exactly conducive to comfort, and in any case, he’d been too wound up to sleep and had wanted to keep an eye on things.
He sat up straight as she re-entered the room, clad in a pair of gray sweatpants and a moss-green T-shirt that made her eyes appear a darker, deeper green. “Would you like something to drink?” she asked as she walked into the kitchen area. “Maybe some coffee?”
“Coffee sounds wonderful,” he responded. “How long have you lived here?”
“I’ve been here for the past three years,” she said as she made the coffee.
“It isn’t exactly the kind of place you’d expect a successful surgeon to be living in.”
She flashed him a quick smile. “I’m comfortable here and really haven’t seen the need to move. I’m walking distance to the hospital and spend most of my time there anyway.”
He liked that about her, that she apparently made personal decisions based on what made her comfortable rather than worrying about presenting a picture of affluence.
As the scent of fresh-brewed coffee filled the room, they spoke for a few minutes about the neighborhood and Kansas City in general.
It wasn’t until they were both seated on the sofa with coffee cups in hand that they got back to the matter at hand.
“You mentioned earlier that you don’t think this Loucan is behind the attacks on me,” she said.
He took a sip of the strong coffee and nodded. “Loucan only knew that I was following a lead when I left California yesterday morning. I didn’t tell him where exactly I was headed and I hadn’t yet contacted him to tell him I’d found you.”
“Did you contact him today?”
“Yeah, I called him right after I left you at the hospital this morning. I’ve been given an additional assignment where you are concerned.”
Her eyes blinked in surprise. “And what’s that?”
“Not only am I supposed to get you to Santa Barbara, but I’m to get you there safe and sound. Loucan doesn’t want anything happening to you or to your necklace.”
She set her cup down on a coaster on the coffee table, a frown dancing between her eyebrows. “What is so important about my necklace?”
“I wish I could tell you,” he replied. He set his cup down as well. “Do you mind if I look at it?”
She hesitated a long moment, then pulled the charm from her blouse, removed the chain from her neck and handed it to him.
Kevin studied the charm closely. There was no question about it, it was an odd piece. “Do you know what the symbols and strange writing on it means?”
She shook her head, her pretty blond hair swirling momentarily around her shoulders. “Not a clue.”
“You mentioned that the charm had been with you for years.”
“Apparently it was around my neck when I was first brought into the hospital. Through the years I’ve simply bought longer chains to put it on.”
“It’s amazing you’ve kept it all these years,” he said as he returned it to her.
She gazed down at the charm in her hand, giving him a view of her beautifully long lashes. She looked back up at him, her expression unreadable. “It was the most important possession I had, the only thing I owned that I believed might have been given to me by some member of my family.” She pulled the chain back over her head. “So, who do you think wants it and why?”
“I can’t begin to guess the why,” he said truthfully. “And specifically I don’t know the who. I tried to get answers out of Loucan, but he insisted that he would try to explain everything to us when we get to California.”
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