A commotion in the outer body of the museum drew Aces attention. The dog barked to alert Adam. I hear it, boy. Lets go see what all the racket is about.
They all filed out of the security office and hurried to the main hall. A rotund middle-aged man wearing a suit that appeared haphazardly donned stood mopping his brow with a white handkerchief. His wet shoes tracked dirt across the gleaming floor to where an officer had the man corralled a few paces away from the empty display.
Sir, you have to stay back, the officer said.
Who would do this? the man demanded.
David gave the officer a nod, allowing the younger officer to step away. Sir, Im Detective Delvecchio. This is Officer Donovan. You are?
Curious, Adam stepped forward. Ace sniffed the man, then lost interest and sat.
My name is Fred Floyd, Im the head curator of the museum. He shifted his feet, his agitation clear in the hike of his shoulders and the red flush to his round face. I cant believe this is happening.
Lana rushed forward. Mr. Floyd, Im so sorry you had to come home from your vacation.
The man blinked at her. Youre hurt.
She waved away his concern. Its nothing. The thief got away, but didnt take anything.
Relief seemed to deflate Fred. His shoulders sagged, his chin dipped to his chest. Wonderful news.
Has there been trouble here before? Adam asked. Other break-ins?
No break-ins. Fred lifted his head. We paid a mighty steep price for the security system that seems to have failed. His eyebrows pinched together as he threw a furtive glance at Lana. She has had some personal issues. The police were called, but I stay out of my employees business.
Lana let out a small gasp.
Adam raised his eyebrows at her. What trouble? Could this have anything to do with the break-in? With Rosas murder? Michael Jeffriess?
My ex-husband. It was handled.
Freds gaze shifted to the destroyed display case. At least the Golden Arrow is safe. Where is it?
The crime scene techs have it, David answered.
Freds mouth twisted. Please tell your people to be careful. It is old and very fragile.
They are being very careful, David assured him. Mr. Floyd, well need you to inventory the museum to be sure that nothing is missing. I will also require a list of employees and their contact info.
Adam wanted to see that list, as well.
Fred nodded vigorously. Of course. Whatever I can do to help you find the person who did this.
David tipped his chin at the crime scene tech making his way toward them. Ah, heres the arrow.
Adam and Ace moved out of the way so the tech could hand Floyd the artifact. Once Floyd had the arrow in his hands, his frown deepened. He inspected all aspects of the gold piece.
Vehemently shaking his head, he held the arrow out like a deadly snake about to strike. This is a fake. A collectible that we sell in the gift shop. He pointed to a stamped imprint on the fletching. See?
Adams gaze swung to Lana. Shed turned a sickly shade of green. Her hand went to her mouth. Panic flared in her eyes. If thats a fake, then the intruder got away with the real one.
* * *
Lanas throat constricted. Her lungs burned as oxygen refused to enter or leave. Her mind rebelled at what shed just heard. The arrow had been stolen. A fake one put in its place.
With her prints on it.
She needed to sit before her legs gave out beneath her. She stumbled to the cushioned bench next to a wooden replica of the rowboat that brought General George Washington across the Delaware.
Breathe, she commanded herself. She gulped in air. This couldnt be happening.
She bent forward and put her head on her knees, hoping to stop the room from spinning. Please, dear Heavenly Father...I dont know what to do here. I need You.
Would this turn of events prevent her from gaining custody of her nephew? Poor Juan. Her heart ached for the little orphaned boy.
Two black-booted feet appeared in her line of vision. Then a wet nose nudged the side of her face. Ace. She wanted to slip her arms around the beast and take the comfort he offered but she had a feeling Adam would not be pleased. He hadnt been happy when the dog wanted her to pet him. Hugging the animal would probably send the officer into a seizure.
A hysterical laugh gurgled in her chest. She bit the inside of her cheek to contain it. The last thing she wanted to do was give Adam any more ammunition to think she was guilty. Acting crazy would surely put her high on his list of suspects. It already looked bad with her prints on the fake arrow that had been placed in the display case.
How do you suppose your prints found their way to the bogus relic? Adams rich voice invaded her head, giving voice to her thoughts.
She straightened. The assessing way he stared at her made her want to squirm. She lifted her chin and stared back. I dont know. I was unconscious. She flinched at the hard suspicion filling his blue eyes. You have to believe me. I didnt have anything to do with the theft.
He examined her face, and she wasnt sure what he searched for. But she hoped he saw her innocence. Acid burned in her stomach. Her blood ran cold. Why would someone want to frame me for stealing the Golden Arrow after they knocked me out?
His eyes narrowed. Thats a good question. If you arent involved, then someone sure has gone to a lot of trouble trying to make it appear as if you were. Who has a grudge against you?
The only person I can think of is my ex-husband. But that didnt make sense. Mark pressed her to return to him, claiming he loved her and would behave better if she only gave him a second chance. He wouldnt do something like this. He wanted her under his control, not in jail. There had to be another explanation.
Tell me about him.
She swallowed the shame rising up to choke her. She didnt want to delve into her past with this man. But he was an officer of the law and if she refused to open up hed assume she was hiding something. You already know I have a civil protection order against my ex-husband.
Adam gave a short nod.
Before I took out the order, Mark showed up here drunk and made a scene. The police had to be called. They made him go away. That incident prompted me to file for the protection order.
Adams lips pressed together. Do we have permission to search your office?
The abrupt question jarred her. I have nothing to hide.
Good. Then there should be nothing for us to find. After instructing a guard to watch her, Adam led Ace away.
Should she follow him? Part of her wanted to sink into the floor and disappear. But the part of her that had fueled her determination to make something good out of her life wouldnt allow her to sit idly by while everything shed worked so hard for was being torn apart.
She scrambled off the bench and rushed down the hall. No way was she going to sit around as if she were guilty. She had Juan to think about now. Not just herself.
* * *
Adam entered Lanas office, assessing the space. The desk was cluttered with stacks of paper and pens. Behind the desk sat a bookcase filled with leather-bound books. A wilting fern in a brightly painted pot sat on top of a file cabinet in the corner. The lack of a window gave the room a cave-like feel.
A laptop sat precariously close to the edge of the desk as if Lana had pushed it aside to clear space on the desktop to work. A printer was on a small credenza next to the bookshelf. Two framed certificates hung on the wall next to the door, placed so that when she looked up from working shed see the testament to her schooling. No personal pictures, nothing to indicate Lana had a life outside the museum.
The lack of personal touches acutely reminded him of the first time hed met Lana and the coldness hed seen in her eyes upon learning of her sisters murder. Lana had clammed up tight then and in the hospital when hed probed into what she knew of her sisters life and what had led to their estrangement.
Look through everything, he said to the officers filing in behind him. David had consented to Adam taking over this part of the investigation while the detective dealt with Mr. Floyd.
Donning protective gloves, Adam rounded the desk and pushed back the chair, intending to sit. The chair leg caught on the strap of a duffel bag. He bent down to unhook the wheel, then lifted the bag to place it on the seat. Carefully, he drew the zipper back.
Inside were stacks of crisp one-hundred-dollar bills.
His breath lurched.
Let me in! Its my office.
Lanas voice echoed inside Adams head. Let her enter. He closed the bag and handed it off to an officer. Have that dusted for prints.
The officer nodded and exited past Lana.
She stood to the side of the door watching him with wary eyes. What was that?
You tell me.
Her brows pinched together. Ive never seen that bag before.
He pushed the chair back in. I found the duffel hidden beneath your desk.
She blinked rapidly. I didnt put it there.
Arent you curious whats inside? Or did she already know?
She blew out a breath full of derision. Im sure youre dying to tell me.
He arched an eyebrow. Add spunky to the list of attributes he was accumulating and attaching to her. Money. By the looks of it thousands of dollars.
Her mouth dropped open then closed. She licked her lips. This time he refused to be distracted.
Its not mine! she finally managed to say in a voice full of fire that belied the coldness settling in her eyes, making them turn from dark brown to obsidian.
Youve petitioned the court for custody of your nephew.
Yes. Though now... Anguish danced across her face before quickly disappearing as her expression froze into bland neutrality.
He recognized the look. The same one shed had when shed heard of her sisters death. Interesting. It must have been expensive to hire a lawyer.
For a brief moment, dark eyes flashed with challenge before turning to stone. I used my savings.
You live in a nice apartment building in Georgetown. That must cost you a pretty penny.
Not really. I went to school with the daughter of the family that owns the building. My rent is reasonable considering what they could charge for it. Why are you asking me this? Shouldnt you be out looking for the man who stole the Golden Arrow?
Youre having money issues. A good motive for theft.
Her hands fisted at her sides. Things are tight, but that doesnt make me a thief.
He came to stand in front of her, invading her space, crowding her back until she bumped against the wall. Her eyes widened. The fear flashing in her gaze grabbed him by the heart and squeezed. He hated scaring her, but intimidation was a useful part of the job. A part hed never had trouble with before now.
He planted a hand on the wall next to her head to keep from tucking a stray strand of silky hair behind her ear. So heres what I think happened. His voice dipped, coming out huskier than hed intended. But then again, his heart was beating fast and his blood thrumming. Her perfume filled his head, soft and alluring. He struggled to maintain detachment.
Youre trying to adopt your nephew, but the court costs and the lawyer have tapped out your savings. You have this item worth big bucks and youre approached with a deal. Switch out the real arrow for the fake and receive a large lump of cash in exchange. Only at the last second your partner double-crosses you. The words stuck in his throat. He knocks you over the head, takes the arrow and leaves you to take the rap.
The color drained from her face, making her olive skin appear pasty. No. No. That didnt happen. I didnt have anything to do with the theft. Why would I jeopardize my career, my chances of gaining custody of Juan? I wouldnt do that.
Ace nudged Adam in the thigh. He straightened and stepped back, needing the space. Needing to grab hold of his judgment, his senses and bring them back under control. The bag of money and your fingerprints on the fake arrow are pretty compelling.
I thought a person was innocent until proven guilty. She took a shuddering breath and pushed away from the wall. The ice in her expression could have frozen the Potomac. Im being set up.
The circumstantial evidence pointed at Lana as a coconspirator. Yet, she made a good argument. Yes, she could use extra cash, who couldnt, but she had a good career and was going through the process to gain custody of her nephew. If she were going to steal from her employer, why wouldnt she wait until she had custody of the boy? Maybe she planned to kidnap Juan and flee with the cash from the museum heist?
But that thought didnt ring true. If she and an accomplice were going to go to the trouble of pulling off a robbery at the museum, why only take one thing?
According to the time stamp of the video of when the guard was rendered unconscious and the moment the thief opened the break-room window, hed have had time to steal several other easily transportable artifacts. What had he been doing during those few minutes?
Placing Lanas fingerprints on the fake arrow. Planting a bag of cash in her office.
Okay, that was a plausible scenario, creating enough doubt for him to wonder if her presence in the museum had truly been unexpected. Had framing her been a spur-of-the-moment decision? Was the theft random and had nothing to do with their open cases?
So many questions with no ready answers. Too many variables to make a coherent theory.
It all came down to this woman who appeared genuinely upset by the theft. Or was she a good actress?
Is silence a tactic you use to break your suspects? she asked, her gaze meeting his.
Who would want to steal the Golden Arrow?
She blinked. Plenty of people. The artifact is not only valuable, but a piece of history.
As if that would be enough reason for the theft. Her passion for her career was evident. And in different circumstances admirable.
His phone trilled from his breast pocket. Captain McCord calling. Ace, watch her.
Adam stepped into the hall. He quickly filled his captain in. She claims shes innocent of theft and doesnt know anything about the money. She thinks shes being set up.
Hmm. What does your gut tell you?
Adam stared at the wall, turning the question over in his head. He was loath to conjecture. He preferred to have all the answers laid out in a tidy row. Most of the time the cases he worked were resolved with Ace at the forefront.
Tracking a suspect down, like in the drug case theyd just closed. That had been all Ace. Adam had just been along for the backup. Adam relied on Aces gut more than his own these days. McCord knew that. McCord knew what haunted Adam and looked for opportunities to force him to rely on his own judgment.