“Christine?” The man thrust out his chin as if scenting trouble. Or competition. “How do you know her?”
“We’re friends,” Travis said, almost choking on the term. He had been infatuated with Christine, intrigued by her sweetness and innocence. And then she stole from him. He didn’t know if she had made the most of an unexpected opportunity or if she had targeted him from the beginning.
“I’m Darrell.” He watched Travis closely as they shook hands. The lines on Darrell’s forehead deepened. “What? She never told you about me?”
“No,” Travis replied brusquely and dropped Darrell’s hand. Christine had mentioned everyone else from Cedar Valley but this guy. That had to be significant. “Do you know where I can find her?”
“Oh, sure. Christine’s schedule never changes.” Darrell glanced at his watch. “She would be working at the bank.”
The bank? He should have guessed. It was a thief’s dream job. “Where can I find it?”
“Just stay on Main Street. The bank is the only brick building in town. If you pass the gazebo in the town’s square, you’ve gone too far.”
A gazebo. He should have known. This place was a freaking nightmare. Once he confronted Christine and got the emerald back, he was leaving like a bat out of hell.
* * *
AT EXACTLY TEN O’CLOCK, Christine rose from her desk and left her glassed-in office. She walked out to the lobby of the Cedar Valley Bank. There were no customers and the two bank tellers were chatting with each other. Christine nodded at Harold, the old security guard, as Faye Lamb and her daughter, Bonnie, walked through the front door.
She could hear Faye and Bonnie bickering. Bonnie was in her late forties and always wore a baseball cap and colorful workout clothes. Faye was in her seventies and never left the house without her jewelry and makeup on. And, since the death of her husband, Faye wore only black. The mother and daughter were very different, but their love and affection for each other were apparent.
Christine had always felt she and Bonnie had something in common. Like Bonnie, Christine had put her life on hold when her father had left and her mother had been too grief-stricken to cope. Christine was glad her mother eventually found a second chance at love and left Cedar Valley to start a new life. She just wished she hadn’t focused so much on others and had done something for herself during those years.
“Christine!” Faye Lamb said as she shuffled across the lobby, her black heels clacking on the marble floor. “It’s good to see you. How was your vacation?”
She forgot that everyone knew she had been out of town. “It was wonderful,” Christine said with a warm smile as she greeted Faye with a gentle handshake. The older woman was fragile and wore heavy, sharp rings and bracelets.
“You won’t believe what happened,” Faye said with a smile. “My son is coming for a visit.”
“Really?” She barely remembered Todd, but she had heard the stories. He had a talent for finding trouble. She glanced at Bonnie for confirmation and the woman nodded. “Todd hasn’t been back home for ages. What’s the occasion?”
“He hasn’t said,” Bonnie informed Christine. “Knowing Todd, it’ll be a short visit.”
“It sounds as if you’ll want to break out the good jewelry,” Christine said.
“That’s what I was thinking,” Faye said as they slowly walked to the door that led to the safe-deposit boxes. “This calls for the pearls.”
Christine remembered the stunning pearl necklace and automatically reached up to brush her hand along the fake pearls she wore every day to work. She’d bought the necklace years ago so she would feel older and more sophisticated at the office.
“You know,” Faye said, “my dearly departed Stanley gave me the necklace when Todd was born.”
“I thought he gave you that bracelet to celebrate Todd’s birth.” Christine pointed at the thick gold chain bracelet that Faye always wore. The woman enjoyed changing her jewelry on a weekly basis, but the bracelet never left her wrist.
“No, no, no.” Faye waved her hand and the gold flashed warmly under the ceiling lights. “The bracelet was when we found out I was pregnant.”
“That’s right. Now I remember.” Christine liked this part of her job. She wanted to hear the stories about the family heirlooms or a person’s most valued possession. She wanted to see a customer’s eyes light up when they dreamed about retirement or the possibilities of their first home.
“It’s only right that I give both to Todd when he comes over,” Faye said softly.