Without replying, he indicated then pulled into a parking space. She was glad he wasn’t talking because she didn’t want to warn him why she wanted to stop.
A bell rang overhead as she stepped inside the tiny store.
“I’ll be right out,” a voice called from a doorway behind the counter.
The bell rang a second time, and she glanced back to find Jake behind her, pulling off his shades in the dim interior.
Sin turned away quickly and stared around her. The shop was quaint, decorated in a South Texas chic—pressed tin ceiling, polished wood floors, limestone block pillars and counter. Rows of glass cabinets lined either side of the store. Coins gleamed in plastic stands with small handwritten notes below them, describing when they’d been issued and the city or country of origin.
After a few minutes, Sin grew restless and approached the counter. “You’d think this guy would be a little edgy after yesterday,” she mumbled.
“Can I help you?” said the man who finally arrived from the back room. He was short, wiry, his eyes appearing enormous behind thick, old-fashioned wire-rimmed glasses. “I’ve already told the detective everything I know—if this is about yesterday.”
Sin nodded. “That’s okay. I was just curious. We were the officers who captured the suspect.”
His magnified gaze sharpened on her. “You must be the woman who killed the other one.”
She winced. “It was an accident. He hit the wall.”
“Right,” he said, shrugging. “So, what can I do for you?”
“I’m curious about what they stole.”
“And you couldn’t find that out from the detective? I’ve already been over it with him.”
She wondered at his defensiveness. “Which one? Ruiz or Petrakis?”
“Petrakis. He came by earlier today.”
Sin filed that away. “One guy went for the cash box. The dead guy wanted something else. What was it?”
He shrugged again. “Something I picked up from an estate sale, along with a collection of old Mexican coins.”
“Detective Ruiz called it a trinket. Was it jewelry?”
“No. A silver sword handle. Didn’t get a chance to have it valued, but it looked Spanish.”
“Spanish?”
“Spanish steel anyway, but decorated with old Aztec gods. From the time of the Conquistadors. My guess, anyway. Not my area of expertise.”
Sin frowned, trying to think. Trying to figure out what else she should ask, but she wasn’t the detective. Not her area of expertise. “Who will you take it to when you recover it from Evidence?”
“Already talked to an auction house in Austin. I was supposed to bring it to them today. Any idea when I’ll get my property back?”
Sin shook her head. “Thanks for answering my questions.” She turned, ignoring Jake’s expression, knowing he thought she didn’t have any business being here. He probably wondered if she was going to obsess over this because she’d killed the guy.
When they stepped outside, the shopkeeper followed them, locking the door after them and turning the sign hanging on the glass door to “Closed.” He hustled away without looking at either of them again.
“What are you doing, Sin?” Jake asked, quietly.
She shrugged. “Nothing. Just curious.”
“You know which detectives are working the case? Why?”
“Like I said. I’m just curious.”
“Why do I get the feeling you aren’t telling me something?”