Jewelry Can Be Deadly (Sage Gardens Cozy Mystery Book 6) by Cindy Bell Read Free Book Online

Walt followed in her exact footsteps. When she reached the door she had to shove things out of the way that had slid out of place when they had entered. More creatures scuttled into and out of view. Walt reached out a hand to steady himself and placed it right through a spider web.
    “Oh no! Out, out the door now!” He nearly shoved Jo through the door. As he did he brushed and swiped at his hand and arm while shaking the rest of his body.
    “Walt, are you okay?” Jo stared at him with wide eyes.
    “Spider web,” he hissed.
    “Oh.” Jo grinned. “You can’t say that I didn’t warn you.”
    “Actually, I can say that. You did not fully inform me of the situation that I was walking into.”
    “I tried to.”
    “Hm. Either way I’m glad I was here. Now, do you want to tell me about that necklace?”
    “The ‘Rose Diamond’?”
    “No. The necklace that was important enough that Bucky wanted it.”
    “It’s not important to anyone but him. Bucky has this weird habit of keeping memorabilia related to thieves. That necklace was a gift to me, so he wanted it.”
    “From him?”
    “No. From someone else.”
    “Who?” Jo opened the door to her car and settled inside. Walt followed suit. Jo started the car. “Jo, you can trust me you know.”
    “It’s not important.” She backed the car out of the parking lot in one swift movement that left Walt breathless with his hands glued to the dashboard. “It’s ancient history.”

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    A fter Jo dropped Walt off at his place she continued to her own. Samantha called several times before she answered.
    “Did you find out anything?”
    “It was nice of you to send me an escort,” Jo said.
    “Oh, you didn’t mind did you? I just thought Walt might enjoy the trip.”
    “I don’t think he did.” Jo cracked a smile.
    “Well?”
    “I found out that the man who brought the items from the ‘Rose Robbery’ to the fence was named Clem. Does that line up with anything you found?”
    “Yes, actually. The man that was brought in for questioning was named Clemson Pick. He was questioned and released without the police finding any evidence of involvement.”
    “Great.” Jo frowned. “I guess that leaves us at a dead end.”
    “No, it doesn’t. I’m texting you a picture now. See what you think.”
    “Okay. I’ll call you in the morning all right?”
    “Sure. Are you okay, Jo?”
    “I’m fine. Just a little tired.”
    “Okay. Get some rest.”
    Jo hung up and waited for the text to come through. When it did, she looked at the picture. She thought it looked very similar to Roger, but it was hard to be sure. Many years had passed. The man in the picture had jet black hair. Roger had very blonde hair. She sent a text back to Samantha agreeing that the picture looked similar to Roger.
    “So Roger, were you the thief that robbed so many of the glory of the ‘Rose Diamond’?” Jo muttered to herself.
    She tapped her phone against her knee and considered her options. Samantha could dig into Clemson’s past and figure out a connection, she was sure, but that would take time. Time was something they did not have. Since so many thieves knew about the ‘Rose Diamond’ necklace, if it became known to them that it had resurfaced, Roger was in danger if he had it. If he didn’t have it, then someone had killed his wife for it.
    Jo was sure that she could figure out the truth if she was alone with Roger for any length of time. She decided the best plan of action was to get Roger alone. She needed to find out a little bit more about him. She left her villa with only her phone tucked into her pocket. Casually she walked in the direction of his villa. As she did she noticed a few of her neighbors walking in the same direction. She guessed that everyone was a little curious about what had happened to Valda. Jo noticed Roger step outside. She slowed down so that she would reach his driveway in the same moment that he backed out his car. Just as he hit the road, she