husband had taken off a few years before, much to the stunned surprise of everyone, especially her. “I should have been suspicious,” she’d confided in me once. “We never took vacations, then all of a sudden he went out and bought himself a set of luggage.”
The investigator smiled at her, but it wasn’t so much a friendly smile as it was an insincere, patronizing one. Like the kind of smile you get from a dog when that dog knows he’s in trouble. Something about this guy set my teeth on edge. Something more than his icky, petroleum-based clothing.
“I’m looking for a specific man. I’m hoping you might be able to tell me if this one looks familiar.” He pulled a couple of old photographs from another pocket. They were faded and tattered around the edges. He slapped them down on the counter in front of Shari, and I leaned closer to get a better look. The images were hard to make out, but one picture appeared to be a man with short dark hair and a scruffy mustache. He was smoking a cigarette and holding up a beer, and in the other picture, he was sitting on a beach next to a woman with blonde braids. It wasn’t much to go on, and clearly these were not current. They were old Polaroids.
“Do you have any idea what year these were taken?” I asked.
“Around 1980. Why? Does he look familiar?” His creepy eyes got even more intense. I found his pupils unnaturally large, which I might not have noticed if he hadn’t been staring at me like we were having a no-blinking contest.
“Not really, but whoever this is probably doesn’t look like this anymore.”
Shari put on her reading glasses to get a better look. “What’s his name?” she asked.
“James Novak, as far as I know, but he might be going by something else these days.”
She stared for another moment, then pushed the photos back toward Bill Smith from Miami, Florida, and shook her head. “Can’t say that I’ve seen him before. What’s he done, anyway? I mean, why are you looking for him?”
The investigator leaned in, his voice lowering. “Can you keep a secret?”
We both nodded even though, in truth, neither one of us had ever kept a secret. No one on this island could keep a secret. Or if they could, I guess I didn’t know about it.
“He’s a master jewel thief. One of the best.”
“A jewel thief?” Shari’s hand flew to her throat as if to ensure her necklace was still there. “On Wenniway Island?”
He nodded vigorously. “I believe so. I tracked down one of his associates, who said he’d been here as recently as last year.”
“An associate? What kind of associate?” She clutched the pendant more tightly.
“A fence. He and Novak have worked together for decades, and based on what he told me, it’s possible Novak lives here.”
“Lives here?” I said, my surprise canceled out by the complete impossibility of it all. “That’s ridiculous. We get a lot of tourist traffic in the summer, Mr. Smith, so it’s possible he’s visited, but he certainly hasn’t spent significant time here. This is a very tight-knit community, and we all know each other. And we’ve never had an issue with expensive jewelry being stolen. Not even from our elite guests at the Imperial Hotel.”
A jewel thief? Living on Wenniway Island? That was crazy talk. And dangerous talk, too, because news of a criminal even visiting Trillium Bay could hurt our tourism industry. If this guy went around asking stupid questions like can you keep a secret, then this story would spread faster than warm syrup over a stack of hotcakes. I needed to end this fast. “I suggest you take the pictures to my father. He might be able to help you.”
“Your father?” The man’s sandy-colored eyebrows rose right along with his voice.
I nodded. “Yes, my father is the chief of police on Wenniway Island. Harlan Callaghan. He’d be glad to help you.”
The investigator hastily scooped up the photos and stuffed them back into his pocket, his smile tightening. “Well, that’s an excellent suggestion. I’ll do that. Thank you for your assistance, ladies.”
“Would you like me to walk you to the police station? It’s on my way,” I said as he scuttled back toward the door with the speed of a cockroach.
“No, that won’t be necessary. I’m sure I can find it. Good day to you, ladies.”