Blue Steal Page 12

  ‘Yes. She didn’t know anything about Andrew’s plans. She’d told him she was pregnant and he’d said they’d run away together, but she didn’t know he planned to steal from the hotel to make that happen. He turned up in the middle of the night and gave the ring to her. An engagement ring, he said, and then he left again. She heard gunshots from the lobby. She was scared and she knew the ring was trouble, so she got rid of it.’

  It made sense, and it certainly accounted for why the ring had ended up where it did, why it had been separated from the necklace. Useful information, but nowhere near the full picture. ‘You’re telling me she was upstairs the whole time? All she heard was the gunshots?’

  Selina nodded.

  He took a moment to consider that. ‘And after that?’

  ‘Nonna tried to tell the Holloways she was pregnant but they didn’t want to know anything about it. Not long after, what with the security guard betraying them and all, the Holloways fired their entire staff, including nonna. She left and never returned.’

  ‘She knew where the ring was—she wasn’t tempted to retrieve it?’

  Selina shrugged again. ‘It was stolen property and two people were dead. There would have been police everywhere.’

  ‘That wouldn’t have stopped you.’

  ‘No.’ A faint smile.

  ‘So, if what you’re telling me is the truth …’

  Her mouth twisted a little at that.

  ‘Your nonna doesn’t know what Andrew did with the necklace.’

  ‘No.’

  ‘So why were you so sure it was in the linen room?’

  ‘I wasn’t; nonna was. Last week, after the news about the ring broke, she started having dreams. About what Andrew had said to her that night.’

  ‘Which was?’

  ‘That he’d found the best hiding spot ever, somewhere even Lewis would never find it.’ She shrugged. ‘Nonna and Andrew used to meet in the linen room. It was their secret place. Where they used to … you know.’

  Yeah, he knew. Seemed he and Selina weren’t the only ones who found the linen room romantic.

  She hesitated, looked down.

  ‘And?’

  ‘Nothing,’ she answered, something a little sad on her face. ‘I was just thinking about them, there together. Dreaming of their future.’

  Not true. She’d left something out. He’d circle back to it later.

  ‘Anyway,’ she went on, ‘nonna was convinced the dreams meant that was where Andrew had hidden the necklace.’

  Dreams? That was all she’d had to go on? Not as much as he was hoping for. But one thing this conversation had clarified was that neither Maria nor Selina knew any more than he did about what had occurred downstairs. ‘There’s only one person who knows what happened that night. Only one person who might know where the necklace is.’

  Lewis Holloway.

  A flicker of something indefinable passed over her face.

  ‘Selina …’ he cautioned.

  ‘Lewis doesn’t know where it is.’

  So that’s what she’d been hiding earlier. Jack frowned. ‘You said you’d never met him.’

  ‘I hadn’t. He made contact. We met this morning.’

  Damn Charles and his impromptu meeting—Jack had known he should have been back at the Empire, that he’d miss something important.

  So, Selina was now in contact with Lewis. That was interesting … And ripe with potential. ‘What did he want?’

  ‘We’re family. He wanted to meet me.’

  After that weirdness in the corridor, when Selina had looked about as shell-shocked as he’d ever seen … To be a fly on the wall for that conversation. ‘And you talked about the necklace?’

  ‘He doesn’t know where it is. He said he’d kept the hotel in its original condition hoping it’d turn up, but it never did. He’s been searching for fifty years.’

  Which meant Lewis believed the necklace was still here. And as he was the only one who knew anything, it probably was. ‘What else did he tell you?’

  ‘Nothing.’ She shrugged again. ‘That’s it, Jack. That’s all I know. You now know everything I do.’

  He scanned her face, but didn’t pick up on any of the tell-tale signs of stress that accompanied lies. For the moment, he’d accept it—he now knew everything Selina did.

  ‘Are we done now?’ she asked again.

  ‘No.’ This was far from over and Selina still had a role to play. She had access to her nonna, who might yet prove valuable. More importantly, she had access to Lewis. ‘Now that you’ve found your dear long-lost family, what’s next for you and Lewis?’

  She took her time answering. ‘He wants to meet again. Tomorrow. Today, rather. Here at the hotel.’

  She sounded hesitant. Things hadn’t gone that well at the great family reunion? Too bad. He needed information out of Lewis, and Selina was going to get it for him. ‘Okay, here’s what’s going to happen. You’re staying. You’re going to go play nice with Uncle Lewis, and you’re going to find out what the hell happened that night. Given you’re such a natural at deception and manipulation, I’ll expect you to have some useful information to impart when I come find you.’

  She didn’t say anything. Again with those bruised eyes.

  ‘Just so the stakes are clear … I’m presenting myself for a tox screen first thing—given the effectiveness of the drug, I doubt it’s left my system.’

  Her mouth twisted in confirmation of that.

  ‘If you don’t have anything to tell me, I’ll track down the barman as a witness and take it further. De Crespigny’s well connected, we don’t lack for contacts in the police department. Capisce, bella?’

  She looked down at her hands folded in front of her. All put-upon sufferance.

  ‘Don’t even think about running. I will find you and make you wish you hadn’t.’

  He put his hand on the doorknob and she shifted forward to let him out. The movement brought them even closer, their bodies almost touching.

  ‘Jack,’ she said. She bit her lower lip. ‘I’m sorry.’

  Too little, too late. ‘Later,’ he replied.

  And left the room, wishing like hell he could hate her as much as he should.

  ***

  ‘Where else could it be, nonna?’

  A long pause where Selina thought perhaps nonna would come up with something.

  Selina was sitting on her bed, still in pyjamas even though it was late. Then again, when you don’t get to sleep till seven am, mid-morning isn’t the stuff of lazy sleep-ins.

  ‘Where else could Andrew have hidden it?’ she prompted when the silence stretched.

  Another pause, but then … ‘I no know.’

  Selina hadn’t really expected anything more, but the lack of other options still stung.

  As she’d told Jack in the wee hours of the morning, she’d really only had one plan: to search the linen room. She was always going to leave at this point if she’d been unable to find the necklace. But that was then, and now … To leave the Empire, to walk away at this point didn’t make any sense. She had Jack threatening her with legal action if she didn’t do what he said; she had Lewis, who wanted to meet her again; and somewhere, there was still a missing necklace.

  Was there any reason she shouldn’t keep trying to find it? Jack was still looking.

  And she wanted to see Lewis again. Not just because of Jack and his bullshit threat about going to the cops. The more she thought about it, the more she realised what a miracle it was to find family again after all this time. Of course she would meet Lewis again. She would probably ask him about that night—it wasn’t like she didn’t have questions of her own.

  As to whether she shared her information with Jack …

  She bit down on her lip. She’d hurt him. Not his body, but his pride.

  She’d hated the way he’d looked at her. Cold disgust, that’s what it had been.

  They’d been opponents from the start, but it had been like a game. They weren
’t on the same team, but they were in it together, matching wits and enjoying the match. That bond had disappeared last night. She’d killed it. And worse, she hadn’t found the necklace anyway.

  But while she hadn’t found the necklace, she hadn’t come up completely empty-handed. ‘Nonna, I found something of yours. The letters Andrew wrote to you. Buried exactly where you said they’d be.’

  Jack hadn’t discovered them when he’d frisked her because she’d stashed them, flat and soft with age, under her shirt. He hadn’t thought to check there, and why would he? She wouldn’t have put the necklace there.

  A non-committal grunt from nonna was her only response.

  What had Selina expected? That she’d be happy, overjoyed, at recovering this little piece of her past? This little piece of her heart?

  ‘I’ll bring them home when I come. You can read them then.’ Hopefully nonna could manage that by herself. After fifty years in Australia her English had improved, but it still wasn’t good. Selina didn’t want to have to read the letters out to her. They were private and she would be intruding.

  ‘How’s Anna?’ she asked.

  Another non-committal grunt, but this one Selina could interpret perfectly. She rang off and stared at all the chintz surrounding her, failure squeezing at her heart. Where did last night leave her sister? Selina was still here and she was still looking, but if she couldn’t find that necklace …

  And she needed to get a move on if she wanted to meet Lewis.

  Lewis.

  Selina started as it struck her that she’d been missing something incredibly obvious … Why didn’t she just ask Lewis? The money she needed for Anna was nothing to him. He’d said it himself—a drop in the ocean. He’d also said he regretted not knowing of Selina’s existence, that he was so grateful to have found her, that he wanted to get to know her … Surely that meant he would help Anna?

  Could life really be that simple?

  Fifteen minutes later, she was standing at the doors to the dining room, regarding the scene in front of her with surprise and trepidation. The two usual suspects were still at the bar, lounging there like oversized gorillas in cheap suits, and Lewis was at the same table as yesterday, but he was surrounded by a crowd of men in suits. She’d been under the impression that it would be just the two of them. So they could get to know each other. That’s what he’d said.

  So what was going on?

  Lewis spotted her. His face brightened and he half-rose out of his seat, undeniably pleased to see her. Most of the men had their backs to her, but as they picked up on Lewis watching her their heads swivelled. They all seemed to have smiles of welcome on their faces.

  She moved towards them. The beautiful red-and-white patterned tea set from yesterday had been joined by an antique silver coffee pot. For her. That was sweet. And she hadn’t had her morning coffee yet either.

  ‘Good morning, Selina,’ Lewis said when she was close, and waved to indicate where she should sit. He’d saved her the seat to his right. Wow.

  ‘Good morning,’ she replied from next to him.

  ‘I’m glad you could make it,’ he said stiffly with a shy smile. And then shifted slightly to address the table. ‘I would like everyone to meet my granddaughter, Selina. Selina’s going to be sitting in on today’s meeting.’

  Her face froze.

  Granddaughter?

  Sitting in on today’s meeting?

  Um. Okay. Not exactly what she’d been expecting.

  While the men around the table murmured welcomes and greetings, she shot a quick look at Lewis. He was watching her, a little tense, waiting to see how she’d react. Perhaps he should have consulted her about attending a meeting, but she wouldn’t embarrass him in front of colleagues. ‘Pleasure to meet you all. Thanks for inviting me to sit in.’ It wasn’t like sitting through meetings was new to her—it was her bread and butter at work. ‘Would you like me to take minutes?’ she asked. That was one of her usual jobs in these kind of meetings.

  ‘Oh no.’ Lewis looked appalled. ‘I have Robert for that.’ He indicated a non-descript man in his early forties at his other side, who gave her a brief wave of acknowledgement. ‘You’re here as my guest. Although, of course, you are welcome to contribute as you see fit.’

  ‘Great,’ she replied, unsure of what contribution she could possibly make given she had no idea what the meeting was about.

  ‘Coffee?’ Lewis directed towards her, hand already on the silver pot.

  She smiled. ‘Yes, please.’ No one else apart from Lewis had a cup in front of them. There was no doubting her privileged position.

  Lewis poured a cup of fragrant steaming liquid. God, that aroma! She knew before she’d even tasted a single mouthful it was going to be a big step up from the horrible conference coffee.

  With a shy half-smile, he placed her cup in front of her. ‘Now that everyone is here, we’ll make a start …’

  Chapter 10

  An hour later, the meeting was over. Except for the men at the bar, Selina and Lewis were alone.

  ‘Well, Selina,’ Lewis said. ‘Did you enjoy yourself?’

  ‘Yes. Very much,’ she replied. Despite her initial confusion, the meeting, which concerned the designs for the new hotel, had been invigorating.

  ‘The point you raised about potential tax credits for green energy was excellent.’

  Lewis had asked her opinion at various points through the meeting, and she’d given it to him. She supposed over ten years working in financial services had rubbed off—she knew more about direct investment and project finance options than she’d given herself credit for.

  ‘You handled yourself very well,’ he added, shooting her another smile of approval.

  So that had been a test of some sort? At least she’d passed.

  ‘Not that it would have made any difference if it had turned out that you hadn’t had a talent for business,’ he added quickly. ‘But I had a feeling you would, and you more than proved yourself.’

  ‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘It was a privilege to watch you in action.’

  Though he seemed shy, almost deferential, with her, Lewis was masterful in the business arena—he cut his way straight to the point, asking all the right questions and responding decisively. It was no wonder he’d ascended to the very top of the ladder.

  ‘I hope you didn’t mind me referring to you as my granddaughter.’

  If he hadn’t been Lewis, Selina would have called the glint in his eyes mischievous. ‘No,’ she laughed. ‘Not at all.’

  It had surprised her at first, so at odds was the expression with the fact that she’d met him for the first time yesterday, but then she’d thought it was sweet. And proof that he really did want to get to know her and establish a relationship.

  In fact, now that they were alone, she needed to turn her attention to something unpleasant but necessary. She had to ask Lewis for money, and she didn’t know if the fact that she was starting to like him made that better or worse. Better of course, but it still felt like she was using him. She wished she could just enjoy getting to know her uncle without any mercenary concerns.

  How to approach this? She played with the edge of the folder she’d been given containing information on the new hotel as she considered it.

  ‘Selina, I don’t want to waste any more time,’ Lewis announced firmly.

  She started a little, jolted out of her thoughts. Lewis had got in first.

  ‘It is too soon for me to say this, I know it is,’ he went on. ‘But now that I’ve met you … Thinking about all the wasted years … You know how important the Petrovsky sapphires have been to me. I believed they were my last link to Andrew. Now, I can see that is not the case. I have you.’ He leaned forward slightly, bringing him very close. ‘We discussed certain arrangements yesterday but I’ve changed my mind. There’s no need for you to continue your search. The necklace has served its purpose. It brought you back to the Empire. To me. Where you belong.’

  Where she belong
ed?

  Dramatic much?

  It sounded crazy. He sounded crazy. But hadn’t she felt it too? The second she had walked into this hotel, she’d felt like she’d arrived home. The way it looked, the way it smelled—some part of her knew it, remembered it. And this man sitting next to her—he didn’t feel like a stranger. Some part of her knew him too.

  She realised she was leaning towards Lewis, unwillingly and unwittingly mirroring his position. With his luminous green eyes fixed on her, he looked very intense. She couldn’t seem to look away.

  His face changed, his eyes lost their focus, as if he were looking past her, through her. ‘I see you …’ he whispered.

  He was talking to someone, but it wasn’t her.

  The words froze the blood in her veins, turned it thick as maple syrup.

  She felt … It was a flutter. Something moving through her, as dry and insubstantial as moth wings. And then it was gone.

  A shiver skated over the back of her neck and she had a powerful urge to turn and see what or who was behind her. But she knew the answer—nothing and no one.

  ‘Lewis?’ she said, her voice as shaky as she felt.

  He came back, eyes on her again, seeing her. He looked shocked, searching her face as if she had the answers on what had just happened. She didn’t.

  He broke eye contact, looked down. She thought perhaps he was embarrassed. She was starting to feel that way herself, like a kid taken in by an older brother’s ghost story. But when he looked up again, there was nothing but a small, pleased smile on his face.

  ‘You will no doubt think this strange, my dear,’ he said, ‘but sometimes, I see him in you.’

  Andrew. He must be talking about Andrew.

  She just didn’t know what to say to that.

  She had never in her life been disposed to hysteria, and she wasn’t about to start now. Her mind had already rationalised what had happened. Of course what she’d felt hadn’t been real. It had been her mind, caught up in Lewis’s intensity, playing tricks on her. And Lewis hadn’t seen anyone or anything in her—he just wanted so badly to see his brother again that he’d allowed himself to believe some remnant of him was still here. In Selina.