Theodosia suddenly felt a flood of relief. “Oh my gosh, you broke the case? You found the jewels?” A girl could hope, couldn’t she?
“Not exactly,” Tidwell said. “But we have received word from the insurance company.”
Insurance? What does that have to do with anything?
“Wait, does that mean they’re going to pay off Brooke’s claim?” Theodosia asked Tidwell.
“Not quite. It seems that United Insurance and Guaranty received a rather mysterious phone call that our tech geeks have been unable to trace. Apparently, this band of rather opportunistic jewel thieves has expressed a willingness to ransom back part of the stolen merchandise.”
“Ransom it back?” Theodosia had never heard of this before. “What does that mean? How does insurance ransom work?”
Tidwell explained, “It’s not an uncommon practice, though you see it more often with stolen works of art. In this case, the thieves contacted the insurance company and presented them with the option of paying an enormous sum of money in order to get the jewels back in one piece.”
“Really? That’s how it works?”
“The insurer also has the option of just kissing the loot good-bye and paying off the policyholder. Eventually, anyway.”
“Wait a minute,” Theodosia said. “So you’re telling me that the main thief, the ringleader of this gang, the whoever, actually contacted Brooke’s insurance company?”
“That’s right. And then the insurance company contacted the FBI.” Tidwell picked up his knife and sliced one of his scones lengthwise.
“And then they contacted you,” Theodosia said. She was stunned. “Will the insurance company do that? I mean, will they pay money to get the jewels back?”
“It’s highly doubtful. Seeing as how there was a homicide involved.”
“Wait a minute, how did the thief even know which insurance company to contact?”
“It was all spelled out in the newspaper. A pithy quote delivered by one of United Insurance’s media-loving PR people. And one that our diligent robbers obviously picked up on.”
“You said the robbers wanted to ransom back part of the stolen jewels? Which part?”
“That I do not know. Except that it probably doesn’t involve diamonds. They’re far too valuable and portable once they’re pried from their settings.”
Theodosia sat back in her chair. “That’s just awful.”
Tidwell slathered jam on his scone and took a bite. “Which part do you find distasteful?” He gave a perfunctory smile as he chewed.
“All of it.”
“Well, it is crime. When you’re dealing with a criminal element, you’ve got to expect a few rough edges.”
“I get that,” Theodosia said. She hated it when he played coy with her. “Okay, what about that lady last night? Do you think she’ll ever get her emerald necklace back?”
“Probably not.”
Theodosia shook her head. “Why not?”
Tidwell sighed. “Because the smash-and-grab at Heart’s Desire was strictly business. While the robbery at the opera last night . . . well, it struck me as being slightly more whimsical. More like . . . sport.”
She stared at him. “Whimsy. Sport. Explain, please.”
“It’s possible one of the thieves was toying with us,” Tidwell said. “Taunting us.”
“So you’re saying that whoever struck last night might have been part of the same Heart’s Desire gang?”
“I think it’s possible. I also think that whoever is in charge of this gang, whoever masterminded the Heart’s Desire robbery, might have decided to stick around Charleston for a while.”
“Because the pickings are good,” Theodosia murmured. She thought about all the wealthy people who lived in the area that was commonly referred to as Below Broad. In other words, the fat-cat district. This was where many of the pedigreed people lived, the descendants of Charleston’s founders. They were the lucky ones who’d inherited great-grandmère’s jewelry, Dresden china, sterling silver candlesticks, Chippendale furniture, French antiques, and oil paintings. And now it might all be at risk.
The other thing that haunted Theodosia was the fact that a priceless Fabergé egg was probably rolling into town right about now. A fancy, jeweled egg that would be on display at the Heritage Society starting this Saturday evening. Was it going to sit in its glass display case like a glorified magnet, attracting every petty thief or organized gang in the area? She was afraid that it just might.
? ? ?
Tidwell hadn’t been gone five minutes when Brooke came in. She looked unsettled and a little scared. When she spotted Theodosia standing at the counter, she rushed over and said, “Have you heard?”