Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 109608 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 548(@200wpm)___ 438(@250wpm)___ 365(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109608 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 548(@200wpm)___ 438(@250wpm)___ 365(@300wpm)
The video switched to Ryan in his living room, gesturing to a number of vintage Limoges trinket boxes sitting on a velvet lined tray.
“I bought all of these from Paloma just two weeks ago,” Ryan was saying. “Along with this.” He jiggled his wrist for the camera, showing off a slim, gold Cartier watch. “She would only accept cash, real cash. Not Venmo or something like that. I didn’t really think much of it at the time. I mean, cash is preferred, always. Now, I wonder if it was for other reasons.”
The camera panned to Bryan, who was seated next to Ryan, and he was holding a pair of, to my trained eye, what looked to be three and a half carat diamonds studs pinched between his thumb and forefinger toward the camera.
He put his hand in his lap.
“I bought these from her, and yes, she demanded cash,” Bryan announced. He grinned cheekily at the camera. “They’re for my mom for Mother’s Day.” He leaned forward. “They’re Tiffany’s.” After delivering that morsel, he winked.
The camera panned over Ryan to Wallace, who was seated on Ryan’s other side.
“We all bought things from her,” Wallace reported. “All for cash. She had a whole load of stuff to look through. It was like having a What Goes Around Comes Around store right in Ryan’s living room. Except with tacky boxes.”
Ryan could be heard gasping before he snapped, “They’re Limoges.”
Wallace kept speaking over Ryan. “She asked us to tell all our friends about the things she had. She said they were from her private collection, and she’s Paloma Friedrichsen, so we didn’t question it. But now, with what happened down in Texas, we wonder.”
The screen cut back to the newsroom commentator. “All told, these gentlemen say they purchased around one-hundred-and-ninety-thousand-dollars’-worth of pre-owned merchandise from Ms. Friedrichsen, and they’re aware that friends and acquaintances made even more purchases. It’s been noted by the police in Texas that a number of these items, which were listed on an inventory AJ Oakley provided to them, such as the diamonds in jewelry, wouldn’t perish in a fire, even one that blazed as hot as the one in Oakbilly Gulch. Efforts are ongoing, but as yet, police report very few valuables have been recovered. It appears Mr. Oakley, and his girlfriend, ex-supermodel Paloma Friedrichsen, might have some uncomfortable explaining to do before they’re able to collect what has to be a sizeable insurance payout after the disaster at Oakley’s family ranch. We’ll keep an eye on this story, and report as it progresses.”
The video ended and I turned to Jamie.
He was looking down at me.
Fighting a gleeful smile (he and I did agree not to kick them now that they were down…still), I got up and walked (all right, it was more like ran-walked) back to my phone in the kitchen, whereupon I immediately called Teddy.
“Let me guess, you saw it,” Teddy drawled as his greeting to my call.
“Did they really buy those things from Paloma?”
“They absolutely did. The deals were insane, darling. But they thought it was like a Paloma’s Dying Breath Closeout sale, which, in and of itself was something to celebrate. Even so, they had no idea she was unloading AJ’s belongings prior to what it seems this is about…that man attempting insurance fraud.”
“I’m not certain AJ knows those things were missing,” I shared.
There was a moment of silence before, “Well, that makes it even more delicious, don’t you think?” Teddy asked. He didn’t give me time to answer, probably because there was only one answer (that being “yes”). “They had other ideas up their sleeves to stop her shenanigans against you, but when Paloma sought them out, they were simply going to spread the word she was so desperate, she was having a clearinghouse sale of all her best pieces, something they did. Nothing makes a woman hide her head in shame more than being forced to divest herself of the items she worked very hard for.”
His inference wasn’t even slightly veiled.
I so adored Teddy.
“Obviously,” Teddy carried on, “when they saw the news about the fire, they put two and two together, and they contacted the police. That is, they did that before they contacted the media.”
And I absolutely adored the G-Force.
I felt Jamie come in and watched him regain his stool.
I wasn’t certain what his expression was relating, so I said to Teddy, “I need to go. Tell them their last visit to the closet was just for fun. And you and I need to go shopping.”
“You do know you don’t need to take me shopping, and you don’t need to give them anything else. We love you, Nora.”
“We’ll discuss it later, dear. Lunch this week?”
“Obviously. Ta-ta, darling.”
“Goodbye, Teddy.” I hung up and focused fully on Jamie. “Are you all right?”
“If AJ’s smart, he’ll press charges for theft.”