“How are you going to wrap them all?” D.C. asked.
“My volunteers are coming in tomorrow,” Fiona replied.
“On the twenty-third? That’s cutting it pretty close,” D.C. said. “Present wrapping is something my mother used to start at least a month before the big day.”
“I suspect my mother started even earlier,” Chance said. “But she did it all in secret. Otherwise I would have opened everything long before Christmas morning.”
“My mom was a last-minute kind of person,” Natalie commented. “I think she used to stay up all night Christmas Eve wrapping presents. Of course, my sisters and I never knew a thing about it. Thanks to my mom, Sierra and Rory and I believed in Santa for a very long time.”
Christmas talk. This was one of the reasons she avoided Christmas parties. She always got the same feeling she had when she was growing up—that she was an outsider looking in.
D.C.’s hand slipped around hers. “I think you might need some Christmas elves to help you wrap all of these.”
Fiona gave the toys an anxious glance. “We have a lot of volunteers.” Hopefully, everyone would show up. “Then we have to transport them.” She turned to D.C., and her heart skipped a beat at the understanding she saw in his eyes. “Could the army help with that?”
“Sure. I’ll make some calls,” he said.
Natalie looked from one to the other. “You seem to make a good team.”
“We’re getting there.” Clearing her throat, Fiona delivered a report on their progress so far.
“Good work,” Natalie commented. “Establishing a link between the two sisters and ultimately to Billy Franks is real progress.”
“Our circle of suspects may be widening, but the evidence is still pretty overwhelming against Amanda Hemmings.”
“You’ll see her again in the morning?” Natalie asked.
“Yes. And D.C. and I have an idea. We’d like to take the copy of the Rubinov with us and see if it jogs her memory.”
Chance smiled slowly. “I like it. I’ll get it to you first thing in the morning.”
Natalie glanced at Chance. “Why don’t you fill them in on what you’ve got so far?”
“One of the avenues I’m pursuing is finding out who made the copy. I showed it to the gemologist who authenticated the stone, and he was impressed with the workmanship. Fortunately, I’ve made some contacts over the years who might be able to point us in the right direction. They’re putting out some feelers.”
“Considering the Rubinov necklace has been in Shalnokov’s private gallery up until this week, wouldn’t even the best craftsman have to see it in person to copy it?” D.C. asked.
Chance exchanged a look with his wife. “I told you he was good.”
And he was, Fiona thought. That aspect of the case hadn’t yet occurred to her. “But you said it was up for auction at Christie’s two years ago. Someone could have studied it then. There must have been pictures in the catalogue.”
Chance opened one of the files, took out some photos and placed them on the table.
D.C. and Fiona examined the pictures together. To Fiona’s mind, they seemed detailed. But she thought of the night before, when she’d held the necklace in her hand and carried it close to her body. “These likenesses are good, but it wouldn’t be the same as holding it, feeling the weight of it, examining the original designer’s work.”
“I agree.” D.C. said. “And that brings us back to Shalnokov. He’s the one who’s had the Rubinov for the last ten years.”
Chance tapped a finger on the second file folder. “This is what we’ve found out about him. When I called him this morning, I had to bulldoze my way through his personal assistant, Regina Meyers. She’s very protective of him.”
“How did he take the news?” Fiona asked.
“I’d describe his reaction as stoic. Polite even. No sign of shock or outrage that he’d nearly lost his Rubinov.”
“Maybe he wasn’t surprised,” D.C. said. “There’s still a possibility that he’s somehow connected to the attempted robbery. What’s your take on him, Chance?”
“I only met him once, briefly, about five years ago. He wanted to take out insurance with my company. We have a strict policy that we meet prospective clients in person. That was a couple of years before he put the necklace up for auction at Christie’s and upped the amount. Basically, I agree with everything in the file. Gregory Shalnokov is a rich eccentric who has the money to create his own world, his own rules.”