“What!” I was horrified. “Are you certain?”
“Absolutely,” he said. “Each piece is carefully marked. Vivienne only makes a limited number of bangles.”
“I would never steal anything!”
“That’s what Winona Ryder said when she was caught red-handed in Saks Fifth Avenue,” said Mr. Bryce somewhat nastily.
“This is ridiculous!” I was furious and more than a little worried. Jess must have stolen this bangle and given it to me as a gift. But no, I just refused to believe it. I recalled her delight at giving me the present. I just couldn’t imagine her stealing it. She wouldn’t need to. She’d told me a gazillion times how generous Aubrey was. Aubrey was a magistrate for heaven’s sake.
There had to be an explanation. My thoughts flew to Piers and his childish pranks. Was this something he would have done out of spite? He had made it clear that he didn’t like her.
“Perhaps my friend purchased this directly from the artist?” I said.
Mr. Bryce shook his head. “No. This was in our inventory.”
“Do you have CCTV in here?”
“Yes.”
“Then please, at least look at that first.”
“Very well. We will turn over the CCTV footage to the police when they get here.”
“You’re calling them now?” I was stunned.
“Of course.” Mr. Bryce opened the top drawer of his desk and pulled out a business card and dialed a number.
“Ah, Detective Inspector?” he said. “I’m sorry to bother you on a Sunday, but you did say that if it was important I should call you immediately.” The answer on the other end was short. Mr. Bryce replaced the receiver. “He’ll be here in ten minutes.”
We sat in an awkward silence. My eyes caught yesterday’s Star Stalkers with my face splashed across the front page from the humiliating experience at NINE. It was little wonder that Mr. Bryce didn’t believe me.
Ten excruciating minutes passed until there came a knock on the door.
To my astonishment, the police officer was none other than Detective Inspector Shawn Cropper. He strolled in wearing jeans and an open-neck shirt. The minute he saw me his jaw dropped.
“Kat!” he exclaimed. “What on earth is going on?”
I had never been so pleased to see him in my life. “Thank God it’s you!”
Mr. Bryce regarded us both with surprise.
“I’ll take it from here, Tim,” said Shawn. “If you don’t mind. Would you leave us for a moment?”
Mr. Bryce shot me another filthy look and left the room.
Quickly I filled Shawn in on how I came to acquire the bangle and that I needed a larger size. “I don’t know what to think.”
“All very interesting,” said Shawn thoughtfully.
“But why are you here in Dartmouth?” I cried. “This isn’t your jurisdiction. And why did the manager have your cell phone number?”
“I was taking the boys to listen to the sea shanties.” Shawn gave a heavy sigh. “I’m sorry, but I am not at liberty to tell you. Believe me, I wish I could. But for now I suggest you give all the Carews a wide berth and if you do see any of them you must act completely normally.”
“This is to do with Piers, isn’t it?” I exclaimed.
Shawn stiffened. “Your personal business is nothing to do with me. But I’ve known Piers Carew for a very long time and you need to be careful.”
“Oh for heaven’s sake,” I said crossly. “I was only having dinner—”
“A dinner that neither of you paid for—”
“I already told you. We were talking about the skeleton in Cromwell Meadows,” I retorted hotly. “Piers thinks she is Lady Eleanor Honeychurch and that she was murdered by her cousin.”
“That sounds like a Piers Carew theory,” said Shawn. “His imagination is even wilder than your mother’s.”
“Am I going to be charged?”
“Not yet,” he said. “But I want you to continue to wear the bangle. I’m sorry I can’t tell you more—and I know this annoys you—but in this instance, I am not the officer in charge of the investigation.”
“Oh. I didn’t realize—”
“Of course you didn’t,” said Shawn. “But there is something I am able to tell you. Violet Green will make a full recovery. She has two broken ankles and a nasty bump on her head where it struck the steering wheel.”
“I’m glad to hear it.”
“So perhaps you can tell me why you asked her to pick the dowager countess up from Totnes railway station in the middle of the night?”
“I have no idea what you are talking about,” I said. “Edith isn’t due home until tomorrow.”
“Apparently, a note was slipped through Violet’s letterbox asking her to do you a favor. It was signed by you.”
“But I’d never do that!” I exclaimed. “Where is this note?”
“I don’t have it with me right this minute,” said Shawn sheepishly. “But that’s why she raced off to meet the last train from London. There isn’t even a train that comes in at that hour.”
“You know I’d never ask that of Violet, Shawn,” I said.
He hesitated for a moment. “We’ve since learned that the brakes on her Morris Minor were cut.”
“You mean … it was deliberate?” I was astonished. “But why would anyone do that? It makes no sense.”
“You seem to forget that Violet is a witness. She saw two people in the churchyard on the night that Muriel was killed.” He hesitated again. “How well do you know Pippa Carmichael?”
“Why?”
“Well … you were the person she called for help.”
“I don’t know what’s she’s up to,” I lied.
“It’s a bit of a coincidence that Violet’s accident occurred right where Ms. Carmichael was taking a midnight stroll.”
He was right. I didn’t know what to say, so I said nothing.
“If we find out that Pippa had something to do with cutting Violet’s brakes, you could be an accessory after the fact. Do you want to add that to your current rap sheet?”
I was taken aback. “That’s hardly fair, and to be honest, even though Violet and Pippa don’t like each other, I don’t think Pippa would do that. She has Max to think of!”
There was a tap at the door and Mr. Bryce peered inside.
“We need a larger bangle,” said Shawn.
Mr. Bryce nodded and withdrew. Moments later he was back with a replacement.
I slipped it on and fastened the catch.
“And remember,” said Shawn. “Just act normally.”
I left the jewelry shop filled with mixed emotions. There had to be a connection between Muriel’s death and Violet’s attempted murder. The only connection I could come up with was Pippa. She’d literally just moved to the village and had made no effort to endear herself to either woman. I thought of poor Lavinia and her decision to divorce Rupert if she found him cheating on her again, but would Rupert do such a thing to make sure Lavinia wouldn’t find out? And what about the bangle? How did the theft of that fit into the picture? Why did I have to pretend everything was normal?
“Kat!” came a familiar voice. I turned around and found Jess waving from across the street. I immediately panicked.
She darted through the stationary traffic. Jess was carrying a large canvas bag. “Isn’t this music festival amazing?” she beamed. “I begged Aubrey to bring me, but he’s too caught up in his silly weapons.”
“You’ve been shopping?”
“Just a few knickknacks,” she said. “There are so many little boutiques in Dartmouth.” She caught sight of my bracelet. “Oh! You’re wearing it.”
I found myself reddening. I was a hopeless liar. “Yes. It’s lovely. Thank you again, but I still feel very uncomfortable accepting such a generous gift.”
“It wasn’t expensive.”
“It was expensive, Jess,” I said. “I know how much it cost.”
“Oh! Alright, I’ll tell you.” She gave an exaggerated sigh. “I have a confession.” She linked her arm through mine and we began to walk together. “I hope you don’t think it weird, but … actually, Piers knows the designer—”
My heart sank. “He does?”
“You know what he’s like with the ladies,” she went on. “He bought a few of her bangles to help her start off. He gave me one for my birthday, but Aubrey had already bought me one. So you see, you don’t have to feel bad about it after all—but don’t tell him I told you that.”
So my instinct was right. For whatever reason, Shawn was looking into Piers Carew. I was bitterly disappointed. Should I tell Shawn what Jess had just told me?
“Do you have time for a cup of tea?” Jess pointed to the Dartmouth Antique Emporium. “They have a little cafe inside.”
“I know,” I said. “I’ve just signed a contract to rent some space. Normally I would, but I want to get back and get organized.” This was partly true, but really, I felt incredibly uncomfortable.
As I crossed the street I felt Jess was watching me. I turned to find she was. Jess waved and ducked into the National Trust Gift Shop.
It was only when I walked past the front entrance to pick up my car that I saw the notice pinned outside on a wooden board. Fiona had put up the CCTV Surveillance warning but added a flyer. It offered a reward for the safe return of a Jumeau doll that had been stolen last Tuesday from the Emporium.
I stared at the photograph in growing dismay.
Withdrawing my iPhone from my tote bag, I scrolled through the photographs until I found Aubrey Carew’s antique doll.
It was a match.