“She did what? She actually pulled the trick gun on you?” Goldie’s expression hovered somewhere between laughter and anger.
“Aw, don’t get too mad at your mother,” Bruno said, shifting from foot to foot. “Ricky warned me to expect anything when it comes to your family. He told me about a pickle they got into a while back in Las Vegas, and I must say they’re pretty clever old folks even if they do go over the line now and then. Maybe she just wants to feel like she’s still got it. You know, some old people get that way, and you have to give her credit. She doesn’t seem like she’s afraid of anything.”
Not afraid of anything? Goldie felt the room closing in on her. Ever since their mother moved into Godiva’s guest cottage and made it her home, her sister had been complaining about all the shenanigans Flossie pulled. Goldie—being a person who always looked on the bright side—dismissed most of the stories as exaggerations, figuring Godiva pumped them up for the dramatic effect. But after watching Flossie in action time and again, Goldie had to admit that her elderly mother definitely had a knack for finding trouble. She even witnessed times when Flossie could have gone over the cliff and taken Sterling with her. Goldie made a mental note to be more understanding the next time Godiva called to say Flossie and Sterling had fallen into another kettle of fish.
Lost in thought, Godiva had tuned out the conversation between her sister and Bruno. When she looked up, Goldie was already walking him to the door. “Thanks, Bruno. We’ll make sure she doesn’t pull more stunts like that. You are absolutely right. What if it had been the person who found that blasted brooch in the dumpster and came back to see if there was more. She definitely could have gotten hurt.”
After Bruno left, Goldie produced her yellow pad and made ready for more brainstorming. The twins had just plumped up the poufy cushions and settled into the easy chairs in the family room when Guadalupe rushed in. “Senora, I see on the camera that insurance man, he ees at the gate. So many things they happen these days—”
Before she got a chance to finish what she was saying, the intercom rang. It was Ketchum calling from the security phone at the gate. “Ms. DuBois? I’d like to come in and speak to you for a few minutes. Would you buzz me in if that’s okay?”
She put her hand over the receiver and whispered, “What’s he doing here? Should we let him in?”
“Sure,” Goldie said. “The more, the merrier. Let’s find out what’s on his mind. After all, he could be our thief.”
Godiva punched in the code to open the gate and a few minutes later Ken Ketchem was huffing into the house behind a confused looking housekeeper. “In here, Meester Ketchem. Would you like some coffee?” Guadalupe always tried to be gracious to guests.
The gangly Canadian shook his head, and plunked down on one of the richly upholstered side chairs. In his rumpled suit he looked out of place in the elegant room. “Thanks for seeing me. I know I should have called first, but I decided to take a chance.”
Goldie flipped her yellow pad over so he couldn’t see anything she had written on it. “Just what can we do for you?” Her eyes narrowed as she telegraphed her thoughts via the twin ESP network. He’s come to question us, but we can turn the tables and learn something from him.
When she saw Godiva’s slight nod, she knew her sister got the message. Waldo padded in, looked at the people in the room, and settled down on the oriental carpet at Goldie’s feet. He uttered a doggie sigh that sounded like thiiiieefff.
“So, Mr. Ketchem, what’s on your mind. We’re rather busy and don’t have all day to chat, so you might as well get right into it.” Godiva made it obvious they didn’t want him to get too comfortable.
The insurance investigator pulled at his collar in a nervous gesture. His eyes shifted as he looked around the luxurious surroundings. He seemed to be assessing the value of the antique corner cupboard with its collection of painted, gilded, and bejeweled porcelain pigs, the rosewood side tables and the oval coffee table with inlaid marquetry. Finally he cleared his throat and said, “I’m having a bit of a—ah, a bit of a communi-cation problem with Agent Del Toro. I know he’s gotten information out of Sly Cunning but he’s not sharing much. He did tell me that Kazaam’s assistant, Jade Moon is somehow implicated, but that’s about it. I thought maybe he told you where things stand now. Did he give you a bit of a briefing, eh?”
Godiva took the lead. “Speaking of Jade Moon, Mr. Ketchem, we were wondering if you had ever run into her before. I mean, with your insurance company being one of the biggest in Canada, I expect you have come across other thefts of expensive jewelry. Did her name ever come up?”
Although he looked a little uncomfortable, his answer was concise. “Ladies, I’ve investigated a lot of high-end thefts and her name has never been mentioned. Furthermore, when I asked about her, Mr. Kah Ching didn’t want to believe that she had anything to do with it. He’s an old man and I guess even billionaires can be dazzled by a beautiful woman like her. He says she really came onto him. He wanted to impress her by showing her his vault and all of the precious things in it. Go figure.”
“Yeah, go figure,” Goldie said. “So what did you hope to find out from us?”
“I hoped your Uncle might have more insight as to what happened to the brooch. Has he said anything, eh?”
“Only that he wished he’d never seen it or the flashy turban it was on. I’m afraid you’re at a dead end with us, but you can answer a question for me. I’m just curious, has your company insured more of Mr. Kah Ching’s valuables?”
An air of indignation tinged his voice. “You must be kidding! Of course we have. Why that man has more money than God.” He turned to Godiva. “Sorry Ms. DuBois. I know your column is called ‘Ask G.O.D.’ I didn’t mean to say he has more money than you, which he most likely does. I was just using the common phrase.”
“No offense taken.” She smiled, then said sweetly. “Mr. Ketchem, when you recover all those stolen items, do you ever wish you could just take off with some of the really valuable pieces, turn them into cash and retire in a beautiful foreign place? I imagine it would be tempting.”
Ketchem stood up, his back rigid. “Ms DuBois! I’m a respected insurance investigator. I take my job very seriously. I’ll have you know I’ve won several awards for my skill and integrity. I’m surprised and a bit insulted that you would even insinuate such a thing. I can see that neither of us have anything helpful to share so I’ll take my leave now. Thank you for your time and good day.” He turned on his heel and headed through the arched doorway that led to the marble foyer.
Goldie said, “Well, that went well. We found out absolutely nothing and insulted the man to boot. Way to go. Let’s get back to figuring out who we can contact next to get any more information. I can see we can’t depend on Agent Del Toro for much more.”