Chapter Twenty-one

 

No sooner had Lucy driven away than Bennett walked out the door of the library and greeted him. “You ready to go, man?”

“Yes, let’s take the Bronco.”

“Uh, I don’t think so. I need to get to the jewelry store today,” Bennett said. “We’ll go in my car.”

James didn’t want to argue about the Bronco’s abilities, so he got into Bennett’s car. It wasn’t long before they pulled up in front of Noble’s Jewelers. When they got to the door, Bennett said, “I think I’m having a panic attack.”

“You haven’t changed you mind about marrying Gillian, have you?” James asked.

“No. But look how fancy this place is. I wonder if I can afford anything in here.”

“One way to find out,” James said and opened the door.

The store’s walls had been painted a light gray. The plush carpet was steel-toned, and a large crystal chandelier overhead threw prismed light across the room. Other, more discreet lighting showed the cases full of sparkling rings, necklaces, and earrings to their best advantage.

A tall middle-aged woman in a black pantsuit and royal blue blouse approached them. Diamonds shone from her earlobes under her close-cropped dark hair, from her wrists, and from her fingers. She looked down her nose and said, “Good afternoon, gentlemen. Welcome to Noble’s. I’m Priscilla Mortmaigne. How can I assist you?”

James looked at Bennett expectantly. “Go ahead.”

Bennett cleared his throat and said nervously, “Engagement ring.”

“For the two of you?” Ms. Mortmaigne asked.

Bennett gaped at the woman.

“No!” James blurted and held up his left hand, which sported a gold wedding band. “My friend is getting engaged. I’m here for moral support and maybe a Valentine’s gift for my wife.”

A crocodile smile spread across the woman’s face. “Step this way.” She led them over to a case of dazzling diamond rings. “And your name is?”

“Bennett.”

“Bennett, what type of ring do you think your lady would like? A traditional solitaire? Something new, but vintage-inspired? Or would you prefer to have a ring made especially for her?”

“Uh, she’s not traditional, right, James?”

“Definitely not.”

“I wanted to give her the ring tomorrow, on Valentine’s Day, so there’s no time to have something made.”

“Would you appreciate seeing our sale items first?” she asked.

Bennett furrowed his brows. “All right, but I want something Gillian will love and want to wear for the rest of her life.”

Priscilla Mortmaigne selected a wedding set from the case. “This is a one-and-a-half-carat princess-cut stone set in fourteen-karat white gold and surrounded by diamonds. As you can see, the matching wedding band is comprised of diamonds, bringing the total carat weight to three. It’s regularly seventeen thousand dollars but it’s on sale for only thirteen thousand. I’m sure Gillian would love it.”

“And I’m sure the only way that Gillian would end up with that ring on her finger is if I robbed a bank!” Bennett said, his eyes wide.

Ms. Mortmaigne placed the rings back in the case. She straightened and said, “Perhaps you’d like to share with me what your budget is for the most important piece of jewelry you’ll ever give Gillian.”

“Nowhere near the prices you quoted me,” Bennett said.

“Very well.” She looked at the rings in the case and selected another wedding set. “This is on sale for sixty-six hundred dollars and—”

“Look, Prisc, I’m a working man. I don’t have that kind of money in my piggy bank, know what I mean?”

Ms. Mortmaigne stiffened. “We have budget-friendly payments, if that’s what you require.”

James saw that Bennett was about to lose his temper. He said, “Why don’t you let us look around. If we need help, we’ll find you.”

“Fine,” she said. She returned the ring to the case and locked it. “Did you want me to show you something for your wife’s Valentine’s gift, er, James, is it?”

“Yes. I’m not really sure what I want,” James said, thinking of the two hundred dollars he’d had hidden in his sock drawer. Jackson had always taught him that a man should have a few dollars cash in the house. “She’s pregnant and her hands are a little swollen, so not a ring of any kind.”

Ms. Mortmaigne brightened. “You’ll want a push present in addition to a Valentine’s present then. Does your wife prefer emeralds, rubies, sapphires, or diamonds?”

Bennett had walked away to the opposite end of the store. James said, “I better join my friend. Thanks for your help.”

James moved to stand next to Bennett, who gazed into a case. “Look at that, James. I wonder if that ring could be considered an engagement ring. I bet Gillian would love it.”

“Which one?”

Bennett pointed. “Third row, second from the left. The dolphins.”

James looked at the white gold or silver, he didn’t know which, ring comprised of two dolphins with their noses pointing toward one another, a diamond held between them. “I don’t know if it’s an engagement ring or not, but you’re right—this is right up Gillian’s street, or ocean, as the case may be. She loves dolphins.”

“That’s what I thought. Got that dolphin statue on the kitchen table in her house and I’ve seen her wear silver dolphin earrings.”

Just then, a young woman with long dark blonde hair walked over. She wore a black pantsuit too, but her blouse was white and was dotted with red hearts. “How are y’all doing today? I’m Shelly. Did you want to see something from the case?”

“I don’t know,” Bennett said. “That double dolphin ring. Do people give those as engagement rings?”

“Sure,” Shelly said. “While lots of couples still like a traditional engagement ring, plenty of women like an alternative to a diamond solitaire. I think the fact that there are two dolphins makes it romantic. Do you want me to get it out?”

Bennett held up a hand. “Before you do that, I’m on a budget.”

“Aren’t we all,” Shelly said and smiled. She used a key to open the case. Picking up the ring, she brought it around and read something on a tag attached to it.

“The rings over in the case up front didn’t have those tags,” Bennett observed.

“Those are all a set price. Now, this is white gold, which is good for a ring your lady will wear every day. Silver would tarnish and be harder to keep up. The diamond is right at a half carat. Here, see what you think.” She handed the ring to Bennett. “I take it she likes dolphins.”

“Yes,” Bennett said, accepting the ring. He examined it closely. “They have blue stones for eyes. Reminds me of the color of Gillian’s eyes.”

“Those are one-point each. They’re aquamarines.”

James silently prayed that the ring would be within Bennett’s budget. He knew Gillian would love those dolphins.

“Go ahead and give me the bad news,” Bennett said.

Shelly chuckled. “I hope it won’t be bad news, but keep in mind I can put it on payments for you, no problem. The retail price is twenty-two hundred, but we have a Valentine’s Day sale going on. You can have it for seventeen twenty-five.”

“Sold!” Bennett exclaimed.

James laughed. “Gillian will be ecstatic.”

“I’m so pleased,” Shelly said. “It always makes me happy when a ring meets the right person. Come on down to the end of the counter and I’ll write it up. Now, don’t worry about the size. There’s plenty of gold on this ring. If we need to size it . . .”

James smiled after his friend. While Bennett finalized the deal, James wandered around looking at jewelry possibilities for Jane. He didn’t know if he could get anything at all with his two hundred dollars. Last year, he’d bought Jane a sterling silver apple blossom necklace at a fair. She wore it often, but James wanted something more meaningful.

He was at a loss when Bennett returned, a bag in his hand, with Shelly, who said, “Don’t hesitate to bring it back if Gillian doesn’t like it, okay? We’ll find her something else.”

Bennett grinned from ear to ear. “I don’t even know if I can wait until tomorrow to give it to her. I may pop the question tonight.”

“Shelly,” James said, “I want to get my wife a special present, but my budget is only two hundred dollars. Should I go over to the mall? Do you have any ideas?”

“What about an infinity necklace?” She walked the men over to another jewelry case and pointed. “See, there are a half dozen of them there.”

James peered at the necklaces. “They look like sideways eights. The mathematical symbol for infinity.”

Shelly smiled. “That’s right. Let me see.” She walked around the counter and unlocked it. She picked up each necklace, read the tag, then pulled two out. “This plain gold one is on the small side, but it’s regularly two hundred and fifty dollars, on sale for a hundred and thirty-nine. Ten-karat gold.”

“That’s a good deal, James,” Bennett said.

James held the pendant in his hands. Delicate, it did look small.

“Does your wife wear a yellow gold wedding ring like you?” Shelly asked. “If so, that would match it.”

“She does. What’s that other one you picked?”

“I’ll tell you right up front that it’s a six-hundred-dollar necklace, but it’s been reduced once and now it’s on sale too. But I can’t sell it for less than two hundred and fifty-five dollars.”

“Are those diamonds?” James asked.

“Yes, set in ten-karat yellow gold.” She held it up to her neck so he could see what it looked like. James liked the way the tiny diamonds sparkled in the light. And it looked much more substantial than the small plain gold necklace.

Bennett said, “If you get Jane the diamond one, maybe she won’t want that push present.”

“Oh, is your wife pregnant?” Shelly asked.

“Yes,” James said curtly.

“Congratulations,” Shelly said with a smile. “I have a little boy myself. He’s almost three. I told my husband I’d skin him alive if he went out and bought me some expensive present for having the baby. A healthy baby is all the gift I need. We need the money for other things. My husband did get me a nice gift basket of lotions and spa items so I could pamper myself. They have them over at the mall, if you want to take a look.”

James grinned. “I think that’s what Jane would say about a push present. If she doesn’t, I’ll be sure to bring her in here to see you, Shelly, and you can help her pick something out. Right now, I’ll take the infinity necklace with the diamonds. I’ll have to pay you cash for part of it and put the rest on my credit card.” He handed the necklace back to Shelly.

“Come on over to the register and we’ll ring it up. Then I’ll gift-wrap the necklace. Do you know if you’re having a little boy or a little girl?”

“A little girl. Shelly, before we go to the register, may I ask you for a favor?”

“Sure.”

James pulled Kitty’s diamond engagement ring from his pocket. “I’m doing this for a friend. I need to know if this is a real diamond or a fake.”

Shelly hesitated.

“It’s not going to break up a marriage or anything if it’s fake. It’s a confidential situation or I’d explain,” James assured her.

Shelly took the ring. “Wait just a moment.”

She left Bennett and James at the cash register and went in the back. She returned almost immediately. “I’m sorry, James, but this is a cubic zirconia, not a diamond. It’s probably worth about forty dollars, maybe even less. The setting is silver-plated and the cubic zirconia itself isn’t even high-quality.”

“Thank you. I appreciate the help.”

 

• • •

 

By the time Bennett and James got back to Quincy’s Gap, both had praised Shelly’s customer-service skills to the sky. They patted themselves on the back for getting gifts their ladies would love. James felt a lump in his throat when he thought of Jane wearing the diamond infinity necklace.

They were back in Quincy’s Gap when Bennett said, “So Lucy let you borrow Kitty’s diamond, or cubic zirconia, I should say. Either Edwards took her for a fool or Kitty was lying about being engaged.”

“Shelly said it wasn’t even a good cubic zirconia. Something tells me Kitty would have known Edwards hadn’t given her a diamond. My money’s on Kitty lying about being engaged.”

When Bennett pulled into the library parking lot, it was after four. James said, “If you ask Gillian tonight, good luck,” James said, opening the passenger door and bracing himself for the cold.

“I’m gonna do it right, man. Get down on one knee and everything.”

“Don’t hurt yourself,” James joked. He got out of the car while Bennett was still laughing. When Bennett drove off, James headed toward the library steps. He called Milla to see if the Valentine’s boxes of candy for Jane, Willow, and Fern were ready.

“Oh, James, I thought you were Jackson,” Milla said.

James could detect her concern over the phone. He stopped walking. “What do you mean? Isn’t Pop home?”

“No. He left this morning in his truck. He didn’t want to say where he was going. I’m worried. It’ll be dark in an hour.”

James felt a shiver of pure fear. “Did Pop get crankier or did anything else happen Sunday after Jane and I left?”

“Jackson spent about two hours out in his shed painting. When he came inside, I know he was on the phone a few times, but he didn’t tell me who he was talking to.”

“I’ll be right there. We’ll figure out what to do.”

James stuck his head inside the library to tell the twins to wait for him. The library closed at six during the winter.

Then he sprinted to the Bronco. While it warmed up, he called Jane on his cell phone and told her he had errands to run and might be late for supper.

“That’s fine. I’ve been eating all day and won’t be hungry again until later. I made a skillet pot pie. It’s in the fridge. We can warm it up when you come home. How’s everything with the investigation going?”

“That’s one of my errands. I’ll explain when I get home. Is Eliot okay?”

“He’s still trying to convince me to get a magic bag like Mary Poppins has.”

James chuckled. “I have to go, honey. I love you. I’ll be home as soon as I can.”

Jane yawned. “Oh, excuse me. I’m feeling extra tired today. Love you too.”

The moment he disconnected, James put the Bronco in gear and took off toward his childhood home.