Chapter Twenty-Six

Kate stared at the device inside the urn. At first, with her heart thudding beneath her ribs, she thought it might be a bomb. She blinked at it a few minutes, holding the urn utterly still, and considered the headlines in the Chronicle that week: Minister’s Wife Blown to Bits by Urn Bomb.

Her nervousness was affecting her sense of humor. First the bad pun, now the “explosive” headline. She stifled a groan, drew in a deep breath, then peered more intently at the device.

Whatever it was had been in need of a new computer chip. And Collin had taken it downstairs and into a Sunday-school classroom, seemingly so he could avoid being discovered should someone come into the church unexpectedly.

She touched the small device, checking to see whether it would budge. It was somewhat bigger than a cell phone, perhaps the size of a GPS.

A GPS? She almost gasped. She knew that kind of techie item could help people find their way through traffic or let them know where they were on any given back road.

But why would such a device be installed in an urn that might—or might not—be an ancient artifact?

A half second later, the obvious answer hit her brain: A museum could have installed it as a tracking device—if the piece was indeed the original.

What, then, had Collin done with it? Could he have replaced the museum’s chip with one of his own? If so, why?

Her brain was beginning to hurt from all the possibilities.

She closed the compartment in the urn, turning the cherubim to their original positions.

Then she placed the urn back in the case and locked it. After returning the key to Millie’s desk, she headed to the door, stopped, and glanced back at the glowing urn once more.

With more questions whirling through her mind than before, she turned out the light and stepped outside into the dark parking lot.

PAUL LEFT BEFORE SUNUP for his appointment in Pine Ridge. While he was gone, the kids packed the car to leave while Kate read picture books to Mia.

When Paul returned, they said their good-byes and cleared out of the house so quickly, Kate didn’t have a chance to tell anyone her astonishing discovery the night before.

As soon as the breakfast dishes were washed and put away, she called Livvy. “I need to run something by you.”

“I have a meeting at noon, but how about coffee this morning? If you’d like, we can get together in one of the conference rooms upstairs.”

Kate laughed with her. “How about tenish?”

“I’ll see you then...” Livvy hesitated. “Kate, do I detect a note of sleuthing success in your voice?”

Kate laughed. “Just a few more pieces of the puzzle fitting together. But it’s such a bizarre theory, I need to run it by my sleuthing partner.”

“I figured you’d be spending time with Paul today.”

“He left early this morning, first for business in Pine Ridge, then to follow the kids to Atlanta. He’s planning to spend the night.”

Surprisingly, Livvy didn’t ask any questions or sound the least bit sympathetic about Paul’s secrecy. She just said she would see Kate at ten and disconnected the call.

Kate sat at the kitchen table, staring at the receiver. Again, she sensed her best friend knew something that she didn’t.

More puzzled than ever, she replaced the phone and headed to her studio.

She glanced at the votive designs she’d been working on, and then filed them away. Saint Francis would have his day later. It was time to concentrate on the Tiffany table lamps. She lifted one onto her worktable, admiring the colors and design. Both lamps still lacked the electrical hookups and needed to be mounted to their bases, but their stained-glass shades were complete.

In a twist of irony, she had planned them as gifts for Paul after the county fair—one for his office at church, and one for his home study. The colors were his favorites and the designs, two he had long admired.

She jotted down some ideas for the fair exhibit, a pricing list, and the approximate time the buyer could expect her to take to complete the project. She quickly did the math, figuring in her time and materials and the cost of the oil-rubbed bronze bases and electrical work, then factored in the number she would have to sell to help make up the money they owed. She sat back and blinked.

It was almost overwhelming, but she would do anything to help the man she loved. They were in this together, and when he decided the time was right, she would present the gift of her time and talents to him.

AT A FEW MINUTES BEFORE TEN, Kate parked in front of the library. When she reached the conference room on the second floor, Livvy had already poured their coffee and was seated at one end of the rectangular table.

She met Kate with a smile. “I can see by the gleam in your eye that you’re onto something.”

Kate sat down next to her friend and took a sip of coffee. “I am. At least I think I am, but some of this is so far-fetched...” She laughed. “Besides Paul, you’re the best sounding board I know.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Livvy said with a wink. “Tell me what you’ve found out.”

Kate sat back in her chair. “Let me see if I can pull all this together in my own mind.” She paused for a moment, collecting her wild whirl of thoughts. “The duo we both observed in the diner—”

“Curly and Carrot-top?” Livvy giggled.

Kate grinned. “Don’t get me started.”

“You’ve seen them since that day they locked themselves out of the car?”

“Twice at the diner, once at Emma’s, and a fleeting glance as they left the diner when I was driving by. To me, it seems they’re waiting for their boss to give them some signal.”

“And you think it has to do with stealing the urn?”

Kate nodded. “I’m almost certain of it.”

“Which means the urn isn’t a copy, and Collin simply used Renee to get it into the US.”

“He definitely used her for transporting it internationally—just as he used you to write the article about it and plant the photos in the paper.”

Livvy narrowed her eyes in thought. “Why would he do that?”

Kate sipped her coffee thoughtfully. “Think about his motives. He apparently wanted publicity, as much as possible. He must have targeted this area of Tennessee for a purpose. After all, he targeted the tour bus that had two large magnetic signs announcing “Tennesseans Tour Tuscany.” But why Tennessee?” she wondered out loud. “Do you suppose there’s some connection between Collin and Dr. Hosea?”

Livvy leaned back and crossed her arms. “Wow. That would be something. Okay, I follow you so far. What else?”

“We don’t know who the boss is that Curly and Carrot-top are waiting for...”

“It could even be someone here in Copper Mill since we seem to be the center of this intrigue with the urn.”

Kate nodded. “True.” She paused and drew in a deep breath. “Then there’s the urn itself. I’ve discovered how to open it.”

Livvy leaned forward, obviously impressed. “You did? How in the world did you figure it out?”

Kate explained, then told Livvy about running into Collin Saturday morning at the church.

“He took the urn downstairs. I met him just as he was coming back up. Then he returned the urn to the glass case and left, though not without giving me another stern warning.”

“Just like the last one...to stay away?”

“The same.” Kate tucked a strand of hair behind one ear. “I think something’s about to go down. The signs are all there.”

“Another heist?”

Kate nodded. “Only this one from our very own Faith Briar.” She paused for a moment, gathering her thoughts before going on. “There was a false bottom in the urn, and I opened it with a penny.”

Livvy laughed. “As in ‘a penny ur—’”

Kate grinned. “Exactly.” She sipped her coffee, then put the cup down and leaned her elbows on the table. “Livvy, there was this device inside, something that appeared to be a GPS.”

“Why isn’t the urn being heavily guarded? I mean, if there’s any chance it might be stolen, shouldn’t the sheriff or his deputy be in on this?”

“I agree, and I plan to call the sheriff and let him know what I’ve discovered. Skip was concerned about the man he saw running from the church, though nothing ever came of it.”

“The sheriff or Skip will probably plan a few more drive-bys, don’t you think?” Livvy took a sip of her coffee.

“I certainly don’t have the evidence it would take for Skip to do a stakeout.” She bit her lower lip in thought. “But I can’t let this go. I want to catch these guys red-handed.”

She picked up her coffee cup and scooted back her chair. Livvy stood with her. “So you’re going to do this by yourself, aren’t you? I can see it now, the minister’s wife camping out in the sanctuary, waiting for some international thieves to arrive.” She laughed.

“Actually, that’s exactly what I was thinking,” Kate said. “How else can I catch them red-handed?”

“From everything you’ve told me, this is getting more and more dangerous. You can’t go alone.”

Kate raised an eyebrow. “If you’re hinting about going with me, I can’t let you. I don’t want to put you in danger.”

Livvy grinned, her eyes sparkling. “Are you kidding? I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

Kate took a last sip of coffee. “Okay Liv. But we’re both going to have to be extra watchful.” Kate paused, brushing her fingers through the crown of her hair. “In my way of thinking, tonight’s the night for the hit. Mondays are notoriously slow days at the church. On most Mondays, there’s hardly a sign of life in the church or the parking lot.”

“I figure the thieves most likely won’t attempt a break-in in broad daylight.” She sat back and folded her arms with a smile. “If they’re planning to pick the perfect time for a church robbery, it will be a Monday night.”

“Are you going to tell that to the sheriff?”

“Of course. And I hope he listens. But either way, I plan to be there.”

“Okay,” Livvy said, picking up their Styrofoam coffee cups and dumping them in the trash. “What time?”

Kate gave her a big grin. “Somehow I knew you’d ask. As soon as you get off work. I’ll meet you there. I’m figuring it may be an all-night vigil.”

They left the conference room and headed to the computer bank where Kate placed her handbag next to one of the computers. Before sitting down, she studied her friend thoughtfully. “You know what it all comes down to?”

Livvy shook her head.

“It’s not the urn itself that counts—whether it’s real or just a good copy. It’s not even whether it’s stolen from Faith Briar.” She paused. “What really counts is the harm Collin’s deceit will cause Renee, and it breaks my heart.”

“We’re doing this for Renee,” Livvy said. “And Collin Wellington better come up with some pretty solid answers, or he’ll have all of Copper Mill to deal with.”

Kate smiled. “I couldn’t have said it better myself.”

Livvy left to return to her office downstairs, and Kate sat down and turned on the computer. She typed in her password and clicked on the mail logo. There were the usual ads, plus a few from friends, then at the very bottom, an e-mail from Dr. Hosea. On the subject line, it read, New Information About the Urn. Important!

She clicked it open and began to read,

Dear Kate,

I thought you might be interested in the attached article that just came across my desk.

Sincerely,
Reg          

She clicked on the article header, which read, “Replicas of Ancient Artifacts Found to Contain Trace Amounts of Anthrax.”

Kate’s heart skipped a beat. Could she have overlooked that powdery substance in her excitement? She had touched the urn’s interior, looking for a way to open the false bottom. Surely she would have noticed a white powder on her fingers.

There had been nothing.

She clicked on Google and typed “GPS” into the search window. Instantly, hundreds of hits came up, mostly electronic stores where one could purchase them.

She needed to narrow her search. She typed in “GPS tracking device,” then sat back, crossing her arms as articles came up that confirmed her suspicions.