Con Artist Legacy

Chapter Fifteen: The Black Lilac

Chapter Fifteen: The Black Lilac

Nate’s elbow kept shoving my back, propelling me forward against my will. I dug my heels into the thick carpet, trying to delay the inevitable.

“Wait out here then,” Nate said, as he brushed past me, hurrying into the office without a second glance. 

“No.”                                                              

“So hurry the hell up.”

The door started to close slowly in front me, and I could hear Nate counting down from ten. Taking a deep breath, I sprinted after him.

The office seemed smaller than I’d imagined, perhaps because there were too many people in it. Besides Nate and me, two other men occupied the space.

“Mr. Hayden?” Nate asked, cautiously.

“Nice of you to finally show up, I hear you’ve some news concerning my Black Lilac?”

The older of the two men had spoken. He took slow and deliberate steps towards his desk, motioning with his hand for us to take a seat. An air of importance surrounded him, and I could only assume that he was the owner of the Osment Gallery-- the heir to the original owner of the necklace.

Despite his overpowering presence, I focused on his companion instead…my mystery man. Based on his voice, I knew that I wouldn’t recognize him, but this meeting still took me by surprise.

His mere appearance screamed danger; long wavy hair and a scruffy beard. The well placed poker face belonged to that of a pro, and his overall demeanor hinted at a different threat.  

“Not exactly, we’re just looking for information,” Nate answered.

“Oh?”

“We need more details about the necklace...and the people who took it.”

“And why is that, Detective?”

Nate looked over at the mystery man, clearly hesitant about delivering confidential police information in front of a complete stranger.

Hayden noticed the staring match, and laughed heartily. “Don’t worry about him. I’ve recently hired his company for another attempt at locating the jewels...I do it every couple of years.”

“Eric Matthews,” the man said, with a hint of an accent.

He passed a card to Nate, who glanced at it briefly before passing it on to me.

The front of the card provided little information besides the man’s name, but the back listed several services – most of which revolved around ‘work place’ investigations and the recovering of stolen items.

There was no number, and I had a hunch that this man and Gray might have a lot in common (besides cryptic business cards).

I slipped the card into my purse, refusing to take my eyes off him. But Matthews never budged, or gave any sign that he even recognized me. If it were anyone else in my position, he’d have them questioning their sanity at this point.  

“We’re investigating a cold case, and the necklace might be involved,” Nate said.

“How so?” Hayden asked.

“Don’t know yet, but I’d like any information you have on the heist.”

“And images of the Black Lilac, since we couldn’t find any online,” I chimed in.