Wild Jewel: A Coastal Caribbean Adventure (Tyson Wild Thriller Book 37) by Tripp Ellis

Author:Tripp Ellis [Ellis, Tripp]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Tripp Ellis
Published: 2022-01-30T16:00:00+00:00

28

I called the sheriff back when we stepped out of the elevator.

“Your moonlighting gig might be going south,” Daniels said.

I clenched my jaw and stifled a groan. “What happened?”

"Get to the museum and find out." There was a hint of amusement in his voice. “Fire alarm went off. I don’t think it’s a coincidence.”

“We’re on our way.”

I ended the call, and we rushed out of the professional building, hopped into the Porsche, and raced to the museum.

The parking lot was pure chaos.

Patrons had been evacuated. The fire department and EMTs were on the scene. Red and white LEDs flickered, and smoke wafted from the building. Spectators gawked. Firefighters wore helmets and full protective gear with respirators. A few entered the building to determine the source and status of the blaze.

Paris Delaney and crew were on scene filming the spectacle.

The smoke didn't have the typical acrid stench of most building fires. It was more of a magnesium smell. I recognized the scent instantly. This was no accidental fire. It was a decoy to fill the building with smoke and get the patrons out.

The museum had a clean-agent fire suppression system. Water could damage precious works of art. The inert gas of the clean-agent system would flood the room and disrupt the combustion process. Fires would theoretically be extinguished before they had time to do millions of dollars worth of damage. The gas system required each room to be airtight for maximum effectiveness.

Avery waited in the parking lot with the museum staff and security. Worry crinkled her face.

"Do you know what happened?" I asked.

"There was smoke. The fire alarm went off. People were evacuated. The suppression system was activated automatically."

"What about the Jewel of Aphrodite?"

Her face went pale. "What about it?"

I gave her a look.

"Please tell me you’ve considered the fact that this was all a diversion?”

She stammered, but nothing came out.

I frowned and shook my head. She was a young, inexperienced curator, fresh out of art school, who clearly got the job through connections.

A firefighter exited the smoke-filled building, pulled off his respirator, and spoke with us. "The fire’s been extinguished. Looks like it started in a trashcan.” He held up a spent smoke canister. "We found several of these in various trash cans."

I pulled on a pair of nitrile gloves that I had in my pocket and examined the canister. "This was on a timer. I'm guessing they were synchronized to go off simultaneously."

Avery's face went long.

My phone buzzed with a call from Jean-Claude. His worried voice filtered through the speaker in my phone. "I just saw the news. Tell me everything's okay?"

"Don't hold your breath."

"Is it safe?"

"I haven't been inside the building yet. I'll report back shortly."

I scanned the parking lot, looking for anyone suspicious. I figured the perps were long gone, but sometimes criminals liked to stick around and watch the show.

The smoke had mostly dissipated, leaving a soupy haze in the air. JD and I borrowed spare respirators from the firefighters and pushed into the museum. We

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