Dangerous Melody (Mills & Boon Love Inspired Suspense) (Treasure Seekers, Book 2) by Dana Mentink

Author:Dana Mentink [Mentink, Dana]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Romance, Suspense, Christian, Thrillers, Religious
ISBN: 9781472001092
Google: JdFSptPWGgsC
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2012-11-01T19:17:45.293000+00:00

THIRTEEN

Stephanie felt her stomach lurch as Tate opened the door. Officer Sartori stood, hands on her hips, looking every inch the cop, even though she wore jeans and a T-shirt.

“Please come in,” Stephanie said. “Sit down.”

Sartori gave her a thorough once-over. “No need. This will be a short visit. Where have you three been?”

Luca gestured to his ankle, propped on a chair under another bag of ice. “We went looking for the violin, and I had an accident.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Uh-huh. I’m not a patient person, as you’ve probably gathered. Now I’m impatient, and I’m also angry.”

Stephanie swallowed. “Why?”

“Because someone high up on the political food chain is pressuring the sheriff into taking me off this investigation.”

“What do you mean?” Luca asked.

“The sheriff’s getting heat from the county supervisor to direct his resources elsewhere—in other words, he’s pulled me from the Devlin case.”

“And the supervisor is leaning on the sheriff because...?” Tate said.

“The official line is that we’re pulling back to focus on an identity theft ring, so we’re leaving the Devlin case up to the Lone Ridge law enforcement, which basically consists of a really hard-working full-time officer and two volunteers who don’t have the time or resources for this investigation.”

Stephanie willed her feet not to pace. “What’s the unofficial line?”

“Are you asking me what I think?” Sartori said.

She nodded.

“I think I’m being pulled off because someone with power and money wants to cover up something. I think that someone has a lot to do with you three and this violin or whatever it is. And you know what else I think?”

The three remained silent.

“I think I’m going to work this case on my own time until I figure out just what Treasure Seekers is really doing in Bitter Song.” She pulled a photo out of her pocket. “Do you know this person?”

Stephanie felt her entire body grow cold as she gripped the photo, forcing out the words. “He’s a man I used to work for years ago. His name is Joshua Bittman.”

“That part I know. I did some digging, and I found out that twenty years ago he claimed his father lost a Guarneri violin. Interesting coincidence that you just happened to be looking for a Guarneri at the moment.”

“Interesting,” Luca agreed solemnly.

Sartori put the picture away. “Is Bittman the guy you’re working for now?”

Stephanie’s heart pounded so hard, she thought it would break out of her chest. “We’re working on our own behalf.”

“Is that right? And when you find this violin, who are you going to give it to?”

Luca cleared his throat. “We’ll establish legal ownership and hand it over to the correct individual. For us it’s about the find, not the money.”

“Well, isn’t that big of you? I think I’ll have to give Mr. Bittman a call and see if his story jibes with yours.”

“No,” Stephanie cried out before she could stop herself.

“No?” Sartori repeated, folding her arms across her chest. “And why wouldn’t you want me to call him?”

She looked directly into Sartori’s eyes.

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