Page 24 of Savannah Heat
Jenna felt her roiling stomach calm down, and a sense of peace took over. The feeling was almost like old times. It was always her and Dan against everyone as they went for it, whatever their goal was, and letting nothing stop them. She felt the same feeling now. Things were finally happening.
Jenna put the phone back in her pocket and smiled at Dan. “Kerri said the senator and his wife were very anxious to hear what we wanted to say. They are worried about their other guests getting robbed, and basically turning what would have been a huge money-making finale and public relations dream into a nightmare, complete with a police investigation. The senator is sending a car. We are set to meet at their house on Tybee Island. I need to go back to the hotel and change. The car should be here in about forty-five minutes.”
Dan looked at his watch. “Let’s hope this is a good omen. Okay, let’s go wait for the car and compare notes about how to explain all of this to the senator and why we are involved. Can I come up to the room?”
“Yes, Brock is golfing with the senator’s team. The senator begged off Kerri said. Brock will be disappointed.”
“Oh, that makes me sad,” Dan said, grinning.
Jenna knew Dan was covering his true concerns by kidding her because so much was riding on stopping this thief before it became another media frenzy pulling him back into it. She was afraid it might, too, and here she was, getting involved in his crazy life again. Not to mention what might happen to her own life if she were legally connected to Dan. She tried not to think about that, though her brain was asking her, what are you doing? with increasing frequency.
On their ride over to Tybee Island, they rehearsed what to say to the senator that would earn his trust without giving away too much of their personal interest. It would be a fine line, but as always, Jenna trusted Dan to carry it off.
The senator and his wife greeted them personally and took them into the senator’s study and closed the door. The senator waved them toward the burgundy sofa in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows. “Kerri tells me good things about you, Jenna. We know of your magazine, and I met your father one time, in Scotland actually, at a golf event, not long after he moved back there.”
At the memory of her dad’s love of Scotland, Jenna smiled. “Oh, I didn’t know you knew him. Yes, he loved Scotland, and the older he got, the more set he was on living there. He built on the same property which was his mother’s family home. Of course, he kept his place in New York, so he could continue his gem and diamond importing and design business. At least, he kept it as long as he could. His business was so much a part of him, his identity, and hard for him to think of giving it up.”
“Yes, indeed it was. I was very sorry to hear of his death.” Senator Roseland poured himself a cup of coffee. “Please help yourselves to coffee and these little cakes, whatever they are.”
Dan gave her a nod.
Jenna took a deep breath. “So, we felt an obligation to tell you our contacts mentioned the jewel thief got wind of your event, which was no surprise. They were, are, here in Savannah, and then well, after one necklace was stolen at the first party—”
“Yes, so Kerri said,” the Senator interrupted as he looked at Dan. “So, how do you fit into this, Dan?” Senator Roseland focused his famous blue eyes on Dan as he took a sip of coffee.
Jenna could understand why he was so popular, especially with the women voters. His dark-brown hair, with a hint of silver at temples, and those light-blue eyes, combined with his natural charm, was quite the package. She could easily believe he was a former college quarterback. He and Marta Roseland made a perfect pair. Marta, with her natural blonde hair and blue eyes, combined with a still-flawless complexion, trim figure, and quick wit, was every bit as impressive as her husband.
Dan put his coffee cup on the tray beside him. “I live in Paris a good deal of the time, or I did. I recently came back to New York City to re-settle there. I have a lot of ties in the police community in New York and in Paris. I’m a good and long-time friend of Jenna.”
“Are you two together here in Savannah for the events?” Mrs. Roseland asked.
“Well, sort of, I guess.” Jenna looked at Dan. “We ran into each other by accident.”
Dan gazed at Jenna. “I didn’t know Jenna would be here, actually. We ended up at the same hotel. It’s been a few years since I’d seen her.”
The senator nodded and added a bit of cream to his coffee. “Well, I’m glad you both are here and coming to our fundraising events. I want to keep all of this under wraps as long as I can. Jenna, I do appreciate your discretion. I know this would be a headline for any news outlet. Naturally, I don’t expect you to avoid it when you do write up your coverage. That would be dishonest. But it is important we don’t give the thieves an upper hand, don’t you agree?”
Jenna nodded. “Yes, of course, Senator. I will cover the events, write about them, but only after the events are over. And I hope by then, the thieves will already be old news,”
The senator smiled. “I have my security people assigned to work with the locals on the necklace theft. But they might be out of their league on this one. No one is coming after me; they are coming for my wife’s jewelry and those pieces of my guests. This is an entirely different breed of criminal. At least, its’s new for me and for this part of the state.”
Dan glanced at Jenna. “Yes, you’re right. I think this is a copycat jewel thief. But that is a good thing. We have a better chance of knowing what he or she will do if it’s a copycat because they are following a pattern. It’s similar to a string of European thefts some years ago. Whoever this is, they seem to be following a similar style. That’s my theory, anyway.”
“I see you’ve given this a lot of thought, Dan. So, tell me, what should I be doing I’m not doing already, other than hiding my wife’s jewelry and replacing it with fakes?” the senator asked.
Dan shrugged. “Unless you plan to come clean with all your guests about being a target for the jewel thief, not too much more. After all, they are already on alert because of the other theft. I’m sure the hotel can and will put on extra security. Their hotel safes are good, but they are no match for an accomplished thief. Not this kind of thief. You might want to talk to the hotel manager about security there if you’ve not already. It’s important to make sure they understand this is an international jewel thief whom we’re dealing with and one who has been very successful.”
Senator Roseland made a note on the pad sitting beside his coffee cup. “Yes, I will do that. I don’t see the need to alarm my guests further. Like you said, most know about the necklace theft, and they are all used to guarding their treasures. I don’t want the media to get wind of this. My entire focus will be blown to bits. It will be all about the jewel thief, and that will push my campaign event to second page news, if it’s even as good as that. I don’t need this right at election time. As you might guess, I have a lot of time and money tied up in these events here, especially the Black-and-White Masked Ball.”
Dan nodded. “I understand. What Jenna and I propose is that we, with the help of your security team, work out a surveillance strategy. Otherwise, we will all be stepping over each other and not covering all the places that will need covering.”
“Yes, I see your point. Okay, I’ll set up a meeting for you with the team. Can you come back tonight early, say an hour or so before the dinner?” Senator Roseland asked.
Dan turned to Jenna for her response. “Yes, we can do that, right?”
Jenna nodded and stood. “We’ll do all we can to help.”
Dan rose, too and looked at the senator. “We’ll get back to the hotel and work on what we think is the best plan. We’ll have it ready to present to you and your team this evening, and see you back here at about six thirty.”