Page 36 of The Fragile Truth
“Cedartown, Georgia.”
Ian searched his memory. “Isn’t that where Brent was from?”
“Yes.” She paused, giving him a pointed look. “Imagine my surprise when I learned that shortly before he disappeared, Brent sent my mom a flash drive for safe keeping. The drive contained notes that Brent was compiling about his investigation.”
Eagerness thrummed in Ian’s stomach. “That’s how you learned about the necklace and the stolen treasure?”
She nodded.
“Do you have the flash drive?”
“I do.”
“Show it to me.”
She frowned. “You won’t like it.”
He flinched. “Why not?”
Her eyes held his. “Remember how I told you that there was a reason why I didn’t tell you who I was from the start?”
“Yeah,” he answered, wariness trickling through him.
“Brent believed he was hot on the trail of a notorious thief known asThe Shadow.”
An incredulous laugh bubbled in Ian’s throat. “Are you serious?”
“Absolutely,” she answered with conviction. “Through his contacts, Brent heard chatter of a guy named Jimmy Stein getting arrested in NYC. Jimmy was known on the dark web for selling hard-to-get items to criminals. Signal jammers, high-tech rappelling and climbing gear, safe-cracking equipment. As part of his plea bargain, Jimmy said that he’d sold the equipment to someone rumored to beThe Shadow.”
“Could Jimmy IDThe Shadow?”
“The deals were transacted online with the items being left at a pickup spot. Jimmy felt sure that he’d been dealing with the notoriousShadow.All Jimmy knew aboutThe Shadowwas that he was rumored to own a house on Honeysuckle Island.”
Ian made a face. “That’s a weak premise.”
A ghost of a smile passed over Sadie’s lips. “Spoken like a true sheriff. Brent didn’t put much stock into the rumor until he saw Lina’s necklace.”
Ian sat back and rubbed his chin. “So you think that Brent’s disappearance—or death, if Lina is to be believed—is linked to this necklace? Or The Gorham Treasure that was stolen from private collections?”
“I think it’s a reasonable assumption.”
“I dunno.”
She gave him a perceptive look. “It’s more than you’ve had to go on for the past year.”
“That’s true,” he conceded. He scrunched his brows. “You still haven’t told me why you didn’t tell me who you were from the start.”
“Brent compiled a list of suspects, based on people who had a close association with Lina, as well as people who are known art collectors on the island.”
Ian’s breath froze a hard ball in his throat as he pieced the rest together. “I’m on that list.” All this time, he’d agonized over why Brent hadn’t called him that fateful night. Hurt battered his insides. Surely Brent didn’t actually believe that he was a thief. Ian had spent his life fighting for justice and upholding the law. If his actions weren’t enough to convince one of his own deputies of the veracity of his decency, then how was he supposed to make a believer out of anyone else?
Sadie winced. “You weren’t only on the list, but at the very top.”
“W—what?” he sputtered. “Had Brent lost his mind?”
She tipped her head. “Think about it from his point of view. The necklace was given to Lina by someone who was close to her. You fit that bill, and you have climbing skills—something that would come in handy for a cat burglar. Also, you know the law, which would make it easier for you to evade it.”
If Ian weren’t so fighting mad, he might’ve broken into manic laughter. “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.”