She shakes her platinum head and takes a step back. “No, of course not, baby. I’d never dream of doing anything like that.”
Wheezing, he advances toward her. “And after all I’ve given you, you wouldn’t possibly think about stealing from me.”
“Never. I’m the luckiest girl in the world. If it wasn’t for you I’d still be the checker at the Route 21 convenience mart.” Her voice quakes.
He stops right in front of her. “Then why are you lying to me?”
“I’m not.”
His pungent, rotten-bologna scent carries on the breeze, burning my throat. He’s always reeked, but even from this distance, it’s stronger than normal.
Beau nods. “Yes, you are. I looked in that box of yours. The necklace isn’t there.”
She swallows hard. “I’m sure it’s in a safe place.”
Jack and Cooper turn to me, their jaws agape. We don’t need words to know we’re all thinking the same thing: Is she as clueless as she seems, or is she actually covering for us? And if so, why?
Fast as lightning, Beau’s arm shoots out and he clutches her tiny jaw in his enormous hand. “You’re sure?”
I gasp, surprised by his ability to move so quickly especially after all the huffing and puffing.
His head snaps in our direction.
Cooper, Jack, and I freeze, holding our breath.
For one long minute Beau searches the yard with his gaze, looking for the source of the sound. My lungs burn for fresh air and my muscles ache from being locked in place.
Finally, Beau turns away, apparently satisfied that he and Missy are alone. Releasing her jaw, he strokes the side of her sleek hair with his puffy hand. “Where is the ruby?”
“I’m not sure.” Her voice is small.
“What?” he growls.
She whimpers. “I know I wore it to the hurricane party. And I remember talking to Bunny Perkins about the burglaries on the island. We’ve got so many valuables here, I was worried we’d be robbed next. I’m sure I put it somewhere to keep it safe. I just can’t remember where.” Her eyes sink like a puppy who knows she’s eaten her master’s slippers.
Beau grips his cane so tight, I’m sure it’ll snap in two. “How is that possible?”
“I had a lot of tequila.”
Actually, I’m certain it was the dirt dauber powder, made from ground-up wasp nests. Adding it to the mustard seed and pepper mixture gave the Mind Confusion charm an extra-strong kick. And with any luck, long-lasting power because there’s no telling what Beau will do if Missy suddenly remembers handing the necklace to us.
Stumbling backward, Beau shakes his fist. “You imbecile! Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”
She rushes to him and pats his colossal chest. “Baby, it’ll be okay. I didn’t leave the Big House that night so it’s got to be here somewhere. It’ll turn up. I’m sure of it.”
His brow furrows. “You might not have left, but how do you know one of your low-life, gold-digging friends didn’t take it?”
“That’s ridiculous,” she snaps. “None of my friends would steal my necklace.”
“My necklace.” He glares with disdain.
She cowers. “Of course. But if it was stolen—which I’m not saying it was—but if it was, doesn’t it make sense that the burglars would take it? Our house is full of valuables.”
Beau mashes his thin, blue lips. “We’ll know soon enough. I’ve convinced the rest of the King Center board to hire a real investigator to look into the break in. No one steals from my museum and gets away with it. And if these punks looted my home, too, I’ll hunt them down and make them pay.” He turns and hobbles a few steps toward the veranda. Pausing, he calls over his shoulder. “In the meantime, don’t even think of running back to your momma’s double-wide. You’re staying put so I can keep an eye on you, just in case you’re lying to me.” Grunting, he plows across the veranda and back into the house.
Missy’s legs give out beneath her. Slumping into a lounge chair, she drops her head in her hands and weeps.
Chapter Four
I stare at the dry cereal in my bowl, debating whether to pour some milk and try to eat. After last night, my stomach has been twisted in knots, burning and queasy. I don’t know how I didn’t puke right there behind the palmetto bush after Beau stormed off, or later during my sleepless night as I peered up at the ceiling, but now there’s enough bile in my gut to bore a hole clean through to the outside. If I do manage to swallow these sugar-coated corn flakes, they’ll either incinerate on contact, or launch straight back up my throat.
My twin brother breezes into the kitchen and heads to the cabinet for a bowl and spoon, then plops down at the table. “What’s the matter?” Jack grabs the cereal box next to me. Judging by his perkiness and the brightness in his voice, he wasn’t up all night worrying that Beau will discover we destroyed the ruby necklace and stole from the museum.
“Good morning to you, too. Nice to know I’m the only one freaking out about our future.”
“Listen, Em, what’s done is done. We can’t stress about it.” He shakes out an extra-large helping for himself.
I drop my spoon. “How can you say that? If Beau finds out, we’re dead.”
“Maybe, but there’s no guarantee he will. Missy seems pretty clueless.”
“That’s only because it was an extra-strong Mind Confusion spell. I have no idea how long it’ll last. It could wear off anytime. Or never.”
Jack scoffs, pours some milk, and digs in. “Well, it’s not as if she was the sharpest needle to begin with. Maybe the extra dose was enough to scramble that pea brain of hers forever.”
He’s got a point. But that doesn’t diminish the danger we’ll face if she does regain her memory. “But what if—”
“What if nothing.” He crunches with his mouth open, further depleting my appetite. “Listen, I know you don’t like it when I say you’re emo, but let’s face it, you do have a tendency to get worked up about stuff.”
My cheeks heat as I prepare to blast him. I so don’t need his brotherly crap this morning.
He clasps my wrist, revealing his stumpy middle finger, the sole remnant of his battle with The Creep. We both stare at it, a potent reminder of what we went through together. “Hey, it’s cool, I get it. And I’m grateful, too. You’re emotional because you care about stuff. And you know, people like me and Coop. If you didn’t, I’d be a walking skeleton right now. Or worse.” For once, his cool blue eyes are sincere. He offers me a sheepish smile, totally designed to diffuse my anger.
Fine, but that doesn’t mean I’m okay with the emo crack. Still, my shoulders relax. “So what’s your point?”
“We knew this was coming, Em. Missy isn’t like Beau’s other wives who kept the necklace locked in a safe. He was bound to notice it wasn’t hanging around her neck.” He releases my wrist and goes back to chomping his breakfast.
“Yeah, but I was hoping for a little extra time so we could get past Cooper’s birthday. Or maybe after the summer when we were all off the island and back at school.”
He laughs. “Nice fantasy but totally unrealistic.” He rubs the faint stubble on his chin. “Maybe it’s good that Beau thinks the museum burglars took it. It’ll throw him off our trail. At least for a little while.”
I arch an eyebrow. “Um, do I have to remind you that we’re the burglars?”
“Technically, you and Cooper are. I’m just the getaway driver.” He grins.