A Bid for Love (12 page)

Jared shook his head. “Just hotel security. The men who did this were professionals. They wanted something I bought at the auction.”

“Do you think they’ll be back?”

“Yes, but I’ll be prepared this time.” Jared knew his words sounded brave, contrasting sharply with the growing fear in his gut.

Trent turned to Cassi. “Would you like us to wait for you and take you to the airport? Renae and the baby are in the car, but they could come up and wait for you to get ready.”

“Oh, no. I’ll be fine. Please don’t worry about me. And I’ll call when I get home, just to tell you I’m safe. Come in a minute while I get Renae’s things.”

Jared and Trent played with the children while Cassi packed. Little Sandy woke up and ran at once to her daddy’s arms, smiling shyly at Jared. By the time Trent had taken her to the bathroom and dressed her, Cassi had everything ready.

“Tell Renae we’ll get together again, but not when she’s pregnant,” she said. “I don’t know if I can handle the excitement.” The men laughed as she bent down and hugged each of the children. “When you come visit me in San Diego, we’ll have even more fun,” she promised. “I’ll take you wherever you want to go.”

“When you and Jared have a baby, I want to tend it,” said Janet. “I’m going to get a lot of practice, you know.”

Jared clamped his lips together to stop the laughter at Cassi’s startled expression.

“I’m sure you will, Janet,” Trent said, with an embarrassed smile. “Your new brother is going to love having you tend him. Come on now, Mom’s waiting.” He waved a hand in farewell, and the children skipped after him down the hall.

Cassi sighed. “It’s going to be quiet without them,” she said. Jared nodded and followed her back into the room.

“Well, now what?” she asked.

“That depends.”

“On what?”

“Well, I want to clean up and then get the Buddha. There’s something strange about it, and I want to know what it is.”

Cassi’s eyes locked onto his. “Won’t the owner of your gallery deal with that?”

He nodded. “Yes, and she did ask me to wait, but since I’m going to be in town until tomorrow, I might as well satisfy my own curiosity.”

“It would be nice to know.” She paused, knitting her thick eyebrows in concentration. “May I look at the Buddha?” Jared had hoped that talking about the statue would spark her interest, but now that it had, he worried about putting her at risk.

“It might be dangerous.”

She nodded, her face grave. “At least we’d know why you had to sleep on my couch with a gun.”

A heavy silence filled the room before she continued. “How are you going to find out about the Buddha? Just from looking at it, I can’t confirm our suspicions.”

Jared smiled. “You’re not the only one who knows someone important in the art world. When I lived here I met a guy who’s an expert at dating paint and materials.”

“He can do it without harming the Buddha, right? It wouldn’t do to scrape off some paint if it were authentic.”

“Of course. My friend Carl has lights that he shines onto the surface of whatever object he’s trying to date. Depending on what the composition is, a certain spectrum of light will be emitted. He detects that light with special equipment—you can’t see it with the unaided eye. He also uses sound waves and other such technical mumbo-jumbo to determine density.”

“It sounds fascinating. Can I come along?”

“What about your plane back to San Diego?”

“I don’t leave until this afternoon. I could pack and take back my rental car. Then you could drive me to the airport after we see your friend.” She bit her lip. “I mean . . . that is . . .”

“I’d appreciate the company,” Jared said quickly. “But afterwards, it’s straight to the airport. I’d feel bad if anything happened to you.”

Cassi nodded, but a smile came to her lips and she began to chuckle.

“What’s so funny?” Jared asked.

“Before I came to the auction, the owner of my gallery told me if I didn’t get the Buddha, to stay away from whoever did. Last night when I called, he said the same thing. He knows something about it but won’t tell me what. He just wants me to stay away from you. And here I am doing exactly what he told me not to do.”

Now Jared understood the wall that had come between them the previous night. She’d been afraid of him because of the Buddha. Even so, she had let him in when she had seen his bruised face. That had to mean something.

Jared looked into Cassi’s eyes, those deep brown pools that seemed to pull him in. “I swear to you, I don’t know what’s going on with the Buddha, and I would never do anything to hurt you.” Jared awaited Cassi’s reply.

“I do believe you,” she said softly.

Jared smiled. Now if only he could get her to the airport in one piece.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Cassi showered hurriedly while Jared waited outside. She washed her hair and blow-dried it as best she could. The thick curls were still damp, but if she dried them all the way, her hair would be frizzy. As she pulled on a light green, semi-casual dress with a crinkled broomstick skirt, she thought about Jared and what had brought them together. Her fear of his hurting her physically had vanished along with her idea of him as an arrogant pig. While she had despised him before, she now felt admiration.

“You really take the cake,” she whispered aloud to herself as she dabbed on a bit of makeup. “One minute you hate the very sight of him, and the next you’re begging to go with him.” She gave her hair a last pat and said to the mirror, “Not that this is anything other than a professional relationship, of course. It’s not like he’s asked you out or anything.” Sighing, she turned and opened the door.

“What?” Jared was lying on the couch with a look of surprise on his face. He glanced at the time on his phone and back to Cassi. “Fifteen minutes?”

“I’m sorry I took so long. I hurried.”

“No, it’s not that. I expected longer.” He shook his head. “Wow, that must be some gel.”

“What?”

Jared stood up. “Never mind. You look really great. But who were you talking to in there?”

When she didn't reply, Jared smiled. “Don’t worry. I do that too—talk to myself, that is.”

Cassi bit her lip. “Did you hear what I said?”

“Every word.” But Jared’s expression told her that he hadn’t.

Stifling a sigh of relief, she walked to the door where her single suitcase and dress bag were waiting. Jared picked up the suitcase and opened the door for her.

“I hear,” she said, scooping the dress bag up in her arms and tossing her purse onto her shoulder, “that the most intelligent people talk to themselves.”

“Like us?”

“Exactly.”

* * * * *

An hour later found Cassi and Jared in his rental car. She had waited in Jared’s room while he had showered, holding the gun he’d insisted she keep while he was in the bathroom. She was glad her brother had made her practice enough that she didn’t feel like she might shoot someone by accident, but was happy when Jared took it back from her. Then they ate a hurried breakfast before picking up their purchases from the auction.

The Buddha now sat in the trunk, packed in a special box. Next to it was the Mother and Baby statue, also in its case. Cassi had sent the lion sculpture to Linden with a security company, but had been reluctant to send her own purchase. Finally, she decided to risk taking it home on the plane with her. She almost regretted her decision when she noticed how Jared’s eyes had fixed on her statue when they picked it up, and a creeping doubt about him stole into her heart.

Jared’s hand touched hers briefly. “It won’t be long before we get some answers,” he said. Over his dress pants and shirt, he wore a tan jacket. With such beautiful weather, she questioned the need for it—until she remembered his gun. She had to admit the weapon made her feel a little safer.

They drove to Venice where Jared’s friend, Carl, lived in one of the most expensive apartment buildings near the beach. The sky was cloudless, and already promised a hot day. Though she couldn’t yet see the beach, Cassi could smell the ocean and hear the squawking of the seagulls. She experienced a sudden longing to remove her sandals and feel the sand squishing through her toes. Even as a child she had adored the beach, especially at night when the sun set over the ocean, sending sprays of color reflecting off the water. She almost wished she didn’t have a plane to catch. To watch the sunset with Jared would be . . .

Cassi brought herself up short. What was she thinking? He hadn’t really shown an interest in her personally. He was simply worried about her getting hurt because of him, just as he would worry about anyone else. Or was it something more? Cassi felt confused and wished that relationships could be as clear to her as art deals.

“Penny for your thoughts,” Jared said.

“What?” Cassi glanced up at him in surprise. He’d already parked the car and come around to open her door.

“You look so serious with your eyebrows all scrunched together like that. Is something wrong?”

“Oh, no,” she said hurriedly. “I was just thinking about all that’s happened.”

“Hopefully, Carl can shed some light on what’s going on.” He went around to the back of the car, opened the trunk, and drew out the Buddha’s box. Cassi picked up her case with the Mother and Baby, not wanting to leave it unattended.

“I thought you always sent the items to Linden by courier,” Jared said as they began the walk to Carl’s place.

“I do,” said Cassi. “But this isn’t Linden’s—it’s mine.”

Jared laughed. “Good choice.”

They walked a little further before Jared said, “I’ll buy it from you.”

“What?”

“The Mother and Baby. At a profit for you, of course.”

Cassi was offended. “Is that why you let me come with you, so you could make an offer for it?”

“Not at all. I just admire the piece. If you’re attached to it, forget it. I understand.”

Cassi was silent. She felt angry, principally at herself for starting to think that maybe this good-looking man liked her for herself.

“I’m sorry,” Jared added. “I didn’t know making an offer would upset you. Forget it, okay?”

Cassi nodded, making the mistake of meeting his eyes. A current ran through her body, much like she imagined electricity would if she touched a hot wire.

“It’s okay,” she said. “Don’t worry about it.”

As they climbed the front steps to the apartment building in silence, Cassi noticed a wheelchair ramp built in front of the structure. The building was old but immaculate and in excellent repair, giving it an interesting air of elegance from the past.

“He lives there,” Jared said, motioning to the bottom left apartment just inside the heavy wood doors.

“I hope he’s home.”

“He’d better be. I called him while you were showering.”

“You said you knew him when you lived here. Was he one of your friends from church?”

Jared frowned. “No. Not yet, anyway. He’s pretty bitter about something that happened in his life as a teenager, and he can’t seem to get past it.”

Cassi didn’t reply, remembering only too well her own sadness when people she loved couldn’t find peace. A part of her wanted to reach out to Jared, but uncertainty crushed that desire. What if he didn’t want her sympathy?

Jared rang the bell and waited. Finally a sound came from behind the door, and it opened slowly.

Cassi was unprepared for what she saw. She had been looking straight ahead, expecting to see a man about Jared’s height, but before her sat a man in a wheelchair, and she struggled not to jerk her head down toward him.

Her attempt didn’t fool Carl. “Didn’t tell her about the wheelchair, huh, Jared?” the man said in a raspy voice. He was very thin and had long brown hair and a droopy mustache. Cassi figured he was at least ten years older than Jared.

“Why should I?” Jared countered. “It doesn’t make any difference in who you are. Just because you can’t walk—”

“Just because my legs are twisted and useless, you mean.” Carl backed away from the door and motioned them inside. He expertly turned his electric wheelchair around and started into the next room. Silently, they followed him through the front room and down a spacious hall to Carl’s large workroom. The walls were lined with low bookshelves and tables full of expensive-looking equipment.

“Put the Buddha here,” directed Carl, pointing to a table between two large machines. Jared obeyed the request, and Carl examined the statue thoroughly. “Well, to look at it, it seems authentic,” he said. “Except . . .”

“This mark right here.” Cassi pointed to a spot on the lower left side of the Buddha’s base.

Carl nodded. “Yes, that swirl under the flower should be longer and with a bit more of a curve like the other ones around the base. The artists of that period were sticklers for detail.” He picked up a book on the table and flipped to a section that showed enlarged pictures of the Buddha from every angle. “See,” he pointed at one of the photos. “But . . .” Carl hesitated.

“What?” asked Jared and Cassi together.

“If I had to give an opinion just from examining it, I would still say it was authentic, despite the difference from the pictures. You see, this is one of a collection of Buddhas, and it’s possible for one to deviate slightly. This may not be the Buddha in the picture at all, but still a genuine one from the collection, perhaps only recently come to light.” Carl moved his chair to one side and began fiddling with some equipment. “Fortunately, we don’t have to rely on sight alone.”

“So if it isn’t real,” Jared said, “that would mean—”

“That whoever faked it has the real one,” Carl finished. “Or one of the real ones, I should say. That’s the only way it could be copied so perfectly. Even so, it would have taken months to get it exactly right.”

“But why sell the fake one and then try to get it back?” asked Cassi. “It doesn’t make sense. They probably could have gotten away with it if they hadn’t tried.”

“They tried to get it back?” asked Carl, his hands going still.

“Uh, yeah,” Jared said sheepishly. “Two men attacked me at the hotel last night. Although if the Buddha is a fake, we don’t know that those men were the ones who were involved, or that they even know about the forgery.”