Dating for Keeps (4 page)

"Listen, I need it for work. I shouldn't have worn it today, I'm sorry. It's just a habit."

Tessa's nervousness gave way to a slew of rapid-fire questions."What kind of work are you in that you need a gun? Have you ever used it on anyone? Am I in danger because of you?"

"Tessa, I would never place you in harms way. I promise you that everything is fine. Please just forget this happened," Lucas's calming voice succeeded in soothing Tessa just a bit. "Listen," he went on, "There are some things I can't tell you right now, and I sincerely apologize about that. Hopefully I will be able to fill you in on everything really soon. I promise. In the meantime I just need you to trust me, okay?"

Tessa was overcome with confusion at the state of affairs. "Okay," she said simply in reply, but inwardly she was unsure of what to think at all. Just who was Lucas Griswold?

Chapter 6

"Mornin' Tessa." The bell chimed on the door as Thomas, Tessa's antique picker, walked into the shop the next day.

"Hi Thomas," Tessa replied cheerily. She eyed the load of boxes Thomas wheeled behind him. "Looks like you have some new things for me today," she said excitedly.

"Well, I wouldn't call them new, of course, but I do have some real beautiful items," he said winking.

He brought his packages to the back counter and started unloading them. "I know you've been looking for vases, so I picked up a few of those. I also found this nice clock from the 1870s, still works like a charm."

Tessa couldn't help but focus her attention on a large, flat box beneath the others. "What's in that box on the bottom?"

"Ah, I think you'll like this one." Thomas fetched the box and carefully opened it. Tessa gasped when she saw what was inside.

"A vintage violin, pristine condition. You don't get much better than this," Thomas boasted proudly.

"Where did you find that? It's beautiful." Tessa carefully took the violin in her hands, marveling at its craftsmanship.

"Well, it was a funny thing. I was at the auction a couple weekends ago and I met a man who was looking to get rid of this piece. He said his aunt left it to him or some such thing, and he had no interest in the piece. He just wanted whatever cash he could get to have it off his hands. He happened to come to me first, and I was glad to buy it from him. You know I know a good piece when I see it, and finding this was the highlight of my weekend."

"I should say so," Tessa said. "It's so ironic, because I just met someone who was asking me about violins. I can't wait to tell him about this. Thank you so much, Thomas."

"Happy to be of service." He finished unloading his goods, and then tipped his hat goodbye to Lauren. "I'll be in same time next week."

"See you then," Tessa called as he walked out the door. As soon as Thomas was gone and she was alone in the shop, she excitedly went back to the violin. It was a magnificent piece. Turning it over, she noticed a Latin inscription. She pulled out her magnifying glass and looked closer at the inscription, delighted to find that it indicated that the violin was from none other than the maker Antonio Stradivari. His Stradivarius violins were known to be some of the best in the antique world.

"I have to call Lucas," she muttered to herself. "He is going to die when he sees this!"

Before she had a chance to pick up her phone, she heard the bell on the front door jingle, indicating that a customer had entered the store.

"I'll be right with you," she called from the back.

"Miss Brewster," a rich, masculine voice caused her to pause what she was doing.

"Yes?" She turned around and gasped. Before her stood a tall blond-haired man with a muscular build. He had piercing blue eyes and a dimple that seemed to show even when he wasn't smiling. "Hello...You're the man that was watching us at dinner the other night."

"Yes, sorry about that," the stranger replied. "Undercover work isn't really my forte."

"Undercover?" Tessa questioned.

The man hesitated, then pulled a badge from his wallet. "My name is Michael Levy, and I work for the FBI. Is there somewhere we can talk in private?"

Tessa blanched. Becky had been telling the truth. She knew Becky wouldn't have lied to her, but she had a way of exaggerating things sometimes, and Tessa's unwillingness to want to believe that the FBI was after Lucas made her almost forget that Michael had said he would visit her. She glanced at the badge he thrust in front of her face. It looked official enough, but then again she didn't really know what a real badge looked like.

"Here is as private as we're going to get. I have to run the counter. Don't worry though, we don't get very many customers."

Michael looked around and then decided that the showroom was safe enough to proceed. "Miss Brewster, I am here to speak with you about your boyfriend, Lucas Griswold. I regret to inform you that I believe he has been misleading you. He likely hasn't told you his profession, has he?"

Tessa shifted uncomfortably. "Um, well, no, not exactly anyway. He's only said that he is in international business."

Michael laughed, "Oh, its international alright. Lucas Griswold runs a very successful smuggling ring. He is the man behind the operative. We've had him on our most-wanted list for years."

Tessa gasped. "You mean to tell me that that's where he gets his money? He's a wanted felon?" She then looked at Michael suspiciously. "Why should I believe you? Why are you telling me this?"

"Because," he said, "I need your help. We haven't been able to nab Lucas yet because thus far he has alluded us. He has a wide network that does his dirty deeds for him; he himself has never been caught in the act of a crime. I have reason to believe, however, that that may soon change. Lucas and his network succeed by smuggling goods through a wide array of unusual items. Last month an expensive violin that was running through their network went missing. While the violin itself is of tremendous value, it was holding something that itself is worth millions. This happened because one of the handlers got into a bind, and needed money quick. He decided to sell the violin for its antique value and pocket the money. Of course that was a foolish move for him, since he didn't live long enough to enjoy the thousands from the acquisition of the sale. It was too late for Lucas though, because the violin soon disappeared from their radar."

Tessa listened to Michael's story with interest. "You don't mean to tell me that the violin I received today is the one he is looking for?" she cried.

"Indeed it is. Lucas may have slipped with hiring a soft handler, but he is far from stupid. He is incredibly shrewd in the running of his business. All of his smuggling materials have tracking numbers. Two weeks ago his violin resurfaced on the auction black market, and through his contacts he ascertained that the violin would be brought here. That's why he has been wining and dining you; he needed access to the violin. He did ask you about it, didn't he?"

Tessa was so stunned she could barely manage a reply. "Yes, yes he did mention his love of violins the very first time we met. He specifically asked me if I had any for sale."

Michael's voice softened as he realized the shock that Tessa must be experiencing. "I think he expected it to arrive several days ago which is why he has been with you every day. He has just been waiting for it to arrive."

Tessa was silent for a few moments as she let all of this information sink in. "He certainly is a master of disguise," she finally whispered.

"Yes, that's what makes him such a good con artist."

Tessa then fixed her gaze on Michael. "Why are you telling me all this? I'm not a pro at law enforcement or anything, but you seem to be trusting me a lot."

"Well, I don't have much of a choice. I really need your help if we want to nab Lucas. Besides," he added, "I did my homework on you. Never been arrested, clean as a whistle. What do you think I was doing the other night? I certainly wasn't watching Lucas as much as I was watching you. I saw his treatment of you and how he kept brushing you off. It was pretty evident that you aren't in on any of his schemes. To be honest, I was having a hard time figuring out why you were with him at all. He wasn't giving you the time of day."

"That was a rare occasion," Tessa said quietly. "He normally was very attentive to me. I still can't believe he was faking it."

"You can't believe it, or you don't want to believe it?" Michael sounded slightly annoyed. "Listen, I get it. Handsome guy comes in and starts showering you with gifts, it's easy to fall for him right? Just because he could flash a smile and throw some fancy food in front of you doesn't mean he has a heart of gold. Remember that."

Tessa shirked as he spoke, and she thought his manner especially uncouth. In an effort to get her dates with Lucas out of her head, she tried to move the topic along. "So, what can I do to help you?"

"First, I need the violin. Have you received it yet?"

"Yes, actually it just arrived. Let me get it for you." Tessa went to the back of the store and retrieved the violin. Michael's eyes lit up when he saw it.

"Have you told Lucas about this?"

"No, I literally just got it before you came in."

"Great. Now I need to make sure this is our violin." He took the instrument and inspected in closely. Reaching into his bag, he pulled out a small mallet which he used to carefully tap around the back edges of the violin. As he tapped the entire back panel loosened and soon separated easily from the rest of the violin.

Tessa gasped as Michael revealed the inside of the violin. Lying just enough that back panel was a small pouch. Michael took the pouch in his hand and opened it up to reveal a diamond the size of a large stone. He grinned, "Yep, this is our violin. What a beauty."

He carefully placed the diamond back in its pouch and popped it into his pocket. This action caused Tessa to raise her eyebrow.

"What are you doing?"

"Don't worry sweetheart. The diamond is stolen property. I have to turn it in for processing."

"But don't you need that to lure Lucas?"

"He won't know one way or the other if the diamond is
actually
in the violin. As a matter of fact, if things go according to plan he won't lay a finger on the violin at all. I plan to apprehend him before it reaches that point." He replaced that back of the violin and gave it a tap with his mallet. The panel fit together so seamlessly that an untrained eye would never have known that it had been tampered with. Michael turned his attention back to Tessa. "Okay, here is what I need you to do. We need to set up a sting to nab Lucas. For now, you need to keep in touch with him and pretend that everything is normal. Can you do that?"

"I guess so," Tessa's eyes wandered to the clock on the wall. "If that's the case though I need to head out. I told him I would meet him for lunch nearby."

"Okay, that's perfect. You can go ahead and tell him that you have the violin, but make up some excuse why you can't give it to him yet. We need to keep the violin in our possession so we can lure him in and nab him. Let's meet back here in one hour to discuss our plans. And Tessa," he said before she walked out the door. "I'm counting on your participation here. Don't forget that your failure to comply could result in your being charged as an accessory to the crime."

Tessa gulped. "Understood," she said. Inwardly she made a resolve to never fall for one of Becky's bets again.

Chapter 7

The sun seemed unusually hot as Tessa walked out of the shop - hotter than she remembered it feeling when she had stepped outside just an hour earlier. The heat seemed to penetrate her whole body. She was more nervous than she could ever remember feeling, and as she walked to the cafe down the street she told herself over and over that she needed to remain calm and cool when she met Lucas. She worked hard to regulate her breathing, although she had no control over her pulse that began racing when she saw him sitting at the table waiting for you.

"Tessa, good to see you," he said rising to greet her. The twinkle in his eye and eagerness on his face made Tessa uneasy. "Please sit down," he said pulling out a chair.

Tessa managed to plaster an innocent smile on her face.

"So, how is work going today?" Lucas asked her.

"Oh, fine. The usual, you know."

"Get any interesting items in today?"

"Um, well we got some vases and a pocket watch, along with a few other odds and ends. Nothing too exciting."

"Ah ha. And what about violins? You haven't forgotten to keep a lookout for me have you?"

"Oh yes, the violin!" Tessa feigned surprise and then tried hard to keep her voice casual.

"Yes, we did get a violin in today. It's a beautiful Stradivarius, one of the finest I've seen. I'm going to set it aside for you, but I can't sell it to you until my aunt comes back from her vacation next week. She needs to do the appraisal before we can sell it."

Tessa thought she detected a wave of disappointment cross his face, but it passed so quickly she wondered if maybe she was imagining things.