"But Garrett doesn't have the mirror to sell now. Why would he contact the buyer?"
"He might not," Fallon said. "But I'm thinking there's a high probability that the buyer will contact him."
"Why?"
"Because we are not going to let it be known that Arcane recovered the mirror," Fallon said patiently. "That will be our little secret."
A cold thrill of comprehension swept through Isabella. "You think that the buyer will believe he's been double-crossed. That Julian has sold the mirror to someone else."
"It's been my experience that not only is there no honor among thieves, but there's also not a hell of a lot of trust or mutual affection, either. What's more, that type tends to be vindictive."
"One more thing. You said the mirror is going back to the rightful owner."
"Yes."
"Who is that?"
"The Arcane Society. The Quicksilver Mirror was stolen from one of the museums."
"Oh, geez. That raises some troubling questions doesn't it?"
"Sure does," Fallon said.
29
Caitlin Phillips's body was found buried in her own backyard," Max Lucan said. "Looks like she was drugged and then strangled. Garrett has gone to ground in a third-rate motel outside of Sacramento. I've got a team on him. I'll let you know if he contacts anyone or if someone attempts to contact him."
"Don't let the disgruntled customer get to them first," Fallon warned.
"In spite of recent evidence to the contrary," Max said, "my people do know what they're doing."
"Too bad you didn't know what they were doing," Isabella said.
Fallon looked at her. "Play nice, Isabella. We need Max's help at the moment."
She wrinkled her nose. "Oh, all right."
Max raised his brows at Fallon. "Vindictive, isn't she?"
"Not usually," Fallon said. "But this particular situation is a little different."
It was the day after the events at the mansion. The three of them were sitting in the executive suite of Lucan Protection Services. It occurred to Isabella that although she had worked for Lucan for nearly six months, she had never been in Max Lucan's office. Her career path was clearly trending upward. When you worked for J&J, you got some respect.
She had not been keen on the idea of coming face-to-face with her former boss on his own turf, but Fallon had said that it was important for her to be seen in the company of the president and CEO. It was, he claimed, the quickest and most efficient way of dispelling any lingering gossip about her. She knew he was right, but it made her uneasy. A lot of people were now aware of her real name, she thought. Her life was getting complicated. Then, again, maybe that was what happened when you finally got a life of your very own.
"Garrett and Phillips were running their little side business out of Department A," Max said. "Looks like it was going on for damn near a year. They were obtaining weapons-grade paranormal artifacts and selling them to buyers on the black market. Orville Sloan was the broker who handled the arrangements."
"They had to be very careful because they knew that your company has an agreement with Arcane," Fallon said.
"Any devices or antiquities that appear to be potentially dangerous must first be evaluated by one of the Society's labs," Isabella stated. "If they are found to be weapons-grade, they must be dismantled or rendered inoperable. If that is not possible, the artifacts go into cold storage in a secure vault until such time as the techs can figure out how to de-energize them."
Both men looked at her. She gave them her most charming smile.
"Sorry if I'm lecturing," she said sweetly. "But you deserve it, Mr. Lucan. You actually thought I was the one behind the illegal arms sales. How could you believe such a thing?"
Max fixed her with a considering expression. "Maybe because you ran?"
"I ran because I found those files on my computer and I knew I'd been set up."
"You should have come directly to me."
"Oh, yeah, like you would have believed me instead of Julian."
"And maybe I liked you for the dealer, because of all the people I've got working in Department A, you're the one with the talent to pull it off," Max said.
"So my talent made me look good for the part of the bad guy, is that it?"
"It was certainly a major factor."
She thought about that. "Okay, that's a much better reason."
Fallon's eyes gleamed with amusement but he said nothing.
"There was also the fact that you were a relatively new hire," Max continued. "You'd been here less than six months. And when I pulled your personnel file, I got a real queasy feeling."
She was incensed. "What was wrong with my file? It was perfect."
"A little too perfect," Max said. "Trying to track down your previous employers or close relatives turned out to be impossible. It was as if you were a ghost."
"Good description," Fallon said. "I ran into the same problem when I hired her."
Isabella gave him her most repressive glare.
"On the other hand, Garrett and Phillips had been working for me for a few years and had an impressive track record," Max continued. "In addition, they were very convincing. When Caitlin vanished under suspicious circumstances and Garrett made a production out of finding the record of the last deal with Sloan, I gave Garrett everything he needed to track you down."
"All he cared about was recovering the mirror," Isabella said. "After that he probably planned to pull the plug on his career at Lucan and disappear with the artifact."
"I may have to rethink my employee benefits program," Max said. "Clearly I'm not offering a competitive salary package. I've lost three high-level talents this month. You, Phillips and Garrett."
Isabella glared. "That is not amusing, Mr. Lucan."
"You have my most sincere apologies," Max said.
"Fat lot of good that would have done me if I hadn't had J&J watching my back."
Fallon stirred ever so slightly. "I think it would be a good idea if we all stay focused here. Is there a drug lord involved in this thing?"
"No," Max said. "Looks like Julian embellished that story a bit. But a certain black-ops agency did pick up the rumors of the artifact and asked Lucan to try to get it off the market."
"Well, Julian certainly had a client," Isabella said. "And I doubt very much that it was a spy agency."