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“Why would a professional thief come to Edilean?”

“He’s Jean’s uncle.”

Gemma refrained from saying curse words and tried to keep her face calm. She wasn’t going to give in to her anger at her baby news being overridden by Jean’s criminal relative. “I take it you weren’t told about the uncle.”

“Not a word. Jean said she was an only child of only children.”

“I can see why she didn’t tell a man who loved law enforcement that she had a notorious thief for an uncle. Maybe she didn’t know him.”

“Ha! He was under surveillance while she was in law school, and he spent a lot of time with her. According to the files I read and the pictures I saw of the two of them, they were inseparable for years. She traveled with him. I knew she’d been places all over the world, but I just found out that she went with her uncle, a man who—” He couldn’t seem to find the right words to describe Jean’s concealment of this part of her life.

Gemma knew she should offer him sympathy because his former girlfriend had lied to him, but she couldn’t do it. If he was really over her—as he said he was—would it still make him this angry to find out that she’d hidden things from him? But she kept her thoughts to herself. “So now you need to find her uncle.”

“Yeah, I do.”

“What does Jean say about all his?” She held her breath, hoping that he’d say he hadn’t spoken to her, that he was letting his deputy, Roy, ask the questions.

“Jean says she hasn’t seen him in years, but I think she’s lying.” Colin stopped pacing to look down at Gemma. “That’s what I want to talk to you about. I don’t believe all of this is a coincidence.”

“All of what?”

Colin waved his hand. “You, me, Jean, her uncle, the robberies. I think there’s a reason it’s all happening at once.”

“What’s your theory?” she asked, genuinely interested.

“I think Jean told her uncle that she and I broke up. Knowing her as I do, she probably told him it was all my fault. I’m beginning to think the robberies in our little town are an attempt at revenge.”

“But if he knows Jean, maybe he can figure out the truth about you two. And there might be another reason he’s here.” She told him of how Tristan had found what he believed to be the Heartwishes Stone. “I still don’t know how everyone in town found out about it. Did you tell anyone?”

“I didn’t have to. That legend is known by a lot of people. It wouldn’t be a leap for anyone to go from you looking at the old papers to wishes being fulfilled. I guess Tris told you about his brother-in-law.”

“Yes,” Gemma said, “but I didn’t know he told others.”

“Jake was suddenly brought home from a war and got a job here in Edilean, all in a couple of weeks. People notice that sort of thing.”

“And Sara’s twins,” Gemma said. “It seems to me that a Stone that grants wishes would be enough to attract an international thief.”

“I’m afraid so,” he said. “All this makes what I have to say even more difficult.”

His tone made the hairs on Gemma’s neck stand up. “What do you want to tell me?”

“If Jean’s uncle is committing these crimes in retaliation for my having broken up with his niece, or he wants what you’re researching, I’m concerned about you. If he’s anything like Jean, I think he’ll go after whatever he wants without worrying about the repercussions.”

She was trying to conceal her disappointment about how far away from what she’d thought this meeting was going to be to the reality of it. “Since you’re the one who caused Jean pain, maybe her uncle wants to show you up to the whole town. Possibly make you an object of ridicule.”

“To humiliate me?” Colin said. “That’s possible. But now I’m concerned that he wants this Stone and may think that you have it.”

She could tell where he was headed. He wanted the two of them to stay apart for a while. But Gemma didn’t want to do that. “Do you think Jean could have instigated the robberies?” Gemma asked. “Maybe Jean asked her uncle to do something that would embarra

ss you.”

“I don’t think so,” he said, but he wouldn’t meet her eyes.

To Gemma, it looked like he wasn’t going to tell her all of what he was thinking. “So what now?” she asked.

He was looking at her intensely. “Is something wrong? Have I done something to upset you?”

“No. You haven’t done anything,” she said and knew she was lying just as much as he was. “I’m just concerned for your safety, that’s all. What do you plan to do now?”


Tags: Jude Deveraux Edilean Romance