Laina Turner - Presley Thurman 02 - Necklaces & Nooses by Laina Turner

dressed well but sure didn’t understand women’s accessories.
    “Maybe Solange ordered something you didn’t know she ordered. Did she ever do that?”
    “Yes, but even then she never failed to fill out a purchase order, and there’s not one for this. She was meticulous about her financial records. Probably to make sure James couldn’t find more ways to berate her. And again, this isn’t something she would have ever carried here at the store. I know it might sound weird to you that I’m so sure, but you have to trust me. I know Solange’s taste for Silk, and this is not it.”
    “Well, I’ll take this with me and drop it off at the lab. I’m sure it’s just a legitimate mix-up, and they sent it to you by accident, but it can’t hurt to check.”
    “That’s what I thought.”
    “There is one more thing I wanted to discuss with you.”
    “Oh?”
    “One of the reasons I was late was I was checking into the people who are renting the places around this building. Just to see if anything unusual popped up. I stopped on the way to visit a few that I couldn’t find information for, and you’ll never guess what I discovered.”
    “Well, don’t keep me in suspense. What?”
    “Are you sure you want to know? I could always wait until later,” he said with a teasing look.
    “I think it would be in your best interest to tell me,” I shot back. But I was only half kidding. I really wanted to know and wasn’t above force or bribery.
    He smiled. Boy, he had a nice smile. Almost made me forget what we were talking about. “C’mon, Willie, tell me, please.”
    “So, the guy with the fake German accent that was bothering you the other day who we saw at the bar?’
    “How do you know it was fake?”
    “He is renting the apartment above the store next door. When I knocked on the door he yelled just a minute in perfect English, but when he saw me he switched back to his horrible German accent.”
    “What?!”
    “Yep. I knew you’d be shocked. But it explains why he was at the bar, since it’s right around the corner.”
    “Wonder if he was American or German at the bar?”
    “Good question.”
    “What did you say to him? Did you call him out on the accent and ask him what the heck he was doing in that apartment? Not to judge, but if he could afford one of our necklaces, he would be living somewhere else besides one of those apartments above the shops.”
    “I kind of thought that, too, but I didn’t even let on I remembered him from the store, although I am sure he knew I did remember. Just like I knew he knew who I was but didn’t let on. I just asked him if he had heard anything the other night like I asked everyone else. He said no and basically slammed the door in my face, and I went about my business.”
    “Why didn’t you ask him why he was such jerk and why he needed the necklace so badly? This is too much of a coincidence.”
    “Presley, it’s not a crime to be a jerk. I couldn’t ask him those questions; he’s not a suspect and doesn’t even need to talk to me. Plus, if he has done anything wrong, the last thing I would want to do is tip him off.”
    “I guess it just sucks that you can’t ask and just be able to cross him off the list of those you think might be involved.”
    “I completely agree. I’m going to keep an eye on him, that’s for sure.”
    “What’s his name?”
    “Peter. Peter Green. I ran him in the system once I realized who he was. There wasn’t much other information on him. He does have a criminal record, but just for petty theft not any major crimes. Just reinforcing the fact that he couldn’t have actually been in the market for a necklace, which at this store starts at, what did you say?”
    “Six thousand dollars”
    “Right, six thousand dollars, for a necklace.”
    “Hey, its quality!”
    “I don’t doubt it. It’s just weird to me for jewelry that isn’t diamonds or something of that nature.”
    “It doesn’t have to be diamonds to be high