The Rosaries (Crossroads Series) by Sandra Carrington-Smith Page B

about Catherine’s paintings.
    “Mister Hadley, I have one more question for you, if you will allow me.”
    “Of course, what is it?”
    “Did you know that my aunt painted as well?”
    Tom Hadley was quiet for a few moments; then he spoke again, and his voice registered surprise. “Catherine painted? No, I knew nothing about it. She never mentioned anything of the sort to me. What kind of paintings?”
    “Mostly portraits and some abstracts. They are quite striking. I am wondering if I could send you photos of those as well.”
    “Absolutely, Natalie; I would love to see them.”
    Natalie felt a smile originate straight from her heart and spreading to her face. “That’s great! I just know you will love them.”
    “That will only make me appreciate Catherine more – if that’s possible indeed. I am scheduling a show one month from now; do you think you could send me some beforehand, if they are of my liking after I view the photos?”
    “I certainly can, Sir. I don’t know how I can thank you.”
    “It’s my pleasure, young lady.”
    “Aunt Catherine would certainly be pleased to know we have connected.”
    Natalie could hear the smile in Tom Hadley’s voice. “I believe she would be, Natalie. She sounded very proud of you on the phone.”
    Oh, Aunt Catherine…you were proud of me?
    Natalie felt a knot in her throat and swallowed quickly to stop tears from rising to her eyes. To her knowledge, nobody had ever been proud of her before. “I will finish the paintings and send the pictures to the e-mail address Aunt Catherine left me, then.”
    “Thank you Natalie, I look forward to seeing them.”
    “Thank you again, Mister Hadley. I will be in touch. Good-bye for now.”
    “Good-bye, Natalie.”
    Natalie hung up the phone and laid her head on the back of the couch. She liked Tom Hadley, and she was happy he was willing to consider hers and Aunt Catherine’s paintings.
    You will see, Aunt Catherine, you will no longer be second to anyone. From now on your light will shine brighter than all others.
    In that precise moment the sunlight in the room appeared more vibrant, and one of the cards Natalie had purchased last week to send off after the art show and had left on the adjacent dining room table fell to the floor. Natalie walked up to it and picked it up; on it were only two words – “Thank you.”
     
     
    The rosary wasn’t at the antique shop. He was quite angry about that, and didn’t know what to do at this point. Did Celeste lie to him? He didn’t think so, but then, one could only expect so much honesty from a crack whore. Or maybe the old lady at the shop had lied to him; could it be that she was hiding the rosary at home? She didn’t seem stupid, and it was entirely possible that she had discovered about the power of the rosary and decided to keep it to herself. Celeste could have rambled to her the same things she told him, especially if she was hoping to strike a fat deal.
    There was only one way to find out…he had to get into her house. He followed her and her husband two nights before when they strolled gingerly home after closing her shop, so he knew where she lived. He had one problem – he couldn’t risk being seen. He began to explore his possibilities and thought about a variety of scenarios to ensure all bases were covered. He knew she wasn’t at work today – not yet, at least – but he expected her to go back soon. He would make sure she was out of the house before going in; he was ready to take care of things as needed, but preferred to avoid unnecessary bloodshed, if at all possible. In fact, he was happy he thought of taking back the card he had given Belinda Allen the day he first walked into the store. The number he wrote on the card was of a Track Phone he had purchased on the way there, but he had to provide a land line number to register the phone, so he knew there was a chance he could be tracked down through that number, and that wouldn’t do.
    The Allens