Blind Faith Read Free Page B

wrong?"
    "No." She looked away, as if feeling guilty. "My mind was on that auction I had to attend this morning. I'm afraid I wasn't paying much attention to anything else."

"Did he talk about something in particular? A problem at work?"
    "No."
Victoria
stood up and walked over to her desk where she started to straighten a stack of catalogs that didn't need straightening. "It was a morning like all the others, or so I thought at the time. We had breakfast and we talked about the week ahead. I reminded him of the recital and how much Phoebe was looking forward to it. He said he'd meet me at the studio at six this evening. Then he kissed me goodbye and left."

"What time was that?"
    "A little after seven." She turned to face Kelly. "At eight-thirty he called to tell me he was on his way to
Miami
."

"Did he call from the car? Or from the airport?"
    "The airport. The connection was terrible. There was a lot of static and I could barely hear him."
    The connection shouldn't have been that bad. Not from the airport.
    Her arms folded across her chest,
Victoria
walked over to the window and gazed at the lit-up square. "Earlier you asked me if anything out of the ordinary had happened."

Kelly was instantly alert. "Yes?"
    "Something did, though I'm not sure it has anything to do with Jonathan."
    "Tell me anyway."
    Turning around,
Victoria
let her gaze drift toward a wall-mounted glass cabinet where a collection of antique Chinese snuff bottles were displayed. They ranged from carved and hollowed hard stone to molded and inscribed coconut shells. All were collector's items and very expensive.   "One of my bottles is missing."
    Kelly, who knew nothing about Oriental art except what she had learned from
Victoria
over the years, followed her friend's gaze. "Which one?"
    "The blue enamel. It was part of the Chinese Whisper collection. It was gone when I opened the shop this morning."
    "Are you sure you didn't misplace it?" The question was unnecessary.
    Victoria
was as well organized as Jonathan was reliable, and misplacing an object of such value was simply unthinkable.
    "I'm sure."

"Could a customer have taken it?"
    "That's possible but unlikely. I rarely leave the showroom when someone is in the shop. In fact, most of the time I'm by their side, helping them select something or answering their questions. Friday was busy, though. And I did have to go in the back a couple of times." She shook her head. "I can't imagine any of the people who patronize my shop stealing from me."

"Did you report the theft to the police? Or the insurance company?"
    "No. I wanted a chance to talk to my aunt first." She continued to gaze at the cabinet. "Now I don't know what to do."

Kelly heard the uncertainty in her voice. "You think Jonathan took it?"
    "No!"
Victoria
ran a weary hand along her smooth hair. "I don't know what to think anymore, Kel . I'm so confused." She pressed her index fingers against her temples. "I don't give a damn about the snuff bottle. I just want my husband to come home."
    Kelly pushed the up sleeve of her leather jacket to check her watch.
    Nine o'clock. "I tell you what. It could be a while until we hear from Officer Brown. What do you say we close the shop and go home? We'll search through Jonathan's clothes once we get there. He may have left a clue about the
Miami
trip."
    Victoria
was already reaching for the phone. "Give me a minute to make sure Lucy put Phoebe to bed. I don't want to have to explain to my little girl why her daddy not only missed her recital but isn't home."
    Three.
    The Bowmans lived in Bryn Mawr , a pleasant, upper-class neighborhood that was less than a twenty minute drive from downtown
Philadelphia
.
    Shortly after Jonathan was promoted to vice president,
Victoria
had suggested moving out of their little Cape Cod in Haverford, and buying a house in
New Jersey
so Jonathan wouldn't have such a long daily commute.
    Knowing how much his wife enjoyed being close to her aunt and uncle, however, Jonathan had