Solomon Key

Chapter 21

Nomi sat in the passenger seat of Constance’s rented SUV and gazed through the palm trees toward the front door of Avery Halsey’s condominium. It was 8:30 in the morning, time for any normal person to leave for work. Of course, they had no idea what Avery Halsey did for a living. At least, not since she’d left her teaching position in Nova Scotia. In fact, the difficulty in learning much of anything about her was unsettling. As was the fact that both Maddock and Bonebrake seemed to have largely been scoured from the public record, save for a few details here and there. It suggested that there was more to the three than Nomi had expected.

“Perhaps she doesn’t hold a normal job,” Nomi said. “Works odd hours, or even telecommutes.”

“We’ll give her until nine,” Constance said. “And then we will take steps. I will kill her if I must, but I prefer not to. Killing always adds difficulties.”

“But the island…”

“The island was different. Much easier to dispose of the bodies and no security cameras to worry about. There is no telling how many we drove past on the way here.”

Nomi hated when the woman made sense. “At least there appear to be no cameras in the complex, except for the front entrance. Now we only have to hope that her brother or his friends don’t show up.” One of the details they had managed to dig up was that Avery Halsey was Dane Maddock’s half-sister. That explained how she had access to Maddock’s boat and crew.

“Maddock is in London.”

Nomi sat up straight. “When did you learn this?”

“Yesterday. Two of the cousins tracked them to Williamsburg, and then on to London.”

“And when were you planning to tell me?”

“Whenever the information was needed or it came up in conversation. Which is now.”

“Quiet. She’s coming out.” It wasn’t necessary to tell Constance to be quiet, but it felt good to give her an order.

They watched as Avery locked the door behind her and headed down the stairs. She was a pretty girl, if a bit on the generic side. What some young people might call a Basic Becky. Blonde hair, blue eyes, fair skin, pedestrian taste in clothing. There was nothing special about her, as far as Nomi could see.

“She’s in her car,” Constance said. “Go.”

Nomi slipped out of the SUV and, keeping to the thick grove of trees that separated the condominium complex from the vacant lot in which they’d parked, worked her way around to the side of the building. She’d considered going to the back and climbing up to Avery’s deck, but that was something better attempted under cover of darkness. Walking up the front steps and knocking on the door, in short, behaving normally, rendered on close to invisible.

She pretended to knock on Avery’s door, and then looked around. The parking lot was empty, and no sound came from the neighbor’s homes. Hastily she slipped on a pair of gloves, took out her lock-picking kit, and set to work.

She was inside in short order. She locked the door behind her and set the deadbolt, something Avery hadn’t done. Satisfied, she looked around.

The place was a mess. Clothing, books, and unopened mail lay all around. A few dirty dishes lay in the sink and a half-empty coffee cup sat on the kitchen table next to a crumb-covered napkin.

“Slob.” Nomi shook her head and then began her search.

She began with the kitchen, then worked her way through the living room, bathroom, and spare bedroom. Finally, she ended up in the master bedroom. It was, she marveled, even messier than the living area. The floor was carpeted with discarded clothing, and a stack of erotic thriller novels dominated the nightstand.

“Where would it be?” Thinking like a burglar, Nomi went directly to the back of the underwear drawer. Wrapped in a pair of lacy black panties, she found an old locket. Although it was of no use to her, she opened it out of curiosity. Inside was a black and white close-up of a woman’s face. It wasn’t the closed eyes, stringy hair, or slight smirk that gave Nomi a disconcerting feeling. It was the fact that she knew this image. L’Inconnue de la Seine, or “the Unknown Woman of the Seine.”

In the 1880s, the body of a young woman had been pulled from the Seine River in Paris. Legend held that a pathologist at the Paris Morgue was so taken with her beauty that he had a plaster cast made of her face. In time, copies of the mask, with its eerie smile, became popular in Parisian Bohemian society. The face was even used for the head of a first aid mannequin, and was used in many CPR courses. Why the hell Avery Halsey would keep this face in a locket in her drawer was beyond Nomi. With a slight shudder, she wrapped the locket back up and replaced it in the drawer.

Her continued search proved fruitless. Apparently Avery had nothing else of value to hide. But Nomi couldn’t give up. She was convinced Avery would not carry the artifact around with her, nor would she leave it in the care of another. It had to be here.

“Think. Where else do people hide their valuables?” Her eyes fell on the stack of paperbacks by the bed and she smiled. The bookshelf!

She hurried to the living area and began removing and opening all the books on the bookshelf. Inside the third book she opened, a reprint of A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious Pirates by Charles Johnson, she found what she was looking for. The middle section had been hollowed out, and inside lay a stone disc. Nomi knew immediately that she’d found what she was looking for. The bottom surface was covered in symbols, a code of some sort.

She made to replace the book, but paused. Grinning wickedly, she slipped a five dollar bill out of her pocket and tucked it into the secret compartment.

“It’s not stealing if you pay for it,” she said, putting the book back on the shelf. “I only wish I could see the bitch’s face when she realizes the artifact is gone.”

Buoyed by her success, she veritably bounced out of the apartment, down the stairs, and back to the vacant lot. Finally, she was one up on Constance.