A Heart to Steal

Sylvie Germaine
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Copyright 2017 Sylvie Germaine

All rights reserved.
ISBN: 9781520608310 Paperback
ASIN: 1520608314 Ebook
For Denis and Jenny
If you really do put a small value
upon yourself, rest assured that
the world will not raise your
price.
Anonymous
1 THE PEARLS........................................................7
2 SECRETS...........................................................14
3 NAKED AND WAITING.........................................21
4 THE TELEVISION................................................29
5 THE CAMEO.......................................................36
6 ENTERING.........................................................44
7 ACE IS DOWN....................................................49
8 SHOOTER..........................................................55
9 LIVESTOCK........................................................59
10 THE PAINTING.................................................67
11 THE INTERVIEW...............................................72
12 HOT KNOTTY WOMAN......................................81
13 GO GET HER....................................................90
14 DISCOVERY.....................................................96
15 SPILLED BEANS.............................................103
16 FOWL PLAY...................................................109
17 ROOM FOR THE NIGHT...................................113
18 THE POCKET WATCH......................................119
19 TRAVESTY.....................................................126
20 BIG SURPRISE................................................133
21 HES YOUR BOSS?..........................................139
22 TOO MUCH CLEANING....................................147
23 THE OPAL CHOKER.........................................151
24 THE TRUTH....................................................163
25 THE FELON....................................................167
26 HISTORY REPEATS.........................................175
27 GUITAR AND BAG...........................................179
28 KISS MAKES IT BETTER..................................183
29 REVENGE DINNER..........................................191
30 AMBER RING..................................................197
 1 THE PEARLS

Im scared. Hard to believe this is my reality, but its the way it must be. They
have to come back to me. Meagan whispers to herself.
Her quest to bring her loved ones back, piece by piece, began when she was
robbed last week. Tonight, she expects to find another vestige of her life, and the
anticipation of the reunion makes her jittery. She approaches the shop in Paxtons brown,
Dodge Ram pick-up truck, rolls to a stop, and hops out. The sign on the door of Kings
Pawn states they closed three minutes ago. Meagan takes a deep breath and pushes the
door open with authority.
Were closed he begins.
The peculiar female striding across the hardwood floor has King tongue-tied. He
expertly wraps up counting the till and silently zips the cash bag shut while eyeing her.
He cannot see her eyes; the aviator sunglasses are too dark. Her hair is yanked into
a tight French twist and perfectly concealed under a black knit cap. Brown lipstick and
blue, fake plastic dentures mask her perfect lips and teeth. When she devised this crucial
scheme for justice, she knew it would require the diligence of a soldier to conceal her
identity, and she accomplished it. She tucked Paxtons army fatigues into the black, well
worn, army issued boots that he died in. They feel good on her feet. His leather jacket
hangs awkwardly on her slim figure, revealing his AC/DC rock band t-shirt.
King notices every detail about the tall beauty as she paces his shop. Her makeup
is severe and overdone - almost comical. It appears to him that she is protecting her
identity by covering herself up in someone elses wardrobe. Without much history or
understanding of women, King Pullmans insight into people comes from his eight years
in the pawn business. If he were a betting man, he would lay odds shes not shopping.
Shes prowling; doing recon. His stomach flips at the thought.
She stands erect, shoulders squared, and meets Kings quiet hazel eyes. Im
looking for some jewelry.
What we have, is all here. He points to the counter before him.
 Meagan approaches. This being her second time in a pawnshop, she notes the
minor differences. The shop she was in five days ago, was a bit smaller than this place and
didnt smell as good. As she nears the bearded gentleman behind the counter, she
recognizes the pleasant, woodsy scent is coming from him. He smells inviting and familiar
like green tea and spice cake in a forest; a distant memory of her Uncle Abes tobacco pipe
surfaces.
The day after determining her mission, she marched into Aces pawn shop, not
expecting to drain her checking account to buy back her own guns; a pistol and two rifles.
Her indignation swelled to outrage over the transaction. Having all your precious
possession stolen from you, and then having to buy them back, feels like choosing to lie
down on a bed of nails.
Would you like to see something in here? he inquires, causing her to snap back
to the present.
Her eyes dart to the imposing German shepherd lying on the floor behind the
pleasant-smelling man. His growl intensifies as she draws near.
Storm! Hush! the man commands, silencing the dog and eyeing the woman as
she examines a photo. Even upside down, King identifies the gems in the photo. She is
undeniably doing reconnaissance. Nothing good has ever come from a customers
discovery of their former possessions in his store.
This is a rotten time for King to recall asking Marty to fix the silent alarm button
that he swore he would repair. Screws had loosened, and the button - once attached to the
back of the counter - now lies inconveniently on the floor or so he thinks.
They have to be here, she assures herself. The white gold band with four prongs,
grasping a solitary, remarkable Amber stone, was given to her by her father upon her high
school graduation. She studies the assortment of jewelry inside the sizeable glass case.
Meagan suspects her Grandmother Pearls signature necklace will be here also.
Could I see these? She points to the tray containing a string of pearls, and then
tucks her hand back in the jacket pocket.
King takes the cabinet key from his pants pocket, unlocks the sliding glass panels,
then sets the tray of jewels on the counter while gauging her body language. The moment
she examines them; he knows she is locked on the pearls. If you havent been in here
before, he coaches, how it works is, you tell me a price you are willing to pay and we
negotiate.
She is momentarily paralyzed by her emotions; elation about the pearls, and
disgust because there is only one Morris family heirloom in this shop. No ruby rose
brooch or cameo; no amber ring, opal choker, or pocket watch and clearly no painting or
pheasant, speed bag or guitar. Shell have to hunt harder.
The moment of peril arrives.
Hands up. Right, now! she orders, extracting the nine-mm handgun. I will shoot
you, so dont do anything stupid.
As Storm sails over the counter like a track hurdler, King shouts, Stand down!
Storms toenails skid across the wood floor for a second before he stiffens in his tracks
watching Meagan like she was prey. King worries his nervous assailant will panic and
shoot his dog. The thought of anyone injuring Storm makes Kings heart race.
Shooting me would be stupid, dont you think? he says, lifting his hands in the
air, he stretches his foot out as far as he can without falling. Its just far enough for him to
gently tap the round button on the floor, in the corner, with the tip of his cowboy boot.
Hell thank Marty later for failing to fix it. The triggered alarm is linked to the police
station.
Meagan is anxious and elated that her recovery mission is going smoothly. With
the gun leveled on the big man, she plucks the necklace off the tray with a gloved hand,
and drops it into her plastic sack.
Officer Dell and the Pullman family are well acquainted and have a good working
relationshipone that includes no lightbar warning lights. Dell stealthily swings the
cruiser into the parking lot of Kings Pawn. His camera fails to capture the license plate on
the possible suspects truck; its covered in mud.
The brilliant LED head lights blare into the shop and reflect off the hanging brass
musical instruments, announcing Dells arrival. The second the door flies open with Dell
pointing a gun toward Meagan, she quickly pockets hers.
Officer Delbert Wims! Put your hands up! he announces.
Hi Dell. King greets the friendly black officer. You just missed him. Black
truck, Hispanic. He took off with an IPhone, King lies to him while picking up the thiefs
sack of pearls, and depositing them into a Pawn bag, as though she purchased them.
Doubt youll catch him he had friends waiting.
Meagan is dumbfounded when he tosses in a jewelry case.
Dell knows it only took him seven minutes to get to the shop. Oh, so everything is
fine? he asks, baffled that he missed the culprit.
Here you go, Miss. Come back and see me, Kings says handing the bag to
Meagan.
Humiliation burns her cheeks. Thank you. Excuse me, she says, averting her
Halloween face and gratefully gliding past the officer at the door.
King glances down and hastily snaps up the photo the robber left behind. Hell
study it later. For now, it fits nicely in the breast pocket of his button-down shirt.
These kids, Dell; they think we owe them everything. Makes me want to retire.
I know what you mean. Dell pours himself a cup of coffee and turns the pot off.
How much did that punk get away with?
About two hundred dollars.
Officer Dell slurps his coffee and strolls toward the exit. Sorry I didnt make it in
time, King.
No worries. I appreciate your response just the same. King bolts the glass and
iron door after Officer Dell, then kills the lights on his way to the back office to examine
the picture.
 Hmm. If he had to guess, hed say these people are likely relatives. A little girl in
the photo is wearing a fancy looking amber ring. Peering through the large magnifying
glass vice-gripped to his desk, he confirms the thief took the pearls worn by the eldest
woman. If shes after anything else in this photo, King concludes it would be a ruby rose
brooch, two necklaces and that amber ring. He knows he must check the inventory at his
brothers shop and his dads as well. With his mother in the hospital, the last thing the
Pullman family needs right now is a homicide because of a deranged person in military
dress-up.
Meagan struggles with her emotions. Twenty-four miles to the B and B pass by in
a blur after the shock of her robbery-turned-gift. Tears threaten to spill over because of the
kindness the big man exhibited. She wishes she understood his reasoning. He had every
right to hand her over to the cop. She feels around in the sack and no photo. It must
have fallen out.
Luckily, the thieves did not destroy her family photo album, where her loved ones
now reside.
Dragging herself up the creaking stairs to her third-floor room in the Victorian
home, she recalls ten days earlier. It had been a stressful day at work and she was looking
forward to changing clothes and working out in the gym. She pushed aside the destroyed
front door to her apartment to the shock and horror of a violent robbery. Strange, how
radically her life changed in that moment.
She shakes her head, erasing the shocking image. Tomorrow, after work, shell
hunt. Since her job at the Appliance warehouse does not allow her time to surf the Internet
for her belongings, shell use the computers in the city library.
 2 SECRETS

King receives a text from Ace, Shit, Moms in a coma.

Rather than respond with a text, he calls his younger brother. Ace, I called you
early this morning. Why didnt you answer?
Yeah, I overslept. Late night.
This bizarre teenage behavior from twenty-eight-year-old Ace is bewildering to
King, but he decides not to interrogate his brother at this moment. Mom is going to be
fine. It will just take longer than we thought. I have to ask you about a customer.
Shoot
Shes a clown-looking, woman with dark glasses, fake teeth wearing military
garb? King checks. The more he reconstructs her in his head, the more he realizes that if
he or she was buying car parts, King would have assumed the thief was a man.
Ace coughs to cover his laugh. What happened? Your love life sucks so bad that
youre going after customers now?
Smart ass. Only the ones who rob me.

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