Don't Say a Word - Barbara Freethy [77]
"Hang on to that bag. I'll be there in five minutes."
Julia closed the phone and saw that Liz had finished her call. "What did the police say?"
"They're on their way." Liz gave Julia a worried look. "This has something to do with you and that photo, doesn't it?"
"I have the terrible feeling it does."
The police arrived at the same moment as Alex. They searched the apartment first, then let Julia, Liz, and Alex into the living room. The damage was as bad as Julia remembered. All the tiny pieces of their lives were strewn across the room: magazines, books, knickknacks, the fabric Liz had been working on, and Julia's CD collection. Even the pictures on the wall had been stripped down and thrown onto the floor. It didn't look as if the burglars had missed one inch of the room.
The police asked them to look around and see if anything was taken. It was impossible to tell with the mess, but obviously expensive items and even a twenty-dollar bill on the kitchen counter had been left untouched, which was even more worrisome. After a long discussion about whether they had any enemies or knew of anyone who might have wanted to hurt them, the police said they believed the apartment had been turned by a pro, someone who was looking for something in particular.
Julia glanced to Alex, wondering if she should mention the photo and the Russia connection, but saw by the almost imperceptible shake of his head that he thought it would be better to keep that information to themselves. But she could give the police something. "There was a man watching me when I left work today. He made me so nervous, I didn't go to my car; I went and got coffee with my friends. When I came back a half hour later, he was gone." She gave them the description of the man, although she could tell by their expressions that they believed it was a stretch to connect some man who might have been watching her to the vandalism done in her apartment.
"Are you going to tell them about the picture?" Liz whispered to Julia.
"There's nothing to tell yet," she murmured. "I don't think we want more media attention, do you?"
"No," Liz replied, a scowl on her face.
"We're done for now," one of the officers said. "You should both be careful. If they didn't find whatever they were looking for, they may be back. Stay with friends tonight, and if you think of anything that will help us investigate, give us a call." He handed Julia his card.
Julia slipped it into a pocket, her fingers coming into contact with the card Christine Delaney had given her earlier. She had a feeling she wouldn't be calling either one of them, but she said, "Thank you."
Michael arrived as the officers were leaving. His eyes widened in shock when he saw the state of their apartment. "What happened?" He looked from Julia to Liz, his gaze settling on Alex. "Who are you?"
"This is Alex Manning," Julia said, realizing they'd never actually met. "Michael Graffino."
The two men sized each other up, then connected for a brief, wary handshake.
"So, what's going on?" Michael asked again.
"Isn't it obvious?" Liz asked. "Julia's search has now put us in danger."
"Someone broke into your apartment because of the photograph?" Michael echoed in surprise. "Are! you sure?"
"No, we're not sure," Julia replied. "We don't, know."
"What we do know," Liz cut in, "is that nothing was taken, but everything was ripped apart by a big, sharp knife."
Michael's attention shifted to the cushions on the couch. His skin turned pale. "God! What if you'd been here when they came? You could have both been I killed."
That thought had crossed Julia's mind as well. And she could see that his words had stirred Liz up even more.
"We're lucky that didn't happen," Julia said.
"Lucky? You call this lucky?" Michael asked sharply. He shot Alex a hard look. "What do you I think about all this? You don't seem to be saying much."
"I think Julia has it covered."
"And 1 think Julia needs to stop this craziness before something worse happens."