Golden Lies - Barbara Freethy [65]
"Hi," she said, offering him a tight smile. She'd never been a warm, affectionate person, and she didn't think she could start now.
"Alyssa. It's good to see you." Ben's eyes were truly welcoming, and she relaxed a bit.
"How have you been?"
"Great. Busy. What are you doing here?"
"I need some help, and I thought you might be the right person to ask. It's not personal," she said hurriedly, then wished she hadn't added the disclaimer as his smile dimmed.
"Business, of course. Come on back." He walked toward his cubicle and waved her toward a chair by the desk. "Have a seat."
"Thanks." She sat down, holding her purse on her lap.
"What's up?"
"My mother saw a statue that she thinks might be really old, maybe valuable, and I thought you might be able to tell me about it. You always seemed to know so much about Chinese art"
He shrugged somewhat modestly. "I know a little. What does the statue look like?"
"It's a dragon with a serpent-like body, about ten to twelve inches tall. The eyes are jade. There's a gold strip around the neck. It probably sounds like a million other statues."
Ben's eyes darted to the newspaper on his desk. He reached for it and handed it to her. "Does it look like this?"
"Oh, my God! That's it exactly." The dragon in the photograph resembled the painting on her mother's wall, which her mother said was a perfect match to the statue David Hathaway had brought to show her. "Why do you have this picture in the paper?"
"That statue was discovered on the television show Antiques on the Road. It's believed to date back to the Zhou dynasty. You can read the article, unless you've forgotten how to read Chinese characters."
She frowned at his reminder that she had not always embraced her culture. "Does it say anything more than what you just told me?"
"Not much."
"Do you know more about the history of the dragon?"
"There are several theories. Unfortunately, no one has gotten a good look at it. The owner took it to the House of Hathaway to have it appraised. Since David Hathaway was assaulted a few days ago, no one has been able to get any information on the statue."
Alyssa nodded, her body tensing at the mention of her father's name. She had no intention of sharing that information with Ben. As long as she and her mother didn't speak of it, no one else would know. She doubted anyone in the Hathaway family would rush to tell the press about a long-lost illegitimate daughter. Unless, of course, as Paige had suggested, the disappearance of the dragon drew a connecting line between David and Jasmine. That's what she had to prevent from happening.
"Does anyone have any idea who might be responsible for assaulting Mr. Hathaway?" she asked.
"Not the usual suspects, from what I've heard."
"What does that mean?"
"That someone with experience and knowledge of ancient art was behind the theft. That it was more than likely David Hathaway was mugged because he had the statue with him and not just because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"You said there are several theories about the dragon," she continued.
"There are, but I have a meeting in a few minutes. Perhaps we could do dinner."
She didn't like the wicked sparkle in his eyes and knew getting involved with him again was probably a bad idea, but she needed his help. "Where do you want to go?"
"I'll cook for you."
"You'll cook for me?" she echoed in astonishment.
"Yes, and trust me you won't starve. I'm a very good cook." He jotted down an address.
She saw the street names and realized he hadn't gone far. "Chinatown, Ben?"
"Is that a problem?"
"No, of course not."
"Good." He got up and walked her out to the lobby area. "Is seven o'clock good for you?"
Before she could answer, the outer office door opened. To Alyssa's surprise, Paige and Riley walked into the lobby. They stopped abruptly when they saw her.
"Alyssa?"