The pause before he answered lasted just a beat too long.
“It was a private purchase,” he said. “Years ago. I don’t really remember the details.”
“Do you remember who you bought it from?”
Another pause. “Why do you ask?”
“Just curious,” I told him. “It looked very similar to a piece my family owned once.”
I told him I’d admired Claire’s necklace at dinner and was curious about its history.
“I’m sure there are similar pieces out there. I have to go.” He hung up before I could say another word.
I called Will the next morning and told him I needed to see Claire. I kept it vague. Said I wanted to get to know her better, maybe look at some family photo albums together.
He bought it completely because Will has always trusted me, and I felt a small twist of guilt for using that.
