Stealing the Countess (35 page)
Read Stealing the Countess Online
Authors: David Housewright
“Not so much when you consider the big picture.”
“No one will ever know why Mr. Donatucci was killed. Or Weldon Lamm and Trevor Ruland either, for that matter.”
“That's what I mean by big picture.”
“What favor will you do for me in return?”
“You mean besides keeping quiet about Mr. Donatucci and never ever divulging to anyone that you
knew
exactly what he was doing long before people started getting shot, yet neglected to tell a soul including your employers? Or that you engaged an ex-cop of dubious reputation to do your dirty work?”
“I admit that would make my next performance review go more smoothly.”
“Well, then, I suppose if you were to do a little of this for me, I could do a little of that for you.”
“You make it sound less like a favor and more like extortion.”
“That's certainly one way to look at it.”
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It was a miracle.
A University of WisconsinâMadison undergrad named Ellis was minding her own business, walking the Iron Bridge Hiking and Nature Trail in Bayfield, when she came across a suitcase that had been carelessly tossed into the creek bed. She opened the suitcase andâholy moley Rockyâdiscovered a four-million-dollar Stradivarius violin called the Countess Borromeo wrapped in towels and tucked inside. The authorities speculated that the thieves who stole the violin must have dumped it there as soon as they had learned that both the Midwest Farmers Insurance Group and the Georges and Adrienne Peyroux Foundation for the Arts had publicly refused to negotiate with them for its safe return. The violin became, the authorities said, too hot to handle.
World-renowned concert violinist Paul Duclos was so thrilled to regain his prized instrument that he gave Ellis the $250,000 reward, more than enough to pay off her student loans and give her a head start when she graduated. He also agreed to play another free concert in his hometown, this one thoroughly covered by the media. It was reported that the concert had attracted a crowd that was even larger than those that regularly attend the city's annual Apple Festival. They all cheered when he played “shave and a haircut, two bits.”
The Maestro's wife, the beautiful and spectacularly wealthy Renée Peyroux, had attended the concert with her husband. The happy couple stayed together at the New Queen Anne Victorian Mansion Bed and Breakfast. They were seen holding hands almost constantly on those rare occasions when they actually left their room. Photographs of the two, along with owner Connor Rasmussen, appeared in the
Ashland Daily Press
, on the B&B's Web site, and in its promotional literature.
A raucous party was held following the concert at the Bayfield Inn. Everyone who was anyone in Bayfield was there, including Zofia McLean, whose contract as the city's marketing and events manager had been renewed for another three years.
Heather Voight had volunteered one of her restaurants for the party. However, the offer was declined. And she was not invited to the party. No one seemed to know why. Sometime later, she and her husband of ten years separated pending divorce; Herb was last seen cruising in his boat somewhere on Lake Superiorâwithout Maggie Pilhofer.
I wasn't in Bayfield for any of this; Jack Westlund gave me the heads-up. Instead, I stayed home with Nina.
I told her what Heavenly had said before I left her on the plane.
“I can't worry about her,” Nina said. “I have my own daughter to worry about. But McKenzie, the way she lives, the things she doesâshe might get ⦠Something terrible might happen to her.”
“Oh, I don't know. Like the man said, only the good die young.”
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ALSO BY
DAVID HOUSEWRIGHT
Featuring Rushmore McKenzie
Featuring Holland Taylor
Penance
Practice to Deceive
Dearly Departed
Other Novels
The Devil and the Diva
(with Renée Valois)
Finders Keepers
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DAVID HOUSEWRIGHT
has won the Edgar Award and is the three-time winner of the Minnesota Book Award for his crime fiction. He is the current president of the Private Eye Writers of America (PWA), and he lives in St. Paul, Minnesota. You can sign up for email updates
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Contents
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This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.
STEALING THE COUNTESS.
Copyright © 2016 by David Housewright. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin's Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
Cover design by David Baldeosingh Rotstein
Cover photographs: bay © Wendy / Image Brief; sky © SJ Travel Photo and Video / Shutterstock
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The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request
ISBN 978-1-250-04966-7 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-4668-5064-4 (e-book)
e-ISBN 9781466850644
First Edition: May 2016
