“Key?” The blank look he gave her spoke volumes. “What key? We don’t have a key.”

She put on her best confused expression. “How’d you get in, then?”

“Picked the lo—”

“Okay!” Sanders’s roar drowned out Cord’s confession. “I want to call my lawyer.”

Meeting John’s eyes, Molly burst into laughter. “Your lawyer? I don’t think so.” She sobered abruptly and put her face right in Sanders’s, forcing away the thought that she was close enough for him to grab. “You’re going to wish you were with the cops by the time we finish with you.”

He flinched, and she barely kept herself from giving a triumphant grin. She knew she was not traditionally intimidating, but it was nice that she could hold the illusion for a while. Despite her glee, she did shift back out of reach, just in case. Giving Sanders her most ferocious glare, she turned back to Cord.

“Why’d you break in, Eddie?” she demanded, her words coming out as harshly as she could manage. “What’s so valuable in here that you’d risk serving time?” She waved a hand at the contents of her kitchen with real bewilderment. As beloved as everything was to her and her sisters, there was no point in stealing what was worthless junk to anyone else.

“The neckla—”

“Eddie!” Sanders howled. Molly was tempted to gag him, or maybe kick him in the teeth so he’d be quiet for a few seconds.

“The necklace that Jane stole?” she asked Cord, ignoring his sputtering business partner. “Why would you think it was here?”

“That’s where Zach Fridley said he put it.”

Zach Fridley? It made all sorts of creepy sense. This was why the weasel Stuart had tried to break in, and why Cord and Sanders were currently in her kitchen. Zach was Jane’s oldest and most loyal friend—and the one she got into the most trouble with. He’d do anything for her, including breaking into her house and hiding a priceless stolen necklace…and then blabbing about it.

This explained their recent rash of attempted break-ins…and meant that more would be coming—a lot more.

Swallowing a groan, she flicked a look at John. Judging by his grim expression, he’d come to the same conclusion. Keeping a firm grip on Cord with one hand, John waved at Sanders where he was still sprawled on the floor.

“Let’s go,” John said, and Molly’s gaze turned startled. Why was he kicking them out when she hadn’t finished the interrogation? Even though she’d mostly decided not to file a police report, the least John could’ve done was to check with her before he started tossing burglars out on the street willy-nilly.

“Hang on,” she said in her best commanding voice, the one that made all her sisters freeze in place. It worked just as well on the two intruders. Even John gave her his attention. “Have you talked to Jane since she was arrested?”

The two men glanced at each other before Sanders answered. “No.”

Despite the way he held her gaze, she wasn’t sure if she believed him. Figuring that she wouldn’t be able to glare the truth out of him, she flicked her fingers at him in a let’s go motion. As soon as he stood, she said, “Turn around, hands up against the wall, legs spread.”