“I’m holding you to that,” Halcyon said and stuffed half a cookie in her mouth.

Marina picked one up and took a bite. “Wow. I’m coming over when you cook for Halcyon.”

“It’s been a long time since someone enjoyed my cookies,” Dottie said. “They were William’s favorite and I don’t make them often. But I was feeling nostalgic today, so I’m glad you ladies came by. But I’m assuming you’re not here to eat cookies and talk about my garden, so what can I do for you?”

“Since everything is a mess, we’re on a distraction mission,” Halcyon said.

“That sounds like an excellent plan,” Dottie said. “How can I help?”

“A friend of mine has an elderly aunt who was given a ruby ring a million years ago by some lost love,” Halcyon said. “It was stolen by one of their less scrupulous family members about twenty years ago. Rumor has it, for drugs.”

Dottie shook her head. “That’s a shame.”

Marina held in a smile. When Halcyon turned on the talent, no one sold fiction better than she did.

“It’s really been a tough time for the family,” Halcyon said. “Anyway, the aunt is getting to that point where things from the past are more present in her mind than things in the now, if you know what I mean. So she keeps looking for the ring but can’t find it, of course. My friend was thinking maybe she could find something similar and put her aunt’s mind at ease. So she’s been looking for a replacement and Marina and I thought we’d go on a scavenger hunt and see if we could find anything.”

“That’s a very kind thing your friend wants to do,” Dottie said. “So I assume you’re asking me if I have any heirloom jewelry I might be willing to part with?”

“I know it’s kind of a nosy question,” Marina said. “But no one else in Last Chance has your taste and culture. We figured if anyone had quality pieces, it would be you.”

“That’s such a nice thing to say,” Dottie said. “And I do have several pieces, inherited, but no rubies. The women in my family favored sapphires and emeralds.”

“Oh well,” Marina said, shoving her disappointment aside. “It was a long shot, but at least we got to drink tea and partake of excellent cookies while gazing at this extraordinary yard. There are far worse ways to spend time. I ought to know. I’ve done a lot of them lately.”

“There is someone else in town who might have something like what you’re looking for,” Dottie said. “In fact, for all I know, they might have the exact ring.”

“Seriously?” Halcyon said. “Who?”

Dottie frowned. “Preston LeDoux or Patricia Martin. Their mother was a bit of a jewelry hoarder and she acquired a lot of her pieces through dubious channels.”

“She bought stolen jewelry?” Marina asked.

“Oh, she never would have admitted that any of it was stolen,” Dottie said. “But when you meet someone in a parking lot and pay ten times less for an item than what it’s worth, we all know the score. She had the bad judgment to force her maid into doing the exchanges, which is how that bit of information got around.”