Read Online Moss Hysteria by Kate Collins - Free Book Online

Thorne thinks I’ll settle for ten grand? No frigging way. He’s just as big a bastard as Dirk was. Do you know what I learned through all of this? Brandon doesn’t vet his employees or even bond them. In this day and age, who doesn’t do background checks?” She shook her head in disbelief.
    Clever how she tried to divert the subject onto Thorne. “Are you absolutely sure Dirk was the one who took your jewelry?”
    â€œOf course I’m sure. No one else was in my house that week but him.”
    â€œNot even your husband?”
    â€œFrank’s home just on weekends. He travels for business. Dirk was there on that Tuesday to, um, patch some nail holes, and I discovered my jewelry missing on Wednesday. I know it happened that week because I’d worn them to dinner the previous Sunday evening.”
    â€œWas Rye working with Dirk that day?”
    â€œNo, Rye didn’t come with him.”
    â€œThat’s rather unusual, isn’t it? I thought they worked together.”
    Mitzi twisted a lock of hair around her fingers and shrugged.
    â€œWere you there while Dirk was working inside your house?”
    â€œI had a hair appointment.”
    â€œBut you let him in.”
    â€œActually, he used the master key from the office. But that was common practice around Brandywine. When a worker needed access to someone’s house, Dirk would let them in and stay around to supervise. Who would’ve dreamed there would be a reason to distrust Dirk?” She huffed angrily. “Of course, if Brandon Thorne had done a background check on Dirk, he never would’ve been employed.”
    â€œHow do you know?”
    â€œDetective Wells told me when she was investigating my theft.”
    â€œWas Dirk still there when you got home from your appointment?”
    She waved her hand, flashing her long, polished fingernails. “Long gone.”
    â€œThen how do you know Rye didn’t come with him?”
    â€œI asked. When I found my jewels missing, I wanted to know who had been in my house.”
    â€œWhom did you ask?”
    â€œBrandon Thorne’s saleswoman, Connie. She, Rye, and Dirk share an office at the clubhouse. She knows their comings and goings by their appointment calendar.”
    â€œSo you called the police to report your missing jewelry, and I’m assuming they talked to Dirk.”
    â€œFor the third time. He’d already been questioned two months earlier when some of the other residents here were robbed. But Dirk swore he didn’t take my jewelry and there wasn’t any evidence to prove he did, so they had to let him go.”
    â€œWasn’t there something in his records to indicate a criminal history? You mentioned that he wouldn’t have been hired because of a background check.”
    â€œAll allegations, nothing ever proved.” Mitzi sighed morosely. “To think I trusted that bastard. And to think it could’ve been avoided if Brandon wasn’t such a cheap ass.”
    â€œLast night the women were talking about a Maraville jeweler. Was there evidence this jeweler was involved in the theft?”
    â€œNo. He claims he purchased my jewelry from someone matching Dirk’s description.” She scowled. “Dirk was sly. He used a fake ID. And I’m positive he was behind the other thefts in the neighborhood for these reasons.” She enumerated on her fingers. “He had access to the homes that were robbed. He had excuses for being in the houses. He knew when people weren’t home.”
    â€œSounds plausible.”
    â€œThat’s what Detective Wells said, but she couldn’t tie Dirk to the thefts. He didn’t leave any fingerprints, and no one witnessed him taking anything.”
    â€œI’m shocked that the jeweler didn’t have security cameras.”
    â€œOh, he had them, but here’s where Dirk was cunning. He wore baggy jeans, dirty white athletic shoes, and a