In Shelter Cove Read Online Free PDF

boy turns art thief, assaults security guard, lifts three priceless paintings from the museum, and along the way runs into his best friend—you—thereby placing him at the scene of the crime.”
    “You’re up to speed.” Jason took a seat across from Joe. He wasn’t surprised; the chief made it his business to know what was going on in Angel’s Bay.
    “The town has been talking about nothing else since the Kanes decided to bury their son in the local cemetery.” Joe paused. “So what can you tell me that’s not in the file?”
    “I can tell you that Derek’s widow, Brianna Kane, is convinced that her husband was framed, and she’s determined to prove it.”
    “Are you worried?”
    “I don’t think I made a mistake. I dealt with the facts I had. I wasn’t the only one on the case, and I wasn’t Derek’s only friend in the department. Everyone knew him. Most people liked him.”
    Joe stared at him for a long moment. “You were in a difficult position, having to arrest a friend. I’m sure you were torn between wanting to be right and wanting to be wrong.”
    “I was right,” Jason said.
    “Then that should make it easier.”
    “You’d think so,” he said with a small sigh. He had no reason to second-guess anything he’d done, but Brianna’s stubborn belief in Derek’s innocence was playing on his mind.
    “From what I read, you conducted a thorough investigation. Unfortunately, you didn’t have a lot of hard evidence to go on, and the paintings in question were never recovered.” Joe pulled three photographs from the file and spread them across the desk.
“The Three Faces of Eve
by renowned artist Victor Delgado. I don’t know much about art, but these look pretty good.”
    Jason’s stomach clenched. It had been many years since he’d studied the photographs of the stolen paintings. The artist was one of the founders of Angel’s Bay, having survived a shipwreck off the coast. He’d painted the portraits in memory of his lost love, Eve. In one painting, Eve was a sweet, saintly angel with a halo of heavenly light glowing behind her. There was innocence and wonder in her violet-blue eyes. Behind her was a beautiful landscape with a sandy beach and a light blue sky, the blurred colors creating a dreamlike appearance.
    The second portrayed Eve as a sexy, wicked siren beckoning to her lover from where she reposed on a red velvet couch. Her bodice fell off her shoulders, revealing lush breasts, her dark red hair flowing into the background of hot reds, menacing blacks, and fiery oranges.
    In the last portrait, Eve appeared frightened and confused as she was swept off the deck of a shipinto a stormy sea, her desperate hands reaching out for rescue. There were fine lines in Eve’s face, in her hands, as if she were breaking apart in front of the man who loved her.
    There was passion and power in the paintings, and desperation bordering on maniacal. Town legend said that Delgado had gone crazy trying to capture the soul of the woman he’d lost. He’d been haunted by her spirit, and she’d mocked him for getting her wrong over and over again.
    Jason was only looking at photographs, but he could still feel the pull of the art. It was difficult to look away. He had the bizarre notion that Eve was trying to tell him something. Like maybe where she was . . .
    “I wish to hell I could find the paintings,” he told Joe. “I spent a lot of time looking for them, but I couldn’t catch a lead. Not one of the local artists could point me in the direction of a potential buyer, someone who might have commissioned Derek to steal them. No one ever heard a whisper about their whereabouts. I figured Derek probably stashed them somewhere, letting them cool off until he got out of prison.”
    “Do you think he was working alone?”
    “He never gave up another name. But I always thought he had to have help.”
    “If he did, they’ve stayed very quiet.”
    “They have. And they were certainly willing to