Through the Night Read Online Free PDF Page B

it even more valuable as an object of art, as well as the obvious connection to Capone.”
    Her gaze, wide with awe, took in the cluster of lily of the valley blossoms that had been intricately etched into the piece of dentin. There were over a dozen buds, and nestled within each flower was an emerald jewel representing the stamen. Just on its own, even without the other components, the one-of-a-kind, custom-made cane top was a stunning collectible and a showpiece. The ivory itself was rare and illegal in today’s market. Linked to Al Capone, the value of the piece rose exponentially.
    “It’s gorgeous,” she said, and took a drink of her spritzer as she raised her curious gaze to his face. “How did you find it?”
    “I was at an estate auction in Chicago about six months ago. Honestly, I just thought it was a cool-looking piece which had been listed as ‘household décor,’ but when I touched the ivory, I was hit with glimpses of where this piece originated, and who it belonged to.” He’d also seen another vision, this one a much more intriguing image of an ivory carving of the Virgin Mary, which had piqued his interest beyond the cane top’s association to Al Capone.
    At the time, he hadn’t known what the flash of insight meant, and he still hadn’t discovered the full connection, but if his gut intuition and tons of research were accurate, once the cane was restored to its full former glory, it would provide the clues that would guide him to a priceless treasure that only a few people knew existed—a rare and valuable ruby worth millions.
    But that wasn’t information Valerie needed to know, so he kept to the facts. As far as Chase was concerned, those other visions had no bearing on what Valerie had been hired to do, which was to help him find the rest of the pieces of the cane.
    “Since no one else was aware of who the cane handle belonged to, I won it for a couple thousand,” he went on. “I figured that somewhere along the way, the ivory piece got lost in the shuffle, and when the person who had it in his possession died, and his estate went to auction, no one realized the true value, which worked to my advantage.”
    He grinned, still remembering the rush he’d gotten when he took ownership of the lily of the valley carving for a fraction of what it was worth. “I had the piece tested and authenticated, and I found a very old photo of Capone using the cane, which he didn’t do often. Once he was incarcerated, the cane mysteriously disappeared and has never been accounted for.”
    Her mouth lifted in a teasing smile. “The other pieces are probably stashed in Al Capone’s vault, the one that Geraldo Rivera hasn’t found yet.”
    Chase laughed at the reference to the greatly hyped TV special that had aired back in 1986 that promised viewers a highly anticipated glimpse of Capone’s hidden riches, only to discover a few empty bottles scattered in the secret dirt-filled room located beneath the Lexington Hotel in Chicago.
    “So, someone took the cane apart, distributed or sold the pieces, and you need to find the rest of the components?” she guessed.
    He nodded and sipped his tequila, enjoying the expensive, rich flavor as it went down his throat, smooth as silk. “Steven is paying me, and you, to recover the bottom portion of the cane. It’ll definitely be worth more as a whole. And since he’s putting his collection of gangster memorabilia on display at the Onyx, having the entire cane in his possession would garner all kinds of publicity for him, and for the casino.”
    She nodded in agreement just as the doorbell rang, surprising Chase with how fast the time had gone by, and how much he’d enjoyed his conversation with Valerie. It was nice having a discussion with someone who understood his ability to read old objects and wasn’t suspicious of him, or his claims, as many others were.
    “Looks like dinner is here,” he said, and closed the lid on the wooden case to keep the ivory