Free Something From Tiffany’s by Melissa Hill Page B

that nothing at all was revealed in the store tapes. He and Daisy appeared to have definitely left Tiffany’s with the diamond.
    End of story.
    Ethan thanked the manager and the security team for their assistance, and they in turn promised to offer all support possible, and asked that he keep them apprised of any progress. ‘Thanks, and likewise,’ he said, shaking hands all around.
    Back outside on the street, Ethan couldn’t have been more frustrated.
    ‘What now, Dad?’ Daisy asked.
    ‘I really don’t know, poppet,’ he replied, wracking his brains to try to come up with his next move. If there was no mix-up, no oversight in Tiffany’s, then what on earth could have happened? They’d gone straight back to the hotel after being there, hadn’t they? Or had they stopped off somewhere else . . . ?
    ‘Do you think we could maybe get something to eat now? Sorry, but I’m really hungry.’
    Ethan looked at his watch; it was almost lunchtime and they’d been in the store much longer than he’d anticipated. ‘OK, I suppose we could—’ A sudden screeching of tyres in the background cut off the rest of his sentence. ‘Of course,’ he exclaimed, looking in the direction of the noise. The accident! That was it! That had to be it. He turned to Daisy, his eyes wide. ‘Remember that man, the one who got hit by the cab, the one we helped on Christmas Eve? He had all those packages, remember?’
    ‘Yes . . .’ Daisy nodded, unsure what he was getting at.
    ‘Don’t you remember? When I asked you to gather his things up for him and keep an eye on them . . . is there a chance that there was some confusion, that the man’s things and our things might have got mixed up?’
    All of a sudden, she looked scared. ‘No, no, Dad. I really don’t think so . . .’ She bit her lip; the notion that she could have been the cause of all this was obviously troubling her greatly.
    ‘Honey, it’s OK, it’s really OK if it did, and it isn’t your fault,’ he was quick to reassure her. ‘But it makes perfect sense, doesn’t it? Yes, that has to be it. Right,’ Ethan announced, the weight on his shoulders suddenly feeling a hell of a lot lighter, ‘let’s go and find a restaurant somewhere. Might as well make the most of that New York pizza while we’re here, yes? You can eat as much as you like. Me, I’ve got some phone calls to make.’

Chapter 7
    ‘Look, sir, it’s like I said. I’m sorry, but we just can’t give out that kind of information. It’s against hospital policy. I wish I could help you, though, I really do.’
    ‘You don’t understand,’ Ethan said, stepping closer to the nurses’ station and growing more impatient by the second. He wasn’t usually one to play on his charm (not since his college days at Cambridge, anyway), but it was apparent that this young nurse, Molly, might just be a tiny bit smitten with him and his adorable daughter. And the accent probably didn’t hurt either, Ethan figured.
    After hours of dead-end phone calls and one fruitless hospital mission after another, he finally had a solid lead on the man who had been hit by the cab on Christmas Eve, and he was less and less willing to take no for an answer. Dodging Vanessa on the issue, and trying not to act suspiciously in the meantime hadn’t been easy, but Ethan had come this far and wasn’t giving up now.
    He was a man on a mission, and readily willing to use any tools at his disposal. He moved closer to the desk, cocked his head and gave Molly his most winning smile.
    ‘Sir –’ another nurse, obviously more senior, stepped in and positioned her large frame between him and the desk ‘– I sympathise with you and your “situation”, but you and those big blue eyes can just take it elsewhere. And you, nurse,’ she said, turning to the younger woman, ‘can get back to work.’
    ‘But—’
    She stopped Ethan in his tracks with a disapproving look. ‘Yes, I overheard most of it, and let me tell you that