Midnight Jewels

then decided to make a clean sweep by checking the guest rooms to see if there were any stray wallets lying around? It's possible."
    "You don't sound convinced."
    "All the other guests are booked into ground floor rooms. You and I were the only ones on the second floor. Why would the guy risk going up the outside of the building when it would have been much easier and more lucrative to hit the rooms down below?"
    "Who knows? Maybe he couldn't figure out which rooms were occupied and which weren't. At this time of night everyone's lights would probably have been turned off. It would be difficult—" Mercy was interrupted by a siren in the distance. "Good. The authorities are almost here."
    "For all the good it'll do," Croft muttered.
    "What's the matter with you? We had to call someone. What have you got against
the
local authorities?"
    "Nothing. I just don't happen to have a lot of faith in the official enforcers of law and order."
    "Honestly, Croft, sometimes you're very cynical." She got slowly to her feet and turned toward him. "It's too bad I didn't get a good look at the guy. All I saw was the outline of a man against the window. It was so dark outside and I—"
    She broke off as for the first time she caught sight of what lay behind the open door of the inner office. "
Croft
!"
    He followed her stricken gaze. "Take it easy, Mercy.
Valley is safe
."
    "I didn't realize whoever it was had gotten into the safe!" She leaped toward the doorway, staring in horror at the open safe. One quick glance confirmed that there was nothing left inside. "It's gone. Croft, he took
Valley
. My whole future in the book business. He just walked off with it. Probably doesn't even know what he's got. Just assumed it was valuable because it was in a safe. Damn it to hell, if I ever get my hands on whoever did this I'll strangle him."
    "Mercy, calm down." The sirens were louder now and the first of the emergency vehicles was pulling into the motel parking lot. Croft moved from the desk and gripped Mercy's shoulders from behind. "Listen to me,
Valley
is safe. I have it upstairs in my room." His tone was low and forceful.
    She whirled around to face him. "You can't have it upstairs. I put it in the safe and someone's taken it."
    "I took it out earlier this evening."
    Confusion washed through her. "Why would you do that? When did you do it? And how would you get it out? I'm the one who had to sign for it. Croft, this is insane. I demand to know what's going on."
    "I'll tell you later."
    "You'll tell me now!"
    He shook his head once. "No, not now. Now we have to talk to the sheriff and I want you to follow my lead."
    "What are you going to do? Lie to him?" She was furious.
    "I'm going to tell him the truth. It's always easier as long as you don't get carried away with all the little nuances and ramifications. We'll keep it simple."
    "I don't understand, Croft." She was more than furious. She was totally mystified. None of this was making any sense, and the most worrisome part was that Croft seemed coolly in control.
    "You don't have to understand it all right now. Just let me do the talking. You can tell him about seeing the figure at the window, but let it go at that. "I'll handle everything else."
    Mercy wanted to tell him he was crazy, that she was not about to lie to the authorities. She wanted to inform him in no uncertain terms that she would not allow herself to be dictated to in such a manner. She wanted to scream at him that she was not stupid enough to let a man she had known only three days tell her what to do in such a serious situation.
    But his hazel eyes were calm and reassuring as he tried to impress his quiet commands on her. His strong hands clamped around her shoulders seemed to be draining her will to resist.
    "Mercy, you know you can trust me."
    "No, I don't know that." But the protest was weak and she knew it. Outside in the parking lot a siren was choked off as the sheriff's vehicle came to a halt. A car door opened and someone got out. The uniformed figure started toward the office door.
    Without any warning Croft's eyes went from calm and reassuring to terrifyingly ruthless. The hands on her shoulders tightened only slightly, but Mercy felt as if she were suddenly trapped in steel claws. Croft's will inundated her, a huge, silent wave of male power that could not be denied. She shivered as she looked up at him.
    "Damn it, Croft, you have no right to intimidate me like this," Mercy hissed.
    "I don't have any option.