“Why did the woman at the race remind you of her?” Regan asked.

“When Anna did the makeup for me and my bridesmaids the day of the wedding, she had to keep bending over because we didn’t have a chair that was the right height. Her back started to bother her. She started joking around and did a few stretches and some running in place. That woman at the race was moving and stretching just the way Anna did! She massaged her neck with both hands, exactly as Anna did. And her jaw was moving constantly, just like Anna’s! Anna popped breath mints every two seconds. I think she gave some of her clients a complex. You know how when people offer you a breath mint, you think it’s because you need it.”

“Do you remember her last name?” Regan asked quickly.

“Ohhhh, what was it?” Linda shook her head. “I don’t remember. I’ll have to call my hairdresser. He recommended her to me. It was eight years ago.”

“Can you call your hairdresser now?” Regan asked.

“Sure.”

“Here, use my cell phone,” Jack said, pulling it out of his pocket. “I’ll dial the number for you.”

“I know that number by heart,” Linda said. “It’s a good thing I didn’t switch hairdressers, or he’d never take my call. And not many women in New York keep the same hairdresser forever. The number is 212…”

Jack dialed and handed her the phone.

When the receptionist at the salon answered, she told Linda that Rocco was with a very important client and would have to call back.

“Tell Rocco this is urgent!” Linda demanded, authority in her voice. “Tell him I’m calling from my home in Ireland.”

“Just a moment.”

Regan, Jack, Breda, Brad, and Linda were all standing in the living room, anxiously waiting for Rocco to put down his scissors and come to the phone. Breda had all her fingers crossed.

“Hello, Rocco,” Linda said.

They listened as she asked him about Anna.

“I know she disappeared off the face of the earth without saying goodbye… I don’t know if she ever got married… What was her last name?…Hager…that’s right. It was Hager. Thanks, Rocco, I’ll see you the minute I get back-cut and color. Bye.” Linda handed the phone back to Jack. “Anna Hager was a makeup artist in New York City. Rocco recommended her to all his clients for years, then eight years ago she was gone.”

“Could something have happened to her?” Regan asked.

Linda shook her head. “When we couldn’t find Anna, Rocco went to her apartment to see if she was okay. She’d given her landlord three days’ notice, paid the rent, and moved out. It really hurt Rocco’s feelings that she didn’t tell him. He sent her a lot of clients.”

“Thank you, Linda,” Regan said. “We’ll look into it. It could be that Anna just wanted to make a change in her life.”

“New York can be a rat race,” Linda said. “And she seemed like such a nice girl. I cannot believe she might be a jewel thief.”

“A jewel thief who knows a lot about how to disguise herself,” Jack said. “And Anna was a makeup artist. But, listen, we can’t convict her yet. We’ll follow up on this and let you know what we find.”

Linda’s face went pale. “I just remembered something Anna told me.”

“What?” Regan asked.

“She told me she’d done makeup for a magician who taught her a few tricks…like how to steal someone’s watch right off their wrist. We laughed about it. It seemed like a joke at the time.”

“If Anna is our Jane Doe, then it’s not a joke anymore,” Jack said. “We’d better get going.”

Anna and Bobby were almost home. Bobby had complained about his tooth repeatedly, questioned the wisdom of stealing the Claddagh rings, and then to Anna’s delight had lowered his seat and fallen asleep. They were both exhausted. She longed for some music but didn’t turn on the radio for fear she’d waken him. We’ll go home and take it easy, she thought, then wondered what they should have for dinner. Nothing too chewy.

As they entered the village of Westweg, which was only a fifteen-minute drive from their home, Anna decided to make a quick stop. She’d been in the general store once and remembered they had delicious soup and sandwiches. I’ll run in and see what kind of soup they have today, she thought. That’s all Bobby will want tonight, I’m sure.

When she parked the car, Bobby didn’t even wake up. She quietly got out, crossed the street, and hurried inside the store. The aroma of fresh baked bread and spices filled the shop, and she was glad she’d made the effort to stop. A man’s voice called out from the back. “I’ll be right with you. Sorry, my wife ran out for a few minutes. She should be returning soon, at least I hope she will.”

“Okay,” Anna said politely, looking around. She took a basket and started filling it with groceries. She reached up to a shelf against the wall and grabbed a box of cookies.

“May I help you?”

“Oh!” Anna squeaked, whirling around and taking in the sight of a ruddy-faced, barrel-chested man with black hair and a mustache. “I didn’t hear you.”

“Are you all right?” he asked, then smiled. “I’m not that scary, am I?”

“No, you’re not. I’m very tired, that’s all. What’s your soup today?”

“Chicken noodle.”

“Could I have a large container please?”

“Sure.” He turned and headed for the kitchen.

Anna finished shopping, walked to the back, and started unloading her groceries from the basket onto the counter.

“I can’t believe my wife isn’t back yet,” the storekeeper said, putting the hot container on the counter and then ringing up the charges.

“I’m sure she’ll show up soon,” Anna said.

“You don’t know my wife,” he grumbled good-naturedly.

Anna paid him in cash and watched as he bagged her items.

“Here you go,” he said, pushing the bag toward her. “Well, what do you know, there’s my wife now-blathering on in the street. I told her she talks too much.”

Anna turned to look. Through the glass window she could see a woman talking animatedly to a young couple. Anna gasped. It was Jack Reilly and his wife, Regan!

“What’s the matter?” the storekeeper asked. “You seem a little jumpy.”

“As I said, I’m tired. It’s been a long day. You know what? I’d love to have another large container of soup. It smells delicious. With this damp weather, I’m sure we’ll be eating it for days. And my husband doesn’t feel well.”

“That’s a shame. But nothing tastes better than a nice bowl of hot chicken soup…” He turned toward the stove, his sentence trailing off.

Anna stood with her back to the window. She was frantic. Jack Reilly probably doesn’t know what we look like, but the last thing I want to do is come face-to-face with him. I just hope Bobby doesn’t wake up. If he does and decides to get out of the car without realizing Jack Reilly’s in the street… I should never have stopped here-never. Nervously, Anna reached in her purse, retrieved a breath mint, and popped it in her mouth. As she bit into it, she could hear the door to the store creaking open. Anna held her breath.

“Let me know what happens, would you, please?” a woman’s voice yelled, obviously talking to someone outside. “And if you need my help at all, please, just give a call… Grand, that would be grand… Brilliant…”

“Here’s your soup. I hope your husband feels better.”

“Thank you.” Anna paid again and slowly put the change in her purse.

The sound of the door closing and a woman calling “I’m back!” was music to Anna’s ears. She turned to catch a glimpse of Jack Reilly and his wife getting into a car and driving off. Flooded with relief, Anna picked up her bag of groceries and headed for the door.

“Get everything you need?” the woman asked her.

“Yes, thank you.” Anna hurried outside and across the small street to the safety of her car. Though thrilled to have made her escape, she would have been very interested in what the woman inside the store was telling her husband. Breda couldn’t get the words out fast enough.