Chapter 28
Stevie checked her watch. Thirty-five minutes had passed. Jaz should hopefully be out of the house now. She just needed to be quick: run up to the bedroom, grab a ring, and get back out. She put the ute in park and looked around. No one was around that she could see. She ran up to the front door and turned the handle. It was locked.
Seriously, Jaz? Who locks their doors in Gungellan? thought Stevie.
Stevie went around to check the back door. It was locked as well. She looked around and saw that one of the upstairs bedroom windows was open.
That's my way in! I just need a ladder to get up there. No sweat. I saw one in the barn when Jaz and I had been there earlier, thought Stevie.
She ran over to the barn and tried to pick up the ladder. It was heavier than she expected, but she could just manage it. She dragged the ladder to the back of the house and leaned it up near the open window. She climbed up and made it into the bedroom.
She looked around for Jaz's jewelry box. She found one and opened it up. It had lots of beautiful earrings and bracelets and necklaces, but it didn't have any rings.
Stevie looked around the room and found another jewelry box. This one was smaller. She opened it up and found a few pieces of really nice jewelry. Some diamond earrings with a matching tennis bracelet and a beautiful string of pearls but, again, no rings!
She noticed a small box to the left of the jewelry box. It looked like a ring box. She opened it up. It was a ring! She looked at the ring. It had a large emerald that was surrounded by some sort of yellow stones. It had some sort of inscription on it. Stevie squinted at it and read:
"2012 Australian National Eventing Champion- 2012 Australian Olympic Equestrian Team Member- Jasmine McLeod."
It figures the only ring I could find is a really important one! Okay. Let's get this measured and get out of here quick before anyone notices a ladder propped up against the house, thought Stevie.
Stevie looked around for a ruler or a tape measure. She went into the home office, and went through the drawers in the kitchen, but she couldn't find anything. Stevie was starting to panic.
Then Stevie realized, String! I could just wrap the string around the inside, mark where it started and ended, and then just measure the string later.
Stevie looked around the kitchen for some sort of string when she heard the door starting to be unlocked.
Jaz was about to walk in and catch me in the house! Fuck! Stevie thought about what she should do.
She put the ring on her pinky finger and darted up the stairs to the bedroom. She went back to the window and climbed down the ladder. She pulled the ladder down so it was on the ground parallel to the house and hid behind a bush. She looked into the kitchen window and saw Hannah in the kitchen, fixing a snack for Kelly.
Figures. Why couldn't they have just been here when she came the first time. Anyway, I just need to measure the ring, then I could just knock on the door, say I needed to pick something up for Ben and go put the ring back, Stevie planned.
When she saw Hannah go into the other room, away from the back of the house, Stevie picked up the ladder and dragged it to the barn. She found a tape measure and went to measure the ring she had placed on her pinky.
It was gone.