The Maharaja's Sarpech (A Prezly/Paladino Investigation, #4) / A Prezly/Paladino Investigation (ePub)

PIs ELVYRA PREZLY AND CHUCK PALADINO HAVE BEEN HIRED TO HELP RECOVER THE SARPECH OF THE MAHARAJA OF PATALIA, A $3 MILLION PIECE OF JEWELRY MISSING FROM THE SAFE OF A LAS CRUCES COUPLE.

The sarpech, bought decades ago through an estate sale, is presumed stolen. The insurer, Silverton Insurance Company of New York, sends their investigator Uma Deet, an expert on Indian jewelry, to meet with Chuck and Elvyra.

They interview Padma Chauhan, the spouse of Samara Jadeja, an interior designer now confined to a memory care facility due to advanced Alzheimer's disease. Padma suggests Chanelle Forester, Samara's personal assistant, might be implicated in the theft, as she had access to the safe. Chanelle disappeared before the police arrived and hasn't been seen since. Elvyra and Chuck conduct an extensive background check and discover Chanelle Forester is an alias. The woman is a grifter and prostitute wanted by the police in New York for theft, attempted murder, and second degree murder, for crimes committed against two ex-boyfriends and a client who paid her for sex.

They find evidence of her systematic looting of Samara's business account, theft of her jewelry and, through DNA analysis, determine she has an accomplice.

Their investigation is complicated by the poisoning of Samara at the memory care facility and the theft of her wedding ring. Will the surveillance cameras reveal who did it and why?

After Samara is hospitalized, Chuck and Elvyra re-analyze the situation, find gaps in Padma's story and return to ask more questions; but this time her answers are evasive. What is she hiding? Has she diverted their attention to conceal her role in the theft?

A stunning confession brings them closer to recovering the sarpech, but the crash of an FBI jet challenges their views about culpability and the meaning of justice.