The insurance agent read the number twice. It belonged to Wade. I asked why my brother-in-law was listed as the contact for jewelry that had been in my house for decades. The agent said the four pieces had been added to a special rider in May, with photographs and appraisals submitted in March. I asked him to read the descriptions. My mother’s wedding ring was first. Then the sapphire earrings she wore every Christmas, a gold bracelet, and the small diamond pendant she’d given me before she died. I told him none of those pieces had ever left my jewelry box.
I confronted my husband that night. He admitted Wade had taken photographs of the jewelry while I was visiting my sister. He said it was only for “documentation” because the pieces were valuable and we needed better insurance. I asked why Wade was listed as the contact. He said Wade was helping him with the paperwork. Then I asked why the appraisals were dated two months before the insurance rider was created. He went quiet. I opened my jewelry box and found the ring and bracelet still there, but the earrings and pendant were gone. He said he’d put them somewhere safe. I asked where. He finally said Wade had them.
The next morning I called Wade myself. He didn’t sound surprised to hear from me. I asked when he’d taken my mother’s jewelry. He said, “Your husband told me you knew.” I told him I absolutely did not. There was a long silence before he said, “Then you need to call the insurance company before Friday.” I asked why Friday mattered. He said the four pieces were being used as collateral for a loan, and my husband had signed the paperwork as the owner. I asked where the jewelry was now. Wade gave me an address. It wasn’t his house. It was a pawn shop across town — and the receipt had my husband’s signature on it.
