Treasure

by K. T. Tomb

  “Well, don’t the two of you look like a regular power couple,” he chortled as he stood.

  “Hi, Uncle Mitch,” Ella said, giving the man a kiss on the cheek.

  Charlie and Mitch exchanged a hearty handshake.

  “I’ve taken the liberty of ordering us some appetizers,” Mitch said.

  He waved to the nearby server. A moment later, a large tray of grilled scallops in brown butter with a side of toast points were placed on the table. The scent of roasted garlic wafted over Ella. She suddenly realized how hungry she felt, and how long the day had been. She scooped some of the scallops onto the small appetizer plate and drizzled the garlic butter over the toast before taking a small bite.

  “You’re going to have to do better than that,” her uncle chided her.

  He turned to Charlie and said, “When she was a girl, we wondered if she had a hollow leg, she ate so much. She could really put it away.”

  “Don’t worry, I’m going to eat,” Ella said. “I hear this place has the most amazing seafood. I’m saving room, but I don’t quite have the hollow leg that I used to.”

  “So, Charlie,” Mitch turned his attention to her husband. “What do you think of the resort?”

  “It’s wonderful,” Charlie said. “Tell me, how long you have worked here?”

  “I did my first technical internship here about ten years ago. I’ve moved up the ranks over the years.”

  “Ten years ago?” Ella said, “Really? That’s about the time that Mr. Lee said he came on as the CEO. Did you know his father?”

  “Unfortunately, I never met him,” Mitch said. “But I know many of the people who knew him.”

  “Do you know Mr. Lee’s assistant?” Ella asked.

  “Only in passing.” He paused to spoon another scallop onto his plate. “She caused a bit of a controversy. After all, she was the one with the business degree; many said that she should have been running the show. There is even speculation that she has been all this time, and that she’s the brains of the operation.”

  “I don’t understand what you mean,” Ella said, coaxing for more information.

  “Shi Jing is a remarkable woman,” Mitch said. “I know their engagement isn’t common knowledge, but word gets around and people are starting to talk. Half the resort staff is already gossiping about it.”

  Charlie motioned for more wine. The server filled Mitch’s glass with the sparkling liquid and the man continued.

  “A lot of people in the company think she’s making a play for the top role. Legally, once they are married, she owns half the company.”

  “You don’t think he would do a prenuptial agreement?” Ella said. “A man of his considerable means?”

  “That’s not really his style,” Mitch said, draining his glass nearly halfway. “He’s got a soft spot when it comes to her.”

  “Or a blind spot,” Ella muttered.

  “What do you mean?” Mitch said.

  “Oh, nothing,” Ella said. “Tell us more, Uncle Mitch.”

  He chuckled and ruffled her bangs like he did when she was a child. She placed her hands on her chin and settled in to hear his tale. He puffed his chest slightly at the attention.

  “Well, she was responsible for hiring Carol as the art dealer for the resort. Apparently, they had known each other from school years before; the two went way back. Shi Jing had gotten the P.A. job right out of school, but Carol hadn’t been so lucky. She had to work her way into establishing herself in the art world as someone who really knew her stuff. It took her a while and she had to call in some favors; one of those favors involved the call to Shi Jing.”

  “But Carol Chapman has an impeccable reputation in the field,” Charlie said.

  “Now she does,” Mitch clarified. “There is no doubt she knows what she’s doing. She can spot a forgery from a mile away.”

  Ella interjected.

  “I’m confused about something. You said that Carol and Jing knew each other from school. Is that right?”

  “That’s right,” Mitch responded.

  “So, they had lost touch at some point, do you think?”

  “What are you getting at, Ella?” Charlie said.

  “Well, if they not only knew each other, but were close friends when they were in school, then maybe Shi Jing is involved in the ring somehow.”

  “That can’t be,” Charlie said. “Mr. Lee insisted that she was innocent in all this.”

  “I’m not so sure,” Ella said. “I went to see Carol today at the jail, but I didn’t get much from her. She became defensive when I mentioned Jing.”

  They paused the conversation as the waiter brought their plates, Lobster Thermidor on a bed of roasted vegetables, alongside a large basket of steaming buttery yeast rolls. Ella sunk her teeth into the mouthwatering, buttery taste of the lobster meat, momentarily distracted from the mystery at hand, and reveling in the sublime flavor.

  “Defensive how?” Charlie asked.

  “She adamantly insisted that Shi Jing had nothing to do with anything that was going on, but if she’s the only one with access to the coins besides Lee, then either she or someone she let in took them.”

  “The coins,” Mitch said. “You mean the collection that came down to him when Lee inherited the company?”

  “I think so,” said Ella.

  “Shoo! This is getting good,” said Mitch.

  It had become apparent to both Ella and Charlie that the wine was loosening his tongue.

  “Those coins are the whole reason the forgeries were discovered in the first place.”

  “What do you mean?” Ella said, chewing on a red baby potato.

  “The coins once belonged to an old acquaintance of Lee’s, from the village that he grew up in.”

  Ella gasped.

  “Would you happen to know the name of that acquaintance?”

  Mitch looked at her and chuckled. “Why would I know that? What do you think I am, some sort of information fountain?”

  Ella shrugged and smiled. Mitch continued.

  “I do know that there is a title of ownership for those coins. Mr. Lee has that in his files.”

  Ella and Charlie exchanged a look that read: We need to find those files!

  They finished the rest of the meal, continuing the conversation and veering to more casual topics. Mitch explained that should they ever need him, he would be able to talk to them about anything else that might be helpful. One of the perks of working in resorts, he said. He was just a phone call away.

  At the end of the evening, they said goodnight to Mitch, making sure he had a taxi after the amount of wine they had consumed over dinner. Ella and Charlie decided to walk along the edge of the pier and enjoy the ocean air, refreshing themselves after the rich meal and wine. Without realizing it, Mitch had given them most of the information that they needed to continue. They had to determine the connection between Carol and Jing. Old school buddies? Close friends? Something else entirely?

  “Now you are just being weird,” Charlie said when Ella suggested the idea.

  “I think I’d like to talk to Shi Jing,” Ella said. “I wonder if I can do that.”

  “Why not?” Charlie asked. “After all, Mr. Lee considers us friends. Why can’t we befriend her as well?”

  “Good point,” Ella said, as they walked into the night.

  Across the cove, they could see the marina where Carol’s boat was moored. In the darkness, they could only see the lights reflecting off of the surface of the dark sea water. The harbor itself remained hidden in the shadows. Ella wondered what had become of the boat since Carol had been arrested.

  “It’s been taped off as a crime scene. They are still chronicling the hidden pieces found on the vessel. Apparently, she used the boat itself for smuggling quite often. They may even just submit the boat as evidence, but it’s probably still there,” Charlie said.

  “Interesting,” Ella mused. They walked on into the night, slowly heading back to the hotel.

  Chap
ter Nine

  “Benjamin Lee’s office. How may I help you?” the crisp voice on the other end of the line answered.

  Ella took a breath.

  “Hi, my name is Ella Colton. Am I speaking with Shi Jing?”

  “Yes,” the voice said. “Did you need to speak with Mr. Lee? I can connect you to his voicemail if you’d like.”

  “No, thank you,” Ella said. “Actually I was hoping to speak with you.”

  “With me?” The sound of confusion permeated her voice.

  “Yes, I wondered if maybe we could have coffee together; if you have some time this afternoon.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  Ella put as much smile as she could into her voice.

  “It’s a little bit embarrassing, actually. It seems we are going to be spending some time in the Caymans and I just wanted to... um... have a little bit of girl time.”

  “I see. Okay. I can meet you at the lobby bar this afternoon. Two o’clock. I’ll put it in my schedule.”

  Jing remained professional the entire time she spoke with Ella. Ella imagined that was her tone anytime she scheduled something for Mr. Lee.

  Ella arrived at the bar first later that afternoon. The small restaurant was sparsely populated and she was able to get a seat by the window overlooking the patio. The tropical heat had reached soaring temperatures and Ella was glad for the air-conditioned indoor climate. A moment later, Jing arrived. She looked striking with her raven hair and professional attire. Ella could understand Mr. Lee’s devotion. She stood to greet the woman with a light handshake. They ordered two iced coffees.

  “How do you do?” Jing asked as she sat across from Ella at the table.

  In person, Ella noticed she still had a slight lilt of the Chinese accent to her voice, almost imperceptible.

  “How are you?” Ella said. “It’s lovely to meet you.”

  “Likewise.”

  The woman’s words were friendly, but Ella could see her demeanor remained cool and distant.

  “So, I hear you are getting married soon. Congratulations!” Ella began, hoping to develop a rapport of trust. To Ella’s surprise, Shi Jing very suddenly burst into tears.

  “Oh no,” Ella said. “I didn’t mean...I’m sorry.”

  Ella scrambled to find napkins and fumbled, handing them to Jing.

  “It is I who must apologize,” Jing said in halting words. “I am tired of lying. I need to tell someone.”

  Ella sat back and considered for a moment.

  “Okay. It’s alright. You can tell me.”

  “Ben and I knew each other as children. His father and my father were close work associates. Our families spent a great deal of time together and we were close in age. Over time, we became good friends. As we grew up, everyone assumed that we would marry, but that is not what I wanted.”

  “You didn’t love him?” Ella asked.

  “On the contrary, for a while, I loved him very much,” she continued. “But the older we got, the more I came to understand the relationship between our families. As you know, he was the heir to this great empire. My father was a merchant in a fishing village. The chasm between us was so great.”

  “But I don’t understand,” Ella said.

  “In China, there is still a class system. The country has become very westernized in the last decades, but underneath that, there is still the undercurrent of imperialistic practices. My family was considered to be part of the lowest class, the farmers and fish merchants, but Ben insisted he could rescue me from that station. He wanted nothing more than to marry me so I would be considered upper class like him. He knew it would bring shame to his family, but his devotion to me never wavered.”

  “Why didn’t you marry him?” Ella asked.

  “Even though I was considered low class, a fishmonger’s daughter, I knew who I was. If I married him just to escape my class status, what would that make me? I had to prove to everyone that I was more than that. Prove to myself that I was more than that. I would not agree to become a pawn in someone else’s game.”

  Ella nodded, taking in every detail of the story. Jing continued.

  “I went to Shanghai for business school and that was where I met Carol for the first time. We became friends almost instantly. She had the same drive as me, the same ambition. We both wanted to escape our past, to prove our worth to the world. I know I can’t marry Ben. In essence, I’ve achieved nothing without him. If he hadn’t given me this job, I’d still just be a nothing.”

  “Ben told us everything the other day. He admires you for everything you’ve done and who you are. In fact, when we were convinced that you had something to do with the missing coins, he stood up for you and told us that you couldn’t have had anything to do with it.”

  Jing looked up slowly from the cluster of napkins in her hand.

  “I wasn’t sure at first, but when I went to speak with Carol, she said the same. So, I doubt you have anything to worry about. There’s nothing to implicate you; I just wanted to know if you could maybe point me in the right direction.”

  At that Jing managed to crack a tiny smile. Ella knew she had struck gold. It was game, set and match. She looked at her watch and then back at Jing.

  “Sorry to have taken up your time, Jing, but I’ve got to go meet Charlie now. We’re trying to see if we can get any help on this from the local police, so I have to go, but it was great talking with you. Let’s do this again sometime.”

  “Sure, Ella,” was all she had to say.

  ***

  It was especially dark in the marina that night.

  The sky was plagued with clouds and the moonlight was blocked from view. Sergeant Laurent had been skeptical of what Charlie and Ella had theorized about Carol and Jing and what they had done with the coins. He told them that they had searched every nook and cranny of the boat and found nothing, but Charlie was not convinced. Something about how Carol had produced the gun to shoot him that night kept bothering him.

  “It was as if it appeared out of thin air,” he had told the policeman. “She drew it from a hidden panel behind the wall or something.”

  “I’m telling you, Colton,” he insisted, “we searched that thing high and low and in between. There aren’t any secret compartments on board that vessel. Maybe you just didn’t see where she was carrying it.”

  Charlie shook his head in disbelief but decided to let it go. After dinner with Mitch, when they had walked past the marina, Ella had come up with an idea they agreed was the only way to answer all their questions at once: bait Jing. If she was as innocent as Lee thought, then they wouldn’t have lost anything by trying, but if she wasn’t; the whole case would be blown sky high.

  The three of them now sat crouched down on the deck of a vessel a few slips over from The Gemstone, watching it with night vision binoculars. Ella hoped that Jing would be the next person she saw walking down the marina so she could lead them all right to the stolen coins. She opened the top of the beverage canister she had brought with her and poured both men a cup of hot coffee. They would need to stay alert; who knew when, or if, anyone would turn up at the marina.

  Ella sat down with her back against the side of the boat and sipped her cup patiently. Even though they had already been out there for four hours, she knew what she had seen on Jing’s face that afternoon; she doubted that they would be disappointed.

  At midnight, Sergeant Laurent decided that they should take shifts watching while the other two could sit or lie down and rest on the deck. He decided to take the first watch, and it wasn’t long after that he saw a slender figure in black walking briskly down the quay toward them and The Gemstone. He tapped Charlie on the shoulder and nodded to him, signaling that it was going down. Charlie, in turn, woke Ella up. The three of them watched quietly as the figure carefully boarded the Gemstone and immediately went below decks.

  “Swoop! Swoop! Swoop!” Laurent yelled into a walkie-talkie.

  Instantaneously, the marina was flooded with light. A searc
h boat from the Marine police unit trained its blinding spotlight directly on the vessel as uniformed policemen boarded the yacht by the dozen.

  When Laurent, Charlie and Ella arrived at the bottom of the gangplank, they were bringing Jing up from below decks. The first officer held her handcuffed body upright by the arm and led her down to a waiting police car, while the second emerged, holding a black bag in his fist. He handed it to Sergeant Laurent and led the other policemen off the deck.

  Laurent turned to look at the honeymooners. They both had expectant looks on their faces. Was this what they had been searching for? He pulled the string loose and poured the contents of the bag into his palm. Out fell the missing gold Cortez coins.

  “I told you there were panels in there. You didn’t find everything that’s there, Laurent. I would bet money on it.”

  “I guess we’ll be finding out a lot more about this yacht and its secrets from her, not to mention from Ms. Chapman.”

  “I guess you will.”

  Chapter Ten

  Charlie, Ella and Sergeant Laurent sat around the conference table in Benjamin’s office a few mornings later. The policeman had brought over something that he thought would give them all some much-needed answers; the tapes from Jing’s interrogation.

  They all sat around the table listening.

  “…Carol and I, we started something during that time that we held onto for the last ten years, a business venture. That is the secret. Carol and I have been associates since the beginning. She is just a lackey. I am the one behind the forgeries and the smuggled goods. I have eyes everywhere. I wanted the jade necklace smuggled to the states and I needed you to do it. Carol sensed that the two of you would mark her, and so she threw herself at Charlie as a distraction so no one would suspect me. She made herself the biggest target in the room. Neither one of us counted on how observant you both turned out to be.

  “It is such a relief to share this with someone. We used the black market to our advantage since we couldn’t start a legitimate business together. My family name meant that I was recognized nearly everywhere I went. No one wanted to hire me. The Shi name is a known fish merchant name. I could not find legitimate work despite my education and connections. Desperate people do desperate things. The whole time I struggled as well because I knew that at a moment’s notice I could agree to Ben’s proposal and it would all go away. But I knew that if I did that, I would be a kept woman. I did not want that. Also...I...”