Hidden Agemda (Kate Diamond Adventure)

by Leighann Dobbs

  “I sure do,” Vic said.

  “Yeah, those were the days,” Benny added.

  “Why darts?” Gertie, one of the Golden Capers retirees who had been an expert safe cracker back in the day, held Sal’s thumb up in front of her face.

  “That’s a good question.” Kate looked back at the glacier, which was now empty. Who were those men on the snowmobiles?

  “They were probably afraid that gunshots might cause the iceberg to break up or start an avalanche,” Benny offered.

  “Were those Crowder’s men chasing you?” Vic asked,

  I’m not sure.” Kate pursed her lips together. “I never saw that many men at the ice hotel … but who else could it have been?”

  “Well, you’re safe now, dear.” Carlotta helped Kate wriggle out of the backpack. “Is the ruby inside?”

  “Yes.” Kate sipped the martini, enjoying the sting in the back of her throat.

  “I’ve been dying to get a look at it.” Carlotta pushed a pile of empty drink glasses aside and set the bag on a glass-topped table. “May I?”

  “Sure.” Kate collapsed into a chair, coming down from the rush of adrenalin and starting to feel a sense of elation and pride that she’d pulled the job off and was on her way back to the museum with the ruby.

  She sipped her drink as she watched her mother take the ruby out of the backpack and place it carefully on the table, walking around the table in a circle to look at it from all sides.

  Kate’s stomach started to sink as she noticed Carlotta’s forehead crease slightly. Carlotta bent down level with the table to stare at the ruby, then tilted her head this way and that to see it from all angles. Kate didn’t like the way her mother’s lips were drawing tighter and tighter together.

  Finally, Carlotta looked up at Kate—the look in her eye causing Kate’s heart to sink.

  “This isn’t a real ruby … it’s a fake.”

  Chapter Ten

  “What do you mean it’s a fake?” Kate stood in the middle of Gideon’s lab, with her fists planted on her hips as she watched him inspect the Millennia Ruby with a magnifying glass refractometer.

  He looked at her, his owlishly large green eyes apologetic. “Sorry, but this rock is not an actual gemstone.” He held the magnifying glass to the rock and motioned for her to look through it. “See how the bubbles and striations are uniform? How it has curved lines?”

  Kate nodded.

  “Well, that indicates this is glass. Real gemstones and crystals don’t have uniform bubbles or swirls.”

  Kate stood back, crossing her arms against her chest. “So Max sent me on a wild goose chase, risking my life to steal a big hunk of glass?”

  Gideon shook his head. “No. The Millennia Ruby that we had in the museum was real. I verified it myself.”

  “So what are you saying? Someone stole the real ruby and replaced it with a fake?”

  “That’s the only logical conclusion.”

  Kate sighed as she flopped into one of the chairs. Daisy jumped up into her lap, licked her face and then curled up in a ball. Kate stroked the dog’s silky ears. “But why would someone do that?”

  Gideon shrugged. “Well, either the person that stole it gave a fake to Crowder … or Crowder had it faked and was trying to pass it off to someone at the auction.”

  Kate pressed her lips together. “Crowder would have to be really stupid to pass off a fake ruby. It would ruin his reputation, not to mention whoever he sold it to might kill him for it.”

  “I’m sure he must have the items that get consigned to the auctions inspected by his own people,” Gideon said. “Like you say, it is his reputation on the line and he’s getting these things from thieves, so surely he would want verification.”

  “Right, he wouldn’t have gotten as far as he did in that business if he didn’t take steps to ensure he was selling the real thing.”

  Gideon’s computer made a coughing noise and Kate’s brows drew together as she looked over at it.

  “There’s one other solution.” Kate’s stomach flip-flopped as she heard Max’s velvety smooth baritone come out of the computer. She narrowed her eyes at Gideon … had Max been listening in all along?

  “What’s that?” Kate asked, shooting up from the chair and dumping Daisy to the ground in her rush to get over to the computer monitor.

  “Someone stole it after Crowder verified it, and replaced it with a fake to buy time before anyone realized it had been stolen.”

  “Who would do that?” she asked, sliding into the chair in front of the computer and angling the monitor to face her. “That seems risky … I mean, when would they even have the opportunity?.”

  “Same time you did.”

  Kate fiddled with the monitor, but the screen wouldn’t come on. “You mean at the ice hotel?”

  Kate slapped the side of the monitor, trying to get it to respond.

  Gideon noticed Kate whacking the monitor and came over to help. “That would be the perfect place. The thief would know it had already been validated by Crowder and no one would suspect a switch until after the auction once the new owner had the ruby verified … if they even bothered.”

  “Precisely,” Max said. “No one would be looking for the ruby since no one would know it was stolen.”

  “Jeez, that seems like an awful lot of work and risk,” Kate said leaning over the monitor to tug on the cables in back of it. “And if it’s true, that means someone at the ice hotel still has it. Once Crowder notices it’s missing, he’ll search everyone and they’ll be caught.”

  “Actually, they won’t,” Max said. “You covered for them perfectly. Crowder will think Chyna’s imposter stole it and look no further.”

  Kate’s stomach sank, not only had she disappointed Max by bringing back a fake ruby, but she’d made it possible for someone else to get away with the real ruby.

  “Boy, that thief is going to be happily surprised when they wake up and find out someone stole the fake ruby,” Kate said.

  “They’ll have a free ride since everyone will be looking for the Chyna Hunt imposter,” Gideon added, bending under the table and coming up with the unattached end of the monitor cord.

  “Frankly, I think it’s a lot of trouble to go through for this particular item. But it makes me want it back even more,” Max said. “Kate, this makes your job a little easier since you were at the hotel and you know all the people involved—you simply need to figure out which one of them stole it from a very narrow list of suspects.”

  Kate exchanged a glance with Gideon—Max made it sound like it was going to be so easy. “Right, of course. Piece of cake.”

  Kate heard a knock coming from the computer and then the voice of Mercedes LaChance assaulted her ears. “Your appointment is here, Max.”

  Kate felt a jolt of panic—Max was about to sign off! She grabbed the monitor cable out of Gideon’s hand.

  “I’ve got a meeting now, but Kate?” Max paused.

  “Yes?” Kate prompted as she shoved the cable end into the monitor.

  “I know you’ll do a great job.”

  “Wait!” The cable connected and the monitor surged to life just in time to see a broad chest in a crisp royal blue shirt standing up from the desk. Kate’s spirits deflated as she watched the back of Maximilian Forbes walk away from the computer—her first glimpse of her elusive boss and all she saw was a pair of broad shoulders and a lock of curly black hair.

  Kate stared at the monitor, now showing Max’s empty chair for a split second, then jumped back in her seat as Mercedes’ face filled the screen.

  “Hi Gideon.” Mercedes smiled widely.

  “Hi Mercy.” Gideon waved at the screen. Kate raised a brow at him and mouthed ‘Mercy?’ to which Gideon shrugged.

  “I’m having a tuna sandwich delivered to the lab for your lunch, Gid.” Mercedes trilled as she looked over Kate’s shoulder at Gideon. She shifted her gaze to Kate, her eyes turning cold. “Don’t forget to turn in your expense report by the end of the w
eek, Diamond.”

  Then the screen went blank.

  ***

  Kate slumped back in the chair. Not only had she just wasted three days risking her life to steal a fake ruby, now she had to figure out who stole the real one and try to steal it from them. And she’d missed a chance to actually see what Max looked like.

  “Don’t feel so bad, Kate.” Gideon perched on the corner of the desk beside her. “At least you got a chance to see Antarctica. How was it by the way?”

  “Cold. Snowy. Dangerous,” she said, her heart tugging at his crestfallen look. “But it was beautiful just like you said it would be. The stars, the snow, the peacefulness.”

  Kate remembered the penguins and took the Tic-Tac box from her pocket, tossing it to Gideon. “I did manage to get some pictures of the penguins, although I can’t say how good they came out. I took them while flying through the air on your ski-cycle.”

  Gideon caught the box in mid-air. “So, the ski-cycle worked out for you?”

  “Absolutely. It probably saved my life.” Kate shivered, thinking about what might have happened if she didn’t have the shield to prevent those darts from finding their way into her back.

  “I’m glad you came back in one piece.” Gideon got up from the desk and walked over to another table, this one cluttered with bottles, Bunsen burners, test tubes and vials. “I don’t know if what was in the darts will help you out, but I’m going to analyze it. I don’t, however, need this.” Gideon held up Sal’s thumb.

  “Thanks, I’ll give it back to him.” Kate reached out and took the thumb, started to put it in her pocket, and then hesitated, wondering where the appropriate place to carry someone’s prosthetic thumb was. She’d have to do something special for Sal; he’d let her take the thumb with the dart intact so Gideon would have enough of whatever substance was on it to be able to analyze.

  “At least you have only a small list of suspects to work with,” Gideon said as he sat down in front of a row of bubbling test tubes.

  “Right. Small list.” Kate tapped her finger on her lips as she thought about the invitees at the ice palace.

  Who was most likely to steal the ruby?

  Simon had seemed aloof, cagey. It could have been him. And what about Westlake? He’d come late to the party and Kate swore there was something strange about him. Then again, Simon and Westlake were too obvious. But the Powell’s would be the least obvious of all of them. Maybe she should start with them, she couldn’t think of anyone less obvious … except …

  Kate snapped her fingers and shot out of the chair. “I think I know who stole the ruby!”

  Chapter Eleven

  Gideon had work to do at the lab, so Kate headed home for an afternoon of research. She was still tired after her trip to Antarctica and needed a relaxing afternoon followed by a good night’s sleep if she wanted to be refreshed and ready to track down the ruby thief.

  Sliding her glass of wine onto the coffee table next to her laptop, she snuggled down into her soft, beige microfiber sofa. Kicking her shoes off, she let out a sigh of contentment. Even though she loved going on adventures, there was a lot of truth to the saying ‘there’s no place like home’.

  She closed her eyes for a split-second then popped them back open again. She didn’t have time for napping—she had a job to do. Leaning forward, she pressed the button on her laptop to wake it up from sleep mode, then went straight to google and typed ‘Jon Nguyen’.

  She scrolled through the listings. There were plenty of Jon Nguyens but none that fit the description of the elderly man she’d met at the ice hotel. She felt certain he was the one who stole the ruby. He had a perfect cover, especially if he was faking the illness. Kate had to admit, his act had been very convincing. Still, needing immediate medical attention was a perfect way to make a getaway and, as Kate recalled, the oxygen tank he kept at his side, was the perfect size for storing the Millennia Ruby. All he had to do was break in, like Kate had, steal the ruby, replace it with the fake, go back to his room and fake the medical emergency. Kate did wonder how he got the giant guard out of the way—maybe they were in on it together?

  The specifics of how he stole it didn’t really matter—finding him did. Kate scrolled through the pages, glancing at each entry and exploring the ones she thought might lead her to the real Nguyen, the level of wine in her glass diminishing with each page.

  “Meow!”

  Kate’s attention was drawn to the window where the gray tiger-striped tomcat she called Archimedes peered in at her with large yellow eyes from his perch on the fire escape. Kate didn’t know if the cat was a stray or belonged to one of the neighbors—she hoped the latter as he did have a collar and looked to be well cared for. He’d been coming to Kate’s window ever since she moved into the old brick brownstone two years ago. Kate always let him in—she enjoyed the company and her job consisted of too much travel for her to adopt a pet of her own.

  Springing up from the couch, she walked over to the row of seven-foot tall windows—one of the features that attracted her to the apartment in the first place, along with the exposed brick, hardwood floors, vintage architecture and Boston suburb address.

  She unlatched the window and poked her head out as the cat slipped inside. The view wasn’t much. Kate was on the third floor and the window looked down the length of a black metal fire escape that wound its way down the building and to the alley below. Across the alley was another brick building. Beyond that, she could see a tiny section of the Boston skyline, but only if she angled her head just so. She watched her breath come out in a puff of condensation as she strained to see the view—it was late November and the air was getting cold.

  “Meow!”

  Kate pulled her head in from the window and latched it shut. She looked down at the cat who was weaving his way around her ankles and her heart tugged—she hoped he had a warm place for the winter.

  “Hey Archie, want some tuna?”

  “Meow!” Archimedes made a beeline for the kitchen and Kate followed, grabbing a can of tuna from the fridge and putting some on a plate, which the cat gobbled down in record time.

  Kate returned to the couch and stared at the computer screen. She couldn’t seem to find anything in Google on the Jon Nguyen. She double-clicked on the icon to launch the software program Gideon had given her that searched birth records and driver’s license databases, typed Nguyen’s name in and sat back while the computer did its work.

  Archimedes jumped onto her lap and rubbed his face against her chin before curling up in a ball, his tail tucked around his face. Kate stroked the soft fur, her heart flooding with warmth—it felt good to have another warm body near her, even if it was just a stray cat.

  Her eyes drifted to a picture in the center of her oak bookshelf. It showed the view from a crisp white stucco building atop a hill, the white gate and walls framing the view of the crystal blue Aegean Sea. This had been the view from her hideaway in Greece where she’d tracked and captured Damien Darkstone. With the help of Ace Mason. Her gut churned just thinking about it—the picture was a painful reminder of one of the best times of her life that had turned sour.

  Fighting the tears that pricked the backs of her eyes, she pushed Archimedes aside and marched over to the picture, laying it face down on the shelf. She had no time to think about the past or cry over what might have been. She had a thief to catch.

  Kate poured herself another glass of wine before sitting back on the couch. The computer was still chugging away so she leaned back and sipped her wine. Archimedes wiggled his way into her lap again. Kate thought about her trip to the ice hotel, trying to remember any kind of incident or clue that would lead her to the person who stole the ruby. She couldn’t think of anything … but one thing bothered her—why would someone go to all that trouble?

  Surely, everyone at the hotel had enough money to buy the ruby—they’d have to be wealthy just to make the trip and it was a sure bet Crowder had checked into everyone that had received an invitation. Maybe t
he person wanted the ruby so badly they didn’t want to risk getting outbid? Maybe Crowder had made some bad investments and had faked all the items, planning on taking the money and disappearing? Or maybe there was something more significant to the ruby than Kate realized. There had to be something else going on, because it didn’t make much sense for anyone to risk stealing the ruby like that.

  Kate didn’t have much time to think about it because just then the computer pinged. It had finished running Nguyen’s name through the databases. Kate leaned forward and sighed as she looked at the information on the screen.

  “Well, Archimedes,” she said to the sleeping cat, “It looks like I’m going to have my work cut out for me. According to the computer, the Jon Nguyen I met at the ice hotel doesn’t exist.”

  Chapter Twelve

  The next day, Kate woke up to bright sunshine. She’d slept well. Archimedes had pawed at the window to be let out around ten and she’d obliged and then gone straight to bed, letting her subconscious work on the problem of how she would figure out who Jon Nguyen really was.

  Of course, there was the chance that Crowder knew Nguyen’s real identity. People often used an assumed name at these underground auctions when they didn’t want their name sullied by buying stolen items. Or they sent someone there to bid for them. Crowder would have checked up on each of his guests so he might have known, but she couldn’t very well ask him, so she had to come up with another plan.

  Luckily, Kate had another plan and, thanks to her stint with the FBI, she knew just where to go to execute it.

  The best identity forger in the country, Gustav Smirnoff, happened to be located conveniently nearby in downtown Boston and Kate planned on paying him a visit. She dressed in her most FBI-like outfit—a navy trench coat, white button-down shirt and black slacks. Sure, she didn’t work for the FBI anymore—even putting on the outfit made her cringe—but Gustav Smirnoff didn’t know she didn’t work for the FBI and she had a feeling he’d be a lot more willing to answer questions if he thought she still did.