by SUE FINEMAN
The second floor was as clean as the third, but just to be sure he hadn’t missed something, Blade sat on the floor in Mary Beth’s closet and pulled out all the drawers in the console. He wasn’t surprised to find another safe with the same combination—her wedding date—and more diamonds. And to think he might have missed these treasures. There were no paintings in this safe, but there were several small sculptures, all hollow inside. A small stone spilled out of one and he put it in the bag with the other stones.
Had Blade’s uncle, the priest, been smuggling diamonds out of Africa?
Blade finished his inspection of the upper floors, packed the valise, and carried it downstairs to the kitchen. Marvin poured him a cup of coffee and they sat together at the pine table. “Tell me something, Marvin. How did Father Michael die?”
“He was murdered, shot down by insurgents in Angola. His body is still there.”
“What proof did my grandparents have that he was killed?”
“A letter from Sister Bernadette, the only survivor of the massacre at the mission. Mrs. Banner read the letter so much Edward said she’d wear the letters off the pages. And then she put it away.”
Blade had found one letter in Mary Beth’s safe, and it wasn’t from Father Michael. He pulled it out of the valise and opened the letter inside. Sister Bernadette had written a touching account of Father Michael’s death in May of 1980. He’d been accused of treason, blindfolded, and executed by a firing squad, as were the other religious leaders of the mission. Sister Bernadette had been ill with malaria when she heard the gunshots. She hid behind the bed until the firing stopped. Some of the natives helped her prepare the bodies for burial, and Sister Bernadette, the only nun left alive, performed the burial service herself. The letter was mailed in September, from France, and she’d mentioned nothing about diamonds.
Again, Blade called Gordon Phillips. “Did you get that conference call set up?”
“We’re doing it now. I thought this was Joe calling.”
“Okay. Do you know anything about diamonds?”
“Other than the ones I bought for my wife, no, but I know someone who does.”
“Who and where? I just found the mother lode in my grandfather’s house.”
Phillips put him on hold and when he came back on the line, he gave Blade the name and address of his brother’s jewelry store. “His shop is about to close, but he’ll stay open until you get there. If the shop is locked, tap on the door and tell him who you are.”
Once again, Blade was thankful for having a driver, someone who knew the city well. The jewelry store was located in the ground floor of a building a few blocks from his hotel, so Blade dismissed the driver for the evening. He took his valise, tapped on the locked door, and a man inside called, “Who is it?”
“Blade Banner.”
Paul Phillips unlocked the door and stepped back. Blade walked inside, and the door locked behind him. “Gordon said you had something for me.”
Blade followed Paul into the back room and pulled out one bag of diamonds. “I need to know if these are real, and if they are, what they’re worth.”
Paul put his glasses on and examined the three largest diamonds from that bag. “They’re real and they’re unmarked. Conflict diamonds?”
“I think so. I found them in my grandfather’s safe. I haven’t read all the letters from my uncle yet, but I believe he was involved in smuggling them out of Angola.”
“You don’t know?”
“My uncle was a priest who died at a mission in Angola in 1980, murdered supposedly by insurgents. I didn’t know how he died until today, after I found the diamonds.” Blade reached in the valise and pulled out the other bags, eleven in all.
Paul Phillips took his glasses off. “Are you asking me to sell them?”
“Yes, I guess I am. Do you have any idea what they’re worth?”
“I’d have to examine each one. Do you have a count?”
“No.”
Blade’s cell phone rang, and he excused himself to answer it. Gordon Phillips said, “The consensus is to buy Jacobs out immediately, before he can sell his stock to Hanzer. All we have to do is find that much money.”
“How much do you need?”
“He has a hundred and fifty thousand shares. That’s about ten million dollars worth. We can come up with eight, but it’ll be a stretch.”
“I’ll get the other two. Call Jacobs and tell him he’ll get eight now and the rest as soon as I sell some of these diamonds.”
The jeweler poured a bag of diamonds out and picked up one stone to examine it closer. “How much do you need?”
“Two million.”
“I’ll have it for you tomorrow.”
Blade handed him the phone. “You tell him. It’s your brother.”
Thanks to Father Michael, they’d come up with a way to buy out Jacobs. Was it enough? Blade would undoubtedly have to sell something to get enough money to pay the inheritance taxes, but the company stock would be the last thing to go. An ocean-front house in Palm Beach should be worth a few million, and these diamonds should be worth something. Most of them were good sized stones, and they’d already been cut and polished.
After he ended his phone call with Phillips, Blade asked, “These weren’t cut in Africa, were they?”
“Not in Angola. De Beers has the wherewithal to do the cutting, but his mark isn’t on them. If these came out of Angola, they probably came out as rough cut.”
“I want you to save a few of the best for a wedding ring and earrings for my wife and make two nice bracelets, one for my wife and the other for my daughter’s sixteenth birthday. I’ll bring my wife by in June, so she can pick out her new wedding ring, and I’ll give you a commission on whatever else you can sell.”
Blade stood watching while Paul sorted, counted, bagged, and labeled the diamonds. He wrote a receipt and handed it to Blade. “I have a customer who’s looking for something special for his wife’s birthday. I know he’ll take at least one of the bigger stones. I’ll call him first thing in the morning.”
Paul stood and walked around his work table. He offered his hand and Blade took it. “Thanks for coming to me, Blade. Gordon told me what you’re trying to do and why. I hope everything works out.”
Blade thanked him, picked up his valise, and walked out the door. It was a blustery day, but he didn’t mind. The fresh air helped clear his head. He walked down to his hotel, picked up his messages, and rode the elevator up to his floor.
Who knew the Banner family had a dirty little secret like diamond smuggling?
<>
While the younger boys played with their new toys, Robbie sat in the library downstairs and read his book on genetics. Maria poked her head in the door. “Is that a good book?”
“Yeah. It talks about how different and how alike people can be in the same family.”
“Like you and your brothers?”
Robbie closed the book and grew serious. “Mom? Why am I so different?”
He’d given her the perfect opening, and although Maria didn’t quite know what to say, she knew she had to at least open the topic for discussion. “Do you think Jimmy and Andy aren’t Dad’s?”
“No…. Well, maybe Jimmy, but Andy looks like Dad. I don’t look like Dad either, do I?”
Maria sat beside Robbie on the leather sofa. “There’s a reason for that, Robbie. You know how mean Dad has been to me lately?”
“Yeah.”
“He was that way after Molly was born, too. He was seeing other women and putting me down all the time, and I was so unhappy. A man at the University where I worked, a professor, became a good friend. I knew it was a mistake, because I was married to someone else, but we had a short affair. I didn’t know you were the professor’s baby until after you were born.”
Robbie looked up at Maria. “Do I look like him?”
“Yes, and you have his mind. He was the smartest person I ever knew.”
His face thoughtful, Robbie aske
d, “Does Dad know?”
“I’ve never told anyone except Gerry, and I had to tell him because he’s my attorney. I wanted to wait until you were older to tell you, but then Dad had those DNA tests done, and I couldn’t wait. He’ll get the test results and he’ll know.”
“No, he won’t. He’s as afraid of needles as Andy, so he didn’t have a blood test himself. He’s going to compare us kids with each other. He’ll still think I’m his and Jimmy and Andy aren’t.”
Maria put her arm around Robbie. “We’ll know the truth, just you and me.”
Robbie grew quiet and didn’t speak for several seconds before asking, “Does my real dad know about me?”
“No, I never told him. I quit my job and never saw him again. He was a nice man, patient with his students and kind to everyone. He taught microbiology, but he had a love of astronomy, like you.”
“But you were married to Dad.”
“Yes, I was. I needed someone to make me feel good about myself, and the professor made me feel like a worthwhile person. I know that’s no excuse for having an affair with a man I wasn’t married to, but I never regretted being with him, because I had you, my very special boy.”
Robbie pushed his glasses up on his nose. “Why did you stay married to Dad?”
Maria paused before answering, trying to find the right words. Finally, she said, “I didn’t have the confidence to leave him then. If I had, we wouldn’t have Andy and Jimmy, and I love all my kids.” She squeezed his shoulder. “Are you okay with this, Robbie?”
“Yeah, I guess. I’ve been wondering… I mean… I knew I was different.”
“You’re different in some ways and alike in others. You got the professor’s smart genes and Grandma’s gentleness. Andy looks a lot like Dad, but he reminds me of Angelo when he was a little boy. Jimmy is more like Uncle Tony, and Molly reminds me of Aunt Gina. You’re like my father in some ways, and you’re all a little like me. And I love every one of you.”
Maybe he felt okay with this explanation for now, but Maria knew he wouldn’t be okay with it forever. At some point, he’d want to meet the professor.
And she dreaded telling him.
He wasn’t the only one she dreaded telling. Would Blade understand? He must have some idea what her first marriage had been like.
Maybe it was a good thing they hadn’t told anyone about their marriage except Mom and Gerry. This way Blade could walk away without having to explain himself to her family. The kids would miss him, but they didn’t see him as a father. He was simply Blade, the guy who had the cool bike and gave Daisy a bath.
A little smile touched her lips. He’d given Daisy more than one bath.
She never meant to fall in love again, but she had, and if Blade left her, a part of her spirit would go with him. God, how she missed him.
Chapter Sixteen
As soon as he got to his room, Blade called Maria. “Do you miss me?”
“Yes, of course I miss you,” she replied. “How are things there? Did you have your meeting with Jacobs?”
Blade spent the next few minutes talking with Maria and explaining what had happened. As always, he felt better talking to her. He’d spent nearly forty years of his life alone, or wishing he was alone, and now he wanted to share everything with her. With his wife. “Did you know there were more safes in that house?”
“No. What did you find?”
“Diamonds, two small paintings, sculptures, and letters from my uncle, the priest who died in Africa. I haven’t read them yet. Are the kids okay?”
She hesitated just long enough for him to know that something wasn’t quite right. Something hadn’t been right since Robbie told her what his father had done. “They’re fine, Blade. We bought books and toys and a new ball for Daisy, since she chewed her last one to bits.”
“Daisy needs a cat to chase.”
Maria chuckled. “No she doesn’t, and don’t suggest it to the boys.”
“How would you and the kids like to help me check out the house in Palm Beach? It’s got a pool and it’s right on the beach. We could go after our trip to New York.”
“If I can get my ‘generous’ behind in a bathing suit, sure. Are you selling that house, too?”
“I may have to, Maria. I need to speak with my grandfather’s accountant about estate taxes. Most of the assets in the estate are in company stock, but I can’t sell that or Hanzer could take over the company.”
They talked for a few more minutes, until she ended the call. Blade hung up and drummed his fingers on the desk. He had to get things finished up here so he could get back to Maria. He wanted to be there for Cara’s birthday party and Maria’s court date with Fred on the third of May. No way would he let Maria go through that without him.
He kicked off his shoes and stretched out on the bed with the stack of letters from Edward’s safe. He started with the oldest. It was dated July, 1976, but the postmark said November of the same year.
Dear Mom and Dad,
Fighting around the mission has intensified. Our funding has been cut off and we’ve been told to evacuate, but we’re standing fast, solid in our belief that God means for us to be here. So many innocent people are being slaughtered in a war that no one can win. There are too many orphans to count, and many starve to death or die of malaria or dysentery before we can get to them.
God has shown us a way to provide medicine and food for the sick and starving children. I’m sending a package. Pull the plugs and take the contents to someone you trust. Sell what you can and wire the money to France. I have a friend there who will bring it to us here at the mission.
Blade dropped his hand to his lap. Father Michael didn’t use the conflict diamonds to fund the war. He used them to help the people over there. No wonder Edward sent him money.
He scanned the other letters, and they were filled with news of war and starving children, mostly orphans of the war. The last letter was dated November, 1979.
How many diamonds had Edward and Mary Beth sold? Or had they sent their own money? Was that how so much of the company stock ended up in other people’s hands?
<>
Maria spoke with Mom that evening and then Mom put Molly on the phone. They talked about school and the boys, and then Maria said, “Blade just found out that he owns a house in Palm Beach, Florida. He thought you’d like to go there on the way back from New York in June.”
“Isn’t that where all the rich people live?”
Maria smiled. “Honey, Blade’s family was rich, and he inherited his grandfather’s estate.”
“Awesome. Can I buy a new bathing suit?”
“Of course. Is everything okay there?”
“Yeah, but I hate having a guard drive me to school and pick me up every day.”
“I know, honey. It’s temporary.” Maria hoped it was temporary. She didn’t want to live like Nick and Cara, with guards hovering around all the time. She wanted her kids to have a normal life.
Things hadn’t been ‘normal’ since the day she’d met Blade, and the way things were going, her life might never be ‘normal’ again.
Robbie asked if he could sleep in Blade’s room that night. Maria understood. Whenever something was bothering Robbie, he wanted to be alone.
Maria tucked in the younger boys and kissed them goodnight and then went in to see Robbie. He sat in bed with his book on genetics. She took it from him and closed it. “There’s one thing this book won’t tell you, and that’s how to feel about growing up with one father and finding out you have another one you’ve never met. I know you love Dad, and that’s okay.”
“Dad tried to use me to get back at you. If he loved me, he wouldn’t do that, would he?”
Maria straightened the covers as she thought about how to respond. “I can’t answer for him, but I can answer for me. I love you, Robbie. Don’t ever doubt that. It doesn’t matter to me who your biological father is. You’re my son, and I’ll always love you.”
Robbie put his glasses on th
e nightstand. The tension had eased from his face. “I love you, too, Mommy.”
It was the first time he’d called her Mommy since he turned ten. Maria kissed him and turned out the light. As she walked out the door, he said, “If you want to marry Blade, it’s okay with me.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. Goodnight, Robbie.”
“Goodnight.”
Maria felt confident that she’d done the right thing. She’d given him a chance to get used to the idea of having a different father than the other kids. He was already distancing himself from Fred, but Fred brought that on himself. By ignoring the other kids or beating on them and favoring Robbie, he’d driven Robbie away. Molly had cut herself off from Fred over a year ago, when she’d found him kissing her teacher. She hadn’t said two words to him since then, and Fred didn’t appear to notice.
If she and Blade stayed together for the long term, the boys would all be okay. Andy worshipped him, and Jimmy went along with whatever Andy said. Robbie had given his blessing, and Nick and Angelo liked Blade. The only ones she worried about were Molly and Mom.
Molly probably wouldn’t approve of any man, because she didn’t want her mother to marry again, but Mom was a different story. Mom wanted her to be happy, but she wasn’t sure Blade was the right man. Blade wasn’t sure either.
Where did that leave her?
<>
Blade put the tapestry valise with the paintings and sculptures in the trunk of the car the next morning when he went to the Banner-Covington corporate offices. He couldn’t leave something so valuable in the hotel room or even in the hotel safe.
Joe Grafton was in a meeting, so Blade walked around the offices, introducing himself to some of the employees. Some of the women gave him the once over, and more than one of the men seemed a little uncomfortable, but everyone else shook his hand or spoke fondly about his grandfather. One man asked if Blade was going to work there now, and Blade shook his head. “I’ll stop by from time to time, and I’ll attend board meetings, but the best I can do is stay out of your hair and let you do your job.”
This schmoozing stuff wasn’t so bad when your last name was on the company letterhead. People respected his grandfather, and some of that respect had rubbed off on him. It made him want to do his best to serve the company his grandfather had spent his life building.
