by Ginny Aiken
“And the chief’s the one that keeps coming after me. Interesting he’s not let the detectives take over. At least not with me. Sounds like control issues, you know.”
Max chuckles, but says nothing.
I go on. “Okay, if he’s a Fed, like you say, why didn’t he question me?”
“I’ve heard all these different law enforcement types tend to be territorial. The Fed might be deferring to the locals, as long as he feels everything’s being done right.”
“Still sounds strange to me.”
He pushes away from the table and stands. “Nothing about this is normal. Strange is the least I’d call it.”
“Then I know I’m not missing anything.”
“Unless I’m missing the same thing.” He shakes his head.
“I guess I’m just not cut out to be a detective.”
I wink. “Or a gemologist.”
“Not fair! I asked for lessons, but the accident got in the way. How about we start those up?”
If tonight is anything to go by, I think I’d survive. “Okay. Tomorrow looks good.”
“After the show we’ll get a phone book, check out some government agencies, eat, and do gems.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
A sudden awkwardness hits us both, and just as my cheeks start warming, he smiles and heads down the hall. “I’d better get some sleep,” he says. “Otherwise Allison’s job tomorrow’s going to be harder than usual.”
“You’re not worming any compliments out of me.”
He winks. “Can’t blame a guy for trying.”
“Good night, Max.”
“Good night, Andie.”
As I close the door behind him, I can’t make myself believe he’s the killer.
“Lord? Am I right? Because if I’m wrong, I’m really wrong. You know what I mean?”
The silence is thick, but I remember Peggy’s duct tape. I’m hanging. Still.
Faith. It’ll see me through.
The next day, our show goes off with less nastiness than usual. True, Max teases me a couple of times. I give him grief right back on his lack of knowledge. But I go easy on him. After all, most people would think a gem-quality kunzite looks like a washed-out amethyst.
“That wasn’t so bad,” Max says after we take off our mikes.
“Okay, it wasn’t horrible.”
“Should I get that in writing?”
I head for the green room. “Don’t push your luck, bud.” “How long do you think it will take you to get ready?”
“For lunch and a lesson?”
“What else? Oh, and the phone book. Don’t forget that.” Our cease-fire feels good, but I wonder if I’m just falling for a charmer’s spiel. People did say Ted Bundy was a nice guy. Until he started killing people.
One thing’s for sure. I’ve got to keep my eyes peeled every moment I’m with Max. My life might depend on it. Not that I’m calling him a mass murderer or anything.
I glance at my watch. “I can meet you in the parking lot in say . . . about fifteen minutes. I’ll just take off my makeup and stash the sample trays in the vault.”
“Great. Gives me time to get rid of my war paint too.”
His grimace makes me laugh. Is this for real? Mr. Magnificent acting this near to normal? Or am I the one that’s taken a turn for the extraterrestrial? I have to stop myself before I pinch my thigh. With my luck, he’d catch me and laugh. Again.
I cream my face, wipe off the heavy goop, then suds off the residue. I’m excited about the chance to track down Mr. Pak’s steps after he entered the country. I would imagine he came in through JFK, since he’d more than likely go to the diamond district in New York first.
Even though it’s called the diamond district, way more than diamonds are sold there. Mr. Pak had loads of contacts among the other jewelers there; we were only one of his usual stops. I know at least a handful of the others, and I’m all about making calls today.
I snag my Coach bag and hurry out, not wanting to give Max any more reason to tease, and I’d be willing to bet that anything he construes as “primping” would bring on the teasing.
“You’re quick,” he says when I run out to the parking lot. “I want answers to our questions.”
Over General Tso’s chicken and kung pao shrimp, we come up with a plan of attack. I’ll call the jewelers, and Max will take on the FBI. The more I’ve thought about it, the more I think Max is right. Chief Clark’s shadow is probably a Fed, just giving the chief his space.
An hour later, I slap my phone shut. “Let’s talk about equality here. There was none. You had the easy call—only one. I’ve been on the phone all this time, and no one I spoke with had an appointment with Mr. Pak.”
He turns his hands palm up in fake helplessness. “What else was I going to do? I don’t know every jeweler west of the Atlantic’s shore. And it’s not my fault that when I called Chief Clark, I had my answer. He was surprised I was asking about your ‘shadowman.’ He didn’t realize, or so he says, he hadn’t introduced the man. The shadow’s John Stewart, the Special Agent assigned to the case—a man of few words, and driving our good chief crazy with his silence.”
I give Max an impish grin. “Couldn’t happen to a better man. Any word on why Roger didn’t get grilled?”
“Let’s just say Chief Clark isn’t one for sharing information.”
“No joke.” I rap my fingers on the table. “You know, I’m convinced the answers are with Mrs. Pak.”
“You want to try to hit up the FBI guy?”
“Hah! If Chief Clark can’t get him to talk, what makes you think we’ll get anywhere?”
Now he’s the one with the mischievous grin. “You can start lecturing him on rocks. Sooner or later he’ll yell STOP! I’m sure you’ll think of something once you’ve broken the ice.” Against my better judgment, I laugh. “Get real! That’s the dumbest thing I’ve heard.”
“I get an A for effort. And you laughed. But you’re right. It’s all about the rubies—like you said before. Who’s tried to track down the stolen stones?”
“I’m sure the government of Myanmar has. Remember our secret service babysitter? And how about the guy at the airport and his searcher buddies? Don’t forget, Chief Clark mentioned Interpol, so I’m sure they’re in the hunt.”
“Wonder how the original theft happened.”
I snort. “Did you forget that mine already? Security’s not their thing. Anyone can come and hold up the miners. Or even the buying office where we went. There wasn’t much there besides a regular lock on the front door.”
“Then that’s that, and we’ve made no progress. How about we head out? I don’t think this’ll be a good place for a lesson on gemology.”
While we ate, the normal hum of the restaurant didn’t register, not even while we talked. Now, though, I notice the Asian music that underscores the constant murmur of diners, and the occasional burst of laughter. Not exactly conducive to learning.
“You know, it’s not quite one thirty. How about we go back to Aunt Weeby’s kitchen? I have my personal collection of stones at the house, and it’s better to learn with the real thing in front of you. Books only go so far.”
“You keep valuable gemstones in the house? Aren’t you afraid someone might break in and steal them?”
Is that his plan? To lull me into trusting him, bringing out my collection, killing me, and then adding my gem trays to the missing rubies— “Oh no!”
“What’s wrong?” he asks.
“You’re not going to believe this. I forgot to return the sample trays to the vault. I left them in the green room. Anyone could have taken them.”
“Come on. I’ll get you back to the studio.”
We fly through traffic. Although Miss Mona has carefully screened each and every employee, the Bible’s right about temptation. It’s a powerful thing. There’s no need to leave temptation out there to happen.
At the S.T.U.D., Max agrees to wait for me in the car. I run into th
e green room, and to my pleasant surprise, the trays are right where I’d left them—untouched. There’s a lot to be said for Miss Mona’s instincts.
Who says you can’t get good help these days!
Trays in hand, I make my way down the hall. The audio system is blaring Tanya’s baseball card show, but other than that, everything’s quiet on the S.T.U.D. front.
And then things take a turn for the bad. Really bad.
Something small pokes through my Diane von Furstenberg silk just below my ribs. My blood turns to ice. My knees, to linguine. My heart does the tympani thing again.
Then a rough voice whispers in my ear. “Don’t stop, and don’t say a word. It’s a gun, it’s loaded, and I know how to use it. Let’s go to the vault.”
As much as I love rocks, I never really thought I’d give my life for a fortune’s worth of them.
Strangely enough, I’m not horror-movie scared. More than anything, I’m mad. And I want a chance to see my killer.
1900
Where’s Football Max when I really need him?
Shoulder pads or not, he could tackle whoever’s tickling my ribs with a gun. Maybe if he realizes how long it’s taking me to put away the gems, he’ll come looking. Otherwise, I’m toast. I’m not dumb enough to think for a minute that this is a run-of-the-mill holdup.
“Could you just tell me why you had to kill Mr. Pak?”
I figure if I’m going to die, I might as well die knowing what went down.
That harsh voice says, “Shut up, Andie. The vault. Let’s go.”
“I’m going, I’m going.” Figures I’d wind up with a cranky killer. One who knows my nickname.
And then I get it. I’m not nearly as shaky, scared, intimidated, as I probably should be. Which says one of two things: either I’m really certain that God’s watching out for me— You know what? I am, and I figure whatever he decides is fine by me. I mean, I’d rather not be this creep’s target practice of the day, but when push comes to shove, I’m ready to see my heavenly Father face-to-face.
Wow!
On the other hand, maybe I’m too stupid for words. Because somewhere in the cobwebby corners of my mind, something tells me I’m not about to bite the dust. At least not without a fight.
Focus, Andie, focus.
A familiar sound penetrates my thoughts. Click, click, click, click, click, click . . .
There’s only one thing that makes that sound: high heels! The creep’s a woman—or a guy in drag. But if he’s going to kill me anyway, why would he bother with stilettos? No one in their right mind is going to want those on their feet when they might have to make a quick getaway.
So it’s a woman.
As I turn the corner toward the ladies’ room, I glance down and slightly behind me. Before I can catch myself, I gasp. You’re not going to believe this, but the creep and I have the same taste in shoes.
She’s wearing a pair of the same green velvet Stella Mc-Cartneys that Rio’s water ruined the day Mr. Pak died!
Okay. Does that tell me anything about her? For one, she knows me—she called me Andie, and I don’t use my nickname professionally. Second of all, she likes great shoes. How many people do I know that share my weakness?
Well, there’s Danni of the multi-hued panties. And she hates me. Not only that, but she’s got a thing for rubies.
Then . . . well, half the female population of New York loves designer shoes, but would they know my nickname? And would they want to kill a ruby vendor?
I don’t think so. I’m taller and bigger than Danni. I figure I can take her. If I can distract her long enough to steal her gun, that is.
Let me tell you something. I’m not crazy about guns.
At the door to the ladies’ room, I realize I’m about to learn the creep’s identity. Right across from the door is a massive floor-to-ceiling mirror. As soon as I walk in, I’ll see her face.
I reach for the doorknob, and the gun in my ribs gives me a sharp jab. “Don’t be stupid. Let’s get to that vault.”
Something about that husky whisper is familiar, but I can’t quite place my finger on it. The best thing to do is what they do in bad B movies—keep the perp talking. “Trust me. I don’t like this one bit. I’m not being stupid. You know and I know the vault is in the ladies’ room. It’s a pretty clever way to throw someone off, don’t you think?”
“Remember Mr. Pak? He thought he was clever.”
A shudder runs through me at the memory of the poor man’s corpse and his spilled blood on the floor of the vault. “I’m not about to forget. It’s not every day I find a friend murdered at my place of employment.”
That’s when pieces of the puzzle start clicking into place. So many images rush through my head that I get dizzy. Mr. Pak . . . the invitation to Myanmar . . . the missing rubies . . . the vault . . .
“He left the stones in the vault, didn’t he?”
“Shut up! And move.”
I open the door, but can’t move forward. Why would he have brought them here? Why come see me?
“Look,” I say, hoping to bargain, at least for answers.
“You’ve got a bullet with my name on it, so it’s no big deal if you tell me what it’s all about. Let’s face it. Who am I going to tell once I’m dead?”
“The vault.”
“All right, already! You’re like a broken record.”
“I know what I want.”
It’s gotta be Danni.
Feeling a bit more confident, I push open the door, step into the ladies’ room, praying Julie’s at her post, and when I catch a glimpse in the mirror, get the shock of a lifetime.
“TIFFANY! ”
At the same time she mutters a curse, my former boss’s trophy wife jabs me harder with her stupid gun. Mad? D’you think you’ve seen mad? You ain’t seen nothin’ yet!
“What do you think you’re doing?” I yell. “Are you crazy?” She tosses her bottle-blond, extension-boosted mane. “Are you forgetting who’s holding the gun?”
Yeah, you guessed it. Julie’s not at her post. Why should she be? If she were, I wouldn’t be in trouble. And you know how it goes with me and . . . well, trouble.
“Fine. You’re holding the gun, and if poor Mr. Pak’s anything to go by, you know how to use it. My question’s why?” “Why?” Her blue-contact-enhanced eyes narrow. “Why not? Why shouldn’t I have the nice things I want?”
Huh? “For one, because they’re not yours!”
She shrugs. “They’re only pre-mine. I make sure they become mine when I decide I want them.”
“Like Roger?”
“He was a mistake.”
“What does that mean?”
Another flurry of faux fur . . . er . . . hair. “I thought he wanted the same things I do. All those years he’s been wheeling and dealing, and now he gets cold feet!”
“Cold feet?” Try ice in my veins. And Roger? Roger? “What does that mean?”
“He chickened out at the last minute. Pak had told him about the stolen rubies awhile back. Roger made sure Pak knew he wanted the stones—if Pak ever got his hands on them.”
I feel sick to my stomach. “Are you saying Mr. Pak stole the stones?”
She waves her gun. “Are you kidding? He didn’t have the guts to do something like that. He had nothing to do with it, but since he traveled to . . . ah . . . Magoo? Magone? That place they get the rubies. Anyway, he traveled there a lot, and he was scared the government would think he stole the stones.”
That’s better—but not all good. Not yet. “Roger wanted to sell stolen goods?”
“How ’bout that safe, Andie? Your rent-a-cop’s going to be back soon, and I’m not sticking around long enough for her to see me.”
Another stomach lurch. “What did you do to Julie?”
“Nothing. She got a call saying her kiddies were throwing up. She went to her day care to get them.”
“And she’s going to find out no one from the day care called her, right?”
&nb
sp; She shrugs. “A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.”
“And that means killing a nice man who . . . what did he do for you to think you needed to kill him?”
“What’s it to you? Open up the safe. Mr. Pak knew how to break safe codes, but I don’t. And I know you know the combination, so don’t try to play that game. I’m not dumb.”
But you’re not smart either. No one with an ounce of sense kills to get a bunch of rubies. “How do you know the rubies are in the vault?”
“I don’t. Not for sure. But he didn’t have them on him when I got here, and he did tell Roger he’d found them.”
“Really? How’d he find them?”
“You don’t give up, do you?”
“Do you?”
“Don’t get smart, Andie. I’m holding the gun.”
“You’ll be holding cell bars sooner or later,” I mutter as I head for the wooden panel. “How do you intend to find a parcel of rubies in our vault? Do you have any idea how large it is? How many thousands of parcels we store there?”
“I only got a quick look that other day before you barged in.”
“That’s right. You checked it out when you rubbed out Mr. Pak.”
Tiffany rolls her eyes. “That’s nasty, Andie. Mr. Pak was just a problem I had to deal with. Now let’s find the rubies.”
Certain I have no other alternative, at least not right now, I open the vault door. “Knock yourself out, Tiff. Tell me how one parcel looks different from another—unless you know exactly where he put them, what he put them in . . . you get my drift.”
“I know where he was when I found him.”
“Show me.”
“I plan to. You’re going to be the one doing the touching. Not me. I know about fingerprints. I watch CSI.”
But you haven’t figured out they always, one way or the other, catch the crook.
Inside the vault, I flick on the light, and gaze down the length of the vast, shelf-lined room. Multiple millions of dollars’ worth of jewelry and gemstones fill the trays on the shelves.
I gesture for her to come inside. “What do you plan to do with the rubies?”
She motions with the gun for me to go farther in, then pulls the vault door behind her. “Sell them.”
