Finders Keepers

by Kris Lillyman

  “I do,” Jake bluffed. After his research on the internet he estimated that the stone he had here was worth somewhere between maybe twenty and forty thousand euros but he had no real idea. It all depended on clarity and cut and colour and many other variables that could make one diamond much more valuable than another of similar size. He suspected that this was a good quality stone, that they all were, but how good was beyond his extremely limited knowledge.

  “Good.” Said Gerhardt, “You know also, of course, that I cannot pay you anywhere near that amount, not for a stolen stone and I would also like to make a small profit myself.”

  I bet you would, thought Jake. “Of course,” he said.

  “So, how much do you want for it?” Asked Gerhardt.

  Jake had to gamble, knowing it could cost him the deal but he also needed to gauge the worth of the diamonds he possessed. The internet was good for research but nothing could beat an expert’s opinion, no matter how sleazy they might seem. A dealer was a dealer and Jake couldn’t be too choosy. With a straight face, he said rather hopefully, “Twenty-five thousand.”

  “A good and fair price for a stolen item such as this,” Gerhardt said. “But sadly too rich for my blood. As you can see I am not a wealthy man. The best I could offer is ten.”

  Jake couldn’t believe it. If Gerhardt had thought twenty-five thousand to be a fair price for a stolen diamond such as this then the actual value could be two or three times as much. He was momentarily staggered, but ten thousand was far better than he had actually hoped for. He could of course go elsewhere and maybe get a better deal but he was running out of money fast and finding another buyer could prove difficult to say the least. “Fifteen,” he said. “That’s the best I can do. Take it or leave it.”

  Now it was Gerhardt’s turn for contemplation as he studied the diamond again. “Very well, fifteen thousand euros. We have a deal.” He held out his hand and Jake shook it. Then Gerhardt reached into the drawer again and pulled out a wad of notes. He counted out fifteen thousand euros with the expertise of a bank teller and handed it to Jake. “Very nice to meet you,” he said.

  “Likewise,” Jake said, then as a purely spontaneous afterthought he added, “Would you be interested in buying any more?” It was another gamble to reveal that he had more diamonds to sell but thought it was worth the risk. Besides he was desperate with few other options.

  “Alas,” said Gerhardt, “When I said I was not a wealthy man, I meant it. Fifteen thousand euros is as much as I can afford at present. However, for a small commission, I could put you in touch with someone who would be able to buy more from you. Perhaps many more, if you have them.”

  “When you say commission, what are we talking about?”

  Gerhardt’s eyes glinted with anticipation as he said, “Another stone, say? My contact is worth it, I assure you.”

  “I’m sure he is,” Jake smiled, knowing he was being played but nevertheless finding himself trusting Gerhardt. He was a very strange little man who reminded him very much of the Donald Pleasance character in The Great Escape. An intellectual duck-out-of-water who has been forced to adapt to a life that was not necessarily of his own choosing. He guessed that Gerhardt was not a naturally dishonest man but circumstances, whatever they might have been, had forced him to become one. Jake felt strangely sorry for him - although for all he knew Gerhardt could quite easily be one of the greatest criminal masterminds of the twenty-first century, but somehow he doubted it.

  “While we’re at it,” Jake continued, “I don’t suppose you know anyone who could supply me with a passport, do you?”

  “But of course,” said Gerhardt, “As many as you need.”

  “And the cost?” Jake asked.

  Now it was Gerhardt’s turn to smile, “Shall we say another diamond?”

  “Why not.” Said Jake, knowing he had fallen right into that one.

  Chapter 14

  DCI Coyle had hit a brick wall. The investigation into the death of Charles Khan was going nowhere and he was snowed under with more pressing cases - some with leads that actually led somewhere. But he couldn’t stop thinking about the Khan case. About the gun and the diamond, about Arthur Khan and Peter Bearing. And it irked him.

  Coyle had been a detective for many years and he knew that there was a lot more to this than a simple car crash. And he knew that the big, expensive diamond found close to the scene was somehow linked but he just had nothing more to go on.

  He looked across at Dave Eckhart, his Detective Sergeant who worked at the desk opposite; young, recently married, a baby on the way, but a natural copper with good instincts. “I’m going for a smoke, Dave, okay? Give me a shout if you need me.”

  “Okay, boss.”

  Coyle hated smoking but never seemed to have the time to quit. Besides, it helped him to relax, or at least that was his excuse. He stood out on the fire escape and tapped out a cigarette from a half empty pack, bought only this morning but he’d need another one before night fall.

  It was getting warmer now. Just a week after all that bloody snow and Spring finally felt as if it was on the way. Roper was pleased, he loved the outdoors but hated the cold. Police work was miserable enough without that too. For the first time in years he thought about his mother, she hated the cold, too. Hated most things in fact, including him, it turned out. She was the one responsible for giving him the name, ‘Roper’, her maiden name, and a Christian name which never failed to get him noticed at school. But it had made him tough, determined, dogged even. And he supposed he had her to thank for that. She left when he was ten. He still did not know why. Nor did his father but they had coped well enough without her.

  Roper married his childhood sweetheart shortly after his father’s passing. But after almost ten years of marriage, he was alone once more.

  Even though his wife had been unfaithful, it was fair to say that he had not been the most attentive husband; his job being a significantly contributory factor, but it was a job he was good at and it was now all he had left.

  And when something had him beaten it bugged him.

  Coyle took a long last drag of his cigarette, then flicked the butt over the railings. As he turned to go back in, Eckhart’s six foot two of blonde haired boyishness barged through the fire escape door. “Boss, I think we might finally have a lead,” he said.

  * * *

  A man who had been driving along the same stretch of road shortly before Charles Khan’s accident had come forward. He was the driver of a Volvo who had apparently had to swerve to miss a BMW 4x4 that had pulled up abruptly at the side of the road. The man recalled that the car was a rental as he distinctly remembered seeing a sticker on the back, but he couldn’t quite remember which one, Hertz maybe or Eurofleet, possibly Avis. He was also foggy on the driver of the BMW, long hair and glasses he thought, but it was a week ago and he couldn’t be sure.

  Roper wondered if that same BMW, parked so badly, had been the cause of Charles Khan’s accident and, if so, where was it and the driver now?

  After speaking with the driver of the Volvo, it took Roper a further two weeks and dozens of phone calls to discover that the BMW had been hired by Easyrent to a Mr. Jake Sawyer.

  The car, it turned out, had never been returned and Mr. Sawyer had been missing ever since the night of the crash.

  When Coyle spoke to Mr. Sawyer’s estranged wife, Angela, on the phone, she was baffled by his disappearance and was concerned for his safety. She, and her two children, were now living with her lover, Mr. Richard Maddox and from what Coyle could ascertain, she had left Jake because he had been drowning in debt.

  * * *

  Aaron Sumpter had learned and logged all these things, monitoring the investigation from his home in Hampstead, thanks to the devices he had installed on Coyle’s phone and computer.

  He had also dutifully reported his findings to Peter Bearing and

&nbs
p; Arthur Khan, once again stressing that it could be a long-winded investigation and not to expect immediate results.

  Bearing acknowledged this, as did Khan, but Sumpter could tell that Arthur was already growing impatient and made a mental note to keep an eye on him. In Aaron’s experience, hot-headedness often led to unnecessary complications.

  Chapter 15

  Gerhardt had been as good as his word and had given Jake the address of a diamond buyer in Antwerp. He had also phoned ahead and made the necessary introductions, smoothing the way for a meeting and offering his own personal guarantee that Jake was trustworthy.

  Gerhardt had also introduced Jake to a forger who, for the cost of another diamond, had made up four new passports for him. Jake thought it prudent to have more than one, just in case he should need them. The workmanship was excellent and sitting next to the genuine one the counterfeit versions looked identical.

  In possession of his new passports after an insufferable three week wait for them, Jake finally left Amsterdam taking the train to Antwerp where he had an appointment with Gerhardt’s diamond buyer.

  * * *

  Jake had spent most of the previous three weeks holed up in his hotel room awaiting word from both Gerhardt and the forger. Three weeks with nothing but guilt and regret for company but it was too late to go back now and he resolved to push on with his plan, convinced that ultimately it would be for the best.

  However, as Jake stepped off the train at Antwerp Central station he felt a great burden of culpability upon his shoulders. Whatever else had happened in his past, he had always been honest. But now he was a thief with a criminal agenda. He knew not to whom the diamonds belonged but they were certainly not his and now he bitterly regretted taking them. But that was of very little relevance now.

  He looked around at the magnificent architecture of the historical building but was immune to its beauty today. Glancing up at the metal and glass dome, where in a previous life, he would have been impressed by the sheer scale of design, he only saw dark clouds above and heavy rain lashing against the window panes. The weather matched his mood.

  Outside, in the pouring rain, keeping his backpack close, he hailed a taxi and asked the driver to take him to a reasonably priced hotel somewhere near to the Diamond District, which he duly did.

  The Rubens Antwerpen Continental was comfortable enough for an overnight stay and either a brisk walk or a short taxi ride away from where Jake was due to meet the buyer Gerhardt had laid on.

  For the moment though, Jake was wet, tired and hungry. After a long shower, he sat on the bed in a towel and ordered a sandwich from room service, then raided the mini bar for a beer and a bag of nuts - pretty much the same diet he had lived on for the last three weeks. He clicked on the TV and watched a pay-per-view movie - ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ but turned it off halfway through as its depiction of prison life did little to ease Jake’s guilt and conjured up images of what might happen to him should he ever be arrested for his crime. Jake opted for an early night as he had to be up bright and early for the meeting tomorrow but he only slept sporadically as guilt and nerves kept him from sleep. He really didn’t know what to expect in the morning, only that the outcome of the meeting would determine what his plans might be afterwards. So far, he had been operating on a day to day basis, but depending on what the buyer offered him for the ten diamonds he intended to sell he may well be able to plan possibly weeks, maybe months ahead.

  However, the thing of most importance was to send money back to Angie and the kids and to pay the debts that had piled up which had set him on this reckless path in the first place.

  * * *

  The meeting the next morning was not at all like the one Jake had with Gerhardt. On the contrary, this time he met with the buyer in broad daylight in a prestigious, very impressive building in the heart of the Antwerp Diamond District and the buyer was a much more well-heeled individual; tailored suit, Italian shoes and a Monte Carlo tan. He also had two extremely large bodyguards stationed outside the double smoked glass doors of his luxurious office.

  Hugo van Elst was separated from Jake by a huge desk that appeared to be made entirely of glass. Van Elst reclined nonchalantly in an ultra-modern white leather chair, his legs crossed and his fingers casually entwined on his lap. He had snowy white hair with matching goatee and sitting there in his crisp suit and silk cravat it appeared that he and Gerhardt belonged to different planets let alone different trades. However they were in the same trade, just at opposite ends of the spectrum and it was clear to Jake that the pair had done business many times in the past, indeed, when Jake first entered his office, van Elst had enquired after Gerhardt’s health and was obviously pleased to hear he was well.

  The meeting reminded Jake of one he had had with his bank manager in the days when he was still worthy of his time - good natured yet financially motivated and, like in that meeting, he felt more than a little intimidated. But Gerhardt had been as good as his word and had laid the groundwork for him.

  Van Elst knew why he was there, what he had to sell and that the merchandise in question was not of a legitimate nature and, even though his demeanour was pleasant enough, he was all business.

  “You have the stones?” he asked.

  “I do,” Jake replied, pulling out a small velvet bag from the inside pocket of his jacket. “Is it okay to show you them here?” He asked, unsure of accepted protocol in the transaction of illicit merchandise.

  “Please.” Replied van Elst, waving a hand casually across the desk, clearly unperturbed by the thought of having the stolen stones scattered across it, confident in the knowledge that they would not be disturbed.

  Jake opened the drawstring seal and poured ten diamonds, slightly larger than the ones he had given to Gerhardt, onto the desk in front of him.

  “Ah, so beautiful, don’t you think?” Remarked van Elst. “They never cease to delight me. You will permit me to take a closer look?”

  “Please. Of course.” Said Jake.

  Just as Gerhardt had, van Elst produced an eyeglass and tweezers from a drawer then proceeded to make a thorough inspection of each of the diamonds, Jake looking on in silence as he did so. He knew the stones were good, the very fact that Gerhardt had given him fifteen thousand euros so readily for the first one told him that much, but he did not know how much this ten would be worth, maybe a hundred thousand euros, perhaps a bit more. Gerhardt had told him that stolen gems changed hands at a fraction of their actual worth.

  “These are of remarkable quality. Truly excellent. Gerhardt was right to send you to me.” Van Elst said at last, returning the eyeglass and tweezers to the drawer.

  “Thank you.”

  “So, that just brings us to the price,” continued van Elst.

  “It does. Yes.”

  “I am not a man to haggle, I believe Gerhardt may have told you that.”

  “He did.”

  “But the price I give will always be fair. These stones are stolen, their quality ensures that they will not be forgotten and, if I were the original owner, I would most certainly want them back. All these things I must consider before making you an offer. Indeed, all these things you must consider before accepting my offer. If I possessed these stones, they would not be traced back to you, this I guarantee. Other buyers may offer you a better price but I cannot speak for their integrity. However, the choice is yours.”

  “I understand and appreciate your honesty.”

  “Very well. In that case, my offer is two hundred and fifty thousand euros. Cash. Take it or leave it.

  Jake very nearly fell off his chair with surprise. He couldn’t believe it, he knew the diamonds were of a good quality but two hundred and fifty thousand euros worth? What on earth would they be worth if they were not stolen? And that was just for ten of the smaller stones - the whole case would be worth millions.

  “I see from your reactio
n that was a pleasant surprise,” said van Elst, “I should have offered less, perhaps?”

  “Maybe,” said Jake honestly, still reeling.

  “But as I said,” continued van Elst, “The price I give will always be fair. My offer stands. Do you accept?”

  “Yes. Yes I do, thank you,” said Jake now smiling.

  “Good. Then I will get you your money.” Van Elst picked up the phone and immediately spoke to someone on the other end in Dutch. When he replaced the receiver he addressed Jake once more. “Will you permit me to offer you some advice?”

  Jake nodded, uncertain of what he was about to hear.

  “It is none of my business, I understand, but I get the sense that you are new to this - would I be correct?”

  Jake smiled cautiously, “Is it so obvious?”

  “I’m afraid so, yes. Forgive me for being so blunt.”

  “Of course.”

  “You strike me as a pleasant young man of good character and Gerhardt speaks well of you. But I must warn you, this is not a business to take lightly. You are fortunate to have met men such as myself and Gerhardt. We are men of integrity and honour but there are many others who are not so honourable and you risk much by seeking to sell stones such as these. Possibly your life. I do not know if you have any more in your possession but I suspect you do. If that is the case, my advice to you, for what it is worth, is to store them somewhere extremely safe. Ideally a bank vault. And then exercise extreme caution before discussing them with anyone. That is my advice. Take it, leave it, it makes no difference to me.”

  “Thank you,” Jake said. “You’re very kind. I didn’t know what to expect but–”

  “Please,” van Elst interjected, “I am a businessman, my clients’ wellbeing is of prime importance to me. Needless to say, if you ever wish to sell any more diamonds, you know where to find me.”

  “Yes. Thanks.” Jake said.

  At that moment there was a gentle knock on the office door and an assistant entered the room carrying a metal briefcase. He placed it on the table in front of Jake and opened it.