Guarded Moments

by Cassie Miles

  “What’s that?” David asked.

  “I only use the safe for special deposits, like the Sheikh’s Rubies. The precision lock is difficult for even me to open, and I know the combination.”

  “Where did you get it?” Tasha asked casually.

  “My father bought it in the 1930s. He was also a jeweler, you know. And he had it upgraded with copper lining and microwave sensors. Rather a lovely antique. And useful, too.”

  “What do you keep in here?” David continued. “I mean, don’t you have all the good stuff out there?” He flung his arm toward the showroom, bumping it against one of the steel cabinets.

  “At night, much of the jewelry goes in here. And I have loose stones here.” She brightened as she gazed at Tasha. “Oh, my dear, I’ve just acquired the most wonderful diamond. Marquise cut. It’s only three carats, but it’s as clear as spring water. Almost flawless. Tweed did himself proud with this purchase.”

  Before David could ask, Tasha explained, “Tweed is the buyer for the store. He hardly ever comes into the shop. He’s always out, traveling the world, buying the most incredible stones. Some of his buys are absolutely brilliant.”

  “Tweed’s a genius,” Janet agreed as she pulled open a drawer inside one of the cabinets. “Especially since he leaves the store to me.”

  Janet found a small brown envelope and tapped it open. In the palm of her hand, she displayed a sparkling stone in a tapering oval shape like a mostly deflated football.

  Beside him, David heard Tasha gasp. “Oh, Janet, it’s fabulous. Can I look at it?”

  “Go crazy.” Janet placed the stone in Tasha’s hand. “There’s a loupe on top of the case behind you.”

  David watched as Tasha inspected the stone, held it to the light, viewed the facets through the eye loupe. Her complexion had taken on a rosy blush. The pendant video camera hung around her throat, forgotten in her pleasure at handling the diamond.

  Reluctantly, she gave it back to Janet. “That’s a highgrade stone. Fantastic luster. I could only see a tiny shadow at the far left edge.”

  “You’re good.” Janet slipped the diamond back into its envelope. “If you ever decide to close down your flower shop, you must come work for me.”

  “Me, too?” David asked.

  “Not on a bet,” Janet chirped. She shooed them from the vault. “Move along. It’s high time we all returned to work, isn’t it?”

  “Thanks so much,” Tasha said. Wistfully, she added, “The marquise-cut diamond? Do you have special plans for it?”

  “Not yet. It would make a lovely ring, wouldn’t it?”

  Tasha nodded. In the back of her throat, she purred, and David thought the sound was very much like the noises of her lovemaking.

  As they were exiting Pola and Tweed, David caught sight of Inspector Henning. He stood motionlessly near the rear of the store, and David had no doubt that the inspector was completely aware of every step they’d taken inside the store. And yet, he’d passed up the opportunity to bother Tasha. Strange, David thought. The inspector had always seemed intent on harassing her.

  Back in Bloom’s, David asked, “Did you remember to turn on the video camera?”

  “Yes. But I clicked it off before Janet showed me that diamond. There’s no reason to alert Spectrum to the existence of that stone.”

  “Why not? While they’re in the vault, they’ll clean it out.”

  “Dammit,” she muttered. “This is going to put Janet out of business.”

  “Not unless they’re successful,” he reminded her. “Do you think we should talk to Henning?”

  “No. Not him.”

  They spent the rest of the afternoon with customers, and David stretched the simple task of hanging spools of ribbon into an all-day project. At four o’clock, he was still messing with a ladder at the rear of the shop when he heard the bell above the door ring.

  In a terse voice, Tasha said, “Mr. Green, how nice to see you.”

  “You didn’t go home last night,” he said. “Where were you?”

  “I pampered myself by staying in a hotel. I hope that’s all right. Cerise didn’t say anything about staying in my apartment. I have to get my rest. It’s not going to be easy to break into that safe. I need to be in perfect physical condition.”

  “I’m not threatening you.” But, to David’s ear, he sounded hostile. “Give me the camera.”

  David couldn’t see what was going on, but he assumed the exchange had been made when the bell jingled again.

  “Hi there, boss. Look who I brought to see the shop.”

  With a groan, David recognized Mandy’s voice. The little mother had picked a hell of a time to drop by. The thought of tiny infant Ruby being in the same room with Green filled him with disgust and dread.

  Firmly, Tasha said, “Goodbye, Mr. Green.”

  “Aren’t you going to introduce me to this little mother?” The harsh growl of Green’s voice made a mockery of gentleness. “And look at the baby. Boy or girl?”

  “A girl,” Mandy said, cooing softly. “Her name is Ruby.”

  “Take care of her,” Green said. “It would be a shame to have anything happen to such a beautiful baby.”

  An overwhelming fury galvanized David. In an instant, he’d shed the Wally Beamis attitude and descended from the ladder. In his hand, he gripped a hammer so tightly that his knuckles were white. His baggy-legged trousers concealed a shin holster holding an automatic. In his back pocket, he carried a tiny four-shot derringer. But David wouldn’t need a gun to deal with Green. The scumbag had threatened an infant. David felt fully capable of killing Green with his bare hands.

  He spat out the dental appliance. When he came up to the front counter, Green was gone.

  White-faced, Tasha stared at him with terror in her gaze.

  And Mandy looked puzzled as she cradled Ruby against her breasts. “Hi, David. Weird outfit.”

  Tasha’s voice shivered at the brink of panic. “Do you think he would…”

  “Yes,” David said. “If you don’t do what he says.”

  The front door opened behind Mandy as she said, “What’s the matter with you guys? What’s going on?”

  Inspector Henning stepped around her. “My question, exactly.”

  Chapter Eleven

  As David watched, Tasha’s face pinched into a snarl and she began to read Inspector Henning the riot act, starting with a lot of strange accusations about spilled water and trampled roses.

  Henning warded off Tasha’s words with a disdainful expression and a British sort of noise that sounded like “tut-tut-tut.”

  At the same time, Mandy repeated, “What are you doing? Tasha, you’ve got to tell me what’s going on. What’s up with all this?”

  And Ruby began a vigorous wail.

  “Quiet,” David said.

  The single word made no difference. If anything, the wall of sound rose higher.

  David lifted the hammer above his head and brought it down with a hard clang on the high metal stool behind the counter. Simultaneously, he shouted, “I want quiet!”

  The shop went silent. Everyone, including Inspector Henning, froze in place.

  “Thank you,” David said. He nodded to Mandy. “It’s nice to see you. And Ruby, too.”

  “Don’t even think about asking me to leave,” Mandy said. “Tasha is upset. After all she’s done for me, I’m not going to take off when she’s in trouble.”

  “Swell,” David said. He turned to face the beautiful, dark-haired enchantress who had touched his heart and was, at the current moment, making him want to throw a large object through the plate-glass window. “Tasha, I want you to answer in one word. Is there anything you want to say to the Inspector?”

  “Yes. I want to tell him that—”

  “One word,” David interrupted her. “Now, in one sentence, tell me the problem. Tell me, not him.”

  With her hands braced on her hips, she glared up at David. “If he ever breaks into my shop again, I will press ch
arges.”

  “That’s all, Tasha.” David glanced at the inspector. “Did you break into her shop?”

  “I have four words, sonny boy.”

  “I’m not your son, Inspector.”

  “And you’re not Wally Beamis, either.” The inspector tilted back on his heels and held up four stubby fingers. “Four words: Spectrum. Rubies. Wednesday night.”

  Now, it was Tasha’s turn to take action. She flew to Mandy’s side and ushered her toward the door. “Honey, I’m fine. And David is absolutely right. This is no place for you, and it’s especially no place for Ruby. Are you going straight home?”

  “Actually, I was going to the hospital first. I wanted to bring some flowers to the nurses. They were all so sweet.”

  “Fine.” Tasha grabbed a fishbowl terrarium with a miniature pagoda and shoved it into Mandy’s free arm. “This should do it.”

  “I can’t take this. It costs eighty bucks.”

  “Take it.”

  “Wait,” David said. He couldn’t allow Mandy to charge out into the world unprotected. Not after Green’s veiled threat. “It might be best if Mandy stays here for a minute. I’d really like to escort her to her car, maybe even drive her home.”

  When Tasha swung around to face him, she looked as if she might cry. Or scream. “Do you think Green might—”

  “We don’t need to take any chances,” he said. “Besides, Mandy can watch the shop for a minute while we talk to the inspector.”

  “Okay,” Mandy said as she shuffled to the counter. “Cool.”

  “May we proceed?” The inspector said. “I suggest we use Miss Lancer’s office.”

  David followed Henning and Tasha. He closed the door with a bang. “All right, Inspector. What do you know?”

  “Everything.” He meandered to the chair behind the desk and sat as if he owned the place. He crossed his legs, carefully arranged the crease in his trousers and straightened the necktie around his plump throat. “Miss Lancer was quite correct when she accused me of breaking into her shop.”

  “Why?”

  “Looking for evidence. I found nothing incriminating. I did, however, leave a little something behind.”

  He picked up the photograph of Tasha’s mother and the twin daughters dressed in white. On the back side was a small, round, metal object.

  “A bugging device,” Inspector Henning said. “Extremely effective.”

  David silently cursed himself. He should have thought of bugs. “You’ve heard every word that was spoken in this office.”

  “Indeed, I have.” He tossed the bug on the desktop. “So, your little problem about whether or not to tell the stupid coppers is now over. You already have, in effect, told me everything.”

  With a groan, Tasha deflated into the chair opposite her desk. Her shoulders slumped forward, her head drooped.

  “Buck up, Miss Lancer. This is the best thing that could ever happen to you. I will be running this sting operation henceforth.” He focused on David. “I suggest that you proceed exactly as you have been. Cooperate with Spectrum in every particular.”

  “Except for one,” David said. “Tasha won’t be stealing the rubies.”

  “Oh, no, that mustn’t happen. However, I will need for the Spectrum plan to be carried completely through so that I can catch them red-handed with the Sheikh’s Rubies.”

  Henning was bloated with smugness. He grinned so broadly that David thought his round face might split in two.

  “Quite a coup for me,” Henning said. “Apprehending three members of the Spectrum gang will be the icing on my retirement cake. Perhaps I shall take the American expedient of selling my memoirs.”

  Henning was, as Tasha had said repeatedly, a loathsome egomaniac. And yet, David was relieved. At least the police would be alerted and involved in their sting. “Let’s get down to details, Inspector. How are we going to arrest the gang?”

  “Simple. We allow them to break into the vault. They fill their pockets. Tasha opens the safe and—”

  “I can’t do it,” Tasha mumbled.

  “I beg your pardon?”

  “You heard me, Henning.” Her gaze was pure venom. “I was inside the vault today, and I took a good look at the safe where Janet is keeping the rubies. There is no way I’ll be able to get that thing opened. Even when I was working with the magic act, a five-number combination would have been tough. But now? I haven’t done safecracking in ten years. I doubt that I could pop a pair of handcuffs.”

  “Then I suggest you begin practicing,” Henning said. “I want to arrest these people with the evidence in their hands.”

  “I have a better idea,” David offered. “We can tell Janet Pola about the sting and get the combination from her.”

  “No,” Tasha said. “Janet would be hysterical. The fewer people who know, the better.”

  “I find myself in agreement with Miss Lancer,” Henning said. “I will inform the guards and one other police officer at the last possible moment. I will not have anyone else botching up my operation.”

  “What about the combination?” David asked. “You could get it for Tasha.”

  “And I shall. Obviously, she must be able to open the safe. I want them to be holding the loot when they are arrested.”

  “That’s the part I want to hear about,” David said. “How are you going to arrest them?”

  “As they emerge from the vault.”

  “No good.” David shook his head. This was the part to the sting that had been bothering him. “Tasha has to go into the vault with them, and she’ll be with them when they come out. If Green thinks they’ve been betrayed, he could turn around and kill her in an instant. Or use her as a hostage.”

  “And wouldn’t that be a shame,” Henning said. “I’m afraid that Miss Lancer will need to figure out her own escape. Exit first and flee.”

  Though that solution was unsatisfactory, David had no alternative idea. “And what about the guards? Green and Spectrum are famous for leaving no witnesses.”

  “The guards will be alerted, well-armed and wearing bulletproof vests. At the last moment, I shall instruct them not to interfere with the robbery in progress.”

  David was painfully aware of everything that could go wrong. Green might be planning to shoot the guards as a precaution. Brown might have arranged for explosives. Cerise might be standing outside the vault as a lookout. There were dozens of variables, and each one put Tasha in danger.

  “In the meantime…” Henning stood and plucked the bug from the desktop. “I shall be removing my device. Various members of Spectrum will be using your shop for the next few days, and one of them might actually be clever enough to search for bugs. We don’t wish to tip them off, do we?”

  As he approached the office door, David said, “One last thing, Inspector. We will want a written pardon from you regarding Tasha’s part in this caper.”

  “That she’s working with the police for a change? Certainly.”

  “I mean it,” David said. “I won’t let her go into the vault without it.”

  Henning looked David in the eye. “Don’t tell me my job, sonny boy. I was apprehending jewel thieves when you were playing cops and robbers with your schoolmates. I know what I am doing. Right now, I am running this show.”

  On that arrogant note, he left them.

  David went to Tasha. He rested his hand on her shoulders. “I’m sorry. I should have looked for bugs.”

  “It’s not your fault.” Her voice sounded defeated. “And, actually, you were right. We really did need to inform someone in the police. If only it weren’t Henning.”

  “Maybe it’s not so bad. Henning does have experience with jewel heists.”

  “Oh, David.” She rose from her chair and came into his arms. Protectively, he held her. She was so small. Her bones were so delicate. “I’m scared. I’m scared for me and for you and for Mandy. You don’t really think Green would go after her, do you?”

  “Who knows what he might do?” David wished
he could offer reassurance. “It might be best if she stays somewhere safe for the next few days.”

  “If she gets back to her mother’s house without Green following, I can’t think of any way he could trace her. Mandy’s last name and her mother’s aren’t the same. And it’s way out in the suburbs. She ought to be safe there. I’ll warn her not to come to the shop.”

  “I’ll ride home with her now,” David said. “To make sure she’s not followed.”

  “If he touches Ruby, I swear I’ll kill him with my bare hands.”

  As anger sparked within her, Tasha felt a bit of strength returning to her body. Though she would have wished for anyone other than Henning to be their confidant within the police department, the choice had been taken from her hands. She had to make the best of it. There was no time for wringing her hands and bemoaning her fate. For the next two days, she needed to exercise the wiles she’d learned as a headstrong adolescent and the wisdom that came with maturity.

  Leaning back her head, she gazed into David’s eyes. “I can do this. We’ll make it, David.”

  The telephone on Tasha’s desk rang and she answered, “Bloom’s Flowers. Tasha-Lancer speaking.”

  “Cerise here. Inspector Henning paid you a visit.”

  “He suspects me,” Tasha said, suppressing the twitch of fear that came from speaking to a member of Spectrum. “He was warning me not to try anything. The toad! He keeps talking about SoHo. And Miami.”

  “What happened in Miami?”

  “A team operation with my sister,” Tasha said. “Emeralds. A tiara and earrings.”

  “Oh, yes. I believe I heard something about that. Your mother was involved.”

  Another warning bell trilled in Tasha’s head. “You know my mother?”

  “Everyone’s heard of Martina and her legendary jewel collection. She’s never had a piece stolen, and she always gets top dollar when she sells.” Cerise lowered her voice. “For a time, I thought she was Black.”

  “My mother?” Aghast, Tasha stared at the queenly visage in the family photo. Martina? The leader of an international gang of jewel thieves? “She’s retired.”