The Jeweler's Loupe

by Max E. Harris

PARTMENT - DAY

  Ibrahim enters the apartment and grimaces at the sound of the TV. His Mother walks up and embraces him.

  MOTHER

  Oh, you hear the TV. I’m sorry. I will turn it off. How was your morning?

  IBRAHIM

  My morning went very well, Mother. I met a pair of women who seem to have more than enough money. I think they will be good clients.

  MOTHER

  You had not met them before? I thought you knew most of the wealthy people in the city.

  IBRAHIM

  The one woman is a collector and she realizes she can extract better prices if she is a regular customer but since Nafisi is no longer around she followed his inventory to my shop. I thought buying the specialty stock of Nafisi was a good investment and it seems to be true.

  Mother leaves the entrance to turn off the TV as Ibrahim leafs through the mail on the entrance table.

  MOTHER

  Your brother is joining us for dinner today. He should be here soon.

  IBRAHIM

  I am glad to hear that. I have been eager to learn how his trip to Beirut went.

  The front door lock rattles as a key unlocks it. Basil enters the apartment. The brothers smile and embrace each other. Mother returns to the entrance and embraces Basil.

  MOTHER

  Boys, the dinner is ready if you would like to be seated at the table.

  INT. AL-YAMANI DINING ROOM - DAY

  Mother and her 2 sons sit at the table. They pass the serving dishes.

  MOTHER

  Basil, how is your family?

  BASIL

  They are fine, Mother. Both boys are working hard on their studies. But I think it is time for Amir to begin learning some more practical aspects of life. I think he should start spending more time working in Ibrahim’s shop.

  IBRAHIM

  That is a good idea, Basil. I have a young man who helps me now but I can tell he is doing it for extra money until he finishes his studies in a few months and then will leave. He has not said anything definite but when we talk of his goals they do not include the jewelry business or selling in general. Amir seems to have better business instincts. Some people have the natural attributes and some do not. I think Amir is open to the idea of freely taking other people’s money without considering if the concept is just or not. Until now I have only had him learn the bookkeeping aspects of the business.

  BASIL

  (laughing)

  If dividing the food is any indication, Amir is well suited to you commercial interests. When food is the issue, he makes sure his own plate is filled before his brother’s. Maybe that is why he is so much larger than his brother.

  IBRAHIM

  I never heard the full story of your short trip to Lebanon. I assume since you are back with no scars or missing limbs that it was not a complete disaster.

  BASIL

  It went very well. We had minimal problems at the border and your contact confirmed our appointment. He was waiting as planned and we took Raouf for treatment at a private hospital. His injuries were serious but not critical. He should be back to normal in a couple months. He has family in Lebanon so he will live with them until peace returns to Syria. We found a tall French tourist who looked like a chemistry professor and he permitted us to take a couple pictures with him. When we returned to the border the next day we showed these photos as evidence of our meeting with the famous French chemist. One guard remembered that there was a sick boy with us. We said that his condition had been more severe than we had thought and he was having his gall bladder removed as we spoke. All ended happily. So aside from having the normal problems with employees, how is the jewelry business? Has anyone offered to sell you the Hope diamond at an enormous discount lately?

  IBRAHIM

  (laughing)

  No, no egg-sized diamonds showing up but I was telling Mother the purchase of Nafisi’s stock may be beginning to pay off.

  BASIL

  Speaking of Nafisi, his name came up in the conversation in Beirut. His family has moved to Lebanon and have bought a home in Tripoli. They seem to be much more reclusive than they were here in Damascus.

  INT. LARGE DETECTIVE OFFICE AREA - DAY

  Addem sits at his desk and flips through a notepad. He looks across the desk at Kuzbari who is typing on a old computer terminal.

  ADDEM

  Let’s summarize where we are. two weeks into going through Nafisi’s customer list and we have the usual buyers who have money and want to protect it by putting it into gold and diamonds and jewelry made from both. No crime in that. If it were, we would have to arrest 90% of the Syrian population and all the people with much money. Was this guy crazy? He had a good life and nobody was giving him any trouble then he starts supporting the opposition to a good government.

  KUZBARI

  Maybe you nailed the reason right there. By supporting the opposition and causing instability he caused anyone with liquid resources, that being cash, to want to put the money into anything that would hold its value, is portable, and readily bought and sold. We’ve got plenty of men watching the money changers. The banks are completely limited in how much money anyone can transfer out of the country. That leaves coins, precious metals, and jewelry. So Nafisi supports the opposition, supposedly on "human rights" matters, but in reality only into panicking the money into his shop. If Nafisi was doing it, I bet his competitors are still doing the same thing. When stability returns, their profits dry up.

  ADDEM

  You’re right, Kuzbari. It’s obvious. Nafisi was just the most prominent of those troublemakers. Let’s forget the customers for the time being. They are the sheep. It’s the bullion dealers, coin dealers, and jewelers that are the wolves. We need to stop inspecting the sheep and start going over the wolves.

  KUZBARI

  Remember the wolves have teeth and claws. They are not going to sit still while we work on them. There are political wolves, too, and they count on money from below to keep them in power. We have to be careful when we go after a wolf that he is not part of a wolf pack that will tear us apart.

  ADDEM

  OK, so we move in slowly. First, I let the boss know who we are going after and see if he will support us. If he will, that is fine and we proceed slowly. I trust Khoury but we don’t know what kind of pressure he gets from above. If somebody above him is involved with these guys, then Khoury will get the word to call us off.

  KUZBARI

  You mean if we are lucky we will be called off, if we are not so lucky then we are involved in an incident or they come after our families. I will make a list of the ten dealers of --let’s call them collectibles -- and give it to Khoury to review. If he rejects any of them we put them at the bottom of the list but we do not let them go. It just means we will have to take special precautions with them. You give me a list of the coin and bullion dealers and I will find the jewelers.

  INT. LARGE DETECTIVE AREA - NIGHT

  ADDEM

  I have my list. I will send it to you on an email and you can compile the complete list.

  KUZBARI

  OK. I will give it to the boss the first thing in the morning.

  INT. LARGE DETECTIVE OFFICE AREA - DAY

  Addem sits at his desk playing with a pencil as he waits for his partner who walks up with the printed list in his hand. He waves the list and smiles.

  ADDEM

  I take it from that big smile that we have our marching orders.

  KUZBARI

  Oh, yes. The boss looked it over for a minute. I explained our reasoning. He said we should proceed with caution. He said there could still be traps we are all not aware of. He said to check the neighborhood and mildly question the nearby shops and residents before we go after a wolf. I will give the list of coin and bullion dealers to the other team: You and I will go after the jewelers. Myself I prefer the sparkle of diamonds to that dull yellow shine of gold ingots and Krugerrands.

  ADDEM

  And the first unlucky wolf i
s?

  KUZBARI

  That would be Ibrahim Al-Yamani.

  INT. JEWELERY SHOP SHOW ROOM - DAY

  Ibrahim stands behind the counter. He glances at his watch when the door chime sounds. He pushes the button to unlock the door and walks to open the door. Shazadi and Qamar enter the shop. They exchange greetings with Ibrahim.

  IBRAHIM

  Ladies, you both look as bright as our warm Syrian sun this morning. I am sure when you leave you will glow even brighter. Let’s go to the tea room. Ibrahim escorts the women to the tea room and then calls the restaurant.

  INT. TEA ROOM - DAY

  The women sit at the table. Both take notebooks from their purses. Ibrahim stands smiling until he hears the door chime. He excuses himself and leaves the room. Momentarily he returns with a large tray containing a tea pot and a tray of local pastries. He has already set the table with elegant plates and tea glasses. He pours the tea while the women each take a pastry from the tray.

  IBRAHIM

  Now which one of you can I delight first?

  The two women smile at each other and Qamar nods toward Shazadi.

  IBRAHIM

  Yes, that is probably a good idea since your pendant is ready to wear. Let’s start with Mrs. Taja writing her offer on a slip of paper. Then we’ll see if she still has her ability to read my mind.

  SHAZADI

  Please, call me Shazadi.

  QAMAR

  Yes, you should call me Qamar since we are going to be artistic collaborators.

  IBRAHIM

  Fine, then you ladies should call me darling, no, make that Ibrahim.

  All three parties laugh.

  QAMAR

  Only your wife should call you darling.

  IBRAHIM

  I am sorry to say my wife died in childbirth with my infant daughter fifteen years ago but we still call each other darling in my dreams.

  Both women gasp and make sounds of regret.

  IBRAHIM

  Thank you for your sympathy but time has made my loss less painful as long as I do not dwell on it. And now for Shazadi’s number.

  He looks at the slip of paper and looks surprised.

  IBRAHIM

  I am somewhat relieved to see that you are not able to read my mind. My actual price is twenty per cent less than the figure you wrote. Maybe you had another currency in mind? No? Well then I would be glad to accept your higher offer but I like to give a good customer like I expect you to be an attractive price. Maybe you would like to spend the money you have saved on something else in my shop. Perhaps a gift for your husband or your children.

  SHAZADI

  You are a generous man, Ibrahim. I like the idea of buying something for my husband with the difference. He is constantly losing his pens so it is always a good gift for him. Do you carry those?

  IBRAHIM

  I have some in stock but if I do not carry what you have in mind, you can select it from a catalog and I will have it within two days.

  SHAZADI

  Wonderful! I will tell him of your business acumen, as well as my friends.

  IBRAHIM

  I was counting on that. There is no better publicity than a happy client. Now, Qamar, it is your turn. But I should warn you that I will have less control over the price of a custom piece since I will have to pay an artisan to fabricate it.

  QAMAR

  I understand, Ibrahim. My daughter has an Arabian stallion which she loves to ride. I brought a photo of it. I was thinking possibly a gold pendant with the horse depicted in enamel.

  IBRAHIM

  That’s an excellent idea. The dark enamel on the gold base might seem a little austere on a young girl. We could enliven the image a little by placing very small emeralds or rubies for the horse’s eyes. Then a dark blue enamel sky behind with small diamond stars in the sky. Give me the photo and I will scan it and work up an image of the final pendant. I will have the design completed in two days when you and Shazadi return for the pen. If you give me an idea of the size I can also have a price for you at that time.

  QAMAR

  That sounds very good. I think a pendant the size of the one Shazadi is taking would be good. It should have a pin on the back as well as an eyelet at the top to hang from a necklace. I will want to select a nice necklace for it.

  IBRAHIM

  Of course. Now I will bring a tray of pens for you to review, and some catalogs in case I do not have what you would like on hand.

  INT. LARGE MINISTER’S OFFICE - DAY

  Omar Taja enters his office and angrily slams his leather bound notebook on his elegant desk. He pushes the intercom button for his secretary on his desk telephone.

  SECRETARY

  Yes, sir.

  OMAR

  Abdul, I wish to call a meeting of all my deputies in my office at 1500 this afternoon. There will be no exceptions. I expect everyone who is in the area to attend this meeting.

  SECRETARY

  Yes, sir. I will notify all your deputies immediately. Does this mean I should cancel all your appointments for the remainder of the day?

  OMAR

  Yes, Abdul, that is correct. Tell all those parties that they will be rescheduled for the earliest possible time. Also, I want you to assign one hour each morning after the normal staff meeting for myself and whichever deputies I may need to consult. Tell them all that they should leave this time available to meet with me.

  SECRETARY

  Yes, sir. I understand, sir.

  Omar takes his cell phone from his pocket and clicks a selection.

  OMAR

  Shazadi, I am sorry but you will need to cancel the dinner party for this evening. There is urgent business which I must attend to and it will require my full time until the problems are corrected. I will be home late. I love you.. Goodbye.

  INT. LARGE MINISTER’S OFFICE - DAY, LATER

  The conference table is set with glasses and bottles of water. On a cupboard nearby is a complete tea service. All indications are for a long meeting. Omar stands at the office door which he opens. As each man enters he exchanges greetings but he does not smile. The men take their places at the table.

  OMAR

  Gentlemen, I am sure you all know I am not an openly religious man. However, I believe Allah is guiding our steps and will lead us from this darkness which is attempting to subvert our society and our government. This morning I met with the governing council and our president. All of us agreed that in spite of public reports to the contrary the conditions within the country have worsened in recent months and especially in the last few weeks. The measures we have taken have failed to stop the advance of the forces aligned against us. It is therefore incumbent upon us to strengthen our resolve, to battle both domestic and foreign enemies. The president, the foreign minister, and the defense minister are taking steps to defend us from foreign aggression, both open and covert. It is for us in this ministry to defeat the enemies which employ less overt tactics in attempting to overturn our duly elected government. These forces come with a variety of faces, many of which we see everyday. The public media is under close surveillance. We constantly monitor all printed materials and quickly stop the flow of negative propaganda. The broadcast media are similarly monitored and restricted. Our computer experts work tirelessly to intercept both electronic attacks and information on the internet aimed at damaging the government and country. The street demonstrations come from multiple sources. One group is of those fundamentally opposed to this government and willing to take illegal measures to destroy us. We can usually identify these insurrectionists and arrest them. In the future we will make it more difficult for them to act by seizing the property of their families. This will limit their support and set an example of the punishment that awaits unsocial behavior. Another group is of those who are disaffected due to unemployment. These are primarily the younger rioters. For this group we have a solution that cures two problems. We have had difficulty recruiting sufficient police and military forces due to
low salaries and a reluctance by many young people to be associated with a regime which they view as being dominated by a past generation. Henceforward, we will arrest many more demonstrators, especially those in the front lines. If they have past criminal records, they will be put to work building new prisons. They will be decently treated but given no pay. If they have families, the families will be notified of their rehabilitation by work. Those with no criminal record will be placed in either the police force or the military based upon their skills and our requirements. If they do not like this form of work and chose to desert, so be it. They will be treated as military deserters and subject to summary executions. In a short time only the most stupid will desert, and those have been a burden on our society for recorded history. Those who perform as loyal forces of order will be amply rewarded and promoted. University is not for everyone but this program will provide every man who has excess time a means to earn his living, regardless of his formal education. We know much of the unrest in Syria is caused by groups native to the country but we also feel there is much collaboration between internal groups and external organs dedicated to the destruction of our way of life. Among the most prominent of these are the government of Iran and the government of the Zionist state. It is therefore necessary for us to look more closely for any connections with these external provocateurs and their agents within Syria. All our investigators must pay particular attention to people with possible links to these countries. This may mean we intrude upon some peoples’ perceived rights to privacy but a single person cannot block the Syrian people’s right to a safe and progressive society. We have good people working for us but not enough of the specialists we need at this time. In order to improve our performance we are calling upon our allies in Russia to provide support. They have agreed to send in large teams of people that will boost our firepower. Most of these people speak either Arabic or English. In some roles the language is not important and in some cases as with the computer assistance the workers will not even have to come to Syria. We expect the first investigative assistance within a week. They will be assigned to help our people track down the sources of foreign interference and criminal activity.

  Finally, I have the unpleasant duty to tell everyone that this crisis has adversely affected our government budgets. As a result we must reduce our expenses and a part of that will be in the form of salary cuts. The president has led the way as he always does by sacrificing 60% of his annual salary. The cuts will decrease from there but I am taking a 50% cut for the interim. Most of you will be asked to give up 40%. The lowest paid workers will lose nothing. This sharing of the pain demonstrates our commitment to an equitable social system where those with the ability to pay the most do in fact pay the most. In order to monitor closely our progress I am scheduling a daily meeting of all of us to immediately follow my daily staff meeting. I do not want this to be a burden so I will attempt to make the meeting a survey of problems and progress since the previous meeting. Now I will entertain any questions you may have.

  EXT. JEWELERY SHOP ENTRANCE - DAY

  The two detectives walk up to each other and take their notebooks from there pockets and open them.

  ADDEM

  I talked to eight people in shops along the street. All of them said good things about Al-Yamani. He has worked here since he was a young man and always helped when he could. They did not have a bad word to say about him.

  KUZBARI

  Same on this side of the street. It makes me wonder what he is hiding. Nobody can be that good for that long. They did mention that he went through a bad spell after his wife and child died but that is to be expected. Did any of the people you talked to mention that?

  ADDEM

  Yes, in fact, one woman said he seemed upset with the hospital and said they had treated him badly because he was a Jew from Iran. But he never brought it up again. It does give him a reason to be against the government though, and just because he doesn’t do anything openly does not mean he isn’t doing anything wrong.

  KUZBARI

  Exactly. Let’s talk to him and see how he reacts. You push harder and I will stop you if we seem to be getting a response. Then we can pull him in and run a polygraph on him.

  ADDEM pushes the door chime button and a few seconds later the door buzzes to let them in.

  INT. JEWELERY SHOP SHOW ROOM - DAY

  Ibrahim stands in front of the counter smiling.

  IBRAHIM

  Good morning, gentlemen. I assume since you have notebooks you have come here to buy a good quality pen for writing. Are you journalists?

  Kuzbari takes his ID from his pocket and shows it to Ibrahim.

  KUZBARI

  No, Mr. Al-Yamani, we are from the police. We want to ask you a few questions if you don’t mind.

  IBRAHIM

  No, I don’t mind at all. In fact I rather enjoy the presence of the police these days with all the violence and vandalism going on. It would be good for me if one of you would like to take up residence in my back room. It would be good insurance. There is even a good restaurant nearby and I could subsidize the cost of your meals. When would you like to start?

  The two detectives laugh.

  ADDEM

  That is a nice offer, sir, but we have good jobs already. What we would like to know is what your relationship was with Mr. Nafisi.

  IBRAHIM

  Yes, the notorious Mr. Nafisi. We had a strictly business relationship until his disappearance. When his family decided to sell his inventory I welcomed the chance to select the items which fit with my style of shop. Other than that we had no relationship.

  KUZBARI

  But you were both Iranians. Didn’t you discuss Iranian affairs?

  IBRAHIM

  You should understand that I left Iran when I was 16. My entire adult life has been spent in Damascus. I have been a Syrian citizen for decades. My father chose to leave Iran and come to Damascus because he believed it was a progressive Arab state that would permit even an Iranian Jew to live a comfortable life and conduct business with minimal interference. I have always believed he made a good decision. No, Nafisi and I never discussed Iranian politics. Our interest in Iran was strictly as a source of a particular style of jewelry that is not readily available in Syria. You know as well as I do that there are food recipes from northern Syria that are not commonly available in Damascus. If one prefers these Turkish style dishes it does not imply that he has an interest in the Turkish government.

  ADDEM

  You do have family in Iran?

  IBRAHIM

  Yes, we do. My mother calls these relatives on holidays. I have not been back to Iran in over thirty years and my contacts with Iranians is strictly on a business basis. It used to be mainly by telephone but now we conduct it by email since it gives a better record.

  ADDEM

  Would you mind if we take your computer for a few days to inspect it?

  IBRAHIM

  I would mind only to the extent that it would disrupt my business. If you would like to take it overnight and make a copy of the disk drive to examine at your leisure, I am perfectly agreeable. If you wish to do that, I would suggest you come back about 2000 this evening when I am closing and take the machine with you then bring it back at 9 in the morning when I open. Or you can bring a portable drive and transfer the contents of my hard disk to the drive.

  KUZBARI

  That is very helpful of you, Mr. Al-Yamani. We will consider it and let you know. May we look around your shop?

  IBRAHIM

  By all means. I have my show room here, behind this is a small tea room where I conduct business with clients and next to that is my office with my computer. In the very back is a small workshop and a storage area. One of the advantages of this type of business is it does not require a lot of space for inventory. The most valuable items are kept in my safe.

  ADDEM

  Can we look in your safe?

  IBRAHIM

  If you wish. During the day the sa
fe is almost empty except for my cash and some very valuable items that I prefer not to show to everyone who enters the shop.

  ADDEM

  Do you have a surveillance system?

  IBRAHIM

  In these days it would be foolhardy not to have a surveillance system. There are cameras at both doors and another in each room. I can monitor who passes the shop and record what has happened in one room while I am in another room.

  ADDEM

  Then you saw us in front of the shop.

  IBRAHIM

  I do not make it a habit to watch the street. I have other matters to attend to. I looked at the monitor when you rang the chime to see that you were not obviously thieves. If you had looked like thieves, I would have sounded my silent alarm which would have brought a security service.

  KUZBARI

  Fine, then we will just have a look around the shop. May we take a few pictures as souvenirs. It is a very nice shop and I feel kind of like a tourist in a richly furnished building, like the Topkapi museum.

  IBRAHIM

  (laughing)

  Certainly, take your pictures but I trust you will not display them on the internet. There is enough crime already without giving the thieves an invitation and a map.

  The two detectives roam through the back rooms of the shop, each using a pocket digital camera to take pictures. Ibrahim follows along behind them. They all return to the front of the shop.

  KUZBARI

  We thank you for your cooperation, Al-Yamani. We will contact you again if we need more information.

  IBRAHIM

  It has been a pleasure, gentlemen. Any time you would like to patrol the area around my shop, I would be grateful.

  The detectives walk to the door and onto the street.

  EXT. JEWELERY SHOP ENTRANCE - DAY

  The detectives walk down the street to their car without talking. They both get in the car.

  KUZBARI

  Do you think it is safe to speak now?

  ADDEM

  I don’t know. I don’t think his camera can see us from here. I hope he didn’t plant a bug on me when I turned my back. He is really a smooth one. He has an answer for everything.

  KUZBARI

  You are too right and he is too smooth. I don’t trust guys like that. But then again, being smooth is how he makes his living. I will get a portable hard drive and we will make a copy of his disk. Then we can get a better idea of who all his contacts are.

  ADDEM

  But do you really think he would leave that kind of information on his disk?

  KUZBARI

  Everybody makes mistakes. Especially people who think they have all the angles figured out. They get overconfident and make mistakes. Let’s get lunch. Maybe we should try that restaurant he mentioned. It sounded good. I even liked the idea of Turkish cuisine after he talked about it.

  INT. TAJA A