Diamond Lilly

by Henriette Daulton

  “I’m sorry, officer, really. Everything is okay, I just got carried away. It won’t happen again,” she promised, giving him a contrite look.

  The man nodded sullenly and stepped back. She stared at Dariel,

  “One last time, do you want to get out and get Lilly back?” she whispered.

  He nodded.

  “Then tell me everything, so we can try to get you released.”

  “I don’t trust the cops, they lied to me before. I’ll tell you. You will be my witness and they can’t deny it later,” he said.

  “Sounds fair.”

  He glanced in the guard’s direction. When he seemed satisfied the man was looking away, he leaned across the table, motioning for her to do the same.

  She leaned in.

  “In the briefcase…There was money, lots of money, and diamonds,” he whispered.

  Her eyes widened. “Money and diamonds?”

  He nodded.

  “How much money?” she asked.

  He leaned in further and spoke softly. “One hundred thousand.”

  Jessie let out a long breath. “That’s a lot of money.”

  He nodded again.

  “And the diamonds? Do you know how much they’re worth?” she asked.

  He looked at her and smiled.

  Jessie shrugged. “Are you even certain they were real diamonds? They could have been fake.”

  Dariel smirked. “They’re real, for sure. I took them to Sal and he checked them out.”

  “Who’s Sal?”

  “He’s a jeweler, a good one. He knows his stuff,” he answered.

  “And what did he say?”

  This time Dariel sat up straight and grinned. “They’re worth a shit load of money, that’s what he said.”

  Jessie nodded thoughtfully. “Somebody is bound to want all of it back.”

  He slumped back down in his seat. “Why did they have to kill Mandy? It’s all my fault.”

  “Blaming yourself now won’t do any good. The important thing is to get you back with Lilly. The sooner, the better. We have to let the police know about all of this. Give them the money and the diamonds. Was there anything else in the case?”

  “Just some paperwork in a foreign language. I don’t know what it said. I threw it in a dumpster with the briefcase. I hid the money in the house.”

  “How come they didn’t find it?” Jessie asked.

  Dariel smirked. “Beats me. Guess they didn’t do a very good job, did they?”

  “And the diamonds?”

  He shook his head. “They’re not in the house. But I’m not giving them up until I get to see Lilly. If they agree to let me go—and I want it in writing—then I’ll tell you where everything is.”

  Jessie nodded. “I don’t think it’ll be a problem if they’re sure you’re ready to talk.”

  Hope crept into his voice. “Can you come with her tomorrow?”

  “If they agree to the deal, Dariel. This afternoon, I’ll get the information about your sister so you can call her.”

  “If I get released, I won’t need to call her.”

  “Probably not. It might be a good idea to talk to her anyway. Mend some fences. Wouldn’t it be nice for Lilly to get to know the rest of her family?”

  “If something happened to me, do you think she will care for my baby?”

  “Yes, of course,” Jessie replied. “Lilly is her little niece.”

  Her encouraging words brought back a smile to his face. Jessie stood up. “There is lots to do, so I’d better get going now.”

  “I’ll see you tomorrow, right?” he asked eagerly.

  “As I said, if they agree.”

  “And Lilly?” he asked.

  “I will do my best to get her here. I promise.”

  “Thank you.”

  The guard led him away and Jessie hoped she would be able to keep her promise. He might be a petty thief, but it she was certain he loved his child. Right now, she planned to do everything in her power to bring him and Lilly back together. It was the very least she could do for that little girl.

  As she walked back to her car, Jessie checked her phone and found she had a message from Mary Gilmore. She rang back the social worker, who answered on the second ring. “How is Lilly?” Jessie asked anxiously.

  “I talked to the foster mom this morning, and she’s doing just fine. There are a couple of other little girls at the home about the same age, so there is no lack of playmates. I know you were concerned, so you can put your mind at ease.”

  “Thank you. I’m just leaving the prison. I met with Dariel Thomas and he’s willing to make a deal with the police. First he wants to see Lilly, then he will tell them everything. I promised him I would try and bring her here tomorrow. Do you think it’s possible?”

  “I don’t know—”

  “By stealing that briefcase, Dariel may have put his life, and Lilly’s life as well, in danger. I have a feeling the people looking for the briefcase won’t hesitate to kill again in order to get it back. They already murdered Mandy. If I bring Lilly to see him tomorrow, and the police drop any new charges against him, he can give them the contents of the briefcase. Then he can leave the area with his child. The sooner, the better,” Jessie said.

  The woman didn’t respond.

  “Please, Ms. Gilmore. There has been enough tragedy in that family already. Can you do it?” Jessie pleaded.

  “There is a lot of paperwork to be completed before I can entrust you with the child.”

  “I understand. You tell me what I have to do, and I’ll do it. You can call Detective Sam Perrone and talk to him. He will vouch for me. If you need any other references, I’ll be glad to give them to you.”

  “I’ll call you back as soon as I can,” the woman promised.

  Jessie sighed. She understood the bureaucracy and safety measures were meant to protect the child, yet sometimes it seemed like they did more harm than good.

  The drive back from Pompano to downtown Ft Lauderdale found her sitting in gridlock on I-95 for nearly a half hour. Finally, she reached the Broward exit. Twinges of hunger told her it was lunch time. She stopped at a small deli and waited in line for an additional ten minutes before being handed a tuna wrap and a bottle of water.

  While eating in her car, she called Perrone and described her visit with Thomas and his request to see Lilly the next day. She also asked him to put in a good word with the social worker if she inquired about her. “Sam, do you think I can go back to see him tomorrow?”

  He hesitated. “Here’s the problem, Jessie. This is Boyd’s case, and I can’t just insert myself into his investigation. What I can do is tell him what you found out today. I’m pretty sure he’ll be eager to talk to you about this, especially since he hasn’t gotten anywhere with Thomas so far.”

  Jessie sighed. More red tape. “So what do I do in the meantime?”

  Sam chuckled. “Sounds like you’re eating, so why don’t you finish your lunch first—whatever it is, just sit back and enjoy it, okay? I know you, you’re chomping at the bit to get going with this. Be patient. Boyd is a good detective, he will call you back, and you can take it from there.”

  She agreed reluctantly. Despite Perrone’s advice, she was unable to relax. On the way out of the parking lot, she tossed the rest of her food in the dumpster and headed back to the office. She dashed up the stairs, opened the door into the lobby, and immediately spotted Art sitting at her desk, hands folded across his ample stomach.

  “Should I start looking for another job?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

  He grunted while repositioning his thick body in the chair and swirled around to face her. “Not yet, but if I don’t get that story about the human sex trade pretty soon, I might reconsider.”

  Jessie protested. “We’ve talked about this earlier, Art. For the next couple of days, I need to follow up on the Thomas story. Would you like to hear about the contents of the briefcase Dariel Thomas swiped at the Airport?” She tilted her head an
d waited.

  Art snorted impatiently. “Well, are you going to tell me or what?”

  “Glad to know you’re interested after all. The briefcase was chuck full of precious diamonds and lots of money, like a hundred thousand dollars’ worth in cash.”

  He shot her a doubtful glance. “How do you know?”

  “Thomas and I had a nice visit at the jail today. If all goes according to plan, tomorrow he will tell me where to find this treasure trove.”

  “What is the police’s role in this little arrangement?” he said, looking less than persuaded.

  Jessie went over the plan she hatched with Dariel. She’d bring Lilly to see him, in exchange for giving the contents of the briefcase to the police and having the charges dropped.

  Art narrowed his eyes. “This all sounds too easy. What if he backs out?”

  She shook her head. “No way. He really loves his child, and will do anything to be with her. By tomorrow I’ll have all the details.”

  “We can’t wait until tomorrow. I need something on it now, before the competition gets a hold of it and beats us to the punchline.”

  “I don’t have the full story yet, Art. Let’s just report the car chase and the shooting. Let me work on the rest. I’ll write it up now.”

  He held up a hand in objection. “You know you can’t. You’re a witness. Have Susan write the article.”

  Jessie hesitated. Although she knew he was right, and Susan Blandish, the News’ crime reporter was a colleague, she was still reluctant to let go. Finally, she nodded in agreement. “Okay, but when I get the full story behind this, I want the byline.”

  He shifted again, then pulled himself out of the chair with a groan. Jessie wasn’t very tall, but Art was quite short and they practically stood eye to eye. “All right, you’ve got a couple of days to work on it. If you’re wrong, it’ll cost you,” he warned, pointing a stubby finger at her with a wink.

  “Thanks, Art, you’re a real mensch,” Jessie replied sarcastically as he walked away.

  It was three o’clock when she got a call from Jim Boyd. “Hey Jessie, sorry I didn’t get back to you earlier. I had a lot going on here. Perrone filled me in on your encounter with Thomas. It’s quite a tale he told you about diamonds and cash. The question is, how much of it is true?”

  “I think all of it is true. The man is devastated by his wife’s murder, and he desperately wants to be reunited with his little girl.”

  “Then he should start by telling us where to find the briefcase,” Boyd retorted.

  “Well, here’s the problem: because of past dealings, and he didn’t say any of it involved you, he has somewhat of a trust issue with the police. He wants to see Lilly tomorrow, and if you can offer him a deal, he will tell you everything.”

  “We don’t make deals with criminals, Jessie.”

  “Come on, Detective, have a heart. We’re just talking about releasing him back on probation. Besides, think about what it would mean for your investigation.”

  “We searched his house and came up empty handed. I don’t know if he’s playing you or what.”

  “I don’t believe so. He told me he tossed the briefcase and some paperwork. He kept the cash, a hundred thousand dollars, in the house. He stashed the diamonds somewhere else for safe keeping. He knows they’re worth a bundle because he first took them to a jeweler who told him so. Don’t you think it’s suspicious no one has come forward to claim this briefcase?”

  There was silence on the line.

  “Detective?” she asked after a while.

  “I’ll see what I can do.”

  Jessie took a deep breath. “Great. I talked to the social worker but she hasn’t gotten back to me yet. Maybe you can call her, remind her how important this is for Lilly.”

  He sighed. “I’ll give her a ring, see if you can pick up the child tomorrow. I’ll call you back in a bit.”

  “A bit” took a couple more hours.

  “She said the paperwork is still going to take a few more days. So here’s the plan. In the morning Mary will pick up Lilly at the foster home and we’ll all meet at the jail. You can take Lilly in to see her father, then he has to give me the information.”

  Jessie thought about it for a moment. “What about the deal? He won’t talk if there’s no deal.”

  “If his story pans out, there won’t be any charges.”

  “Will you give him your word?”

  “Unofficially.”

  “What do you mean?” she asked.

  “Off the record.”

  Jessie paused for a moment. “He wanted it in writing,”

  “Nope. We’re not going down that path. He’ll just have to trust us.”

  “Okay, I hope this works out. For Lilly’s sake,” she said apprehensively.

  They agreed to meet at ten o’clock. She remembered telling Dariel she would get the information about his sister Emily. She decided to hold off until after the meeting.

  As she got ready to leave, Susan Blandish walked off the elevator. Although a lot of the older reporters didn’t like the tall, thin woman’s blunt manner, Jessie found her refreshing. She knew firsthand that being a crime reporter and hanging around with cops and criminals for a living required a special toughness.

  “Hey Susan!” she shouted, waving at her.

  The woman came over and sat on the corner of the desk. “How’s it going, Jessie?”

  She filled her in on the car chase and told her she had already emailed her all of the details.

  “Sounds like you had quite a night,” Susan stated.

  “Yeah, I’m going back tomorrow to see the father in jail.”

  “Okay, so you’ll be doing the follow up story on this?”

  “Yes, but Art wants you to do the article for the shooting. It has to be in by the deadline today,” Jessie said.

  If Susan was upset by the fact she would only get the first article, she didn’t say. “Got it. See you later.”

  Jessie gathered her notes and headed out. Driving home, she had a sudden pang of guilt and changed directions. Just moments after she set foot in her mother’s condo, she was already regretting her decision. Sophie Milner wasted no time complaining about the rarity of her visits.

  “Mom, I’m here now, so let’s not go over this again,” Jessie protested.

  The aroma of fresh baked apples wafted through the air. Jessie took a deep breath. “Something smells good.”

  “Apple pie, and I made a chicken pot pie earlier. I hope you’ll stay for dinner.”

  “I don’t know, I’ve got paperwork to do. I should head home.”

  Sophie made a face. “You’re always in a rush. What’s wrong with eating with me for a change?”

  Jessie relented. “We’ll have dinner together. You happy now?”

  “Of course I am. When my only child pays me a visit, I’m always happy. Sit down, I’ll get you a plate.”

  They sat across from each other at the dining room table. “This is really good,” Jessie said, between hearty bites of the pot pie.

  Sophie shrugged. “I’ve been making it all my life. Your father liked it, too. Remember? He wasn’t a big eater, but he always asked for seconds when I made the pot pie.”

  They shared of moment of silence before Jessie spoke again. “John called me yesterday.”

  Her mother sat up eagerly. “Oh good, what did he have to say?”

  “He told me he met somebody. Someone he likes.”

  Sophie frowned. “And you don’t mind?”

  “Mom, once again, it’s over between us. We’re friends now. I care about him and I want him to be happy. He deserves someone he can love and who will love him back.”

  The old woman shook her head. “Someday, you’ll be sorry you let him get away.”

  Jessie leaned across the table. “Let it be, Mom. If I am sorry, it’ll be my fault, no one else’s.”

  When she left the condo, there was half a pot pie and a large piece of apple pie in her trunk. And as usual, a
visit with her mother left her drained. Why did they always have such a hard time relating to one another? She realized how much she missed her father. A mild-mannered man, he somehow managed to keep the peace between the two women in his life before a heart attack took him away in his sleep. Jessie smiled sadly. Even dying, he avoided making a fuss.

  Back at the cottage Jessie changed into shorts and a tank top, grabbed her sandals, and walked out. As she got to the beach, the sun was setting. Streaks of purple meshed with deep shades of pink, creating the illusion of a mountain range across the horizon. A lone white pelican glided in the sky along the shoreline. Small, industrious sandpipers scurried on the sand, back and forth, following the constant movement of the waves in a pattern set in eternity. A gentle breeze brought relief from the fading heat of the day, and she sat leaning against a palm, enjoying the sight of the vast ocean in front of her.

  She closed her eyes and saw Franco’s face. The memories of the wonderful times they shared, nestled in each other arms, suddenly flooded her mind. More than three years had gone by since he was killed, but she had never stopped longing for him. Eyes brimming with tears, she looked up at the fading light. No one ever said heartbreak would be easy.

  Chapter Eight

  His stomach rumbled. After barely touching his dinner of dried up beans, a hardened lump of rice and chunks of pork swimming in a greasy dark sauce, he was now starving. Jail fare was the pits. After talking with the woman reporter today, Dariel hoped he would soon be out of here. His heart ached for Mandy, but she was gone and it was all his fault.

  His eyes started watering and he stifled a sob. Now Lilly didn’t have her mommy anymore, all because he was such a screw up. He had thought about it long and hard since he was arrested and Mandy was killed. When he got out, he would start over, make a clean slate of it. Get on a bus with Lilly and head to Minnesota. Hopefully Emily would give him one more chance. This time he would convince her husband he meant it, he would be going straight from now on. He didn’t know anything about farming, but what the hell, it couldn’t be so difficult, and he was willing to learn. Lilly would be happy there. They were bound to have a dog on a farm, and he recalled how many times she had begged for one. With Mandy being allergic to them, they had to deny her that simple pleasure.