Mystery: Double Cross - The Davenport Mysteries (Suspense novel series of adventure mystery books and Crime mystery thrillers)

by V. S. VASHIST

  On paper, the shop owner was not guilty and that stopped Jake from taking any action on him. The package left outside the shop gave him a glimmer of hope. But he went overboard with his interrogation, leading to his suspension.

  Still, he was not able to find a link between his case and what had happened in Lake Sivan. He was sure that after roughing the suspect, he would have come into the eyes of the people behind the smuggling racket. And, they might have kept an eye on his movements. But why would they take all the trouble to devise such a lavish plan to kill him? The only explanation was that he came here exactly at the time when they were planning to steal the ring. Natalie came to see if he was going to stay. She did ask him the length of his stay. The next day, he met Pablo, who guided him back to Natalie. Maybe it was not the part of the plan. They must have thought that he was investigating the case. Natalie took her time to earn his trust back and when she knew he was not going to suspect anything, he was poisoned.

  The only hole in the theory was the presence of the handyman who told him about Gary’s, the grocery store owner and Gary himself. Why were they involved from day one?

  Jake’s concentration was broken by the ring of the phone. His eyes gleamed as he saw Kiara’s number.

  “What’s the news?’ he shot immediately.

  “I have made some progress,” Kiara said. “You should come out of the house first.”

  “Give me a sec,” Jake said and came out of the backdoor. “Yeah, go ahead.”

  “My gemologist was really surprised to see the pictures. It seems the value of the ring is five times of what we had anticipated. You know why?”

  “Why?” Jake asked with surprise.

  “Because, it’s illegal to own such a ring.”

  “Why is it illegal to have a ring?” Jake asked with surprise.

  “Such rings date back to the mid- to late eighteenth century. It seems there were only five of these made. They were given by the royalty to the five families that had served them over ten generations. Each ring had a specific pattern engraved at the bottom.”

  “So, it passed from generation to generation?”

  “Yes, but there was a caveat to it,” she said. “In those times, the son was the only heir to father’s wealth, if he was from the first marriage. If there was only a daughter, then it was passed on to the son-in-law. If there was no heir, then it meant that the property would be handed over to the state and it will become illegal for any citizen to keep any part of it.”

  Jake’s excitement was increasing, but he did not interrupt her.

  “I got hold of the names of the families that were given the rings. Out of the five families, two ended up without an heir and one family without a son-in-law.”

  “The daughter did not marry?” Jake asked.

  “Yes and in all the three cases, the rings were auctioned along with other valuables by the last heir before the state could take it away from them. It was a common practice by the owners at that time. It was a way to enjoy the last days of life. After all, no one was going to inherit anything. So, it was better to consume as much wealth as possible.”

  “But, such auctions would be illegal, and people who bought it in the auctions could not keep it with them after the original owner died?” Jake asked.

  “Yes, because unlike the house one might build with his own earned money, the ring and other such antiques that were bestowed by the royalty could not be sold. It could move from one generation to another or passed onto the government,” Kiara reiterated.

  “That would explain why Natalie was not keeping it in the bank locker,” Jake said thoughtfully.

  “And, that’s why she did not tell the police specifically about it,” Kiara added.

  “Yes,” Jake said. “This also explains why we could not find anyone coming forward claiming the box that we found near the car crash,” he said and paused for a moment. “That means there is a pattern. They target those antiques that have been acquired illegally. The theft of such an antique would not be reported by the owners. So, no threat of being followed by the cops. The only issue is to get it across the border, and they are doing with the help of small shop owners. All the shop owners have license to sell imitations. They mix it with the imitation stuff and get it across the border. That’s why they had filled Natalie’s cabin with the imitations. Maybe they had planned to take it across the border when I arrived. The whole network is running smoothly and God knows for how many years. For us, it’s not even happening, as there are no complaints. And even if there are some complaints, they’ll be like Natalie’s where the complainant will not mention the actual details. So, we will never come to know about it.”

  “So, what’s the plan? Do you want to pursue it further?” Kiara asked. “We can fight an individual but not a network.”

  “A chain is as strong as the weakest link. We need to find that link. The chain will break on its own,” Jake said. “Any information on the families who have similar rings?”

  “The whereabouts of the illegal owners are unknown for the obvious reasons,” Kiara said. “The remaining two families have settled in Europe. However, one of them; the Windsor still have some properties in New York. Maybe I’ll be able to find something there.”

  “That will be a start,” Jake said. “I will look for any similar thefts in the past.”

  “Let me fix an appointment, then,” Kiara said. “You take rest.”

  “I will,” Jake said and disconnected. The whole network was functioning as if it was invisible. Jake knew they had to pull something special to catch the mastermind.

  Brendon on the other hand was shivering with fear. He dialed a number and waited impatiently for it to answer.

  “What happened?” a female voice came from the other side.

  “You very well know what happened,” he said in a frail voice. “If we don’t get the ring back by tonight, Chief will kill me and then he will come after you.”

  There was a momentary pause. “But Gary had arranged for the ring last night?” she asked, not able to understand.

  “We should have killed him when we had time,” he said while scratching the scar on his face. “He gave a fake ring. Chief has given the ultimatum. This is our final chance.”

  “Maybe she brought the ring here,” the woman said with urgency.

  “Who?”

  “The female officer who was with him yesterday.”

  “Then we need to get it from her.”

  “You know we can’t contact her directly. Let’s search her house first. Maybe we can get it there,” she suggested.

  Brendon kicked the table. “My mind is not working. I’ll do anything that saves our lives. Let’s meet at the café. We will go to her building from there.”

  There was a momentary silence. “Brendon, you need to calm down.”

  “I am really sorry. Marriage with me has brought nothing but trouble to you,” he apologized. Sweat drops glistened on his forehead.

  “Don’t worry. Nothing will happen to us,” she assured him, though there was not much confidence in her words. “Let’s meet at the café in the next ten minutes.”

  Brendon disconnected, threw the phone on the bed, and started sobbing. After a few minutes of self-loathing, he got up and splashed water on his face. He knew it was now or never. He had to summon all the courage he had. He looked at his phone one more time as he left the apartment.

  Kiara took Bob’s help to trace down the address for Windsor Estate. Though, the secretary was a bit nervous after hearing that the FBI wanted to talk to him. But after speaking to Ralph Windsor, she confirmed a 2:00 p.m. appointment the next day.

  Kiara texted Jake about the appointment that made him happy that they were finally making some good progress on the case.

  Kiara spent the whole evening thinking about what information they wanted from Ralph. There were no direct questions. The only thing that he could help with was the history of the ring. Maybe a chapter in the history held the key to all the commo
tion that the ring had caused. She kept thinking about all the things that she could ask about the ring: the history, the people who owned it, any attempts to steal it in the past—anything that could help.

  “Aren’t you leaving?” Bob asked while shutting down his computer.

  Kiara looked at the clock. It was almost seven o’clock. She nodded. “Will leave in half an hour.”

  “OK,” Bob said and tried to get up. It took him a few seconds to get out of the chair. By the time he got up, he was breathing heavily.

  “Don’t you care about your health?” she asked, knowing beforehand that he was going to make a snide remark. But maybe he was tired—he did not get angry.

  “I can’t help it. It’s hereditary,” he said. Kiara just nodded.

  He stood there for a moment, catching his breath and then left.

  “Hereditary,” she mumbled and looked at the screen of her computer.

  By the time Kiara reached home, it was already past nine. As she came out of the elevator and looked at her apartment door, her heart sank. The door was open. She took out her gun and walked slowly. She waited near the door for a moment and then gave it a gentle push with her left hand.

  A cold shiver ran down her spine, looking at the condition of the apartment. Everything was lying on the floor. The couch cushions were ripped apart, the foam and springs pulled out. The center table was upside down. All her bags were open and her clothes were lying on the floor. She rushed towards the bedroom. It was the same all over. It was as if someone was looking for something. She knew what it was: the ring. She heaved a sigh of relief and ran her fingers across the chain she was wearing and took it out. She looked at the ring for a few moments and then put it back.

  She walked across the hall towards her computer. She looked at the CCTV camera over the door while the system was booting. Finally, there was going to be a face to the lead on the case. The day Jake had told her to safeguard herself; she had the camera installed.

  She waited with bated breath as the computer started.

  Her eyes lit up at what she saw. Suddenly, the condition of her apartment did not matter to her. She looked for her phone and dialed Jake’s number.

  “Hey! What’s up?” Jake asked.

  “My house was robbed today,” she said with excitement. Jake took a moment to be sure that she was actually excited about it.

  “Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine, but when you know who was behind it, you’ll be as excited as me,” she said. “It was the guy with the scar.”

  “Finally, our plan is working out. He came to get the ring after all,” Jake said with excitement.

  “Not he, they came.”

  “Oh … there was someone else too?” Jake asked.

  “Yes, a woman,” Kiara replied.

  “Was it … was it Natalie?” Jake asked in a frail voice.

  “You have to describe her to me,” Kiara said while looking at the screen.

  “Brunette; about five and a half feet, and she has … freckles on her right arm near the shoulder,” Jake said in anticipation.

  “Well, I have to disappoint you. She is a blonde, height may be a match, and her arms are covered,” she said.

  There was a momentary silence.

  “Jake?” she asked.

  “Can you send me an image?” he asked. “I’ve seen the man before. Maybe I’ll remember who he is from a clear shot.”

  “Will do that,” she said. “I will also try to find their whereabouts from the database.”

  “What about your apartment?” he said. “I would have helped, but …”

  “Don’t worry about it. I will get it fixed. I’m going to file a report against the two to get them for interrogation,” she said. “We are finally getting onto something.”

  “That’s great progress indeed,” Jake said and paused. “What about Windsor Estate?”

  “Meeting the owner tomorrow morning.”

  “I hope we get a lead from there also,” he said. “We need to … Oh my God!”

  “What happened?” Kiara asked worriedly.

  “That’s why she was allergic to the lake water,” Jake said in a frail voice, looking at the screenshots sent by Kiara.

  “What’s happening?” Kiara asked.

  “It’s her … Natalie,” Jake said. “She’s the one who came to your apartment.”

  “What? Are you sure?” Kiara asked. “The image is not that clear.”

  “I can’t forget that face … that deceiving face,” Jake said angrily. “You get her to speak to me once you arrest her. I am not going to spare her this time.”

  “Calm down, Jake,” she said at once. “I understand your feelings, but we need to tread with caution. Let us get them arrested first. I will also have to speak to Carlson about this. We have to get official permission now.”

  Jake took a deep breath. “You are right. You need to file the report right away.”

  Kiara nodded. “Let me do that. You take care and don’t overthink.”

  “I am fine,” Jake said and disconnected. Kiara knew it had agitated Jake. He still had feelings for Natalie. He thought that she was forced to do this, but now he was feeling betrayed.

  She downloaded the footage on her cell phone and left her apartment. Jake on the other hand was restless. He did not know how to respond to it. He had given all benefit of the doubt to her, hoping she had actually reciprocated to his feelings. But now, he had nothing else but hatred in his heart for her.

  Kiara filed the complaint and waited for any information on the two. After two days, she felt as if she had achieved something in the case. She knew she was going to get a good night’s sleep.

  However, she was left disappointed when nothing was found in the database. There was nothing else that could be done. The officer on duty assured her and suggested that she should stay with someone else for some time. She smiled back knowing that there was no other option but to go back to her apartment.

  Kiara woke up by the ringing of her phone. She looked at the clock; it was six o’clock. She was worried when she saw an unknown number.

  “Hello, Kiara Davenport this side,” she said while rubbing her eyes.

  “This is Detective Robert. You had registered a complaint against Brendon Jones?” he said in a hurry.

  “Who?” Kiara said while gulping water.

  “He had broken into your house yesterday, according to your report.”

  His words made Kiara come out of sleep immediately. “You found his name. That’s great. Are you bringing him down for interrogation?”

  “I am afraid we can’t do that,” he said ruefully. “He was found murdered in his apartment early morning today. Can you come down to the station? We will need your statement. It may help us with the case.”

  All enthusiasm evaporated from Kiara’s face. She punched the pillow in frustration. Their only lead had slipped out of their hands. Jake was going to lose his mind.

  “Agent Davenport? Are you there?” Robert asked from the other end, bringing Kiara back from her thoughts.

  “Yeah, I will be there,” she said softly. She was about to hang up when she remembered something.

  “What about his wife?” she asked with bated breath.

  “They did not hurt her. But she’s under trauma. According to her, they killed him in front of her,” he said.

  “Maybe she would be able to identify the killers,” Kiara said with excitement.

  “Right now, she’s in a state of shock. We are taking her to the hospital. She’s been muttering some prayers since we got inside,” he said. “Once discharged, we will bring her to the station.”

  “Oh … okay,” Kiara said with a hint of disappointment. “If it’s not urgent, can I give my statement around evening? I have some meetings lined up for a case. I’ve been trying to get a lead for quite some time. Don’t want to miss it. I hope you understand.”

  “That would be fine,” Robert said. “We just want to know if there was something els
e besides the recording you gave to us yesterday that could help us.”

  “Well, I don’t think I will be of much help on that. Still, let me think it over during the day.”

  “Yeah, that will help. See you then,” he said and hung up.

  Kiara kept looking at the phone. Though she had made an excuse about her meetings, the actual reason for going in the evening was to meet Natalie. By that time she would be discharged, and Kiara would also have planned how to confront her. There was only one hurdle to cross. She hoped that she could do that without any issue. Time was of great essence and she had very less of it.

  She called up Jake immediately.

  “What’s up, partner?” Jake shot at once.

  “You are unusually chirpy today,” she said.

  “I’ve been waiting for your call since we spoke yesterday,” he said. “Give me the good news. Have we caught the two?”

  “Our guy with the scar is dead,” she said with disappointment. “He was murdered this morning. I guess losing the ring did not go down well with the Chief.”

  “Oh … what about her? Is she alive?” Jake asked in a frail voice, his heart pounding in anticipation.

  “She’s fine,” Kiara replied. “A little traumatized though. They killed him in front of her. She’s in the hospital right now.”

  “Oh … At least we have a lead.” Jake tried to hide his feelings.