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

by V. S. VASHIST

  “So you’re saying that you didn’t notice it at first?”

  “Yes,” he said, looking at her face.

  “That means there was nothing unusual in the whole house,” she asked. “Besides the idol being stolen.”

  He just nodded.

  “Don, if there was no forced entry, it means the thief had the key or maybe you left the door open for him.”

  Now Don’s face turned pale. “No, I didn’t. We have only two sets of keys. One is with me and the other one is with the maid.”

  “I am not pointing at anyone. I just want to know how can anyone breach the central security system and go out without leaving any clues,” she said while looking at the security system.

  “So, you are saying it’s the maid?” he said.

  “Either she did it herself, or maybe she helped someone,” Kiara explained. “The interesting thing is that she did not make it look like a robbery which is the usual way of leading the investigation in a wrong direction.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Don, has something else also been missing from your house in the past few days?” Kiara asked further.

  “I don’t know, frankly,” he said with a faint smile. “We both are working professionals and hardly find time to check things in the house.”

  “I noticed that,” Kiara said while looking around. “Is the stolen idol small in size?”

  “Yes, it is indeed,” he said with surprise. “How did you know?”

  “I believe she has been stealing from you for quite some time as she knows that neither you nor your wife ever notices small things missing from your house. I believe most of the stuff she had stolen was not that costly. She felt the idol to be one of those cheap decorations and took it.”

  “Now that you mentioned, I noticed one of the dolls missing from my daughter’s doll collection.” Don pointed at the shelf behind her. “We got it from Paris last year.”

  “There must be a number of such things missing. You better prepare a list,” Kiara suggested and got up. “If you can tell me the details of the agency that sent the maid, we will catch hold of her.”

  “You have saved my life,” Don said with a smile. “Thanks for everything.”

  “It’s my duty,” Kiara said and turned around. Suddenly she remembered something and came near him.

  “Don, from where did you buy the idol?” she asked.

  “Actually, it was given to me by one of my clients. I liked the idol the first day I went to his office. Instead of taking a fee for my work, I requested for the idol. He deals in antiques, so he had no issues with it.”

  “What is his name? I may know him,” Kiara asked further.

  “His name is Burt Lehmann. I can give you his address,” he said and walked across the room to get a file.

  “Burt Lehmann?” she said. “I have never heard of that name.”

  “Oh … he doesn’t sell to everyone. He has his private auctions. Only the rich and wealthy are invited there. I had built a house for him last year. Even I came to know about this while working for him,” Don said while handing a hand written note to Kiara.

  “That’s interesting,” Kiara murmured while looking at the address.

  Kiara came out and looked at Burt’s name one more time. She was not sure, but Burt could be someone who may have some information about the antiques that were stolen. There was a chance that maybe he or some other auctioneer in the city might have sold them to someone. He could definitely lead them somewhere.

  Kiara dug out all the details about Burt Lehmann with Bob’s help. He had been in this business for the last thirty years. He was not only buying and selling antiques; he also mediated for big deals using his extensive knowledge of old relics. In fact, many a time he had accompanied the buyers to such deals outside the country. His taxes were paid timely and he had no criminal background. The thing that interested Kiara the most was the fact that he had declared around a hundred of rare antiques under personal assets.

  A person in such a field would never be oblivious of the ongoing thefts. Kiara wanted to know how he was safeguarding his own antiques. Or maybe he didn’t have to if he was hand and glove with the people behind it. The only way to find that out was to meet him in person. She thought of giving him a call.

  Chapter 7

  While Kiara was making some headway in the case, Jake was being restless. Not able to go to New York and help Kiara in the case made him feel as if he had been chained. After Kiara sent him the message about Burt Lehmann, he felt as if he was not able to contribute. He had to do something that could help Kiara. He wanted to question Rebecca, but there was no chance of that happening either. Catching Gary was also out of question. There were no leads that he could follow.

  His only hope was the retaliation after he cheated Gary with the fake ring. He had hoped that they will come out to teach him a lesson and that would be a chance to catch hold of them. However, even after two days, there was no communication from their side.

  He sat down and started thinking of ways that could anger the Chief and force him in making a mistake. There was only one way to do that: by making the local cops suspicious. They definitely were being paid by the Chief. Any movement of his was being reported to him and only they could do that.

  With that thought, he came out and walked towards Natalie’s house. He looked around. The place was as calm as always. The lake had very few people at the other end. He thanked his stars for that. He looked at the door and was relieved to find that it was not locked from outside.

  He thought for a moment and then pressed the doorbell. In a moment, he heard footstep coming his way. He was wary of her reaction and took a step away from the door.

  Natalie’s face turned red as soon as she opened the door.

  “I’m going to call the cops,” she said immediately and turned around.

  “That won’t help you get your ring back,” he said, making her stop.

  “What did you say?” she said and came to him.

  “I said that I know about the ring stolen from you and can help you retrieve it,” Jake said calmly.

  “I knew you took it,” she said furiously.

  “No, I didn’t,” Jake said. “I’m actually on the other side. I am investigating the case and have the custody of the suspect who stole it.”

  “What?” she said with surprise. “How do you know about it?”

  “Can I come in? I will explain everything,” Jake said and looked at her. Natalie took a moment before getting aside.

  Jake looked around as he entered. All the paintings and jewelry had gone. He remembered how he had his breakfast at the same place where he was sitting now. He looked towards the kitchen and could feel Rebecca’s presence. He shook his head and looked at Natalie, who was looking at him with question-filled eyes.

  “Sorry, got distracted a bit,” he apologized.

  “That happens a lot. Isn’t it?”

  “Anyhow, do you live here or visit during vacation?” Jake asked.

  Natalie did not reply. She kept staring at him.

  “Okay, I need to earn your confidence first,” Jake said. Natalie nodded in return.

  “Well for starters, the ring that you had was given to five families in London by the queen in late eighteenth century. You or someone in your family bought it from an illegal auction. That’s why you could not keep it in a bank locker. You kept it here safe among the imitation jewelry that you have. I just want to know what made you leave it unattended for three days. This will help me understand if that was planned by them.”

  Natalie covered her mouth. It took her a moment to gather her thoughts. “You do know more than I thought. Do you know who took it?

  “Yes. And I will tell you only if you answer my question.”

  “I … I don’t live here. I’m from Seattle and come here during summers. After I heard the news about antique thefts in New York, I thought of keeping the ring somewhere safe. I came here and kept it in my locker. I had planne
d to stay here for the whole summer, but had to go back for some official work. I felt the ring was safe as no one knew about it. However, I was wrong. Someone knew I was going to be out of the town. By the time I returned, the ring was gone. It was the first thing I noticed when I came back. Then you came here asking about my whereabouts. That raised my suspicion further.”

  Jake took a deep breath. “So, they studied everything about you.”

  “What did you say?”

  “Your fear was right. The people behind the antique theft are behind your ring too—” Jake said but was cut short.

  “What?” Natalie shouted.

  Jake looked at her. “The day I came here, I saw a woman in your house. My house was a mess. So, I thought of taking some tools from her. She told me exactly what you just said about yourself. She told me that her name is Natalie and she has an imitation jewelry business in Seattle.”

  “That bitch,” Natalie said angrily.

  “We have her in our custody,” Jake said.

  “I don’t care about that. Where is my ring?”

  “That’s the problem. She doesn’t have it,” Jake said. “When she was here I saw a man coming to meet her. He was her husband. But, he was found murdered yesterday morning.”

  “So, I won’t get my ring back,” Natalie said with disappointment. She didn’t care that someone was murdered brutally. Jake did not like that.

  “You know that keeping such a ring is illegal and the punishment for such offense is severe,” he said firmly. “If you tell me what I am going to ask you next, I may keep the ring a secret. And in case I get my hands on it, I may even return it to you.”

  Natalie’s face turned pale. “What do you want to know?”

  “Why did you leave the ring here, unattended?” Jake came forward and looked into her eyes.

  “What … what do you mean?” she said while looking down.

  “You said that it was the news of the stolen antiques that made you do it. I completely agree with you on that. But, why did it bother you so much that you took all the trouble of leaving it here?” Jake asked.

  Natalie looked at him. She knew he was not bluffing.

  “The news said that no one came forward to claim the antiques, as their ownership was illegal. I feared that they are targeting people who have such relics and my fear was justified when I called the other person who had also bought a similar ring from the same auction,” she said.

  “Who is he?”

  “He’s a businessman from California and known to me from previous auctions. The day the news about the theft in New York came, I called him to share my fear. I was too late to call him,” she said and paused.

  “What happened?”

  “His ring was already stolen,” she said. “The driver that they had trusted for twenty years came to know about it and stole it. They could not even report it to the police due to the legal complications. I came here to secure it for a few days. I knew if the police got hold of the driver—which they would eventually, as he won’t be able to sell the ring in the open market—they will inquire about other rings too.”

  “But he was never caught,” Jake mumbled.

  “What?”

  “Nothing,” Jake said. “Please go ahead.”

  “When there was no news about the ring or the driver, I thought that I was safe and came back to take the ring,” she said ruefully. “But, it was too late.”

  “Is there something else also missing from your house?” Jake asked further.

  “What makes you feel so?” she said immediately. Jake knew something was wrong with her reaction.

  “I saw the husband of your impersonator carrying some boxes out of your house,” Jake said and looked at her expressions that kept changing by the moment.

  “That is when they took away the ring,” she said with surprise. “I thought you knew.”

  “I don’t understand,” Jake asked.

  “They took away the whole locker from my bedroom. It had all my jewelry including the ring,” she said, looking at Jake with surprise.

  “Oh … so when you told the police that your jewelry had been stolen, you were not lying,” Jake said realizing what Natalie meant.

  “Why would I lie?”

  “I only knew about the ring because I saw it on that table along with the imitation jewelry,” Jake said while pointing at the table near the couch.

  “They must have taken it separately then,” Natalie said thoughtfully. “It was the only antique in the whole jewelry set.”

  “Antique for the Chief and jewelry for themselves.” Jake smirked. “Hm … Do you own some other antiques too?”

  Natalie was taken aback. She became defensive. “Yes … I have quite a few antiques. They are all legal though. I have all the paperwork. I didn’t know about the ring being illegal until the day of the auction. It was a private auction and they generally do not share all the information until the day of the auction.”

  Jake knew she was making an excuse. Anyway, he was not interested in staying any longer. She had shared whatever she knew.

  He got up. “I think I have got all the information I needed. Thanks for the help.”

  Natalie followed him. “Please get the ring back. I don’t care about the rest of the jewelry.”

  “I will see what I can do,” Jake assured her. He was about to leave when he remembered something. “Who arranged the auction in New York?”

  “Burt Lehmann. He organizes private auctions for his clients,” she said hesitatingly. There was no point hiding things from Jake.

  Jake was surprised; in fact, pleasantly surprised. He left in a hurry. Natalie kept looking at him till he got off the patio.

  Kiara was right. Burt was a piece of the whole puzzle.

  He called Kiara as he crossed the road towards his cabin.

  “We have got a lead,” he said in excitement.

  “What?”

  “You were right about Burt. He’s not facing any threats because he is a part of it,” he said. “The auction where the ring was sold was conducted by him.”

  “What?” Kiara said with equal excitement. “He must know who the Chief is. That’s why he’s still in business and his antiques are safe too.”

  “Yes, and if you get a search warrant, you may find quite a few illegal ones with him.”

  “Let me see what can I do,” she said and stopped for a moment, remembering something. “Where did you get all this information?”

  “From the horse’s mouth,” Jake said as he fiddled for his house keys. “I went to see Natalie. A little bit of pressure, and she gave out all her secrets. Rebecca and her husband took all her jewelry. She had kept the ring in her locker that had all the jewelry. She feels they could not open it and took the whole locker.”

  “But in reality they opened it, taking all the jewelry for themselves and keeping the ring back in the house. May be the Chief was supposed to take his delivery later. But before he could get it, you took it,” Kiara completed Jake’s sentence.

  “Yeah. We have to think of something about the ring, though,” Jake said. “What are we going to do with it?”

  “I was also thinking the same,” Kiara replied. “I never wore such an expensive pendant.”

  “You like it, don’t you?” Jake asked with a smile.

  “Who wouldn’t?” Kiara said, running her fingers across the ring. “So, what’s the plan now?”

  “Well, the connection between New York and Lake Sivan has been established,” Jake said. “The next part is to find the people behind it. I hope this Burt guy will help. He would definitely know the identity of the mystery man behind it.”

  “I hope so,” Kiara said. “I will try to meet him tomorrow.”

  “Yeah. I’ll try to find if anyone else is involved from here,” Jake said and paused for a moment. “There’s another thing bothering me.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I gave them a fake ring, but they haven’t come after me. Why?”

 
“Well, they came after me. They know the ring is with me,” Kiara reasoned. “And, besides, they will not make any mistake after Brendon’s murder.”

  “Maybe you’re right. They went underground for three months when we found the antiques at the car crash site,” Jake said thoughtfully.

  “I am getting another call from the station,” Kiara said, looking at her phone screen. “I think Detective Robert is calling.”

  “OK. You take the call. Let me know if there is an update.”

  “You don’t have to say that every time,” Kiara said. “Bye. Take care.”

  “You don’t have to say that every time, either,” Jake said with a smile.

  “I am disconnecting,” Kiara said with a smile and did as she promised.

  She looked at the missed call and dialed back.

  “Hello,” Robert said from the other side.

  “Detective Robert? This is Agent Kiara.”

  “We have traced the numbers from where the calls were being made,” he said at once.

  “And?” Kiara knew from the tone that the response was not going to be positive.

  “You were right. This guy is not a normal criminal. All the calls were made through the internet, with IP addresses traced back to various locations across the world. Our expert says that they are to mislead us,” he said.

  “They are right.”

  “You don’t sound that disappointed,” Robert said with a hint of surprise.

  “Because, we have another lead. Have you heard of Burt Lehmann?” she asked.

  “No, hearing the name for the first time.”

  “Well, he has a list of clients for whom he arranges private auctions of antiques. He has around hundred legit antiques with him worth a twenty-five million,” she explained.

  “With all the theft going on, he must be paranoid.”

  “That’s what we need to find out. How is he ensuring his stash is safe?”