Page 28 of Gem Warfare

“We didn’t think we’d see you again so soon,” said Claud as he buzzed me into the shop.

“Me neither. How’s Poppins?” I asked, looking around for the big red parrot that usually occupied a perch behind the counter.

Claud pointed and I glanced upwards just in time to see Poppins swoop from the ceiling fan, circle the room, then descend to land on my shoulder. She bobbed her head and Claud passed me a snack to feed her from a box he kept under the table.

“I’m intrigued about your case,” he said. “Not least because I’m hoping it’ll help me finish my career on a high note.”

“Finish your career?”

“It’s about time I retired. I’m seventy-two and my daughter has been talking about it for two years straight,” he said. “My sister’s husband just passed away and she’s living a nice, albeit lonely, life in Florida. She suggested Poppins and I go join her. There’s an apartment above her garage that I can stay in until I find a place of my own. My daughter is already out there with her husband and my nieces and nephews too. I don’t see any of them coming back here so I thought I’d chase them and the weather. The sun, anyway. We’ll see about the hurricanes.”

“What happens to the shop now?”

“I’ll put it up for sale at the end of the month. I own it outright and the apartments above, so, together with my house, I should get a nice sum to relocate with.”

“I hope you have a wonderful new life.”

“Thank you, dear. Now, my assistant is due back from her break any moment so when she gets here, we can go back to my office and you can tell me all about your case. Itisa case, isn’t it?”

“It is.”

“How thrilling!”

Claud’s assistant, Joanne, joined us, and after a minute of exchanging pleasantries, we headed into his office. The room was dark and cozy with a desk I knew had been inherited from Claud’s father many years before, and a new ergonomic chair that he settled in, apologizing that any creaking came from him and not the chair.

On top of the filing cabinets was a small security system and a large monitor showing the shop front, the rear, and two angles of the shop. I’d barely gotten comfortable when a buzz sounded and we both turned our attention to the monitor playing in real time. “That’s Garrett,” I said, seeing my brother at the door. He flashed his badge before he was buzzed in. For Claud’s benefit,I added, “Garrett is also known as Lieutenant Graves. We’re working together on an unusual case and we need help with a valuation.”

“And you thought of me? Well, I’m honored. Let me get my microscope and loupe,” he added, drawing the microscope that sat on his desk closer before he reached into his drawer and pulled out a magnifying glass. As he laid it on his leather desk pad, Garrett appeared in the doorway.

“Lieutenant Graves,” said Garrett, holding out his hand as he crossed the room. “Thanks for your help, Mr. Bridge. Has Lexi filled you in?”

“Only that you’d like a valuation as part of a case. I can assure you of the utmost discretion.”

“I appreciate that,” said Garrett. “It’s an ongoing case. I also realize it’s short notice so I appreciate you finding the time to assist here.”

Claud turned on his desk lamp and indicated Garrett should take a seat. “I’m intrigued,” he said. “Let’s see what you have.”

Garrett pulled the plastic bag from his pocket, the cloth package inside. He laid the bag on the desk, extracted the cloth wrap, then unwrapped it in his palm. The jewels spilled delightfully onto the desk pad. “The crime scene techs gave them a light scrub,” he said as Claud plucked one of the small gems and held it under his magnifying glass. He placed it on the pad, picking up a second, then a third stone, lining them up as he went. Then he reached for a small blue stone, then a green, setting them all in a row, and finally the large ruby. “You scrubbed these?” he asked, gazing at it before looking up from the microscope, a trace of worry on his face for the first time.

“Not me, personally. The techs did,” said Garrett.

“They didn’t leave any scratches. That’s fortunate.” Claud rested back in his chair, looking between us.

“Oh? Why’s that? Are they real gemstones?” asked Garrett.“Are they worth anything?”

“I can confirm all those I picked up are real,” said Claud, nodding. “I’d like to take a look at the rest but so far there are diamonds, sapphires, emeralds and this ruby. They’ve been cut and polished.” He pointed to each with his forefinger as he spoke.

Garrett whistled. “Well, that’s quite a find. What do you think they’re worth?”

“I can’t give you an absolutely accurate value just yet. I’d like to take a longer look, and call an associate whom I consider an expert, but so far, I’m going to estimate ten.”

“Ten thousand dollars?” asked Garrett, his eyebrows rising. “Wow.”

Claud shook his head slowly, then lifted his gaze to look across us before fixing it on Garrett. “Tenmilliondollars,” he said.

Chapter Seven

“My colleague is being conservative,” said Laura Reynolds as she placed the last gemstone on the leather pad. The smartly-dressed brunette had arrived within twenty minutes of Claud making the call and had been introduced as a fellow jeweler, and co-owner of a local family-run business. The vintage tennis bracelet she wore as her sole jewelry was understated but costly. Business must be good. “I want to run some calculations but I think your total value might be closer to twelve million. Maybe more if there’s a good buyer for the ruby. The other stones are lovely and highly salable. The ruby, however, is a significantly large size, and a very attractive red color. Stones like it are rarely seen and would be competitive on any market.”

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