Page 39 of A Real Good Bad Thing

After reaching into my pocket, I pulled out the gem.

The woman’s eyes widened almost imperceptibly. “This is quite the diamond.”

“To me, it’s just a Band-Aid—and a cheap one at that,” I said. “My sister’s husband gave it to her to win her back after he proved himself to be an unfaithful son of a bitch. Pardon my French. She forgave him once, but a cheat is a cheat.” I only had to imagine someone treating either of my sisters that way, and it was no trouble generating a mix of brotherly love and righteous anger. “So, we’re trying to figure out how much this pretty little number is worth.”

The woman’s smile was gently sympathetic. I was sure she’d heard weirder and worse. “He must have really wanted her back.”

I made my laugh bitter. “He sure did.”

She picked up the diamond with a pair of jeweler’s tweezers and examined it under a magnifying glass. “This is gorgeous,” she said as she regarded the stone from all angles. “I can check the serial number for a certificate of clarity, as well. That often increases the value.”

“Well, how about that?” I said, as if this was the first I’d ever heard of such a thing.

After the slightest of pauses, she straightened and carefully set the diamond on the cloth. “I’d have to look at it under the microscope to get the full number, but I recognize the watermark.”

“What does that tell you?”

“It means this diamond comes from a particular mine. This is from the Frayer mine in the Northwest Territories in Canada, which specializes in conflict-free, diamonds mined from the subarctic zone.”

I nodded, staying in character. “Well, that’s good. Sis and I’d had a bet that it was one of those lab-grown stones.” I’d known it wasn’t, but I also hadn’t expected Eli, the thief and con man, to make such a politically correct choice.

“Definitely not,” said the woman. “This is one of the best-regarded diamond mines in the entire world. And these diamonds with the blue tint are especially valuable. At this size and carat, I would estimate it to be worth at least ten thousand dollars.”

I almost choked at the number. I tried to play it cool, despite my first reaction. “Is that so?”

“It is indeed,” she said, her dark eyes seeming to study me. So much for not being memorable. “I can handle the transaction for you if you’d like. We have handled a few of these diamonds recently and easily found buyers all over the world. I can give you full value today, sir. Are you ready to get started?”

She sounded eager, and I was surprised how quickly she wanted to move. But then, she’d have a big commission if she turned around and sold the gem.

“Let me talk to my sister. We’ll be back tomorrow,” I said.

“Excellent. I’ll be looking forward to helping you. I’m Monica. You can ask for me.”

I bid her goodbye and pocketed the diamond, trying not to walk as if I had a fortune in my pocket. It was a quick stride to Ruby’s rental Jeep, and I climbed in, exhaled, and handed her the five-figure gem. “Your stepdad is generous. That bad boy is worth ten K. You’re going to change the combination on your safe tonight, Ariel.”

Her eyes widened to the size of moons. “Are you kidding me?”

“I’m not.” The afternoon sun heated the Jeep through the windows while I relayed the details of my conversation.

Ruby stared at the gem in her hand like an unexploded bomb. “What’s your theory, then?”

I’d been working out a theory since I started. That little bit of intel from Monica helped me fine-tune my theory further. “Eli buys the stones with the stolen money—probably not directly from the mine, but maybe from a broker. Then he gets on a plane with a pocket full of diamonds and carries them here.”

Her brow rose in doubt. “That sounds like ‘bowl full of diamonds’ territory, Jake.”

But it wasn’t at all. “He could wear them around his neck if he had the whim. The necklace his fiancée sported at Sapphire the other night could be an example of how he does it,” I said, since ferrying jewelry was much more plausible than keeping a bowl like candy on a table.

Ruby seemed to consider my ideas without admitting I was right. But she didn’t say I was wrong either. After a few beats, she sighed, then asked, “What then? He has a go-to stash of birthday presents for the women in his life?”

“It’s kind of sexist for you to assume men don’t like to wear diamonds,” I said, teasing.

“Fine, he gives diamond pinkie rings to his guy friends too. Go on.”

I rolled out more of my theory. “Let’s say he keeps them on ice, so to speak, then sells them little by little for cash, turning them liquid. The clerk told me she’s seen a few of these come through recently.”

That added up too. Eli was cunning. He’d realize selling too many diamonds at once would attract undue attention.A fewfit the man.

“Fine,” she said tightly. “That seems plausible.”

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