“A half-million isn’t even pocket change compared to the value of that diamond. We know this, Dan, Jack Jordan found the diamond and now it’s gone — apparently stolen. There’s your incentive. Now all you have to do is find out who was motivated to pull the trigger.”
“Stay dry, Sean. Gotta go—”
“Wait…you said for the most part nothing smelled like intent. What might you have?”
“That’s part of the investigation. Suffice to say that a witness said he saw one of the re-enactors in a heated argument with Jack Jordan, on the movie set, and it was the day before he was killed.”
“Did you question the guy who had the argument?”
“Sean, only because we go way back am I even talking with you. Of course we questioned him. Guy’s name is Silas Jackson. He’s a long time Civil War re-enactor. He said the argument was about Civil War trivia, and it was spirited only because this guy, Silas, and Jordan had running debates through years, but they never took it personal.”
“For some, the Civil War was personal. Jackson was fired from the film set.”
“How did you know that?”
“Because the painting I’m looking for was on the set. A few months before he was killed, Jack Jordan and his wife bought it from an antique dealer in DeLand. Jordan loaned the painting to the filmmakers to use as a prop for scenes they were shooting in an antebellum house called Wind ‘n Willows. Someone stole the painting. It might have been Jackson because a witness said Jackson was enamored by the image of the woman in the painting. He told a re-enactor that he thought the woman would be resurrected and found among the living.”
“Too bad his brain isn’t living. Another thing about this guy. He was busted a few years ago for dealing crystal meth. He did a nickel stretch in Raiford. Half the time he was in solitary confinement. FBI has him on their watch list. In addition to playing Civil War games, he’s a known underground militia leader with a suspected fifty or so paramilitary followers. He’s a highly skilled survivalist and a prepper. They meet and train deep in the Ocala National Forest.”
“What did the autopsy show about the caliber of the bullet — the Minié ball that killed Jordan.”
“It was a .58 caliber. Shot through a rifled bore. About half the re-enactors were using Springfield model smooth bore muskets firing .69 caliber rounds. The other half was using Springfield models .58 caliber, rifled bore.”
“Which musket did Jackson use?”
“He says he fired blanks or nothing but black powder. Regardless, he was using a rifled bore .58 caliber.”
“Is there enough left of the Minié ball to match it with a ballistics test to Jackson’ gun?”
“It’s doubtful. Bullet was pretty well torn up. We’re testing it”
“Dan, the place on the river bluff where Joe Billie and I found the Minié ball, loose change, stogie and boot print with the crack in the heel, may not have been soaked by the rain. The huge cypress tree was full of foliage and Spanish moss. Maybe the stuff is still there. And maybe it came from Jackson.”
“We’ll see.”
“I saw a wardrobe photo of Jackson. He was wearing a Confederate officer’s uniform. The image on the video of the man with the gun is low resolution, but from a distance it looked like he might have been wearing a period hat and clothes. Could be the same.”
“You hunt for that painting, Sean. We’ll look for the killer, if there is one.”
“If I find the painting, I’ll find the killer.”
Dan Grant blew out a long breath into the phone. “I hope this new PI career you’re doing doesn’t cross paths with our investigation. We’re old friends, not new partners.” He disconnected.
O’Brien stepped up from the galley back to the salon where Dave gestured to the TV screen and said, “Take a look at the ripple effect, and how a tsunami can be created from a viral video if the controversy is of global curiosity.”
The channel was on CNN and the graphic to the left of the news anchor’s head spelled: India — Old War Wound Flares Up. The reporter said, “This morning in New Delhi, the Indian government is considering a resolution that would make a formal, diplomatic request for the British Government to have the legendary diamond, known as the Koh-i-Noor, examined by an Indian gemologist for authenticity. This move is coming on the heels of renewed international interest in the whereabouts of the diamond — a precious stone that many in India, including heads of state, believe was stolen by the British government from India in 1850 and wound up as part of the Crown Jewels. In London, Indian Ambassador Samar Patel had this to say.”
The video cut to a thin, dark-skinned man in a gray suit being interviewed in front of the Indian embassy on Aldwych Street. He said, “The Koh-i-Noor has a long history with India. When it was, shall we say… removed from our country in 1850, it was done so unlawfully. The Koh-i-Noor came from Indian soil and it was part of the Indian culture for hundreds of years, all the way back to the eleventh century. The diamond, before it was pilfered, was recognized as a treasure of India, much as the Taj Mahal is today. We implore British Prime Minister, Duncan Hannes to seek permission for an independent gemologist to examine the diamond housed within the Crown Jewels. We hope that the Queen and members of the Royal Family do allow this to transpire.”
The reporter asked, “What happens if the real diamond is there in the Tower of London as assumed? Prime Minster Hannes has gone on record, in his recent visit to India, as saying the return of the Koh-i-Noor to India will not happen. So, if the real diamond is there, it would seem that nothing changes in the last 170 or so years, correct?”
“No. Regardless, India still owns the Koh-i-Noor. However, if it is not genuine, then that is a game-changer. It means the diamond seen on the video and found in a Florida river may be the authentic Koh-i-Noor, and my government will be offering a reward of sixty-million rupee for its return to India.”
The image cut back to the studio. Dave muted the sound as Nick whistled and said, “Somebody tell me what the hell sixty-million rupee is in the good ol’ U — S — of — A dollar column.”
Dave slid his glasses off the top of his head to his nose and reached for a hand-held calculator. He punched a few buttons, eyes growing wider. “It’s roughly ten-million dollars.” He leaned back on the couch, scratched Max behind her ears and said, “Sean, the mysterious woman in the photo, whom we now presume is Confederate Officer Henry Hopkins’ wife Angelina…the hunt for her portrait seems secondary, at best, to the hunt that’s going to happen if it’s confirmed that the diamond pulled from the river is the fabled Koh — i-Noor. Florida will be crawling with international bounty hunters. Gives a whole new meaning to the term ‘solider-of-fortune.’ Some very wealthy people will hire the best mercenaries to find the diamond for private collections. Whoever stole that diamond now is about to become the most hunted person on earth.”
FORTY-THREE
Professor Ike Kirby wasn’t sure what to expect. His old friend, Dave Collins, had briefed him on the purported contract between the Confederate States of America and Great Britain. Ludicrous. That was his first thought. But then there were the odd events leading up to the death of the Civil War re-enactor. The deceased man had ostensibly been a serious student of Civil War history, and he was in the midst of producing a documentary about the war.
Then there was the discovery of the apparent diamond. He’d seen the video. By now, more than half a billion people had viewed it. But was the diamond real? If so, maybe the contract would prove to be as well. He thought about that has he locked his car in the driveway, walked toward the ranch-style home, two barn swallows chasing gnats high above a mimosa tree bursting in lavender blossoms. He stepped onto the front porch of the home and rang the bell.