“Do you spot Hans, David, or someone who might be Hans?”
“Something’s wrong. He should definitely be here, but I don’t spot him anywhere.”
“I see Josef sitting besides that man he’s watching from Hong Kong, but no one who might be Hans.”
“The opening bid for the Whittelsbach Emerald is suggested at 50,000 Swiss francs,” announced the auctioneer who immediately followed quickly with, “I already have a bid for 100,000 francs, responding to a wave of a woman on one of the telephones.
“Thank you Joan. Other bids from the floor? Yes, I see 200,000 in the second row, and now from the back of the room, 500,000.” A number of paddles were quickly being raised and tension was rising with each bid.
“David there is someone there in the eighth row on the right that has my attention.”
“You mean that overdressed and over made-up woman?”
“That’s the one, but from this angle I can’t be sure, just something about her that doesn’t look right.
“Is she bidding?
“No, not yet, but she seems quite nervous.”
“More womanly intuition, Miriam?
“Maybe, but I’ll watch her. Notice her pronounced Adam’s Apple.”
“And also there’s another Asian man in the last row I noticed when we came in that doesn’t seem to be very interested in the auction itself, but seems to be watching the ones doing the bidding. I don’t know about him either.
Hans waited patiently, waiting to see how the bidding would proceed. The price was rising fast with several bidders in the fray. He still held off. Tam also held off his bid for the same reason.
“This is exciting, David. Maybe I should go get a bidding paddle.”
“Over my dead body, unless you think Levi would authorize a couple of million dollars out of his slush fund to buy you a little green bauble.”
“Levi has a slush fund?”
“Be quiet Miriam, you’ll disturb the high rollers around you.”
Suddenly the auctioneer excitedly announced, looking at a women beside the podium listening to a telephone receiver, “Ladies and gentlemen, I have a phone bid for 2,000,500 francs for the Whittelsbach Emerald. Do I hear a bid from the floor 3,000,000?”
Hans was stunned. He had not known that telephone bids would be accepted. Had he known, his disguise charade would not have been needed. He was furious.
Tam flashed his paddle and bid 3,000,500. The crowd stirred realizing that a bidding war was under way. Hans held his paddle aloft and raised the bid to 4,000,000 on his first bid but was worried because the bids were already so high and still rising. Three other bidders were hotly in pursuit until the bid reached 5,000,500, and two bidders, including the unknown telephone bidder, dropped out.
“I am now looking for a bid of 6,000,000 the auctioneer boldly stated. Do I have a bid? On the telephone desk, Joan began waving her hand as though she was trying to hail a taxi. Thank you Joan, 6,000,000. Do I hear another bid?”
Tam hesitated, then raised his paddle and bid 6,000,500.
“Thank you, sir. Do I hear another bid?” An awed silence filled the room. Now only that tall Eurasian man was left in the bidding and Hans had to make a wild guess as to how high the man would go. He decided to drop the pace down a little and bid 6,000,600. Tension filled the room like a fog hovering among the guests as all eyes moved back and forth between Hans and Tam, the remaining two bidders. Tam raised his paddle again.
Thank you sir, I have a bid for 7,000,000 francs. Do I hear another?” The auctioneer calmly slowed his pace too and allowed the tense atmosphere to penetrate. This helped more than anything, he knew. Prices always were better on days like today, he thought and milked the situation saying, “Ladies and gentleman, this outstanding emerald, I will remind you, is a naturally perfect stone, uncut and very rare. The current bid is 7,000,000 francs. Do I hear a higher bid?”
Hans, looking tense, slowly raised his paddle and bid 7,000,200. The auctioneer added another note about the flawless beauty of the stone and got another bid of 7,000,300 from the Asian man in front who never turned to look at Hans. A drop sweat broke out on Hans’ face under the rubberized partial disguise he was wearing and started to roll down his painted face, he took out a handkerchief and dabbed at the oozing black line on his cheek and carefully straightened his dress. Sweat was pouring down his armpits and back. Would it show? The funds only totaled 7,000,350 in his Geneva bank account that Christies had verified, and for the first time he considered the possibility of losing the bid. The auctioneer was patient. Hans couldn’t believe he was at the end of his line of credit, but reluctantly finally bid the total 7,000,350. Why hadn’t he had the back verify a larger deposit? It would have been so easy, but who would have thought that someone else would have the funds to bid against him. Hans held his breath and the tension in the large auction hall was tight as an over-strung guitar. He knew this was his final bid. He forcibly dropped his shoulders and took three deep breaths as anger began to pour into his body. He picked up his purse and gripped it tightly, his knuckles turning white. His right hand itched to reach for the knife behind his neck, but he could never get away with killing the bastard who had just robbed him of his inheritance, and get out of the hotel alive. There would be another day. He took a deep breath to concentrate on the future. That man was a dead man. The auctioneer and the crowd waited in riveted attention for any other bids. The pause extended. Hans sat rigid in his chair and hardly breathed.
Tam waved his paddle. “Yes, again in the back of the room, I have a bid of 8,000,000 ladies and gentlemen. Do I hear another?” Hans couldn’t believe it. He sat stonily in his chair trying to show no emotion, boiling inside, looking up he saw all eyes on him. He shifted in his seat like he was contemplating bidding again just to fake them out for a moment but finally put his paddle in the floor beside his chair. He put his hands up to his face like a woman would and bent his head as if in tears and shook his head to each side in total despair.
“I have a bid for 8,000,000 francs, for the magnificent Wittelsbach Emerald,” the auctioneer repeated and paused before saying, “fair warning now. Last chance. All done?” Sold, to bidder number one fifty four for 8,000,000 francs. Thank you very much, sir.” he said looking at Tam. You have just purchased a magnificent jewel and I hope it will give you great pleasure.”
Tam nodded his head to the auctioneer and never looked at the fat garish woman several rows in front of him. He planned in advance not to make eye contact with anyone bidding on the emerald. He, in fact, did not even know who was doing all that bidding and did not really care. This was business.
“Well that’s it, David,” Miriam whispered as another round of bidding began. “That’s the emerald auction and no Hans. What do we do now?”
“I’m still not sure Hans isn’t here after all, but maybe he was that lone telephone bidder near the beginning of the auction. I think we should leave as quietly as we can, retrieve our weapons from Mr. Metz, and see if anything develops outside the hotel.”
“This was very strange, but I think you’re right and I do want to watch some of the bidders leave to see if any are in disguise.”
They watched a man in a white coat come down the center isle with a clipboard in one hand and an ornate silver box in the other. Stopping in front of Tam he asked him to sign and take his purchase. He handed him the box and said thank you, returning back to a desk beside the auction podium.
Tam lifted the lid on the box, pulled out and opened a black bag and took out the emerald. Several people nearby oohed and aahed turning to look at it before he verified it was the same stone he had viewed at the bank a few days before. He returned it to the bag and then the silver box. Tam put the box in his briefcase. Now he had to get out of the gallery and get rid of Har Yat. He sat through the bidding of one more item before he suddenly rose and walked quickly out of the auction hall into the hotel.