‘Oh yes,’ Noel Jarvis said. ‘Investment. At the moment, I can assure you, diamonds are generally overpriced. But if you believe, as I do, in a continued inflation rate of seven to eight percent, I suggest you put all your loose change in gemstones. You do have some loose change, don’t you, Jannie? I may call you Jannie, may I not?’
‘Of course,’ I said automatically. ‘Yes, I have a few odd pennies. But wouldn’t I do better to buy set pieces, especially antique necklaces and chokers and things of that sort? I’ve been reading stories of the fabulous prices they bring at auctions.’
‘Um … well,’ he said thoughtfully. ‘Not necessarily.
Some pieces have an antique value, an historical value. Tiaras and brooches owned by this queen, this and that duchess, and so forth. If you’re a collector, that might be of some interest. But what you must look for, beyond the provenance of a particular item, is its intrinsic worth. The cut of the stones, their color, weight, brilliance, and so on. I really think you’d do better with individual stones. So small, so easy to conceal — for safety’s sake, of course. So easy to take across the borders in case — God forbid — you might have to travel suddenly with a good portion of your wealth. In addition to the sale of cut but unset gems for investment, there is another trend these days, and that is to have very valuable stones mounted in extremely simple settings. For instance, just the other day we designed and produced a pendant for a movie star whose name I shall not mention. The white gold chain was worth three hundred. The eighteen-carat, pear-shaped diamond suspended from it was worth half a million.’
‘My God!’ I gasped. ‘What’s the point — a rock like that hanging from a little chain?’
‘Several points,’ he said, smiling benignly. ‘The finished item is very simple, very elegant. Can be worn with a variety of gowns at a variety of functions. Marvelous with Halstons, for instance. Nothing ostentatious about it. And, most important perhaps, it never seems to occur to thieves that a simple chain-and-stone-necklace could be so valuable. So in addition to selling individual stones for investment, we also do a very good business indeed in valuable gems in quiet settings. Something you might care to keep in mind. Can you have dinner with me?’
The sudden question caught me off-balance.
‘Uh,’ I said. ‘Well … no. I’m sorry. I do have plans.’
‘Of course you do,’ he said. ‘I wouldn’t have thought otherwise. Do you suggest I ask again — or is the hope hopeless?’
He looked at me with such quizzical charm, with such a graceful shrug, that I couldn’t resist him.
‘I hope you do ask me again,’ I said firmly. ‘Do call me. I’m in the book.’
‘I know,’ he said gently. ‘I looked.’
I thanked him, shook his hand, prepared to leave
Lucifer’s. Noel Jarvis wanted to go with me, to deliver me by cab to wherever I was going. But I insisted he stay, and he agreed, ordering his fifth martini.
When, at the doorway, I glanced back, he was still sitting upright in the booth, still smiling, very steady, a hand raised in farewell.
THE DUEL
‘I understand you’re getting hairy around the heels,’ Dick Fleming said.
Jack Donohue shrugged. ‘When you’re hot, you’re hot; when you’re not, you’re not. Where did you say you were from?’
‘I didn’t,’ Fleming said. ‘Does it matter?’
‘Oh …’ Donohue said vaguely.
‘Kansas City,’ Dick told him, ‘originally. A little here and a little there since then.’
‘And what are you doing now?’
‘Anyone I can,’ Fleming said, and the answer seemed to satisfy Donohue.
We were sitting in a back booth at Fangio’s. The pleasing thought occurred to me that maybe I was the bone of contention. These two dogs were sniffing around what they considered to be a bitch in heat. No wonder there were snarls, snaps, and growls. It had gone on all during dinner.
‘I can’t work with the Tooth Fairy here,’ Donohue said finally, glowering at me. ‘I’ve got to have guys at my back I can trust. No insult intended, Fleming, but the chemistry is wrong.’
‘Suits me,’ Dick said. ‘You don’t impress me as being the kind of brainy pro we’re looking for. Let’s split, Bea.’
I decided to crack the whip.
‘You shitheads,’ I said coldly to both of them. ‘I’ve spent too much time on this campaign to blow it because you two can’t get along. I don’t expect you to like or trust each other. All I’m asking is that you work together just long enough to pull this off. Then you can go at each other with icepicks for all I care. But either you work together, or consider yourselves out, and I’ll find myself some other boys.’
The two men stared stonily at each other.
‘I’ll go along,’ Fleming said.
‘Strictly business,’ Donohue said.
‘All right,’ I said. ‘Remember that. I’m the boss lady, but we’re all in it together. One goes down, we all go down. So we work as a team. Agreed?’
They both nodded.
‘Jack,’ I said, leaning toward Donohue, ‘this is what I’ve got …’
I spelled it out for him: all about Brandenberg amp; Sons, the address, size, number of employees, daily schedule — everything Dick and I had been able to learn.
Black Jack listened intently, occasionally interrupting to ask sharp, one-word questions: ‘Cops?’ ‘Alarms?’ ‘TV?’ ‘Customers?’ I answered as fully as I could. I thought he was impressed but was trying not to show it.
‘When do you figure on hitting?’ he asked.
‘About two weeks before Christmas,’ Fleming said. ‘Early in the morning. Right after it opens. No customers in the store.’
‘Still,’ Donohue said, ‘we can’t handle it, just the three of us. Need a wheelman. Maybe a peteman if that safe is locked. Also, you’re talking about six or seven workers in the place. Too many for us to keep an eye on and sweep the joint at the same time.’
‘Right,’ I said, nodding. ‘I figure at least two more, maybe three.’
‘What take do you figure?’
‘A million,’ I said. ‘At least. That means two, three hundred thousand from the fences or insurance company, depending on how we want to handle it. We can decide that later. What’s important right now is to get this thing rolling. Get it planned down to the last detail. Recruit the help we’ll need.’
‘How do you figure on splitting.’
‘We can work out the fine print later,’ I told him. ‘But right now I’m planning a flat fee for the hired hands. As little as they’ll take. Their pay and expenses come off the top. The net we split, forty-thirty-thirty. Me, you, and Dick.’
‘Mmmmm,’ he said. ‘Well,’ he said. ‘I’ll tell you,’ he said, ‘I know you don’t expect a yes-no answer right here, now, this minute.’
‘Why not?’ Fleming said hotly. ‘It’s a good deal.’
‘Who for?’ Donohue said. ‘Let me decide. It’s my cock on the block. I’ll take a look at the place, Bea. Mosey around. See how it feels. There’s a lot I like about it, and a lot I don’t like.’
‘Such as?’ I said.
‘Such as early-morning customers wandering in or street cops strolling by. Such as hidden alarms you don’t know about. Such as those two repair guys in the back room slamming and locking the door the minute we come barreling in from the street. A lot to think about. Let me look the place over. Give me a couple of days. Then I’ll get back to you. Okay?’
I looked at Dick. He looked at me.
‘A couple of days,’ I agreed. ‘Then if you’re in, you’re in. If you’re out, you’re out, and no hard feelings. But don’t stall. I want to get this show on the road. 1 want it so bad I can taste it.’
Black Jack looked at me admiringly.
‘You’re something else again,’ he said. ‘I won’t stall. Two days, three at the most. If it’s as good as you make it sound, then we can go right ahead. I know a couple of heavies who might be just right for a job like this. Smart — but not too smart. And all the balls in the world.’
‘Sounds good,’ I said. ‘Let’s see — you figure two, three days to make up your mind? How about Friday night in my place at the Harding?’