“Listen to me,” Dulay said. “I run a legitimate business. Like I said, it’s just the odd stone here and there.”
“You must have built up a lot of trust to be so popular. But that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it? Trust.”
Dulay remained silent as de Jersey continued. “I won’t meddle in your private deals, but I could cause you a lot of trouble.”
“And I could do the same for you,” Dulay said angrily. He had found the courage to stand up to the man he still knew only as Philip Simmons.
De Jersey sighed. “How?” he said coolly.
“You know damned well, so stop this bullshit. I will not be drawn into this robbery by your threats because, although you may have something on me, I’ve got just as much on you. The gold bullion is only the beginning.”
De Jersey sat back in the swivel chair. “Are you threatening me?”
“No more than you are me.”
“Don’t take me on. You’ll lose. I’ll make sure of it.”
“Try it and see,” Dulay said, blustering now.
“No, but you have to straighten out, Paul. I’m not pressuring you to do anything. All I am doing is making sure I feel one hundred percent certain you’ll keep your mouth shut. Stop what you’re doing with these fake jewels, because I can’t afford any worries where you’re concerned.”
“My financial difficulties are not going to make me blab about your criminal activities.”
“Oh, so it’s money problems, not just greed?”
“Things are a bit tight,” Dulay said, “and I don’t want to lose this buyer I’ve got, a billionaire Japanese gem dealer. He’s too big and lucrative a fish not to provide the goods for.”
“Asks no questions, huh?”
“Precisely.” Dulay sucked on his cigarette. “Don’t get me wrong, though, I’m still not interested in your proposal. I’ve just got into a bit of difficulty, that’s all. It’s called divorce, and my new wife, the one I’m crazy about, spends money like it grows on trees. She also talked me into buying that fucking boat with that French twat Julian. It’s the size of Versailles, and it took every franc I had to refurbish it. Now we can’t sell it because we still owe the shipbuilders, and nobody wants to charter it.” He sighed, then shrugged his wide shoulders and stood up. “Maybe things will pick up in the summer. I hope to God they do.” He was pacing up and down.
“Sit down, Paul.”
Flushed with anger, Dulay reminded himself that he was not going to be cajoled into something as risky as Simmons was proposing. He remained silent as his old partner in crime toyed with a gold Cartier pen that was lying on the desk. Then he twirled the bracelet on his index finger and slipped it into his top pocket. “I’ll take this in lieu of all the worry you’ve caused me,” he said. “No hard feelings. And don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me. Like you said, we’re bound to each other in many ways. Love me or hate me, we’re shackled together for life.”
Dulay didn’t say anything about the bracelet. “Why are you attempting this robbery? It’s insane.”
“Because, like you, I’m hurting for cash, and after years of legitimate work I’m not prepared to go under. It goes without saying that I won’t take any foolish risks. And since I do not intend to be caught, I will take every precaution to ensure the safety of everyone involved.”
Dulay interlocked his fingers. “You always did take great care. You using the same team again?”
“Yes. No one will take any undue risks, and everyone will be paid handsomely. After all, the Colonel has always been fair.”
“I know all that,” Dulay said, flushing. “I didn’t mean some of the stuff I just said. You know I’d never put you or Driscoll-” Dulay stopped.
De Jersey leaned forward, so close that Dulay flinched. “You had better forget that name, Paul, but you can give me one. Who’s this Japanese buyer? Tell me more about him.”
“No way.”
“If he’s buying anything you throw his way, he may be interested in what I might have to offer.”
“I don’t want to risk getting on the wrong side of him. I don’t ask him too many questions, and he isn’t interested in the finer details of what I sell. If I start passing his name around, he’s not gonna like it, and I don’t want to end up in the river with my hands cut off.”
De Jersey raised an eyebrow.
“I mean it,” Dulay said. “He comes to Paris a couple of times a year, that’s it.”
“What about London?”
“I don’t know.” Dulay closed his eyes, and his voice dropped to a low, hoarse whisper. “Don’t do this to me. Please don’t draw me in.” Beads of sweat were forming at the edge of his receding hairline. Then he licked his lips. “Look, I can’t promise, but when I see him next-”
“Not good enough,” de Jersey said. “I need his name and a contact number.”
Dulay sighed. He opened his desk drawer and took out a crocodile leather box edged in gold. He pulled out a card and passed it over. “He’s a computer giant. His company’s worth billions.”
“He buy any of your gold items?” de Jersey asked softly.
Dulay flushed, then nodded. “That’s his box number and e-mail address. I don’t have a direct phone number.”
De Jersey glanced at the card. He slipped it into his wallet and took out one of his own before he stood up. “Good. Now I know I can trust you. And I’m sure you don’t have to worry about Mr. Kitamo. You’ve been dealing with him for long enough. Did he approach you, or the other way round?”
“He came into my shop as a straight customer, but over the years, after I’d built up his trust, he would ask if I could get this or that for him.”
“Legitimate stuff?”
“Some of it, and once he had some gems he needed me to disguise.”
“Disguise?”
“Cheap settings, a few glass beads mixed in with the emeralds and diamonds. After that he started buying the gold items.”
“I see.”
“I hope you do, Philip. This guy has been my lifeline, and I wouldn’t want anything to jeopardize my relationship with him.”
“Not with that boat round your neck.” De Jersey smiled. “If you need me, you can always contact me on this mobile number and also my e-mail address.” He placed Philip Simmons’s card on the desk.
“You really believe it can be done?”
“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t. Nor would I approach anyone I couldn’t trust to do his part. It’s been good to see you again. No hard feelings?”
“No hard feelings,” Dulay said, and de Jersey shook his hand.
Dulay watched him walk away from his shop with a diamond and emerald bracelet worth thousands, but no way did he feel like stopping him. After all, he owed him. The bullion had got him started. Dulay picked up the small white card with “Philip Simmons, Consultant” printed on it. He didn’t rip it up, just stared at it, then went into the rear office. He opened the small fridge and took out the vodka bottle, poured himself half a tumbler, and gulped it down as if it were water. He placed the glass on top of Philip Simmons’s card.
“The Koh-i-noor Diamond,” he whispered. Now there was a stone he’d like to get his hands on.
Christina loved the bracelet-it was the only piece of jewelry Vibekka had worn that she had admired. She told de Jersey that Vibekka had also contacted her at the hotel and returned the money. During the helicopter flight back from the airport he said little. When his phone rang, he turned to see if Christina was paying any attention. She wasn’t, so he checked the message screen and saw, to his amusement, that Paul Dulay was calling. His pilot glanced at him-it was always foolish to use cell phones in flight.
“Two minutes and I’ll turn it off,” de Jersey reassured him.