Catrina and the Duchess’ Necklace
PART-1
Susan J. Willbanks
PUBLISHED BY:
Susan J. Willbanks
Copyright © 2013
www.susanjwillbanks.com
Catrina and the Duchess’ Necklace
Chapter One
Catrina’s Betrayal
Catrina Malley was driving along, feeling relieved and comfortable in the knowledge that her mother was finally going to be all right and that her life had taken on some direction. Earlier in the year, Cat’s mother had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Her whole family had been terrified that she might not make it. Luckily the chemotherapy had done its job, the cancer appeared to be gone, and her health was better than ever. Cat had brought her mother to her final treatment that day, and while sitting in the waiting room, a great weight had been lifted off her shoulders when her mother emerged from the treatment room.
“Okay, Catrina. I’m all finished, and I can’t say I’ll miss this place. But I sure will miss all the wonderful people here who have helped me regain my life and my health. Let’s get out of here.”
“I’m right behind you, Mom. The car’s out front. I’ll take you home.”
The two of them walked in silence to the car. While driving along the road, Cat looked to her mother. “Mom, it’s so good to know you are going to be fine now. I’m so happy for you and feel like the world is a good place. I have you here; I have Mark and my work with Sarah’s brother. Things are finally working out for everyone.”
“Thank you, sweetie. You have been such a big help getting me to and from all the doctor appointments and treatments these last few weeks. I’m so glad we were able to do this together. I love you so much, Cat. Maybe now you’ll have more time to spend with Mark and get your romantic and social life back to what is should be and stop worrying about me.”
“Hey, I like worrying about you. And Mark has been really understanding about the time away. I’m sure he will be glad to hear you won’t need any further treatments and are okay. I know he will be glad we can spend more time with each other again. Looks like we made it, you’re home. I’ll walk you in. Sorry I need to be in a rush, but I need to get going. I have a ton of stuff to catch up on for work.”
“I understand, Catrina. You’re not to worry about me now. You have spent so much time helping me, I know you are behind in everything else. You’ve been so good to me and I love you for it, but you don’t need to hang around. I’ll be just fine.”
“Okay, Mom. Have a great evening, we’ll talk soon.” And with that, Cat left her mother to go home.
When Cat arrived at her home after dropping her mother off, she noticed things were not quite right at her house. The window to the left of her front door was broken, some of her plants had been trampled on, and the curtains were askew. Carefully opening the front door, she peered inside only to find her home trashed. Someone had broken in. As she wandered through the rubble that was left of her home, Cat found the intruders had taken many of her valuables. Most of it could be replaced, but the one thing that Cat could never replace was missing—her favorite heirloom diamond necklace that had been in her family for three generations. It had belonged to her great-grandmother and was her favorite possession.
Heartbroken over the loss of something so precious to her and wanting comfort, Cat called Mark, her boyfriend. As she waited on the line for Mark to answer, all Cat could hear was the ringing of the phone. “That’s odd, Mark should be home by now,” she thought to herself. Just as she was about to hang up, his answering machine clicked on.
“Hi, this is Mark. Well, I’m off to go get married in Tahiti. Yup, I really did it!!! Sandy and I will be away for the next ten days for the wedding and honeymoon, so leave a message. One of us will call you when we return. God, can’t believe I’m actually getting married Wow! Wait for the beep, and leave your message.”
Stunned and dumbfounded, Cat couldn’t believe what she was hearing. This was the man she had trusted for nearly two years with her heart, the man she had been faithful to, and the one she thought was the love of her life. All she could do was slam the phone down as she began to cry. Feeling alone, exhausted, and unloved, Cat climbed under the covers of her bed, not caring about the mess all around her and began to sob, overwhelmed from the violation of her personal space and the betrayal of the man she had trusted.
After a while, tired of feeling sorry for herself, Cat decided to call her long-time friend Sarah Truvant. Cat knew this would lighten her mood since Sarah was someone that she was close to and that would understand how she was feeling.
“Hello.”
“Sarah . . . Hi, umm . . . what’s happening? Are . . . are you busy?”
“No, not at all Cat, just doing a bit of yoga. What’s up?” All Sarah heard was a sob and silence on the other end of the phone. “Hey, Cat . . . Cat . . . you all right? Talk to me, what’s wrong?”
“ Oh . . . Sarah, it’s horrible . . . It’s awful, I . . . I just got home and found the place trashed. Someone broke in . . . they took everything. Sarah, they even took my great-grandmother’s diamond necklace . . . My house is trashed, and I called Mark to have him come over . . . and . . . I . . . I . . . got his answering machine . . .” She sobbed into the phone. “Oh! Sarah he’s run off with that secretary of his; they eloped, they’re getting married! He left me and never even said goodbye . . . My life is over, it’s just ruined . . . I—”
Sarah cut her off mid sentence. “Oh my God, Cat. Just breathe, you’ll be okay. I promise, I’m coming over right now. Are you sure whoever was there is gone, Cat?” She heard more sobbing and silence. “Cat . . .? Hello . . .?”
“Yes, yes, I’m here Sarah . . . Yes, I’m sure there is no one here in the house. Please hurry and get here. I don’t know what to do, the place is a mess, things are gone, Mark is gone, I can’t think . . . and I’m all alone here and I feel horrible, I need you. Please hurry!”
“Okay, Cat, I’m on my way. Just hang in there till I arrive. I’ll come straight there, lock the doors till I get to the house, do you understand me, Cat?”
“Yes, okay. I’m locking them. See you soon, Sarah.”
When Sarah arrived she found Cat red-eyed and depressed. After an hour of talking, Cat seemed to be a bit better. Then together the two of them called the police, made the necessary reports, and after the officers had left, Cat finished recounting to Sarah all that had happened to her in the last few weeks.
“Cat, you have had such a burden these last few weeks, what with your mom being ill, working long hours for Brandon, and now the break-in and finding out that Mark was a rat. I have an idea. Let’s go away for the next week or two, just the two of us, sort of a girls’ week on the beaches of Belize. I know just the place. I was talking to Mia just yesterday about getting away. We can leave tomorrow, what do you say, Cat? Fun, sun, surf, and gorgeous men? I am sure that will put you in an altogether new mood. Who knows, maybe you’ll find someone nice to hang out with, and it wouldn’t hurt if he was tall, tan, good-looking and maybe rich too.” Sarah giggled, looking at Cat and waiting for her answer.
After thinking for what seemed to Sarah like forever, Cat looks at her with a mischievous smile on her face and a twinkle in her emerald green eyes.
“Okay, let’s do it. I’m game, what have I got to lose? Whoa! Wait a minute, I have a job. I’ll have to call Brandon first and make sure he’s good with me leaving for a week. But if he says it’s okay, then let’s go.”
Sarah picked up the phone and called her brother Brandon. She explained to him all that had happened
over the weekend to Cat.
“Oh my gosh, is she okay?” he asked.
“Yes, Brandon. She is as good as can be expected under the circumstances.”
“I mean, being broken into and all? Hey Sarah, do you know what they took?”
“Only most of everything she owned and her great-grandmother’s diamond necklace that has been in the family for like forever. Why do you ask?”
“ No reason. Just curious, I guess. Sorry, did not mean to be rude; just a casual question. Anyway, just ask her to come in and tie up a few loose ends, she’ll know what I am talking about, and Sarah, you tell her to take two weeks off and I’ll be just fine. I won’t be in the office tomorrow, I have to be in court most of the day.”
“Great, Big Bro. I really appreciate this. Thanks, and I am sure that Cat will appreciate it too. She needs this get away and time to relax.”
Sarah hung up the phone.
Chapter Two
The Connection
Brandon thought to himself, “I better call Joey. This is a real weird coincidence. He was just here yesterday reviewing the appraisal he did for Cat on that very necklace a few months ago. That is really strange.” Brandon dialed Joey’s number. “Hey dude, what’s happening?”
“Oh, hey Brandon, how are you? I’m great. Setting up a few new business deals in the jewelry world.”
“Joey, we been friends a long time. Please, man, tell me you are not setting up any illegal deals; you know, no fenced or stolen goods that kind of thing.”
“Geez, Brandon, what got you all paranoid all of a sudden?”
“Joey, you didn’t answer my question. And that necklace of Cat’s that you did the appraisal on went missing today. Her place was robbed just a few hours ago.”
“Wow, man, you surprise me. You don’t think I had something to do with a robbery, do you?”
“Joey, you need to tell me if you had anything to do with this. Cat called the cops, they are checking into the matter as we speak. And I find it a really strange coincidence that you had me pull that very appraisal just yesterday. You said it was just to make sure the amounts were still on top of the current market. So what’s going on, Joey? You in some kind of trouble?”
“Ummm . . . Hey, man, I got a client sittin’ here. I’ve got to go, and I’ll catch you later on, Brandon. I promise, bro; we’ll hook up in a few days. And stop worrying, okay? Bye for now.” And with that, the phone went dead.
If Brandon didn’t have a client in court first thing in the morning, he would have gone right over to Joey’s house and pressed him for the details. Brandon had a feeling his long-time friend was in some kind of trouble; trouble he might not get out of this time. He was glad that Cat would not be there for the next two weeks and he would have time to look into what was happening while she was gone with his sister.
Meanwhile, Sarah was relaying the message from Brandon to Cat.
“Great. Cat, it’s all set. Brandon said if you could just tie up the few loose ends—he said you’d know what ones he was talking about—at the office tomorrow morning, then you can leave tomorrow night with me. He even gave you two weeks off, so are we on?”
“Yes, sure we are. This is a great idea, Sarah. I can put my troubles behind me in the sand, surf, and half-naked men on the beach. And I can forget all about what has happened here, even if it is just for a few days. In paradise I can leave all this behind, and it will feel like a lifetime away. What are we waiting for! Call Mia and book the trip.”
Sarah called Mia, her travel agent friend, who told her about a special deal on an all-inclusive stay right on the beach. Excited, Sarah booked the trip, which would have them leaving the following evening.
As Cat was finishing up at work the next day, all she could do was daydream about the trip to Belize. She was glad she worked for Sarah’s brother and he let her leave on a moment’s notice. She knew in just a few short hours she would be in a beautiful tropical paradise, leaving all the mundane and painful memories of the last months behind her. Cat was thankful that Sarah would be there with her; Cat knew the two of them would have a great time together.
The buzzing of the office’s phone momentarily interrupted Cat’s thoughts.
“Good afternoon, Truvant and Associates. How may I help you?”
“Hello, Catrina. Just wanted to see how you’re doing and say hi.”
“Oh, hi Mom. I’m glad you called actually. I am leaving in a few hours to go on vacation with Sarah. We are going to be staying in Belize, I’ll have to forward you the numbers when we get there. I’m not sure of the hotel name, Mia booked this last minute for the two of us.”
“I am so glad you are going away for a few days. It will do you a world of good, and you’ll come home a changed person, Cat. I know you’ll have a good time with Sarah, you two girls always do. Just let me know when you get back, and have a great time, Catrina, you deserve it.”
“Thanks, Mom. Will do, got to go now and finish up here at work, so I can get out of here and on to the beaches of Belize. Love you, Mom, we’ll talk more when I get back.”
“Okay, love you too, Catrina. Bye”
“Bye, Mom.”
Filing the last of the paperwork that Brandon needed for the next two weeks, one piece stood out as really out of place. It was the appraisal of her great-grandmother’s necklace that Brandon had arranged for her through his long-time friend and business associate, Joey. “Hmmm, I wonder why Brandon would have this out now. We did the appraisal over four months ago, that’s odd. Oh, well. I’ll just file it and remember to ask him about it when I get back. I’m sure it’s just a coincidence with the robbery,” Cat thought to herself. And so Cat filed the papers in her personal file and locked the cabinet, set the alarms, and left. She was content just looking forward to her trip with Sarah.
Chapter Three
Coincidences
Cat was still packing when she heard Sarah’s car pull up the drive. She stuck her head out the window. “Hey, Sarah, just wait there. I’ll be right out.”
Throwing the last few things into her carry-on bag, grabbing her suitcase, and locking the door behind her, Cat went down the drive to meet Sarah, who was still in her car and talking on her cell phone.
“Hey Sarah, thanks for driving us to the airport. I’m really getting excited to see what will happen on this trip.”
Sarah hung up her phone. “I’m glad you decided to come. For a minute there, I wasn’t sure you were going to. Just throw your bags in the trunk, and let’s get out of here. I’m ready for some warm water, adventure, and the unexpected. Woo-hoo!”
Cat tossed her stuff into the trunk and the two of them took off in the direction of the airport to catch their six p.m. flight to Belize. After what seemed like hours of getting through security and onto the plane, Cat and Sarah were finally seated and ready for takeoff. Taxiing down the runway, Cat couldn’t help but feel as though this might be a turning point for her life.
Looking out her window and filled with anticipation of what may come, in the back of her mind there was still a minor nagging feeling about the papers she found sitting out in Brandon’s office. “Guess I’ll make a note to myself to ask Sarah what she thinks of the coincidence,” she thought. Then Cat drifted off to sleep, forgetting about the papers and all the things from the last few weeks for the eight-hour flight, thinking only of blue oceans, white sandy beaches, and the possibility of new romance.
Meanwhile . . .
After a long and tiring day at court, Brandon returned his office to find all was well. Cat had filed all the work from the previous month and had laid out all the papers he would need while she was gone on her vacation with his sister Sarah. He felt lucky to have such a competent paralegal and assistant to rely on, not to mention a good friend as well.
The situation with his long-time friend Joey had him troubled, however. Brandon thought he’d try to reach him now. Picking up the phone to call him, Brandon heard the door to the outer office open. “Hello, I’ll be right
out,” he said.
As he stood to walk out of his private office, phone still in hand, the door opened. Brandon was about to say something, but looking up, he realized that Joey was standing in the doorway and put the phone down again on its cradle. “Well, you must have ESP these days. I was just dialing you on the phone.”
“Ha! I don’t know if I would call it ESP, but here I am in the flesh.”
“Have a seat, let’s talk a bit and then maybe get a bite to eat I’ve been in court all day, and I’m starving.”
“If you are hungry, just grab your coat and let’s go get some food, bro. I’m a bit hungry myself, and we can talk while we eat.”
“Sure thing, Joey. Let me just get a few things together for in the morning so I don’t have to stop in here on the way back to court. Sit down, I’ll be ready in just a few minutes, then we can go and eat. By the way, are you going to tell me what is going on with you and the jewelry world?”
“Not too much to tell ya, bro. Just trying to make a few dollars here and there buying and selling estate pieces, ones I find at auctions or estate sales in the paper. This month has been a good one, but some are just not worth the time you put into them.”
“So . . . you are really not in any trouble or doing and thing that might be questionable, legally? I just don’t want to see you get into any trouble, Joey. Life has not always been fair where you have been concerned. I’m just being your friend, man.”
“Well . . . to be honest, Brandon, that’s why I’m here now to see you. I want to find out if I am going to have trouble with the guys I have been appraising for and selling to. I thought they were just investors when they approached me one day about three months ago. I was doing some appraisals at Simons, a local auction house where the owner is a friend of mine, and he offers me work when he has it. Anyway, like I said, about three months ago, right after you had inquired about Cat’s necklace origins as a matter a fact, these guys approached me. They said because of my knowledge of jewelry, they needed a reliable person to appraise pieces for them and make sure they were genuine, not fakes. They offered to buy some of my pieces and offered me a good salary to hire me three days a week. It looked like a piece-of-cake job, so I told them I’d take it for as long as I had time to do it.”
Catrina And The Duchess` Necklace (Catrina Series PART-1) Page 1