Catrina And The Duchess` Necklace (Catrina Series PART-1)

by Susan J Willbanks

  “Yeah, sure. If Sarah says so, I’m good with that. What do I do?”

  “Well, first of all, do not call the police. Some of them are likely involved in this mess. And second of all, I need to know if Brandon is being hurt in any way that you can see.”

  “No, he seems fine. He is just sitting on the sofa with someone on the opposite end from him.”

  “Okay. Now Joey, you need to follow these directions carefully so you stay safe until we all arrive back in San Francisco. I have a home in Nob Hill, you need to go there. My staff will be told to expect you within the hour, but first you need to go and get a new cell phone and new number. Call Sarah on that phone as soon as you have it, then she will text you the address of my home and the name of the man to contact there. Once you get to the house, you stay there. Do not leave under any circumstance unless Sarah texts the new phone. Do you understand this is what you must do, now, right now and do it quickly?”

  “Yes, I can do that. I have some cash on me to get a phone, and I’ll call Sarah as soon as I have purchased it. Is Brandon going to be alright till you arrive?”

  “Yes, I think they are holding him just to make a point at the moment, and to see if you will come alone to get him, but they could have taken you when they were in the office. I am not sure why you are still on the streets, so be careful; you might be being followed. Keep your eyes open and your ears too, and do as I tell you. Once inside the house, do not leave. I’m sure Brandon is not who they want. This is more than just about you and your appraisals. Believe me, you are just one of many pawns in this web of deceit.”

  “Okay, Patrick. I’m going to have to trust you, for now. Put Sarah back on the line please.”

  “Sure thing, Joey. Just a second.”

  “Hello, Joey. Please do as he says, and I am sure that Brandon will be all right. But don’t just go off on your own. Please just do what Patrick tells you and we will see you in a day or two at the most, okay? Now go and get that phone and call me right back.”

  “All right, I’m going. Bye, Sarah, be safe and tell Cat I’m sorry too.”

  After that Sarah, hung up her cell phone and turned to both Antonio and Patrick. Her look of contempt was not hard to mistake; she was worried for her brother and her friends. She had no idea who she could trust but had no choice at the moment except to let Patrick and Antonio call the shots, something she was usually the one doing where her family was concerned. “Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on?” she asked, looking directly at Antonio.

  “Let’s all go in and eat while the dinner is hot, and during that time I’ll go over the details of this particular case with all of you. Please, let’s eat.”

  No one was really hungry, but Antonio thought that it would take the edge off everyone’s mood to get some food in them, maybe a drink, and talk out the situation. Antonio was the first to go to the dining room. As the others reluctantly followed him, conversations began.

  Cat pulled Patrick’s arm to make him walk a little more slowly. “Patrick, do you really think Brandon is going to be all right?”

  “Yes, Cat, I do. I hate to say it, but Antonio thinks he had something to do with the break-in at your place a couple weeks ago. He doesn’t feel that Brandon is in any danger at all, but we will treat this as it looks, like a kidnapping, at least for now.”

  “Okay, I could use a good drink just about now. Let’s go in and get one.”

  The two of them joined the others in the dining room. Before too long, everyone was a bit more relaxed, and Antonio took the opportunity to talk about the recent events.

  “I believe the time has come that we all understand why this is happening. Cat, most of this had to do with you great-grandmother’s necklace. It is likely that she or someone purchased this particular piece of jewelry from an estate sale, and not one that was highly publicized either. Once I saw this piece, I knew where it had come from. We have been following Joey for the last five and a half months now, so we saw the photos that were sent to your insurance company. This necklace is a very important part of history in Russia, and has been looked for, for many years. It used to belong to the grand duchess of the Romanov family, Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova herself. It was originally said she took this necklace when she fled to safety, to fund her living expenses outside of the country when her family was brutally murdered. Since we know now that Anastasia was indeed murdered along with her family in 1917, we are assuming that this piece was sold or traded off by the Bolsheviks after taking control of Russia and eliminating the Tsar and his family. Regardless of how it came about, this piece is a part of the Russian crown jewels and worth millions of dollars. Once the appraisals were made by Joey and the photos left in your file, Brandon did some checking to see where this might have come from. He thought that it was too ornate and old to be just from your great-grandmother’s personal jewelry. So he fed the photo into a scanner and onto the Internet. Once he did that, every jewel thief and forger, anyone that was interested in great jewels was notified about the piece being under inquiry. That was when they contacted Joey to be their appraiser for jewels, hoping he would lead them to the place that the piece was kept. We also assume that there was a lot of pressure on him to talk about where he appraised it and where it resided. Eventually he gave in and told them it was yours, Cat. Then the robbery at your place happened. From there, we have no idea why Joey and Brandon are still involved. That is why we need to talk to Joey and see what has happened since the robbery. I came here to talk to and arrest the guy that was trying to fence your necklace. You and Sarah just out of the blue happened to pick this resort to vacation at; it was a strange, happy coincidence. At the time you arrived and we started seeing you both, neither Patrick nor myself knew who you were.”

  “So let me get this straight, my necklace goes missing because it is part of the crown jewels of Russia, which has been plastered on the internet by my boss and best friend’s brother Brandon because he was curious where it came from after he has his buddy appraise it for my insurance. Then I decide to go to Belize on vacation with my friend Sarah, where it just so happens that the thieves are trying to fence my necklace, where we meet you and Antonio. Now my question is which one or both of you were following me or both of us, and I’m guessing my savior here is not really such a nice happenstance after all. Did I leave anything out?”

  Patrick and Antonio exchanged a glance that said that Cat did not quite understand. Then Patrick decided to address Cat’s obvious misunderstandings and her apparent disdain for the situation and the two men involved.

  “Cat, I know how this looks, but we really did meet by accident. I was not working on this case at all until Antonio here asked me last week to assist him in the arrest of the guy that was fencing the jewels. At that time, I had no idea who you were other than a charming and beautiful woman whose company I truly enjoyed. I was just alone here on vacation like you and Sarah. That is the truth, Cat, I swear it. After Antonio asked me to help, I still had no idea this case involved you or Sarah. I called it in to the Bureau and they officially put me on the case with a twenty-five-day stay here to work with Interpol. I did not want to stop seeing you and still don’t. Now more than ever, I want to get to the bottom of this I need to make sure you and your family are safe and I want to try to get your necklace back for you. We need to do things in a way that keeps us all safe and on the same page. Please, Cat, I have not lied to you nor has anything I have said in any way been said for any reason other than the fact that I love you. You’ve got to believe me, Cat, that is the truth.”

  “Cat, I know you are hurt and angry, just as I was when I found out last night from Antonio here when Brandon called me to tell me he had Antonio’s business card and was trying to reach him. I was angry, hurt, and felt betrayed. But after I had time to think about this, letting them help us is the only way we will all stay safe and get our lives back again, Cat. Can we all work on this together?” Sarah reached out to give her friend a hug and some reassurance.<
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  Cat took a sip of her drink and walked to the other end of the room. With a deep sigh, she looked at her best friend and the two men she had come to care for over the last two weeks. Not sure what to think or how to feel, all she knew for sure was that her life had been turned upside down in a matter of fifteen days. Her home was violated, her emotions in upheaval, and she needed time to sort all of it out and there was no time—not if she wanted her necklace returned and her friends and family safe. She would have to make a decision right now about what she would do.

  “Patrick, I want so badly to believe you, to believe it is me you love and not this case you are on. I just don’t know how to do that right now. My family, my friends, they are in some kind of danger. I have to believe you and Antonio are who you say you are and not the bad guys just to keep my own sanity. And Sarah is my best friend; I do not want to see her used for some governmental relic to gain prestige. So for now, unless I see a reason not to, I will go along with whatever the four of us plan. But rest assured that if I feel the least bit lied to, deceived, used, or find any of you in a lie, I will be finished with all of it. And Patrick, we will talk about us after all this is over and done with, that is the best I can do right now.”

  Sarah walked over to her long-time friend and gave her a huge hug. “Cat, I am sure you’ll make the right choice. All of this will turn out all right for all of us. I believe Antonio and Patrick. We just happened to be in the same place as the bad guys all by mistake and coincidence. I have never lied to you, Cat, even when I knew you would not like the truth, not ever. I am not now. I trust them to be who they say and what they say they are, and I trust the feelings we have all shared over the last two weeks. Cat, let’s get Brandon home safe and Joey off the hook with these thugs and get your priceless necklace returned to you, okay? Then we can all go back to our regular, boring lives.”

  With that, Patrick walked over to where Cat was. He just stood in front of her with his arms open, not sure what she would do. Cat looked at him for a very long time and finally, with tears falling from her tired eyes, she allowed him to embrace her. As he held her, she cried softly on his shoulder and he stroked her hair.

  “Cat, remember what I said to you when I pulled you out of the ocean? ‘Easy there now, I’ve got you. Just breathe. Don’t fight me, you’re safe, just breathe.’ Cat, I do have you, you are safe, and I will not let anything harm you or anyone you care for. I love you, Cat. I will make things right again for us, I promise, and you will be able to trust me. Just let me in, Cat, and let me help. That is all I ask of you.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  The Plan

  Sarah’s phone rang with a number she did not know. She assumed it was Joey calling her from the new cell phone. “Hey, everyone, this must be Joey calling. I don’t recognize the number, and it is about time for him to be calling us.”

  Patrick took the phone from her hand. “Hello.”

  There was a long silence on the other end before a male voice answered. “Patrick, is that you?”

  “Yes, Joey, it is. Are you ready to get the instructions to the safe house and off the streets?”

  “Whew! When I heard a guy answer, I was not sure I should say anything. Glad it was you, and Sarah was not in trouble. Please text me the location and name of who I need to see there, and I’ll be on my way and off the streets before dark.”

  “Okay, but please make sure you are not being followed. That would not be helpful for any of us. I’ll text it in a moment, where are you now?”

  “I’m on the Embarcadero, where I got the phone at. I know a guy that owns a store, got a good deal on it here. All activated and ready to go.”

  “Great, I’ll text you the place and name of your contact. Don’t screw this up, it is too important to all of us, do you understand, Joey? I’ll make sure you have anything you need at the house, okay? So go there directly and do not leave once inside. We will be arriving day after tomorrow. You must stay inside and off the streets completely until we arrive, is that clearly understood?”

  “Yes, Patrick. I am not a total moron you know.”

  “Okay. Sorry, Joey. Then we will see you when we get in town. Stay safe and just wait there. The next message you get will be your information. We will see you at my house when we arrive. Take care of yourself, Joey.”

  “Thanks, man, see you all real soon. And Patrick . . . get the girls home in one piece, no accidents please.”

  “Sure thing, Joey. My pleasure.”

  Patrick hung up Sarah’s phone and texted the information to Joey, then handed it back to her.

  “Okay, people. We need to coordinate a plan, have Interpol and the FBI advised of what has happened, get plane tickets, pack, and get back to San Francisco as quickly as we can. We need to find out if Brandon is involved in this in any way and make sure we all stay safe.”

  Antonio agreed to handle the flights and the transportation, Patrick had to notify the bureaus, and the girls needed to try to remain calm and pack for everyone. But before any of that could happen, there was one last night in beautiful Belize, and they could all just enjoy each other’s company, eat their food, and have a few drinks. In the morning, things would be hectic and likely a bit tense for all of them, so a last night of some sort of relaxation and camaraderie would do them all good.

  Chapter Eighteen

  The Secret Deception

  After getting his text message from Patrick, Joey went to get a meal of his own before heading to the safe house. He knew it would be difficult waiting for all of them to arrive in forty-eight hours, so to ease his own mind he decided to go and take one more look at the condo to make sure that Brandon was still all right. He watched carefully to be sure he was not followed and took up his place from before in the garden of the condo. That gave him the best view into the living area of the house. He needed to be sure his friend was not being injured and was still okay. What he saw both confused and surprised him. Not only did Brandon appear to be all right, but he was talking, laughing, and acting as though these thugs were old friends. It even appeared they were having cocktails together. At one point, he even shook hands with one of them as he opened the front door and left the building. Joey was not sure if this was an act on Brandon’s part so he could remain unharmed or if he was working with these guys all along. Had they all been set up by someone they had known and trusted?

  Since Joey could not make any true determinations about the situation other than that he found Brandon to be fine, he decided to just go to Patrick’s house from there and wait for the others and tell them what he saw. As he went to leave his place in the garden, the man that had just left Brandon’s condo appeared at the end of the walkway. He looked as though he was waiting for someone. Joey decided to wait till he left before moving out of his hiding spot. He could see the man clearly and if he said anything, Joey would be close enough to hear what was said. Sure enough, just a few moments later, another gentleman appeared.

  “Hey, Robert, what’s happening?”

  “Not much, Sam. So how’s our boy Brandon doing?”

  “He still thinks he’s going to get a cut in this deal and is cooperating as we expected he would. Money always seems to make people reassess their own values. Ain’t that just grand for us, Sam?”

  The two men shared a laugh.

  “Yes, indeed it is, Robert. We do get the best, most cooperative, and then usually deceased help because of the power of money. No loose ends, and we still keep all the cash in the family.”

  “I need to get back inside, Sam. Told them I was just going for a walk to stretch my legs and have a smoke.”

  “That’s fine, Robert. Just keep the family up to date on the progress of that necklace’s return to the States. I have three competing bidders for this priceless prize. I want to maximize its heritage if you know what I mean.”

  “I do, and Brandon will never know that he will not be getting a thing. He plays along so nice and he is so naive about how things really work in the fo
rgery world. By the way, Sam, have you seen anything of Joey Shay? I had him followed, but he seems to have fallen off the grid.”

  “He’s not likely to cross us, and he has no idea what is really happening anyway. He’s no threat, at least not at the moment. If he pops back in to Brandon’s office, I’ll have him picked up there. We are still having that watched for Cat and Sarah when they return.”

  “Okay. Good night, Sam. I’m going back in.”

  “Goodbye, Robert.”

  Joey couldn’t believe what he had just heard. He had been set up by his best friend, and for money. He would never have though that Brandon would do such a thing. As angry as he was, he could not let them kill Brandon. Joey needed to get back to the Patrick’s house and quickly. Then he would have to tell the others what he knew about Brandon and what was to happen to him as soon as the bidding war was over for this necklace. Joey was also fairly certain that the highest bidders would not be getting the real thing but a very well-constructed forgery. After a time, when he felt it was safe, Joey left the condo and went directly to Patrick’s house, where he had been expected for hours and the people there were beginning to wonder if he had run into difficulty of his own.

  Knocking at the front door of the address he was provided in the text message from Patrick, Joey hoped he did not find out any further surprises tonight. The door opened.

  “Good evening, sir. May I help you?”

  “Yes, ma’am. Is Micah available please?”

  “Are you Joey Shay?”

  “Yes, ma’am. How do you know who I am?”

  “Mr. Patrick is very thorough when sending people to his private residence, sir. Please do come in. I’ll seat you in the library and fetch Micah for you. He was expecting you some time ago and thought maybe you had run into some difficulty. He was just about to call Mr. Patrick. In here please, have a seat. Can I get you a drink, sir?”

  “A drink would be wonderful. Double scotch on the rocks if you have it please.”