Diamonds & Hearts

by Rosetta Bloom

  “I miss her,” I admitted. “I just want to know if she was happy at the end.”

  Her frown tightened, but then she lay her head on my shoulder and spoke softly. Just loud enough for me to hear over the drone of the plane’s engine.

  “We had a great time,” she said. “We were both looking forward to heading back home. I was scheduled to teach, which I knew wouldn’t pay well, but it was what I wanted to do, and she was looking forward to starting her job at the museum. She was trying to convince me to apply for an opening in the geological department there. Said it would be fun, just like old times.”

  I smiled. That was Lily. If you just did what she suggested, she always assured you that you would be endlessly happy. And of course, Lily was easy to believe because she seemed, always endlessly optimistic and happy. Anything was possible when she was by your side.

  “We were in Mumbai, and we’d just headed out to for a walk, you know, just to explore the area. We’d gotten downstairs from the hotel and crossed the street, when she realized she’d left her phone upstairs. She wanted to take pictures, and I told her she could just use mine. Still, she was worried we’d get separated. And she ran back across the street, and that’s when the car hit her.”

  I wondered if she was thrown across the street, if she were bloodied and bruised, or if her injuries were mostly internal. Mother told me she’d died shortly thereafter. Railed against the backwaters of that “third-world society and lack of good medical care.” But I suspect, even in America, she would have died. Some injuries you didn’t recover from, no matter how good the medical care.

  “They tried to do everything for her,” Onyx said. “I held her hand, the whole time, but she was...she was gone, even by the time I ran to her. There was nothing that could be done.”

  I nodded. “I know,” I whispered.

  “I know your parents blame me,” she whispered back. “But I didn’t know that would happen, and if I could have stopped it...”

  “They don’t blame you,” I lied. They shouldn’t blame her, at least. But in the eyes of Richard and Laura Harper, the world was supposed to be a just place. It was always supposed to do right by them. If things went askew, if the world did do them wrong, then it was a miscarriage of justice that had to have been caused by some other person. For them, Onyx was that person. They’d been cool to her the first time they met her, which probably cemented Lily’s like of Onyx. And at the funeral, they were just short of outright rude. They blamed Onyx for putting Lily in harm’s way, even though Lily had been so eager for that trip. Onyx clearly didn’t believe my lie.

  “It’s nice of you to say,” she said. “But you don’t lie very well.” She lifted her head, and looked me in the eye. “You need to work on that.”

  I laughed. “You’re blunt.”

  “Pussyfooting around an issue doesn’t help.”

  “How old are you, anyway?” I teased. “I thought only old men talked about pussyfooting.”

  She rolled her eyes at me, and then reached into the area under the seat in front of her, pulling out her bag. It was a large leather purse, more the size of a briefcase, but because it was a woman’s she’d get the luxury of calling it a purse. From it she pulled a yellow legal pad and a pen. “So, this is what I thought we’d do,” she said, showing me the paper.

  On it were several columns, each headed by a day of the week. “It will be late when we arrive, so we can grab dinner, hang out a bit and rest up.”

  I nodded.

  “First thing tomorrow, we can do some sightseeing, and maybe grab lunch with that old friend of mine”

  The job. Of course, I nodded.

  “There’s the Iskcon temple. That’s beautiful, so we should make time to see that. Maybe do some local sights, and then we’ve got that diamond factory tour you arranged. That should be interesting.”

  I nodded. “Yes, what girl doesn’t like sparkly things.”

  She grimaced. “I’d go look at chalcopyrite if I just wanted to see something that sparkled. It’s got great luminescence, is much cheaper, and naturally glimmers regardless of cut. The entire point of going to a diamond factory would be to see the actual luster they can get with the right cut and polish.”

  I rolled my eyes. “OK, Ms. Geologist.”

  “Besides, I want to get some pictures for my students. One of them, Keisha, I think, would like to see how things work in practice.”

  I nodded. Her students. If I had a teacher like her when I was growing up, I don’t know that I would have been able to concentrate on learning.

  She tapped the paper with a manicured nail. I wondered when she’d had time to get them done? Spending her money before she earned it. Hadn’t expected that. “I like your nails,” I said.

  “Thanks,” she said, offering a mild smile. “Painted ‘em last night.”

  “Oh,” I said, realizing I’d made a wrong assumption. “I figured you went to a salon.”

  She shook her head. “Nope. I like to do them myself. These turned out well. It’s called Rebel with Great Claws!”

  I raised an eyebrow. “Is that true?”

  “Of course,” she said with a grin. “I would never lie to my sweet Ryan. And I couldn’t make up such a ridiculous name for a nail polish.” She tapped the legal pad again. “Anyway, does the trip plan so far sound alright?”

  Her smile was magnificent, beautiful. Her big brown eyes had a bewitching luster to them, even on this dank plane full of recycled air. “Sounds good,” I said. And it did. I wished we were just a couple seeing the sights. She would be fun to visit places with. Only, I knew this was a ruse, so I expected we’d do very little of what she described. The truth was, she hadn’t bothered to fill me in on anything at the diamond factory. I suppose it was better that I didn’t know. I swallowed.

  “You look tired,” she said. “You should get some rest. It’s a long flight.”

  I nodded, and closed my eyes.

  Chapter 11 – Homeland

  When we landed, the instructions were in both Hindi and English. Either suited me, but Ryan looked a bit perturbed at the foreign greeting. I’m not sure what he expected, but realism wasn’t his strong suit. Lily had always said he was like her in that he was an optimist. Only, he wasn’t realistically optimistic. He assumed things would work out with no basis for it. Well, actually, he did have a basis. His father always bailed him out of trouble. Given that, his optimism was probably appropriate.

  I slung my purse over my shoulder and grabbed my wheeled carry on. I pulled Ryan’s hand into mine as we disembarked the plane. It was going to be crowded and easy to get separated, so it made sense. It also kept up this stupid pretense that we were a happy couple on vacation. Sometimes I hated Pauly. That’s the problem, though. I couldn’t sustain it. I suppose that’s how people like Pauly kept you coming back. Your happy memories of them managed to overwhelm your better judgment. I have the fondest memories of him as a child. My father was always excited when we went to see Pauly. Probably because it meant Pauly had a job for him, or it was payday. I didn’t know the exact reason back then. I just knew that a trip to Pauly’s meant cannoli for me and a bit of flattery from the large man with his big laugh and beautiful accent.

  I sighed. That seemed like so long ago. Even once I fully understood what Pauly did, even after he let my father rot in jail, I couldn’t quite wash away that fondness I had for him. It was like it was ingrained deep within. It’s why I thought of him when I needed money I didn’t have. Like father, like daughter, I suppose. Though, Pauly had said I was like my mother, and more than anything, she was practical. No, she was a dreamer at one time, like my father, like me. But life makes you practical when things start to go awry. And she was the one who always held it together. She used her mind for good, and she always figured out a plan. Wits, not whimsy and vice. Well, I couldn’t help the vice part, given what I’d agreed to, but I needed wits now. I had to keep it together for Lynx. When you’re battling cancer, that has to be your focus, nothing
else. I would let him focus on that and I’d take care of the money.

  “What’s he saying,” Ryan whispered in my ear, as we approached the luggage carousel. There were tons of people, so it took me a minute to focus on the one who was a few feet away wearing a turban and speaking above the crowd.

  I listened, then laughed. “He’s just trying to get people to use his taxi service. Says he’s the best in the area, can get us anywhere fast.”

  We waited in silence for Ryan’s bag. Eventually, a fancy hard suitcase with the initials RLH on them appeared, and Ryan pulled it off the carousel. I looked up at him. “Got anything else?”

  He shook his head. “We’re just waiting on yours,” he said with cheer.

  “This is all I have,” I told him, nodding to my carry on.

  His eyes widened and his stunned voice croaked out, “That’s it?”

  “We’re not staying very long and this is vacation, sweetheart. I’m not high maintenance.”

  He bristled slightly when I called him sweetheart. His reaction to my role play was getting a bit annoying. We had an act to commit to, one that I was giving a hundred and ten percent to. If I decided to do something, I went all-in and executed it brilliantly, flawlessly. Yet, his “Que Sera Sera” attitude was making me seem clingy and needy. If anything went wrong — though it shouldn’t, I kept telling myself — every person who saw us had to believe I was his honey. Only, he didn’t seem to like it much at all, which was throwing me off. I kept my smile in place and started for the exits. He followed behind and we went outside to wait in line for a taxi.

  It was incredibly crowded today, and hot. I rolled up my sleeves. I’d been dressed for the conditioned air of the plane, but here it was hot. Thankfully it wasn’t too humid and there wouldn’t be much rain. It was relatively dry this time of year. Soon, it was our turn, and once we’d gotten inside the cab, I gave the name of our hotel to the driver in Hindi. I chatted with him a couple of minutes, just to leave a favorable impression.

  After I’d stopped speaking, Ryan leaned in and asked me, “What did you say to him?”

  I smiled and said, “I just told him we were here on vacation, celebrating our six-month dating anniversary. Asked if there was anything we should see. He recommended the Iskcon temple.”

  Ryan nodded and forced a smile, but he seemed bitter still. I wasn’t sure why, though. I guess he was still having second thoughts. Still wondering if getting himself out of trouble was worth the price, if it would have been easier to just take his father’s rebuke. I don’t know. Maybe it would have, but as stupid as it was to come here for Pauly, it was also good. It was good that he wanted to fix things for himself.

  “It’s gonna be alright,” I said to him.

  “Huh?” he asked, looking confused.

  I lowered my voice, figuring the driver probably spoke English. Most people here did, at least people who catered to tourist. “I know you were having second thoughts, but don’t worry, everything is going to great. I promise you.”

  He smiled at me, a genuine smile this time. I guess I’d reassured him. He lifted his arm and wrapped it around me, tugging me closer, the way a real boyfriend might. I didn’t resist. At least he was getting a hang of things. That was a good sign.

  WE’D CHECKED INTO THE hotel Pauly had set up for us. Of course, we had to share a room. It was a suite, though, which meant it had a bedroom and a sitting room with a sofa. I sat down on the sofa and put my feet up. “I’m glad to finally be settled,” I told him.

  He came over and sat beside me. His face was completely serious. “I know that Pauly said this was just a smuggling job, but I’m not stupid. I know more is going on. You need to tell me the entire plan. I don’t want to be kept in the dark.”

  I stared at him. “You’re not part of this. Pauly wants it that way. And so do I,” I admitted.

  His eyebrows scrunched together. “You want it that way. Why?”

  “Because Lily would kill me if anything happened to you, alright? I know she’s gone, but she loved you, and you’re involved in this thing. Granted, it’s your own fault, but since I’m involved, too, I feel like I should try to keep you as safe as possible.”

  He shook his head, and blew out. “I can take care of myself. That’s the whole point of me coming here, isn’t it? For me finally to take care of my own problems. To not run to daddy for help. That means I need to know more than I do. Especially if you’re going to keep fawning all over me like you’ve been.”

  That stung. More than it probably should have. “I-I didn’t mean to bother you,” I said, trying not to let the sting of rejection of my fake affection, color my comments. “I just wanted to play up the tourists in love angle. It’s important for us to sell that. Especially when we go on the tour.”

  “And what exactly are we supposed to do — walk out of there with millions of dollars in diamonds?”

  One side of my mouth ticked upward as I considered my response. He wanted details, details Pauly had specifically asked me not to give him. But, he was part of this, and if shit hit the fan, I’d need his help. “If I tell you the plan,” I said, looking him directly in the eye, “You have to promise me two things.”

  He nodded vigorously. “Anything.”

  “Your first-born son,” I teased.

  He rolled his eyes.

  “Ok, I’m sorry. My Rumpelstiltskin moment is over.” My grin faded and I looked serious. “You can’t tell Pauly I told you anything.”

  He nodded.

  “And if things go south, you have to promise me you’ll make sure Pauly pays my cut to my brother, Lynx.”

  He didn’t nod. He just stared at me.

  “What’s wrong with that?”

  He shook his head. “Nothing’s wrong with the request,” he said, turning away from me, staring at the painting on the wall. I peeked up at it, to see Ganesha, a god with an elephant head and a human body. Ganesha is known as an omen of success, a destroyer of obstacles. He was one of my father’s favorite gods, and exactly what we needed at this moment.

  “If nothing’s wrong with it, then why aren’t you agreeing to it?”

  “Pauly is a gangster,” he said to me, fear in his eyes. “I don’t think I can demand anything of him.”

  “Even gangsters live by a code, and if you remind Pauly of his obligation, he’ll do it. He just needs a nudge sometimes.”

  “You think he’d do it with a nudge from me, but that he wouldn’t do it on his own.”

  I peeked at the painting, too, then turned back to him. “I think he’ll do it, regardless, honestly. But Lynx needs that money, and I would just feel better if you promised me that you would make sure he got it. You know, it’s like redundancy in computer systems.”

  He stared at me like I had two heads.

  “Umm, computer backups. All the big computing companies have servers. And they make back up files of what’s on those servers. And sometimes they have two backup servers. Having multiple backups is called redundancy. The first system shouldn’t fail, but in the rare event that it does, you want another system that does the same thing there and ready.”

  “Oh,” he said.

  “Well, that’s what I want. I just want a backup server, one that says to Pauly, Onyx was counting on this. You can do that for me, right?”

  He nodded, then mumbled. “So, is your brother like me? Does he have a gambling problem?”

  Ugg. He would think that. I tried to keep my expression neutral. I didn’t want to get into Lynx’s problems right now. I shrugged. “Lynx is like you in certain ways,” I said, leaving it purposely vague, as Lynx and Ryan’s similarities began and end with the fact that they were both little brothers. “He needs my help, and I’m going to give it to him. I love my brother, and I want to help him.”

  He was eyeing me carefully, but his reaction was guarded. His face didn’t move a muscle for several seconds. Finally, he nodded and said, “I will make sure Pauly pays your brother.” Then he kicked back on the sofa, put hi
s feet up on the coffee table and tucked his hands behind his head. “But it’s an easy promise to make because I won’t need to do it. Everything is going to go perfectly.” He raised an eyebrow. “So, do tell me this perfect plan.”

  I shook my head. It was far from perfect, but I reached in my purse and pulled out my legal pad and a pencil. I flipped it to a blank page and drew a square. “This isn’t to scale or even particularly accurate, but it’s for visualization purposes.”

  He nodded, so I continued, splitting the square into four sections. “So, there are tours of the building. We’re going to get in during a tour, you and me. It’s a special thing they set up for rich tourists who are looking to get very nice diamonds for less than they’d pay in the U.S. or Europe, but still of high quality. They show you diamonds and give you wine and all that. We’re going to go. We’re going to have fun. And during the tour, I’m going to feel ill and need to lie down. You’ll offer to take me back to the hotel, but our inside guy is going to suggest I lie in a private office. From there, I’ll have access to the manager’s diamond room, and I’m to go through the rough diamonds and select ones for Pauly. I’ll feel better, and when the tour is over, we leave. All you have to do is be charming and pretend you’re interested in spending money on diamonds because you love me so so much.”

  He frowned. “Won’t they know it was you? I mean, if you disappear from the tour and then diamonds go missing, won’t they know?”

  “If I just took a bunch of cut diamonds, they’d know, but that’s not what I’m going to do. I’m taking ones that are rough and not catalogued the same way,” I told him. I sighed and leaned back on the sofa, figuring out how to explain to a lay person about the diamond trade. “Diamonds don’t come out of the ground looking pristine. They have to be cut. This is where the magic happens. But, it’s about volume here. You’re going to get some diamonds that come in and need to be separated into the best prospects, easiest to cuts, all the way down to the hardest to cut and least valuable. Generally, the gemologists sort them, and cuts are done. What I’m going to do when I pull my stuff is get really good diamonds from the rough pile. And I’m going to hand them to the inside guy. The timing of the tour is such that I’ll be in there after the lead gemologist has gone through the pile for the day. Pauly’s guy is going to go take our diamonds out of the building for Pauly, and get them cut.”