by Suzi Weinert
When Jason reached the restaurant with daughter Becca also in tow, Jennifer’s eyebrows arched in surprise. After hugs all around, Becca said, “I left Virginia Tech early and with light weekend traffic, made it in about five hours. Dad and the little ones were just leaving as I arrived, so here I am.”
“A wonderful surprise, Honey.”
They ordered and gathered around the table Jennifer saved. “Here are extra napkins.” She put a pile in the center as they munched their lunches.
Christine put her hand on Jason’s arm. “We love visiting you and Gran because you let us do the fun things our parents don’t allow.”
“Oh? For example?” Jason didn’t want to break enough rules to earn less access to his Grands.
“We’re usually stuck with food that’s ‘good’ for us.” She wrinkled her nose. “And we watch educational TV instead of cartoons.”
Alicia nodded. “Yeah, and we don’t get under-the-pillow gifts at home.”
Milo stuck in his two-cents. “And we don’t have Angwy Bewd Bandaids at home.”
The two little girls and Becca sat on one side of the table with Milo sandwiched between his grandparents on the other. Suddenly all on Becca’s side of the table held their sandwiches still, focused on something those facing them missed. Jen, Jason and Milo twisted in their seats to see a man writhing on the floor.
Sitting on the end of the bench, Becca jumped to her feet, grabbed the unused stack of paper napkins from the table, rushed to the man and pressed them between his teeth just before he went into full seizure. By this time, the McDonald’s staff and several patrons had dialed 911. Sirens blared almost immediately from the fire station less than a mile away.
Becca still knelt by the man when the EMTs strode in. “What happened?” the lead medic asked the pretty girl. Becca told him. He stared at her as other medics monitored their patient’s vital signs and started an IV. In a few minutes their patient sat up, dazed.
A medic touched Lt. Sommer’s sleeve. “Nathan, what’s your call? Take him in?” Pulled back to the present, the lead medic broke his stare at Becca and knelt beside the ailing man. “How do you feel now?”
“Not…not so good.”
“Are you epileptic?”
The man shook his head. “No. What happened to me? Where am I?”
“Have you ever had a seizure before?”
“No.”
Nathan Sommer made the decision. “Fairfax ER,” he directed his team.
“I know that EMT,” Jennifer told Jason. She wiggled out of the booth and crossed the room to her daughter. The medic stood aside as his team loaded the man onto a gurney.
“Becca, where did you learn how to help that fellow on the ground?” her mother asked.
“A girl in our college dorm is epileptic. She taught us what to do if she had an episode.”
“That’s Lt. Sommer, the medic who tried to save Kirsten two days ago.” Jennifer turned to him. “Thanks for all you did for our friend.”
“We do our best but...
“…but you can’t always win.” Becca finished his sentence. At his inquisitive look, she added, “My roommate’s boyfriend is a firefighter. He told us about his team’s good days and bad days.”
“And you are?”
“Becca Shannon. This is my mom.” She dazzled him with her most engaging smile. “I was wondering…any chance I could bring some nieces and nephews to the fire station to learn about engines and ambulances?” She pointed. “Those three little cuties there?”
His look followed her pointing finger. “Sure, how about his afternoon? I’ll show you around myself…if we’re not on a call.”
One of the firefighter/medics appeared at the doorway. “We’re ready,” he said impatiently.
“See you later today.” He held her glance a moment longer and was out the door, the retreating siren the only reminder of what had taken place.
Well, well, thought Jennifer. Becca’s back for thirty minutes and already has a date.
42
Saturday, 1:30 PM
At home, Becca settled the children at a table with crayons and coloring books. “What’s that?” she asked as Jennifer stuffed cotton balls into the doll’s torso and threaded a needle. Her mother told her the whole story. “Mom, that’s too wild. Are you keeping the diamonds?”
“We haven’t figured out yet what to do. Any ideas?”
“You don’t know who they belong to so you can’t return them. The owner doesn’t know who bought them so they can’t find you. I’d say they’re yours. It’s like winning a sweepstake, Mom. Will you buy a new house and new cars? Will you take exotic trips? Will you give the money to your children while they’re young enough to enjoy it? Hint-hint.”
Jennifer laughed. ”The diamonds are safe at the bank for now. We know five are valuable but not the rest until they’re appraised. So their total worth is still uncertain. She changed the subject. “Were you just flirting or will you take the children to the fire station today?
She giggled. “Maybe a little of both. He is kinda cute, don’t you think?”
“And maybe married with a herd of his own children?”
“Oh, Mom, you’re so out of it. He’s a good-looking guy with an exciting job. Sure, I’d like to know more about him. And don’t forget, you introduced us.” She laughed. ”Besides, with kids chaperoning, how can I go wrong?”
“We’re tired of coloring. Could we do today’s learning surprise now?” asked Christine as the children brought over their completed pictures. “What are you both laughing about?”
“Aunt Becca made a joke. Here’s your doll, Alicia, all well again. I think Aunt Becca plans today’s learning surprise. Would you like to learn about fire engines?”
“Yes,” they chorused with smiles and wiggles.
Twenty minutes later, Becca piled the children into her car and off they drove.
At the station, they knocked on the locked office door. A fireman behind the desk walked over to open it. “May I help you?”
“Is Lt. Sommer here? He said to bring my nieces and nephew this afternoon for a mini-tour.”
“Come in. I’ll see if I can find him.” He spoke into a phone. ”Nathan, you have company in the lobby…. What?... A pretty young lady with three little kids…. Okay. I’ll tell them.”
“Have a seat. He’ll be right along.”
“Remember,” Becca warned the little ones,” if we hear the fire alarm while we’re here, the firefighters stop whatever they’re doing, hurry to their fire truck and speed away to put out fires and save lives.”
“They go to it, but I’d wun away if it gets too hot,” Milo stated, his mouth firm.
“I’d put the fire out,” Alicia announced.
“I’d call 911 to get help,” Christine said. “What would you do, Aunt Becca?”
“I’d turn the situation over to a professional firefighter like Lt. Sommer, and here he is. Ta-da!”
Nathan came across the lobby, smiling broadly, a bit embarrassed by Becca’s flourishing intro.
“Welcome to the McLean Volunteer Firehouse. I’m Nathan Sommer and you are…”
The children introduced themselves, delighted with the attention. Becca winked at Nathan. “When grandchildren visit my parents’ house they’re subjected daily to a “learning surprise.” I took over that assignment for today. What can you teach us all?”
“Our mission…” He began the formal description but then dropped to one knee and continued at the children’s eye level. “We have three important ways to help people. First,” he held up one finger, “we fight fires in houses or cars or stores or big office buildings or woods or anywhere they happen. Second,” he held up another finger, “we try to rescue and help anyone we find in trouble there. Some firefighters also are emergency medical technicians who work sort of like doctors to help injured people. Third,” another finger lifted, “we teach people fire safety so they learn what to do if fire happens near them and how to prevent fires befor
e they start.”
“So let me hear you: what are the three things they do?” Becca reinforced Nathan’s lesson as he noticed again why she’d drawn his interest earlier at McDonald’s. The blue eyes, the silky hair, the animated face—pretty and competent.
“They teach us safety,” said Milo.
“And they put out fires wherever they happen in all kinds of places,” said Alicia.
“And they help injured people,” Christine said. “Did you know I want to be a doctor when I’m big?”
“If you want to, you should try to make that happen,” Nathan encouraged.
“If you have girl firefighters I might want to be one.” Alicia made this up on the spot.
“And I’m going to twain dolphins,” Milo revealed for the first time.
“Do you already know how to train them?” Nathan smiled.
“Not yet, but I will when I’m weady to do it.” Milo’s smile flashed conviction that dreams and reality blend seamlessly in a four-year-old’s mind.
Nathan laughed, giving Becca a knowing look. “Aren’t kids wonderful?”
“Do you practice with a bunch at home?”
“No, I’d need a wife for that. I had a lot of fun with brothers and sisters before we grew up.”
“Big family?”
“Six kids.”
“Only five at our house. I was number four. And you?”
“Also four.” He looked into her eyes and grinned. “Another connection?”
“Could we see the fire engine and ambulance now?” Christine asked.
“Sure.” They moved from the lobby into the garage bay. “Our McLean Volunteer Fire Department started almost a hundred years ago, in 1921. This new fire truck has room for six firefighters. It’s thirty-five feet long or about the same length as a school bus. Let’s climb up to take a look inside.” They did and investigated the ambulance next. “This is where I ride and this is where we put an injured person.”
After the tour, they no sooner returned to the lobby than the penetrating call-alarm blared. The Grands gaped as firefighters rushed from many directions to board their engine.
“Gotta go.” Nathan grabbed his uniform jacket. “May I call you later, Becca?”
She handed him a slip of paper on which she’d written her phone number. “I’d like that.”
“Good-bye, kids. Thanks for visiting.” In a flash, he was through the door, inside his vehicle and all business as the engine and ambulance careened from the station, sirens howling.
“Wow!” Becca said.
“Wow!” the children agreed.
43
Saturday, 2:02 PM
“Hello, Adam?” Jennifer held the phone. “Please tell your beautiful wife that I bought a great medicine cabinet for her this morning at a sale. It’s new with tags still on the box and only $5. I think she’ll like it. When will you pick it up? Okay, use your key. I’ll leave it in the entryway if we go out…. What did you say? What do I know about psychics? Not a whole lot. What do you know about psychics?... You’ll tell me later. Uh-oh, now my curiosity’s up. Bye.”
Jason wandered into the kitchen. “Where is everybody? “
“Becca’s taken the kids to the fire station. She’s checking out a firefighter under the pretense of a learning surprise for the children: Lt. Sommer, the medic-in-charge for Kirsten.”
“Is he better than Becca’s last one?”
“The gnarly dude with the tattoos, goatee and motorcycle?”
“No, the one after that.” Jason conjured a mental picture. “Mr. Mundo, the egotist, the Big Man on Campus, the guy who knew everything and thought the world revolved around him.”
“At least he had decent clothes.” She laughed and changed the subject. “Back to the diamonds. When Becca asked me earlier what we plan to do with them, I realized we haven’t had time to talk about it together. Now that we have a few minutes while they’re out…”
“Okay, what’s on your mind?”
“If we’re right, we’re missing fourteen stones. We could look for them downstairs before the gang returns. Knowing some are real, we assume they all are, but should a jeweler look at every one?”
“Yes, but is it safe for you to carry three million dollars’ worth of loot from the bank to the jeweler and back again? Do we need an armed guard or will I do?”
“I always feel safe with you, Jay.” She kissed the air in his direction. “But now it’s ‘loot’?”
“Well, what would you call a windfall of 286 top-quality diamonds?”
She ignored that. “With locked car doors and only the two of us knowing the plan and the value of our cargo, what could go wrong?”
He shrugged. “Cars get highjacked just for the vehicle, not what’s inside. Adam reminded us police consider people vulnerable most of the time. You’re your first line of defense. Stay alert to avoid bad choices leading to bad consequences.” He sighed. “But there’s the bigger problem.”
“What?” she asked.
“Your record for garage-sale consequences got spotty this last year, don’t you think?”
Her surprise showed she had no clue. “What do you mean?”
“Well, the serial killer before—and now this.”
“Okay…maybe you have a point,” she said slowly. “Let’s think this out logically. Why did somebody hide the gems? Are they legal or illegal? Was hiding them in the doll like putting them in a safe if you don’t own a safe?”
Jason looked serious. “Or if illegal, once they’re discovered missing, consider two more possibilities: the owner wants to walk away from them to avoid criminal connection or he needs them back for some illegal buy or payoff. Maybe drug involvement. Diamonds are international currency, same as cash, Jen.”
“That’s right. Didn’t that Holocaust Museum tour say during WWII when Germans made Jews leave home with one bundle and the clothes on their backs, they sewed diamonds or gold into their clothes instead of taking worthless paper money.”
“Diamonds are small, virtually indestructible, easy to transport and hide, and valuable everywhere. But what has that to do with this, Jen?”
“McLean has a large foreign population with colleges, embassies, commerce, military and government. Cultural exchange is another draw when foreign sports teams or musicians or dancers visit this area. Maybe this is someone’s nest egg to start a new life after defecting from a dangerous homeland. So even if smuggled in illegally, these diamonds might serve a positive purpose. Wouldn’t returning them to that owner seem fair?”
Jason stared at her, a pained expression clouding his face. She knew that look.
“Jay, what is it?”
“Jen, Jen. Once again your garage-sale craziness puts us in potential danger. I…the whole family…we’ve barely recovered from the Ruger Yates nightmare. If these hidden diamonds are illegal, wouldn’t the person who innocently finds them face vengeance from the angry owner who needs them back?” He looked into his wife’s eyes. “Wouldn’t that person be you, Jen?”
“But…”
“Worse, maybe they want their illegal diamonds back but not the witness who knows they exist.”
“You’re scaring me, Jay.”
“They’d have to eliminate that witness.” He sighed, catching the fear in Jennifer’s eyes. “I’m sorry, Honey, but maybe I need to scare you to protect you, to protect our family. You look for good in people, but the existence of prisons proves not everyone’s a good person. We read about crime daily from the media, so criminals walk among us. Even if we found the owner, which seems improbable, with your explanation, returning the diamonds is a good deed. With my explanation, your reward could be death. If I’m right, are you willing to risk your life and the family’s safety for these diamonds?”
She slumped in her chair, unhappily following his logic.
“Look, Jen. I don’t know why packages of diamonds fell out of this doll or whether a good person or a bad person hid them there. I don’t know if they’re legal or illegal, whethe
r the person who put them there wants to avoid knowledge of them or wants them back no matter what it takes. I don’t know whether the person who put them there is alive or dead or if these diamonds are a blessing or a curse. Guess what, you don’t know either.”
“You’re saying we’re novices playing marbles with the big boys.”
“I’m saying our first responsibility is protecting our family—the opposite of ginning up danger.”
“I hear you, Jay, but we can’t make the diamonds go away. This can’t ‘unhappen.’ We’re two sensible people who need to figure out what to do next.”
“We’re two sensible people with absolutely no experience here.”
“Should we consult Adam? Wouldn’t a police detective know about stolen property? Maybe someone reported lost diamonds. If so, we’d find the owner right away.”
“Consulting Adam’s a good idea. What about also phoning Greg Bromley? He’s an attorney who’s now part of our extended family.”
“Great. We’ll learn more about the legal side of finders-keepers.”
“Didn’t you forget something?” Jason’s voice sounded bitter.
Jennifer looked up. “What?”
“Losers, weepers…”
“Oh, Jay….”
He knew he’d upset her. While he believed every word he said, seeing his usually exuberant wife so forlorn—and knowing his words caused it—caught at his heart. He put his arms around her. “I love you, my precious Jen.” He kissed her before looking deep into her eyes. “That’s why I don’t want to lose you. If you’re in danger, I want to…I need to protect you. We’re involved in something we don’t understand, maybe good news or maybe bad news. The good outcome is easy, but we…I need to prepare for the worst outcome.” He reached for her hand. “Would you agree we must be extra cautious until we know what’s going on? Cautious at home about locking up, setting the security alarm and knowing who’s outside before opening the door? Cautious when we’re out: making good choices and picking safe surroundings.” She nodded. “Okay then,” he deliberately changed the subject. “How about going on a diamond hunt down in the playroom?” Gently, he pulled her to her feet, put an arm around her and guided her down the basement stairs.