The Kidnapping

by Aiden Vaughan

  “They are in that small wooden box on the mantel.”

  Jason got the keys out and then inserted them as directed. Next, he slowly turned the alarm windup to the left. At about two and a half turns he heard a clicking noise. In fascination they watched as a little drawer quietly opened below the clock face. Inside it was a black velvet bag with a drawstring. Jason reverently took it out and brought it over to where they had been sitting. When he carefully opened the bag and looked in, he could see the diamonds sparkling.

  “Why don’t we go over to the dining room table to examine these? Dad, could you get a large flat bowl and a cloth placemat?”

  When the diamonds were slowly poured out, Jason couldn’t believe how strikingly beautiful the gemstones all looked. They were exactly as described—at least one hundred diamonds, beautifully cut with the highest possible clarity. They made the entire room sparkle.

  “Mr. Chalmers, do you have any idea what these diamonds are worth?” Jason asked.

  “I’m no expert, but I would venture say that each stone is probably worth one million dollars.”

  “So I’m probably looking at one hundred million dollars right here on my dining room table?” Jason said in awe and disbelief.

  “I think that is a good ballpark figure,” Mr. Chalmers confirmed.

  “Wow, I need to sit down,” Jason said. “Dad, this is quite overwhelming, isn’t it?”

  Mr. Hunter, himself in shock mumbled, “It sure is, Jason.”

  “Your reaction is most understandable, Mr. Hunter and Jason. I would guess that right now you are feeling like you woke up and found out that you had won the lottery. May I suggest to you a plan of action to start dealing with this?”

  “By all means,” Jason replied as he nodded his head. Then he began to put the diamonds back into the velvet bag.

  Mrs. Chalmers began, “There are several stages of actions that you will need to take. The first is to get these diamonds into a safe place. The next thing is to arrange for how you cash them in for currency. There are major tax implications involved in this transfer and so you would need to discuss your options with a certified public accountant to develop a strategy for their liquidation. You also need to develop a plan for how the money is to be spent. If you are going to start a business with it, or reinvest it, or put it into a charitable trust, you will want to know what your legal responsibilities are. If you want to use the fortune for your personal benefit, you will need to know those tax implications immediately. The third stage is how you announce this to the rest of the world. No matter what you decide, it is important to have your message sent out in a positive way and in a way that discourages every conman out there from taking a shot at you. For this you need someone who knows how to handle public relations.

  “Your transition team members have been selected for you to handle each facet. I have retained Sydney Cartier, who is a very good diamond broker and expert in precious stones. He can handle the registration and auctioning of the diamonds for you. He will also give you an expert appraisal of their value. His company has excellent storage facilities for the diamonds, obviously much more secure than a bank vault or your clock!

  “Randall Lloyd is a local CPA here in the Silicon Valley, with excellent credentials and much experience in tax law. Once you have a general plan for what you want to do with the money, he will help set things up so that you get the most out of the sale of the diamonds.

  “And finally, Ruth Fiorre, a partner in CDM Communications, a national public relations firm, will help you frame your message when you want it sent out, and handle the media for you when word of this gets out.

  “All of these people come highly recommended and you can thank your great-grandfather for having the foresight to have purchased a couple of bonds that yielded enough earnings to pay for their services for a year. I will provide you with the legal documents needed to set up the institutions, foundations, or trusts that you will be creating.”

  “Thank you for all that you have done so far, Mr. Chalmers. How does Jason get started with stage one?” Mr. Hunter asked.

  “Sydney would like to appraise the diamonds, and have them placed in his secure vault. I have prepared a transfer form for you that enables this. Once it is signed, an armored truck will come over here and pick them up. Then I think that you need some time to organize your thoughts on what to do with your newfound wealth. I would suggest that you write down your ideas, even half-formed or in outline. I would be happy to meet with you again, tomorrow, and we can have a preliminary discussion on the legal aspects of selling the diamonds and investing the capital. You each have my business card. On it is my cell phone number. I plan to remain here until Thursday. I think by then we should be able to have a lot of this coordinated.”

  Mr. Chalmers had Jason and his father sign the release form for the diamonds. Soon after that he left and told Jason to call tomorrow to set up a meeting time.

  Still stunned, Bill Hunter knew he needed to get to the office, but realized it was more important to stay and talk with Jason. After all the family had been through because of these diamonds, he wanted to wait until the diamonds were safely delivered to the armored truck.

  Jason was beside himself with nervous energy. “Dad, was what we just have been through real? Was that really great-grandfather Winfield’s writing?”

  “It sure looks like it to me,” Bill replied. “I guess you really are a person of destiny, Jason. And then I think about your narrow escapes from death at the hands of those kidnappers. I don’t know if I ever want to let you out of my sight again!”

  “I think I know what you mean by that, Dad. It’s like my life lately has been walking through a field of snakes. One wrong step and there is something slithering away underfoot. And you don’t really want to look down and see what it was, because you will only be freaked out more!”

  “I do know that you have a good head on your shoulders and have proven that you care about other people. That’s what I think that this largesse is about—doing something for others. Now all you have to do is figure out what you want to do and how you want to do it.”

  “Tell me something, Dad. In great-grandfather Winfield’s letter, he talked about ‘the horrors that the original owners had suffered.’ Do you know exactly what he meant by that?”

  “I think he was referring to victims of the Holocaust—Jews, Gypsies, Slavs, Poles and others who were systematically stripped of all their wealth and belongings then sent to concentration camps. It was race warfare, Jason. People were persecuted because of their religion or ethnic backgrounds. A lot of the artwork and fine jewelry was taken from those people. Your great-grandfather spent a lot of time trying to locate the owners, and too much of the time he found they were already dead—killed in the war or in the concentration camps. Sometimes his only hope for restoring the item to its rightful owner was to locate a surviving family member.”

  “So these diamonds are blood money, precious gems stolen from victims?”

  “Maybe, or they were stolen out of the diamond mines for a more nefarious purpose—to fund the activities of neo-Nazis or white supremacists.”

  “I don’t know if I want to be responsible for this money under those circumstances.”

  “I think that was grandfather’s point. He wanted the money to be used in your generation for the greater good. How to do that is what you have to figure out.”

  Just then the doorbell rang. It was the armored truck driver. “Hello, I am looking for Jason Hunter.” After the driver showed his ID badge, the Hunters had him come in. He was carrying a large pouch with him. “I understand that I am supposed to pickup some diamonds and deliver them to the Cartier Company.”

  “Yes,” Bill Hunter said. “Come into the dining room.”

  When the armored truck driver saw the diamonds, he whistled and said, “Wow, that is quite a haul. I haven’t seen a collection like that, now that I think of it, ever!” He set down his pouch and got out some sorting tools. Using the t
ools, he quickly and efficiently organized the diamonds into rows of ten. Each row was then re-counted and put into special cases with black velvet interiors and slots for the diamonds. Each case was put into its own security bag that was sealed and locked. When he was finished he said, “My count shows that there are 101 diamonds. Is that what you saw?”

  “Yes,” Bill said, “we were with you every step of the way.”

  “Okay,” the man said. “Jason, sign here and I will be out of here. I will need your signature, too, Mr. Hunter.” After the paperwork was completed, the man left and the truck drove away.

  “Well, I hope everything goes well,” Mr. Hunter said. “I don’t know why, but I had this feeling in the back of my mind that somehow this was a setup and we just got robbed again.”

  “I know what you mean, Dad. I was thinking exactly the same thing. So, while he was counting, I slipped away for a minute and called the number from the legal agreement we signed earlier on my cell phone. They matched. I think we are okay.”

  “Jason, I have to go into my office now. I know you have a lot to work out and I would love to discuss it with you, as I know your mother would. You should call her and tell her that we have a big surprise for her when she gets home. Don’t tell her over the phone. Remember, phones have ears and you want this to be kept secret as long as possible. Remember that with your friends also!” He went over to Jason and gave him a big hug. “Congratulations again, Son. I’d sure love to read that ‘What I Did This Summer’ essay from you in the fall. Sometimes I feel like I’m the father of a superhero!” he laughed.

  “Thanks, Dad. I sure wish I could use my super-powers to figure out what to do!”

  After Bill left, Jason got on his cell phone and called his mom at work. “Hi, Mom. I’m doing great. Well, not exactly a normal day. When you get home we’ll tell you. It’s a surprise. No hints. You’d never guess this one anyway. Oh, and we are going out to dinner to celebrate! Yes, it’s a good thing. Love you, Mom, bye.”

  Then he called Daniel. “Hi, Daniel, are you home? Just about to bike there? Listen, we have to get together right away. It’s real important. I don’t want to talk about it on the phone. No, it’s not that but it’s mind-boggling, to borrow your phrase. No, let’s meet at your house. If lunch is a problem, I could bring some. Okay, I hope your mom doesn’t think I’m a freeloader. I think we might need to use your white board. See you soon.”

  * * *

  It was a little after 11:45 a.m. when Jason arrived at Daniel’s house. When Daniel opened the door he asked, “How’s it going, Jason? Good to see you. Come on in. Mom made us some sandwiches in the kitchen. I don’t know about you but I’m starving.”

  After eating, the two friends went up to Daniel’s room. “So what’s the big news that is such a mystery?” Daniel asked.

  “Before I tell you, you have to swear on your life that you will not tell anyone—not your parents, or other friends, relatives, anyone!”

  “Do I have to cross my heart and hope to die?”

  “This isn’t a joke, Daniel. It’s serious and it’s really important, so yes!”

  “All right, I swear!” Then Jason told him the details of his morning.

  Daniel looked at him as if he was talking about a trip to outer space and said, “Let’s see if I have this straight. After receiving a letter from your deceased great-grandfather, written thirty-five years ago, asking you to take on a great new responsibility, you then twist some knobs on the family heirloom clock and out pops a bag with over one hundred million dollars worth of grade-A diamonds? Come on, Jason. You have to be pulling my leg. Isn’t this the plot of that Hardy Boys book over on the shelf there?”

  “Somehow I had a feeling that you would react this way, so here. Check this out.” Jason fished something out of the coin pocket of his shorts. It was one of the diamonds. “This is what I am talking about. There are another 101 of these, each worth a million dollars!”

  Daniel whistled out loud. “That is one amazing looking stone! I should know by now never to doubt anything you say, Jason. I guess someday I’ll be able to tell my grandchildren that I knew the great Jason Hunter way back when! What your dad said is true. You are a person of destiny. I’m totally blown away. In one month my best friend has gone from carefree student on vacation, to brutalized kidnap victim, to crack detective who solves the crime committed against him and helps catch the criminals, to a multi-millionaire philanthropist. Is there a Batmobile nearby?”

  “I wish you wouldn’t make fun of me right now. It’s almost harder to tell this story than the one about my kidnapping.”

  “I’m sorry, Jason. I’m really not trying to put you down. It’s just that this whole thing is...mind-boggling! I guess that was a good description you gave me after all. So now what happens? Do you go away to some hundred-room mansion and plan charity events or what?”

  “See, that’s the problem, Daniel. I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to lose all my friends and be stuck in some rarefied environment with a lot of stuffy, wealthy people.”

  “I can see your dilemma, Jason. But you know we have always been able to work things out in the past. I guess the best thing I can do is be the cynical sounding board. Or do you want more ideas to throw around?”

  “Maybe as you musicians say, we should play it by ear. By the way, to be honest with you about your reaction to this, my dad told me that he wanted to be first in line to read my ‘What I Did During the Summer’ essay at school in the fall.”

  “I know what he’s saying. My line is, ‘Just when I thought it was safe to play the guitar again...’ ”

  “Maybe I should be the one who’s sorry. It seems I mess up everyone’s life with all of these strange things that keep happening to me!”

  “Stop saying that, Jason! You make everyone’s lives interesting, especially mine. This summer has been—and here we go again—mind-boggling! Now tell me how you would like to begin.”

  “Maybe we could brainstorm and use the white board.”

  “Good idea, Jason. I think you want to start writing things down. The first thing you might want to do is make a list of some things you would like to see done with the money.”

  “Yeah, that is something I could do, but right now my head still isn’t clear about my role in all of this.”

  “You know, Jason, I think you hit the nail on the head with that thought. Let’s rewind the camera to about two days ago. What was so good about your life then?”

  “Well, all the pressure and traumatic flashbacks from the kidnapping were gone or in check. I was back to being just ordinary, carefree Jason. That was the goal you promised me when we undertook the investigation, and finally I was there. It happened for me and I thank you again for that!”

  “Jason, what do you really want out of your life? Do you want a simple, carefree life or all of the power and control over things that the money could bring you? I think you have to consider both sides of that argument to be honest with yourself. I mean, you literally have the money to do anything you want in life and be completely in charge of it. For a lot of people, that is their dream!”

  “The problem as I see it, Daniel, is that once you get involved with that much money, it has to consume your life. Already, I have a transition team in place with a lawyer, an accountant, a diamond broker, and a public relations person. I can deal with that some of the time, but I really don’t want to give up the life I have now.”

  “Then what you need to do is figure out a way to use the money in a way that it won’t take over your life. Tell me, Jason, do you know where these diamonds came from? I mean one hundred million dollars of gemstones didn’t just pop out of thin air.”

  “According to my great-grandfather, these diamonds were gathered by someone at the end of World War II to finance either the Nazi underground in South America or the apartheid regime in South Africa. That’s why he put them in hiding for sixty years to prevent that from happening. Now both movements are dead and the participants,
or possible claimants, are gone. His specific request was that I use it for the greater good.”

  “More mind-boggling information, Jason. What the kidnappers were going for really exists! This has to be the big score they were looking for. But I guess your great-grandfather outsmarted them by ironically setting up the legacy item as a diversion. Then the real diamonds show up a week after they are all arrested! Imagine the complications if that lawyer had shown up a couple of weeks earlier.”

  “That’s the other thing about these diamonds. I consider them to be a form of blood money. I think they are tainted by the victims that died in their procurement.”

  “Then there is your answer, Jason. Get rid of them! Don’t let your life be tainted by blood money. You know you are smart enough and talented enough to make it on your own. You know that you have the genuine love of your family and friends because of who you are and the quality of your character. Don’t keep the money for yourself or your personal endeavors. Give it away! I’m sure there are a lot of worthy causes out there that need large infusions of cash.”

  “I really like what you just said there. Not so much for the compliments, which are greatly appreciated, but for the part about giving it away. I think that should be my focus and by doing so it will lighten the burden on me. At the same time, if I do these giveaways, I want them to have fun components besides the obvious serious causes.”

  “Maybe you could give me an example of what you mean by a fun giveaway.”

  “Here’s a good one, Daniel. You know how you and I and a lot of other people like wearing our chucks. How about a program to give pairs away to any needy kid that can’t afford them? We could get Laura and Diana to help us out. You know how they like picking out new pairs at the mall. Let them help put new pairs on the feet of needy kids. I’m sure they would get into it and they could earn community service hours for graduation!”

  “That’s a great idea, Jason. Now how about a more serious one?”