Carat Capers

by Dan Kelly

  There was a first in the MOs, however. All of the robberies to date have occurred in places of business or outside on a street except for the Kenilworth robbery. It took place in a private home. The scenes are still being processed by the techs and forensic people, but Mickey’s hoping that maybe, just maybe, these masterminds were too ambitious this time around and something substantial was left behind that will lead to their capture.

  Everyone he’s talked with in the three cities likes the idea of forming a joint task force and Roy

  Conklin’s hopped on board as well. Since it is New York’s idea, everyone opts for them to head up the new task force. Clancy delegates the responsibility of establishing the communication channels and keeping them open to Mickey while he assumes the challenge of making sure the funds are available to finance the task force’s activities.

  Some of the frustration that Mickey has been dealing with is starting to ebb and he’s becoming a little bit more optimistic in his thinking. “Between Chuck Ferguson and his network and this joint task force we just might have the muscle we need to put these guys where they belong. All I can do for now is wait and see what turns up at these three scenes and continue my search for the jewelers with the names I overheard. I can also do what Chuck suggested with the gun permits too. I’ll call Chuck tomorrow and let him know about this latest development and get him plugged in with the rest of the new task force. Besides, I’d like to know how he’s doing with finding a way to meet this Pierre Lavelle.”

  Chapter 22

  Chuck is amazed at the number of people who attend estate sale auctions and even more so at the number of these attendees who will bid astronomical amounts of money to own some pretty ugly stuff just because it’s old and hard to find or to own some shiny clear or colored rocks to show off if they’re in the mood.

  They are about to enter the fourth and final auction hall that Vicki has on her list when Chuck says, “Hold on a second, Vicki. From what you’ve told me about Pierre’s frequent attendance at these things, I’m surprised that he hasn’t shown up at any of the auctions we’ve attended so far. If he’s a no show today as well, is there any place else that you know of where we might run into him?”

  “I’m afraid not, Chuck. As I told you, I’ve only seen him a few times at auctions, but have never spoken with him. The rich are often capricious and get bored with things quite quickly. He might never come to another auction again. I only know what he has done in the past and was hoping he would show. It looks like my idea was a dud.”

  “Hey, don’t blame yourself for what’s happened. We both knew it was kind of a long shot, but one worth taking. When this auction is over, I’ll check in with my people and see if they can give us any idea about where we might find him. They’ve been tailing him for a while now and should have some idea about his favorite haunts.”

  “Well, the day’s not over yet. We still might get lucky.”

  As they enter the hall, some of Vicki’s acquaintances call her over to say hello and Mickey wanders over to a corner of the hall where he’ll be out of the way but have a clear view of the entire place.

  The first item up for auction is nothing exceptional to Chuck. In fact, he thinks it’s a piece of junk good for nothing but fuel for a fire, but three ladies in the crowd are going berserk in their bidding for it. It’s an ebony armoire with its doors hanging slightly askew, its sides all scratched up and one of its legs is cracked. It definitely has seen better days, but the ladies think it’s a treasure worth shelling out thousands of Euros to have it in their home.

  The second item up for bid is something that definitely isn’t a piece of junk. It has even caught Chuck’s eye and Vicki quickly gets involved in the bidding war and war it is. The looks the bidders are giving each other as the price goes higher and higher are the looks of combatants with blood in their eyes. The item is a rare collection of a variety of colored diamonds; white to those in the know, but transparent or clear to Chuck, pink, blue, yellow, red, green and purple, all worth a small fortune by themselves but collectively in the many millions of Euros and affordable to a very select few. He knows Vicki has some bucks, but he never imagined she could afford to engage in a bidding war like this.

  Over the past few days, Vicki has given him a condensed education on how diamonds are formed and where most diamonds of high quality are found. Learning that diamonds found today were formed two to three billion years ago when carbon bearing rocks buried a hundred feet or more beneath the earth’s surface were subjected to immense pressure and heated to about 2,200 degrees Fahrenheit and that this pressure and heat caused the carbon molecules to dramatically rearrange and when the temperature was reduced the carbon molecules in the melting rock bonded to build diamond crystals has given him a new respect for the glittering gems.

  He’s also learned that the presence of additional trace elements, distortions of the diamond crystal and radiation determine the diamond’s color, but some gemologists have learned how to artificially color the stones to make more money and it’s difficult to tell the difference. Even the experts can’t always tell if a stone is naturally or artificially colored and will designate it as “undetermined”. This fact alone would prevent him from bidding on a collection like this even if he had the money to indulge himself.

  The bid is now up to €6,400,000 with no signs of topping out. There’s a lull in the bidding and then a voice from the back of the hall shouts, “Seven Million!”

  Chuck turns to his left and lo and behold it’s the man they’ve been looking for, an imposing figure, dressed to the nines and wearing a smile that would disarm all but the most cynical. The bidding continues in increments of €100,000 until it reaches a €8,000,000, Vicki’s latest bid, and only Vicki and Pierre are left on the battle field.

  The auctioneer says, “I have an eight million euro bid. Do I hear eight point one million for this rare and lovely collection? At eight point one million it’s the bargain of the century. Do I hear eight point one million? Okay then, going once at eight million, going twice, sold to the lady with the stunned look on her face.”

  Chuck mumbles to himself, “What do you know, an auctioneer with a sense of humor. Well, I guess a commission on an eight million euro sale would tickle anyone’s funny bone.”

  Vicki is directed to an office off the auction hall to arrange for payment and delivery of the collection. Chuck heads over to join her and unbeknownst to him Pierre Lavelle is right on his tail.

  Seconds after the door to the office closes and Vicki has sat in one of the chairs in front of a beautiful mahogany desk, Chuck standing beside her, the door suddenly opens and Pierre strides in with his hand outstretched toward her with the million dollar smile on his face. “I’m sorry for barging in like this. I just wanted to congratulate you on your purchase. It’s not often that I’m outbid on something I’ve taken an interest in and I wanted to meet the woman who took me down a peg or two. My name’s Pierre Lavelle and to whom do I owe the comeuppance to?”

  “Vicki Valance, Monsieur. I must admit you had me concerned up to the very end.”

  “Were you bidding for yourself or for a client or clients?”

  “One never reveals his or her firing power to a competitor, Monsieur Lavelle. You should know that or were you hoping you’d catch me in an unguarded moment in my jubilance over my recent success and let something slip?"

  “Ah, you’ve caught me in my skullduggery, but you can’t blame a fellow for trying, mademoiselle.”

  “Oh, but I can, monsieur, and you may have just committed another faux pas by calling me mademoiselle if I’m a French feminist.”

  “Oh, oh. As you Americans say, it looks like I’m striking out. Perhaps you and your gentleman friend here will give me the opportunity to make amends by being my guests at dinner tonight. I’m sure we will have many things in common to talk about and the cuisine my personal chef creates makes even Paul Bocuse green with envy. I live in a quaint chateau just outside of Paris. It’s not very bi
g as French chateaux go, but it’d be a dilly in Aspen, Colorado. How about it? Will you join me for dinner this evening?”

  Looking at Chuck she said, “This is Chuck Ferguson, Monsieur Lavelle. He’s considering a partnership with me in the precious gem arena as I’m planning to expand my operations into the elite retail sector as well as growing my existing activities in the collection and brokering sectors. He’s accompanying me on this trip to see what’s involved in these expeditions. If he’s agreeable, so am I. What do you say, Chuck?”

  “It sounds like fun to me. I’m game.”

  “That’s wonderful. Cocktails at seven thirty and dinner at eight if that suits you.”

  Vicki answered with, “That suits us just fine. That will give us a chance to go back to our hotel, put the finishing touches on the day’s activities, freshen up and still give us enough time to find your place.”

  “I’ll write out directions for you to follow and also give you my phone number in case you get lost. You shouldn’t have any trouble finding it.”

  When Pierre leaves, Vicki finishes up with the auctioneer’s assistant and they head for their rental car. “Vicki, if you ever get tired of the precious gem business, I’ll make room for you at Ferguson Investigations in a heartbeat. That was fast thinking on your feet when you introduced me to Lavelle. And talk about luck. We didn’t have to manufacture a scenario where we could engage him in conversation to see what we could learn. He did it for us.”

  “I’m just glad you didn’t waste your time for nothing.”

  Without thinking Chuck blurts out, “Oh, I wouldn’t say spending an all-expenses paid trip to Paris with a gorgeous lady was wasting my time.” As soon as he realizes what he has said, his face takes on a pinkish hue as he attempts to make a joke of it, but he knows he didn’t pull it off even if Vicki does laugh when she says, “Are you thinking of adding gigolo to the services you provide, Chuck?”

  When his face turns even pinker, Vicki can’t keep herself from laughing even harder.

  As they continue to walk to their car, Chuck is mentally kicking himself in the ass for making an ass of himself. “Way to go, Ferguson. What is it with you? You’ve been around lots of pretty women and have dated a lot of them too. You’ve never pulled a stunt like you just pulled with any of them. What is there about this woman that is messing with your brain? You know she’s out of your league, so knock it off with the charmer routine. Besides, you’re no good at it anyway.”

  When they got back to the hotel, Vicki is noticing that Chuck hasn’t said a word since they got in the car for the ride back to the hotel. She now realizes that their little exchange back at the auction hall has embarrassed him more than she thought. She doesn’t understand why he’s so embarrassed, but then again an understanding of the male ego has always eluded her. She likes him though and is hoping to spend a few more days in Paris to get to know him better, so she hits him with the offer before he can flee the vehicle. “Chuck, how about we stay a few extra days in Paris to enjoy the city without any distractions like auctions and jewel thieves?”

  He looks at her like she’s speaking a foreign language and doesn’t say anything at first. Then with a serious frown on his face answers with, “Depending on what we learn tonight at Lavelle’s, our time might not be our own. It might be smart to hang around Paris a while longer to see what else we can learn or it might be smarter to head back to the States with what we’ve learned and leave it to Mickey Morretti to decide how best to use the information. These people kill to remain free and get what they want. I don’t want you to get in the middle of something that could get you hurt or killed.”

  “Well, I thank you for your concern about my well-being, but I’ve been making the decisions about that for quite a while now and don’t intend to let any crook make them for me. So, back to my question. You can pass on what you learn about Lavelle to Morretti from here and even continue to poke around for more information on Lavelle and his activities while we enjoy what Paris has to offer its visitors. What do you say? Yes, no, maybe?”

  At first there is nothing but a blank look on his face, but that is erased by a powerhouse of a smile that she hasn’t seen until now and it blows her away. “Wow! Where did that come from and what else does he have hidden that might blow me away. Careful, girl. Don’t go there. People who play with fire often get their fingers burned.”

  “Okay, you talked me into it.”

  Several hours later they’re on their way to a chateau, a first for both of them, and Chuck is decked out in his best Brook Brothers dinner jacket and slacks ensemble and sporting an ascot to boot. He nixed the beret, too obvious an affectation to impress the natives.

  Vicki is dressed in a deep amber St Johns creation of a waist length jacket and a knee length skirt with a sheer pale yellow blouse with ruffles down the front. Of course, her outfit is accented with yellow diamond ear rings the size of nickels and probably took hundreds of thousands of them to put them in her jewelry box. The persona she’s projecting reeks of sophistication and money. She looks ravishing and if Pierre isn’t eating out of her hand as soon as he lays eyes on her, he’s got to be at death’s door.

  Chapter 23

  Their first glimpse of the chateau is mind boggling, It’s size and French Renaissance architecture with its spires and towers is the epitome of grandeur. Chuck says, “This guy has to be loaded. Why would he get involved with anything that could cost him all of this if he’s caught?”

  “Chuck, greed knows no boundaries or social status. It could just be the challenge of getting away with something extraordinary. Who knows?”

  They are met at the door by the majordomo, a tall, slender, balding man with an officious air about him who speaks with a British accent. “Good evening. Welcome to Chateau Lavelle. Vicki Valance and Charles Ferguson I presume.”

  Vicki said, “You presume correctly.”

  “Follow me please. Monsieur Lavelle is waiting for you in the library.”

  Chuck said, “Don’t walk too fast. I’d hate for you to lose us. It could take days for you to find us again in this place.”

  Chuckling, the majordomo said, “It is kind of intimidating isn’t it?”

  Chuck and Vicki were glad they dressed up as Pierre looked like one of those models you see in GQ or Esquire magazines in an outfit that had to cost beaucoup bucks. “Welcome to Lavelle Chateau. I hope you two brought an appetite with you as Marcel has once again outdone himself. He is not your typical French chef, preparing cuisine that tickles your tastes buds, but the portions fail to satisfy your hunger. I guarantee your taste buds will be pleasantly inebriated and your appetites sated beyond measure. What would you like to start off the evening with, wine, cognac, rye, bourbon, vodka? We also have a variety of beers on hand if that’s your pleasure.”

  Vicki says, “I’ll have a chardonnay please.”

  Chuck opts for a cognac. He wants to compare it with the cognac he had at Le Bernardin. Glancing over at Vicki, she gives him a smile that lets him know that she knows what he’s up to.

  The food is everything Pierre said it would be and the conversation is enjoyable as well. They talk about a wide range of topics and the dialogue is often spirited but filled with humor. Over dessert, a custard for which possession of the recipe could start a war, Chuck throws out the first hook to see what he will catch.

  “Pierre, are you just a connoisseur of precious gems or do you use them as an investment vehicle?”

  “A little of both, more of the first than the latter. Occasionally, I act on behalf of friends who enjoy the look of them, the value of them, but couldn’t tell a real gem from a worthless piece of quartz and don’t want to be, to be, oh what’s that word you Americans use, oh yes, bamboozled. I love the sound of that word.”

  “Well, I hope you have adequate security measures in place. There have been some spectacular precious gem robberies of late both in the States and here in Europe.”

  “Oh? I wasn’t aware of anything out of the ordi
nary occurring. I’ll have a talk with my security people to make sure we’re capable of handling any situation that might arise.”