by Dan Kelly
“Wow, Jacque, calling this place a nice little bistro is like calling a Bugatti Veyron Super Sport, the fastest car on the road, a little run-about.”
“You like?”
“I like.”
“Madame Valance?”
“What’s not to like? It’s gorgeous without being obnoxious about it.”
“I’m glad you two approve of my selection, but wait until you taste the food and hear the lady sing. You’re going to think you’ve died and gone to heaven.”
After they are seated and sipping some fabulous cabernet sauvignon that Jacques ordered to whet their appetites while they’re looking over their menus Chuck breaks the momentary silence with, “Jacques, from the number of robberies we’re attributing to the same bunch and the reduced time between hits, some of them done in unison with others, it appears to me that these guys have a pipeline that always has something in the planning stage.
“They are well organized, very knowledgeable when it comes to precious gems and have an inside track on who has what and where they’re keeping their stones. They also have an expert knowledge of security systems, locks, safes and vaults and have no qualms about killing anyone they view as a threat to their continued success.
“They can’t be hanging onto all of their loot, keeping it in their possession and in one place. These guys are just too savvy for that kind of carelessness. They’ve got to be moving the merchandise through some kind of sales channels. They’ve got to have a lot of help to implement a successful game plan on such a large scale and that kind of help doesn’t come cheap. Informers, hold up people and other comrades in thievery cost a lot of money and they must have to sell a good share of what they’re stealing to keep the cash flow healthy and their partners in crime happy.
“The hauls from these robberies are exceptional in that they consist of a large number of rare quality gems worth big time bucks yet you, with all of your contacts throughout Europe and the States haven’t been able to ferret out one iota of information, rumor or verified fact, concerning their ultimate destination. How can that be?”
“Before Jacques could respond Chuck says, “Damn, I’m sorry, Jacques. That sounded like I’m accusing you of complicity in the grand scheme of things. I assure you I am not. I’m just amazed and more than a little frustrated that you haven’t detected anything unusual occurring in your part of the precious gem world. From past experience, I know you’re plugged into the precious gem markets, legitimate or otherwise, all over the world and I’m stymied over how you can be coming up with nothing. I just don’t see how that can be.”
“I know you weren’t accusing me of anything, Chuck, and I’m just as confused as you are as to why I haven’t heard anything about who stole the gems or where they might find their final resting place. The only possibility I can think of is that the buyers are located in the middle-east somewhere. I don’t have many customers or even contacts in that part of the world and, frankly, that’s one part of the world that doesn’t hold any appeal for me. But if Pierre Lavelle is the channel being used to get the gems to buyers in that neck of the woods, I should be hearing something from my sources. The man can’t function in a vacuum. The stones have to be transported somehow and that will involve interaction with other people, some of whom I should know.”
“Perhaps you’re focusing on the wrong phase of their operation, the buyers of the sparklers. They’ve got to deliver the goods to the buyers somehow and payment must be made somehow. Maybe you’ll have better luck if you concentrate on the methods of shipping, by air, land and sea and the methods of payment, cash by courier, cashiers’ check, bank wire transfer or barter.”
“Barter?”
“I know, it sounds farfetched, but I’m grasping at straws here. They could be swapping merchandise, gems for oil or some such thing, and that would be damn near impossible to trace.”
“Well, a change in approach to the problem certainly seems warranted. I’ll start on it tomorrow morning.”
“Thanks for all that you’re doing, Jacques. We really appreciate it.”
Chuck proceeds to give Jacques a complete briefing on what has gone down in the States and what Mickey and he are doing to try to bring an end to the whole mess. They finish the bottle of Cabernet about the same time Chuck is wrapping up his briefing, so Vicki takes advantage of the opening to jump in and say, “Let’s put this subject to bed for the rest of the evening, gentlemen, and focus on putting something into our stomachs. The marvelous aromas emanating from the cuisine all around us has made me ravenous.”
Jacques acknowledges her request with a nod and raises his hand to get the attention of the waiter. The meal is everything Chuck and Vicki have been imagining and then some. It epitomizes ambrosia to the nth degree and the conversation is also an excellent accompaniment to the food, the chardonnay and the overall atmosphere. For an hour or so, Vicki is able to push her anger, her desire for retribution, to the back of her mind and enjoy the meal, the wine and the company. Jacques, as many Frenchmen are, is quite adroit at flattery and making a woman feel like she is the most captivating female on the face of the earth and she is enjoying every minute of it, but she knows it for what it is, nothing more than the uncontrollable urge of the French male to flirt with any reasonably attractive female.
Chuck on the other hand is the antithesis of the image Jacques projects. Jacques is flirtatious, Chuck pays serious compliments. Jacque is loquacious, Chuck has no patience with needless verbosity. Jacques is deeply moved by the look and feel of rare precious gems and the value that is placed upon them. Chuck thinks of them as pretty chunks of glass that people are willing to pay ridiculous amounts of money to own. Jacque knows a lot about a few things. Chuck knows a little about a lot of things. Jacque appears to be ruled by what pleases him, Chuck appears to be ruled by what he can do to please others. She likes both men, but Chuck is the man she’d like to know better.
During dessert, Vicki asks Jacques if he would be interested in working with her as a broker to assist in finding future buyers or locating futures items to add to her collection or inventory.
“I would welcome the opportunity. When you’re ready to proceed just give me a ring. How is your insurance company treating you? Two big hits in such a short period of time has got to have them wondering if they’ll be more. They’re your best friends when they’re taking your premiums, but they become your worst enemies when they have to shell out to pay a claim.”
“About what you’d expect. Suspicious, reluctant to pay before an in-depth investigation can be completed and they say they can’t tell when that will be. I’ll probably have to go to court to accelerate the process. I’ve been down this road before with my Dad when a bag of diamonds was stolen at gunpoint when he still had a jewelry store. The insurance company claimed that he was at fault because he didn’t exercise enough caution when it came to the safe keeping of the jewels. They had just been delivered to the store and he hadn’t had a chance to put them in the safe in the back of the store. They’d only been in the store a couple of minutes when the gunman showed up. If he hadn’t gone to court, he would have taken a hundred thousand dollar loss.”
Chuck asked, “Were the diamonds ever recovered?”
“No, but I’ll bet the guy who stole them got ripped off too. My dad said he didn’t look swift enough to come in out of the rain. A fence probably gave him a fraction of what they were worth.”
Jacque was about to say something else when he noticed someone come into the nightclub that he recognized.
Speaking more to himself than to Chuck or Vicki he softly ponders, “How could I have overlooked him?”
Chuck asked, “Who?”
“That couple that just walked into the club. The man is someone I’ve crossed paths with in the past. He’s some kind of royalty from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia if I remember correctly. It’s been quite a while since I’ve had any dealings with him, five years at least. I sold him a nine carat cabochon cut ruby. During the transaction, he i
ndicated to me that he was always in the market for beautiful things and was a very discreet buyer, meaning, I was quick to assume, he didn’t ask questions about the source of these beautiful things. He’d have the kind of money needed to purchase some of the contraband. After they’re seated, I’ll stroll over there and say hello. I might pick up some interesting tidbits of information.”
Chuck asks the question any inquisitive layman would ask. “How does a cabochon cut differ from the usual kind?”
Vicki answered with, “A cabochon cut is one where the gem is rounded on top and flat on the bottom instead of being faceted. That type of cut goes back to ancient times.”
Chuck says, “It doesn’t look like you’ll have much time to chit chat. Nodding towards the stage he adds, “The musicians are setting up now. The entertainment is about to begin.”
“From past evenings spent here, the show won’t start for at least another ten minutes. A lot can be learned in that amount of time.”
“Okay, but be careful. Don’t put a target on your back.”
When the couple is seated, Jacques saunters over for a brief tableside visit.
“If anyone can sniff out the scent of something out of whack, Jacques sure can. What do you think of my friend?”
“He’s definitely a charmer and he definitely knows a lot about precious gems and the industry. Why do you trust him to help you? With his knowledge and contacts, he could be one of the bad guys.”
“Anything’s possible, but to my mind the probability is infinitesimal. I believe I know the man pretty well and I’ve learned to trust in my own judgment when it comes to putting my trust in other people. I’ve got a pretty good track record so far. I won’t lie to you. I’ve been taken by surprise a few times, but more often than not when I don’t listen to my gut, I regret it.”
“I understand where you’re coming from. In my business, it’s very dangerous to put your trust in anyone because the amount of money involved in a transaction can corrupt a lot of otherwise trustworthy people. There are times, however, where it is not only expedient but necessary to trust someone if you want to stay in business. If my gut is queasy over something though, I do my best to avoid the situation.”
Glancing over at the table where Jacques is she says, “It looks like the conversation over there is friendly enough. It sure would put an ideal cap on the evening if Jacques returns with some helpful information.”
“We could use a bit of luck right now.”
Chapter 27
As Jacques is walking over to the couples’ table he’s racking his brain trying to remember the Arab’s name. Just as he arrives at the table it pops into his head. “Alim Bukhari, how are you? Please excuse the intrusion. I saw you and the lovely lady enter the club and at first I thought my eyes were deceiving me. It’s been a while since we last saw each other. Jacques Prevot, do you remember me?”
Staring at him intently for a moment, recognition finally dawns on him and he says, “Jacques Prevot, of course. You located a ruby for me a while back. If I remember correctly, you have an encyclopedic memory for rare gems and who owns them.”
“I don’t know about the encyclopedic bit, but I’ve been around the precious gem market long enough to pick up a fair amount of knowledge regarding who has what and have enjoyed a modicum of success in arranging the transfer of owner ship at an acceptable price for both parties.”
“If memory serves me right, you also get a healthy commission for your services.”
“That’s true, but it’s an absolute necessity if I want to maintain this kind of life style.”
After some polite laughter, Alim introduces the lady. “This is Colette Girard, an interior designer who is helping me spruce up some of my properties here in Paris.”
“Monsieur Prevot, it is a pleasure to meet someone who appreciates the gifts Mother Nature is so benevolent to bestow upon those of us who are fortunate enough to be able to afford them.”
“Judging from the way you’re adorned, you are definitely one of the fortunate.”
“The lady is a walking jewelry store. That diamond and sapphire necklace and matching bracelet and earrings alone had to put a big dent in someone’s bank account. The diamond rings she’s wearing on the ring fingers of both hands had to add significant additional damage to the bank balance as well. She must be doing very well in the interior decorating business or she has a sugar daddy with very deep pockets. She’s attractive enough to gain the attention of a lot of men, maybe even the likes of Alim.”
Rapidly touching the necklace, bracelet and earrings and then wiggling her fingers she responds with, “They are captivating aren’t they?”
“That they are, Colette, but then again anything on a beautiful lady is captivating.”
“Thank you for the compliment, Monsieur. I’m always glad to see that the Frenchmen’s flair for flattery is alive and well.”
After another round of polite laughter, Jacques asks Alim, “Have you heard about the recent rash of precious gem robberies that have taken place on both sides of the Atlantic? Somebody is making off with a lot of exceptional stones worth a lot of money. Whoever is behind these robberies has to have some way of unloading the gems fairly quickly or they wouldn’t be committing so many of them so close together. There have to be buyers waiting in the wings somewhere. Have you heard any rumors?”
“I’ve heard about some of the robberies, but what makes you think I would hear any rumors about their availability?”
Looking at Alim with a knowing look he answers with, “Something I remember you saying the last time we spoke. You said you were always in the market for beautiful things and you were a very discreet buyer. I took that to mean you didn’t ask questions about the source of these beautiful things. If I misunderstood, I apologize.”
Alim’s pleasant smile has melted into a look of cautious reassessment of the man he thought would never entertain dealing in something underhanded. “What would you do with the information if I do hear something?”
“I have friends who would be very interested in such information if it is factual.” Of course, an acceptable remuneration for the information would be available to the one supplying it.”
“Well, Jacques, if I hear anything I’ll be sure to pass it on. How do I get in touch with you?”
Jacques gives him one of his business cards and says, “It was nice running into you like this. Have a pleasant evening. Au revoir, Colette.” Heading back to his table he’s thinking, “If he hasn’t heard anything, I’m Jacques Cousteau reincarnated.”
As he sits back down at his table Vicki says, “I don’t know what you said to him, but as soon as you turned around and headed back to us he had his cell phone out and made a call. Glance over there and you’ll see he’s still on the phone.”
Jacque does and sees Alim talking on his cell. Chuck says, “What did you learn?”
“Not much of value from what he said, but my suspicions were aroused by his reactions to what I said and what he didn’t say.”
“Do you think it would be worthwhile if I had a tail put on him?”
“It might be, but your tail had better be very good. Alim always has bodyguards nearby and they are very good at what they do.”
Chuck takes out his cell phone from his jacket pocket and calls his local office. There is always someone manning the phones 24/7 because demands for his services come at all hours. “Alain, I want you to see that a tail is put on one Alim Bukhari. I will send you a picture of him in a minute. He’s presently sitting at a table at a nightclub I’m in. Jacques, what’s the name of this place?”
“L'auberge Exceptionnelle. It’s just around the corner from the Cité de la Musique in the nineteenth arrondissement.”