by Dan Kelly
“Do you know anyone who puts on these shows that would be willing to get involved with setting up our trap, someone that can be trusted to keep their traps shut, pun intended?”
“There are a couple of folks I can think of that I believe would be perfect for what we have in mind.”
“Good. Now for the trap itself. Assuming we can get Mr. Graff and the Canadians involved, what do we need to build our snare?”
Vicki says, “A stand in ruby and publicity, publicity, publicity. We have to get the media involved, especially the magazines and web sites that deal with these kinds of shows.”
Chuck jumps in with, “The place for the show has to be one where the entrances and exits can be easily monitored in a clandestine manner. It must have places for law enforcement personnel to remain out of sight but close to where the action will be if these people make a move.”
Mickey adds, “We have to keep the number of people in the know to a minimum to hopefully prevent word from getting out to our targets. The top person who runs the trade show and, of course, Canadian law enforcement who I hope will let us participate in the surveillance and the takedown will have to be in the loop.”
Chuck says, “Okay, assuming we can get Mr. Graff, a trade show promoter and the Canadian provincial police involved, what’s our first step?”
Vicki says, “Since everything hinges on Mr. Graff’s willingness to participate in our sting, I think he has to be approached first.”
Mickey says, “I agree. I’ll contact Scotland Yard first thing tomorrow morning, plead our case and hopefully they’ll come on board and coordinate our approach to Mr. Graff via Vicki. Her credentials, reputation in the precious gem arena and the fact she’s one of the victims of these people make her the ideal person to confront Mr. Graff with our dilemma.”
Chuck says, “I think once we have Mr. Graff on board the next step should be for Vicki to find a trade show that has the layout we need, one that will take place in the near future, hopefully within the next few weeks.”
Vicki responds with, “Since Montreal is closer to New York City than Toronto, I’ll first look for something there. If that doesn’t work out, then I’ll move on to Toronto and other places.”
Mickey adds, “Once Vicki has found the right trade show, I’ll contact the appropriate city and provincial police and bring them into the loop. Hopefully, we’ll be able to recruit everyone we’ll need to pull this off.
Chuck says, “Mickey, I think it would be a good idea to use the same strategy you’ll use in London, enlist the support of the Canadian police in approaching the top guy at the selected trade show and again using Vicki to make the actual approach.”
Mickey says, “I don’t have a problem with that.”
Chuck asks, “Okay, we now have a game plan. As I see it, the last hurdle we have to address is how do we make the set up believable? I think this ruby Vicki’s talking about is the perfect bait, but the reason for it being on display has to be something that justifies the substantial risk attendant to such a showing. Otherwise, suspicions may be aroused to the point that our prey will pass on the opportunity.”
At first, no brilliant ideas come to anyone’s mind until Vicki spots a poster with a big pink ribbon on it. It’s the symbol for breast cancer awareness. She blurts out, “I got it!
Both Mickey and Chuck revert to their smartass mode simultaneously and say, “I hope it isn’t catching.”
This gets a round of laughter and then Vicki get serious again and says, “The reason for the display could be to raise money for a United Kingdom charity. We can find one on the internet. The only way anyone can get a view of the ruby is to make a minimum donation of, let’s say $100, to the charity. The stone will be kept behind a barrier of some kind and only those who make a donation will be allowed behind the barrier for a close up view of the gem. We can have a picture of the ruby setting on an easel outside the barrier with a little poem that says something like this:
Mother Nature gives us so many pleasures.
Here’s a chance to see one of her rare treasures.
$100 dollars gets you a close up view.
And helps others less fortunate too.
“There could be a foot note below the poem that says all donations go to such and such charity.”
Chuck and Mickey are staring at her like she’s got some food stuck between her teeth or something.
“Why are you looking at me like that? Okay, so it’s a little hokey, but you get the idea.”
Mickey says, “This just popped into your head?”
Vicki answers, “I had a little help from the breast cancer awareness poster over there, but yeah. Why?”
“No reason really. People like you, and my sister Cheryl is one of them, always amaze me when they can dream up something like what you just did at a moment’s notice. It would take me forever to do something like that and maybe that wouldn’t be long enough.”
Vicki and Chuck laugh and then Mickey says, “Hell, I don’t think it’s hokey at all. I like it.”
Chuck then says, “Okay, we have an agenda and you and Vicki have work to do. I’ll stay in touch with Jacques and my people in Paris and if you need me to help with anything I’m a phone call away.”
They finished eating and Mickey has to make a pit stop before they head back to the city. On the way back from the restroom, Mickey happens to look out the door to the restaurant and almost has a coronary. Getting into a cab is one of the men he had seen at Antonelli’s, Jake, the guy with the temper. “Son of a bitch!”
He ran the rest of the way back to their table, almost knocking a waitress on her keister, and told the others who he has just seen. “Damn it! We haven’t paid our bill yet. Chuck, settle up with the waitress, will you? I’ll see that the city reimburses you. I’m going to call the cab company and see if I can find out where the cabbie is taking that guy.”
It was a Yellow Cab and he gets a dispatcher right away. Mickey identifies himself and gives his location. “One of your taxis just picked up a fare here and I need to know where he’s going. There are no other cabs here right now, so it should be easy to find out.”
“I’m not the only dispatcher here. I know I didn’t log in a pickup at the restaurant you’re at. Hold on. I’ll check with the others.”
It seemed like forever, but it was only about half a minute later that the dispatcher came back on the line and said, “The fare is being taken to JFK, the Swiss International Air terminal.”
“Thanks buddy.”
He tells Chuck and Mickey where he’s going and tears out of the restaurant and heads for his car.
As the unmarked screeches out of the parking lot with a portable red light on the roof brightly flashing and a siren screaming, Chuck says, “Hell, our suitcases are in his trunk. I hope there’s nothing in yours that you’ll need right away. I have a feeling he’s going to be busy for a while.”
“Nothing that I can’t do without for a while. While you settle up with the waitress, I’ll call a cab.”
Chuck’s thinking, “I wonder what Mickey is up to. If he catches up with the guy, what’s he going to do, arrest him? On what charges? Suspicion of grand theft and murder? Right now we have nothing to substantiate those charges but circumstantial evidence and a smart lawyer would have this guy free as a bird in a heartbeat. The only thing an arrest would accomplish would be to warn these people that they’re in law enforcement’s headlights and they’d disappear quicker than an ice cube in the desert sun. No bait would be good enough to lure them into a trap then, no matter how elaborate the snare was. Mickey, I hope you know what you’re doing.”
Chapter 34
When Mickey pulls up to the Swiss Air terminal, a cab is leaving and his quarry is heading into the terminal. He has turned the siren off and the red light is now sitting on the dashboard, so he’s not standing out from the crowd in anyway except he‘s parking in a no parking area and airport security is approaching to tell him to move it. Mickey flashes his ID an
d says, “I’m on the job. Keep an eye on the car.” He heads for the ticket counter, but no one is there, not even airline personnel. “What gives here?”
Then a young lady in the airline uniform comes through a door behind the counter and asks, “May I help you sir?”
Mickey identifies himself and asks, “When’s your next flight out of here and where is it headed?”
“It’s boarding now and its destination is Zurich.”
“May I see the passenger list please?”
She pulls it up on her computer and turns the monitor around so he can see the screen. There is no Jacob anybody on the list. “There was a late arrival, a man, that just came in who must have checked in with somebody here. Was it you?”
“I’m the only one on duty right now and I just did check in a gentleman. He has no luggage but a carry on so it only took a minute to check him in.”
“What’s his name?”
Glancing at the monitor she said, “Percy Andersen.”
“I should have anticipated he’d be using an alias and phony ID. What are the flight number and ETA in Zurich?”
She gives him the information and he thanks her and cautions her to say nothing about their conversation to anyone. He heads back to his car and on the way punches in Chuck’s number on his cell. Chuck answers after the first ring.
“What’s happening, Mickey?”
Mickey ignores the question and asks, “Do you have an office in Zurich?”
“Yes I do, why?”
Mickey fills him in on what has happened and says, “I need someone to pick up this guy traveling as Percy Andersen and tail him to see where he goes and maybe get a clue about what he’s up to. He’s wasn’t wearing a disguise when he boarded the plane, but he might change his appearance before he deplanes in Zurich. He’s about 5’9” tall, Caucasian, dark brown hair with a bald spot on top, dark brown eyes, slightly pudgy and looks to be somewhere in his forties.”
“Vicki and I are in a cab and about to pull up to her offices. I’ll call my Zurich office from hers and have them contact the airline. Passengers have assigned seating and usually remain in those assigned seats throughout the flight. If my people can establish contact with the pilot of the aircraft, he could have one of the flight attendants ID this guy from the assigned seating list. One of my people could be waiting at the door to the plane when it opens for the passengers to deplane and before they do he or she can make contact with the flight attendant to get her to unobtrusively point him out as he’s leaving the plane.”
“That sounds good to me, Chuck. I’ll let you get to it. I’ll drop your luggage off at her place. I’m about forty five minutes away. Bye.”
Chuck gives Vicki the gist of the conversation and she sighs and says, “Maybe, just maybe, this won’t be another dead end. Maybe, just maybe, this happenstance will lead to their downfall. Execution would be too good for these sleaze balls. Hard labor for the rest of their lives and a daily ball kicking would still be too good for them, but it sure would make the families of the people killed feel like some justice has been done.”
“These people have been pushing their luck for quite a while now. It’s about time Lady Luck gives them the finger.”
This gets the laugh he is looking for and Vicki’s mood perks up a bit. When they get to Vicki’s offices, before Vicki can even close the door, Chuck grabs the phone on one of the desks and punches in the number of his Zurich office.
He tells the manager of the office what he wants done and tells him to call him back when everything has been arranged. “Johan, if the airline won’t cooperate don’t push them. Call me and I’ll have the New York detective working the case bring the Zurich police into the loop and hopefully he’ll have better luck.”
When he hangs up Vicki calls from her private office. “I’m in here.”
When he reaches the doorway and looks in, he is pleasantly surprised. A huge TV screen has appeared on the wall where before some beautiful art work had hung and on the coffee table in front of the couch along the opposite wall were a bottle of white wine, two glasses and some snacks. “Wow! All the comforts of home!”
“I frequently work late and sleep over and it’s nice to have something to snack on while I fall asleep watching TV. I thought it would be nice to relax a bit before Mickey arrives with our luggage and he might enjoy some refreshment as well.”
“I like the way you think. Where did the pictures go?”
She picks up a remote off her desk and points it at the wall. When she presses a button, the wall revolves to reveal the art work on the other side. Smiling he says, “How did our pioneer forefathers ever survive?”
Plopping down on the couch alongside Chuck she says, “Oh, they had other ways to occupy their spare time.”
“He looks at her in a way that tells her he understood what she was referring to and also tells her that he is thinking of reverting to the old pioneer ways, but then the phone rings and destroys the moment. As she gets up to answer the phone Vicki’s thinking, “Our forefathers didn’t have to contend with telephones interrupting their spare time either. Damn, damn, damn.”
Chuck’s thinking, “Boy, was that a close one. Keep it up, Ferguson, and you’re going to wind up in a situation you’re not equipped to handle. You don’t belong in her world. GET IT THROUGH YOUR HEAD. All this can be is a business relationship. Period.”
It’s Mickey on the phone and he’s five minutes away and wants someone to be at the door to take the luggage. Vicki says, “I have some nice wine, or beer if you’d like, and some snacks to go with it. Why don’t you come in and unwind with us for a bit and then you can get back to your detecting?”
After a brief pause Mickey says, “I’ll take you up on that. It has been a long day and I do feel like a seven day clock that’s been wound too tight.”
“Good. When I see you pull up, I’ll come down and let you in.”
True to his word, five minutes later Mickey pulls up outside Vicki’s office building. Mickey has the same reaction to Vicki’s office as Chuck had. “If this was my office, I’d never get any work done. Between the TV, beverages and furniture, I’d be the world’s biggest couch potato.”
“Actually, it helps keep me relaxed and I get a lot more work done than if I was in a typical utilitarian office with no frills. It’s also good for business. It impresses the clients.”
Mickey says, “Well it sure impresses me.”
Chuck says, “I contacted my Zurich office and they’re working on setting things up with the airline. I told my manager if he gets any static form the airline to cool it, let me know and I’d get you to call the Zurich police and bring them into the loop. I figure your position, the existence of your joint task force and the involvement of the numerous international law enforcement agencies would carry sufficient weight to convince them to go along with our request.”
“That should do it, but maybe the airline won’t give us any trouble. I hope so because time isn’t on our side. This guy is on a direct flight to Zurich which takes eight hours and twenty-two minutes if the weather is good. I checked. His plane took off about an hour ago, so that leaves us about seven and a half hours to get the airline’s cooperation and your people in place to make contact with the flight attendant and get in position to tail this guy. Chuck this could tie your people up for quite a while. You’ll probably have to have folks working in shifts too.”
“Mickey, surveillance is nothing new to us. We’ll be like another layer of skin on this guy around the clock and he’ll never know it.”
“I’m not questioning your expertise. I’m thinking of the cost of all this surveillance you’ve put in place in Paris and now Zurich.”
“Vicki has been covering most of the upfront expense so far and when we collar these people and find out what happened to all of the loot, the insurance companies involved will foot the final bill which will be determined by whether or not we recover any of the gems.”