Mystery: Double Cross - The Davenport Mysteries (Suspense novel series of adventure mystery books and Crime mystery thrillers)

by V. S. VASHIST

  “No, that means she knows that she can go unscathed. Robert is a fool and he’s only helping her to get out of this for once and all.”

  “I don’t understand.” Jake shook his head.

  “Why do you think she came back?”

  “Maybe she didn’t leave. Think of it: the parcel arrived the day before and she was there yesterday. How could she possibly come all the way from China in a matter of hours?” Jake reasoned.

  “No, she left the country that night. She was also keeping track of the shipment, just like us. As soon as she saw that it was going back to its return address, she got alerted. She might have called the shipping company, or maybe Gary checked it on her behalf. She knew that only her signature will let the ring go back to China or she thought that she can wear it and take it out of the country. That’s how she arrived so fast at Lake Sivan.”

  “Okay. For a moment, let’s assume that you’re right. But isn’t it a stupid move? Why would she risk her life when everything was going her way?” Jake mused.

  “That is quite obvious. She knows that we have nothing against her. Robert would have taken her into custody on the pretext of antique theft, but, he can’t prove anything and she knows that. Once she gets out of the case unscathed, no one will touch her again. She will be cleared for once and all,” Kiara said. “The not-so-obvious part is that she could have easily hired someone who could wear the ring and deliver it to her in Shanghai.”

  “You are right.” Jake nodded “She’s taking too big a risk for one ring. She must have already smuggled antiques worth ten million out of the country. What difference does a ring make?”

  Suddenly, something struck Kiara. She got up and hugged Jake, who took couple of steps back and looked at her with surprise.

  “Thanks a lot. You have given me an amazing clue,” she almost yelled and ran towards the door. “I need to go out and check something. You go and speak to Carlson. See if we can make her one of the suspects in the murder case.”

  “Wait, where are you going?” Jake said, but she was already out of the building. He shook his head. I need to get some other partner.

  It took her four hours, but every minute was worth it. Her excitement was palpable as she was driving back to her office. However, it increased manifolds as her phone rang and she looked at the number.

  “About time,” she said and picked up the phone.

  “Hey Kiara, Robert this side,” Robert said softly.

  “Yes, Robert. What’s up?” Kiara asked casually.

  “You were right. She has an airtight plan. She’s saying that she was not aware of the value of the ring and that she bought it recently. We tracked down the guy who sold it to her and he has confessed that he sold it to her by telling that it was only a fifty-year-old ring and gave her fake papers. She says that she’s never heard of Ralph or Burt, and her attorney is asking for a reason why we think she’s behind the thefts. Which we don’t have. She has played all her cards carefully. We can only fine her for illegal possession of the ring and since she has proved that she did not know the actual value of the ring, we can’t pursue it any further. Also, she has very strong connections. George has received orders to let her go,” he said and paused for a moment. “She even knew that we will not be able to detain her beyond few hours. She’s booked a flight for China tomorrow morning. Her confidence is sky high.”

  “Stall her for another hour or so. I will be there,” Kiara said. “Give the phone to George.”

  “Why do you think he’s with me?”

  “Just give him the phone,” Kiara stressed.

  Robert gave a grunt and handed over the phone to George.

  “Hey George, we are at it again. So, let’s talk about a deal. What say you?” she said with a smile.

  “What deal?” George said in annoyance as Robert looked at him in anticipation.

  “Is Carlson on board?” Kiara asked Jake as they entered the station.

  “Yes, but he wants to talk to you once this is over,” Jake said and pointed towards the interrogation room. George and Robert were waiting outside the observation mirror.

  “Both of you are outside. What’s happening?” Kiara asked.

  “Well, she’s about to leave. We are dropping all the charges as instructed. She and her attorney are just waiting for the papers to come,” George said.

  “Hmm … that’s not going to happen. Wait … is that her?” Kiara’s eyes widened as she looked at Natalie.

  “Yes … that’s her. What happened?” Robert asked.

  “Can you get me the stuff that we collected from Windsor Estate that night?” Kiara looked at Robert and then at George.

  “What’s happening?” Robert asked.

  “Just get me the stuff. You will hear everything that I’m going to ask her. Why do you want to know beforehand?” she said in a stern voice. Robert looked at George, who gave his consent.

  Kiara turned towards Jake. “You know what we’re going to do, right?”

  Jake rubbed his hands. “We’re going to provoke her.”

  Kiara smiled and pulled the door. As soon as Natalie looked at Jake, her face turned pale, but in a moment she collected herself like a pro.

  “Who are you?” her attorney asked while adjusting his glasses.

  Jake turned towards him. “What’s your name? You’re also involved in this racket?”

  The attorney was taken aback. “You know what you are saying? I can sue you. You don’t know who I am.”

  “If you don’t want your license to be revoked, just let us ask her a few questions,” Kiara said firmly and looked at Natalie, who was still not affected by their tactics.

  “You don’t have to answer anything. In ten minutes we are going to sign the papers,” he said and turned towards them. “You two are going to be in deep trouble.”

  Kiara was unfazed. She looked at Natalie. “So how are you related to the Windsor family?”

  Her question shook Natalie completely. All the calmness evaporated from her face. Kiara stared at her as sweat drops rolled down her forehead.

  “Well, you have the same eyes and nose as Ralph,” Kiara said further.

  “Yeah, she does look like him,” Jake said with a smile.

  “What are you doing?!” the attorney shouted.

  “Just wait for two minutes, will you?” Kiara said in a stern voice.

  “You have nothing against me,” Natalie said firmly. “And your tactics are not going to work on me either. I am— ”

  “I am going to leave in ten minutes and then tomorrow morning I’ll be out of the country … Blah, blah …” Kiara said in a demeaning tone.

  George was listening outside the observation mirror, trying to find out what Kiara was trying to achieve.

  “You had an amazing plan, but now I’ve decoded it completely. Whatever you are going to say, I know it already,” Kiara said and looked at Jake. “What arrangement have we made for her?”

  “Well for starters, we already know the address in China where you had sent all your shipments. Thanks for choosing an international courier that delivered it right at your doorsteps. Right now, our government is reaching out to their counterparts in China to get the authenticity of your business checked.”

  “They will never help you out!” Natalie shouted.

  “I know you were about to say that. Now, let us suppose that the Chinese government doesn’t help us with the antiques. Maybe they want to keep those with them. But, what if they come to know that you are the prime suspect in two murder cases?” Kiara said and turned towards the attorney. “Care to explain to her what that means?”

  “They … they will deport you immediately. No country wants it to be a haven for murder suspects,” he said while taking off his glasses.

  Natalie was taken aback. George looked at her face and gave a smile.

  “Even if you do that, you got nothing against me. I may not get to leave the country, but you will not even get me arrested for a day.” She was not the one to con
cede either.

  “But, you signed the documents for all the shipments?” Jake said with surprise.

  “No, I didn’t. Only the last one,” Natalie replied with a faint smile. “All other shipments were signed by my managers. I don’t even know what was inside them. See, China is a new market for us and not a big part of the business. So, I had my managers take care of that.”

  Kiara knew Natalie was not an easy nut to crack. She had to think of something, fast. The papers were about to come any minute.

  “Well, we can establish that you were involved since you signed the last shipment and that had the ring,” Jake said.

  “But, that ring was given to me by you. I even—”

  Natalie was cut short by Kiara. “You even have the footage from the hotel when he gave the ring to you,” she completed her sentence and came forward. “See? I know you so well that I’m now finishing your sentences.”

  “What’s happening?” The attorney looked at Natalie.

  “We have already seen the footage. Jake just gives you a bag. No one can make out if it had anything. Although once he left, you checked the ring for authenticity like a pro,” Kiara replied. “The only thing left is to establish your connection with Ralph.”

  Natalie’s face turned red at Ralph’s name. Kiara turned towards the mirror. Robert knew it was the time for his entry. He came inside with a box. Kiara kept it at the center of the table and looked at Natalie, who was breathing heavily by now.

  Kiara checked the whole box and pulled out a book. “You recognize this?” she asked Natalie, who did not know how to respond to it.

  “This chronicles the whole history of the Windsor clan and I’m pretty sure if I flip through it, I will find someone that looks like you. I saw his picture at Windsor Estate. Ralph called him his uncle,” she said while shuffling the pages. “Here it is: Wallace.”

  Natalie started to shiver at the mention of that name.

  “If he’s Uncle Wallace, then what would you be?” Kiara said and turned the book towards her. Robert and Jake were looking at her as if spellbound. “I guess, a sister to Wallace or maybe a cousin.”

  Suddenly, Jake remembered something. His face turned red. “Oh … she did this for revenge."

  “What ?” Robert asked as the attorney also looked at Jake and Kiara. Natalie had buried her face in her palms by now.

  “Well, according to old Victorian tradition, a father always gave his estate to his son or his son-in-law, but never to a daughter. Now Ralph was related to the Windsors through his mother. That means even he was not entitled to any inheritance. She used the common ground to lure him into hurting the Windsor financially. Once the deal was set, they started stealing the antiques that defined the Windsor clan. But, Ralph was not that much sentimental about being recognized as one of them. He was happy enough with the money she was paying him. She on the other hand had a different reason. She wanted to be recognized as a Windsor. She wanted all the antiques that defined the Windsors. So, she took all of them,” Jake explained and looked at Robert, who was as astonished as the attorney.

  “You don’t know half of it!” Natalie shouted. All of them were taken aback by the sudden outburst. “Living without your father’s riches is still a living, but, living without his name is a shame that kills you every moment of your life. You don’t even know the pain of being discarded just after the birth. You have no idea what a child feels when her mother is abused and beaten for bearing an illegitimate child of someone who takes pride in their lineage. You can’t imagine what goes through the mind of a child who witnesses her mother committing suicide in front of her eyes.”

  “Get her some water!” Kiara shouted. Her mind had come to a halt. She did not know what to say.

  “We were disgraced and threatened with dire consequences. No one wanted to have anything with us in England. It was then my grandfather brought me here. He always told me to forget about the past, but what I had seen made me lose my childhood. I had only one aim in life: to get everything from them that defined them. I just wanted to wipe off their name from the face of the earth. I built my business. For twenty years, I established myself. I built contacts; I became someone who no one could suspect; and then one day I met Ralph. He had lost his identity, just like me. He had nothing to look forward to. I gave him that support and he … he fell for everything that I said. He did what I said; he thought what I made him to think.”

  Kiara pushed the glass of water across the table and looked at Robert. “She’s all yours.”

  Robert just nodded. The case that haunted them for so many days had finally come to the conclusion, but, not something that any of them had anticipated.

  George walked towards Kiara as she came out of the interrogation room.

  “That was something,” he said with appreciation.

  “Thanks. I hope you remember your promise,” Kiara replied.

  “I am selfish, but not that much. Don’t worry,” he said with a smile.

  Kiara nodded as Jake joined them.

  “What’s happening?” he asked while looking at both of them.

  “Nothing. Let’s go,” she said.

  “Just like that?” he asked.

  “Not just like that,” Kiara replied and started walking towards the door. “George has agreed to give us our due. The press conference tomorrow morning will be headed by both him and Carlson.”

  “So, that means Carlson’s not going to have that talk with you anymore,” he said with a smile. “I was so looking forward to it.”

  “I don’t think you will get a chance to see him humiliating me, but I can’t ensure about future cases.” Kiara smiled back.

  “You know that I have some follow-up questions though,” he said while pushing the glass door.

  “We have a long ride. I’ll explain everything.”

  “When did you know she was related to Ralph?” Jake looked at Kiara as they entered the main city.

  “Well, not until I saw her,” Kiara said and looked at him for a moment. “This morning when we were discussing the ring, something struck me. What if she was in the DA’s office not for some personal work, but, for helping someone else? I remembered that Ralph was a poor guy until he was hired by the Windsor estate because of a case that he had filed against them. How can a guy who doesn’t even have the money to feed himself fight against such a wealthy family?”

  “So, she paid for the case?”

  “Yes, I checked with the DA’s office about the dates shared by Don’s wife. Ralph had indeed fought for the case during that period. The noticeable thing was that she was present in all the hearings and had signed the attendance register,” Kiara said.

  “That’s a weak move on her part,” Jake said thoughtfully.

  “Well, she had no other choice. She had taken great pains in finding Ralph and to earn his trust, she had to be truthful to him. It couldn’t have been done without meeting him in person. She helped him in every step and earned his trust to such a level that he agreed to do anything for her,” Kiara explained.

  Jake shook his head. “So she was supplying the notes to him that we found at the Windsor Estate?”

  “Yes, she would send the notes and he in turn would read them out to Brendon as an instruction.”

  Jake smiled. “I knew you will not stop until she’s caught.”

  “Well, she helped by coming back herself.”

  “Yes, what about that? You plan everything so carefully and then at the last step, you make such a terrible mistake?” Jake asked the question bothering him for some time.

  “I was also baffled by that initially. But after meeting her, I understood why she took such a drastic step,” Kiara said and parked the car on the roadside. “Ralph told me about the ring. The inheritance was divided amongst the male children, but the ring was given to the most worthy one. It was always given to the son who could carry the weight that the Windsor name had. It had nothing to do with whether he was the eldest or the youngest. Whenever there was some
royal function or some ritual, he would represent the Windsor clan. In short, he would become the most important of the Windsors.”

  “Wow! With the ring, she thought that she had become a true-blooded Windsor,” Jake said. “Vengeance is truly a dangerous thing.”

  “Besides, she was sure that she won’t get caught,” Kiara said and turned the ignition on.

  “Well, I don’t think she has much choice now,” Jake said.

  Kiara shook her head and paused for a moment. “Jake, I need to ask something to you.”

  “Since when you need my permission?”

  “Well, you may not like the question,” she said and looked at him.

  “What’s it?”

  “Are you over Rebecca?”

  Jake looked at her and gave a faint smile. “Those were one of the best two days of my life. The first time in my life I was truthful to someone to such an extent that I was willing to go to any lengths to have her in my life. I don’t think I will forget her ever. But, as far as my affection towards her is concerned, it’s gone. It left me the moment she talked about what Brendon meant to her. She never loved me.”

  Kiara smiled back. This was a new aspect of Jake that she was not familiar with. She looked at the skyline that was getting brighter as the evening was progressing. She had solved one of the most difficult cases of her life, but somehow didn’t feel the happiness that she had anticipated. Natalie had done something in retaliation to the wrong done to her ages ago; she was now going to suffer for that too. It was as if getting punished twice for the same thing. Kiara never believed that two wrongs can make one right, but, these kinds of situations always made her think of what she would have done had she been in such a position. Anyhow, taking the law in your hands was never a solution to anything. Besides, Ralph and Brendon had done nothing that could justify their deaths.

  “Well, another case solved and another criminal in prison,” Jake said with a smile, interrupting her thoughts.

  “Yes … another criminal in prison.” Kiara smiled back and looked at the sky. The stars were shining much brighter than she had seen in the last few days. She smiled and looked ahead. Well, that was the only way she wanted to go.