Garage Sale Diamonds (Garage Sale Mystery) (19 page)

“Our mission…” He began the formal description but then dropped to one knee and continued at the children’s eye level. “We have three important ways to help people. First,” he held up one finger, “we fight fires in houses or cars or stores or big office buildings or woods or anywhere they happen. Second,” he held up another finger, “we try to rescue and help anyone we find in trouble there. Some firefighters also are emergency medical technicians who work sort of like doctors to help injured people. Third,” another finger lifted, “we teach people fire safety so they learn what to do if fire happens near them and how to prevent fires before they start.”

“So let me hear you: what are the three things they do?” Becca reinforced Nathan’s lesson as he noticed again why she’d drawn his interest earlier at McDonald’s. The blue eyes, the silky hair, the animated face—pretty and competent.

“They teach us safety,” said Milo.

“And they put out fires wherever they happen in all kinds of places,” said Alicia.

“And they help injured people,” Christine said. “Did you know I want to be a doctor when I’m big?”

“If you want to, you should try to make that happen,” Nathan encouraged.

“If you have girl firefighters I might want to be one.” Alicia made this up on the spot.

“And I’m going to twain dolphins,” Milo revealed for the first time.

“Do you already know how to train them?” Nathan smiled.

“Not yet, but I will when I’m weady to do it.” Milo’s smile flashed conviction that dreams and reality blend seamlessly in a four-year-old’s mind.

Nathan laughed, giving Becca a knowing look. “Aren’t kids wonderful?”

“Do you practice with a bunch at home?”

“No, I’d need a wife for that. I had a lot of fun with brothers and sisters before we grew up.”

“Big family?”

“Six kids.”

“Only five at our house. I was number four. And you?”

“Also four.” He looked into her eyes and grinned. “Another connection?”

“Could we see the fire engine and ambulance now?” Christine asked.

“Sure.” They moved from the lobby into the garage bay. “Our McLean Volunteer Fire Department started almost a hundred years ago, in 1921. This new fire truck has room for six firefighters. It’s thirty-five feet long or about the same length as a school bus. Let’s climb up to take a look inside.” They did and investigated the ambulance next. “This is where I ride and this is where we put an injured person.”

After the tour, they no sooner returned to the lobby than the penetrating call-alarm blared. The Grands gaped as firefighters rushed from many directions to board their engine.

“Gotta go.” Nathan grabbed his uniform jacket. “May I call you later, Becca?”

She handed him a slip of paper on which she’d written her phone number. “I’d like that.”

“Good-bye, kids. Thanks for visiting.” In a flash, he was through the door, inside his vehicle and all business as the engine and ambulance careened from the station, sirens howling.

“Wow!” Becca said.

“Wow!” the children agreed.

43

Saturday, 2:02 PM

“Hello, Adam?” Jennifer held the phone. “Please tell your beautiful wife that I bought a great medicine cabinet for her this morning at a sale. It’s new with tags still on the box and only $5. I think she’ll like it. When will you pick it up? Okay, use your key. I’ll leave it in the entryway if we go out…. What did you say? What do I know about psychics? Not a whole lot. What do you know about psychics?... You’ll tell me later. Uh-oh, now my curiosity’s up. Bye.”

Jason wandered into the kitchen. “Where is everybody? “ 

“Becca’s taken the kids to the fire station. She’s checking out a firefighter under the pretense of a learning surprise for the children: Lt. Sommer, the medic-in-charge for Kirsten.”

“Is he better than Becca’s last one?”

“The gnarly dude with the tattoos, goatee and motorcycle?”

“No, the one after that.” Jason conjured a mental picture. “Mr. Mundo, the egotist, the Big Man on Campus, the guy who knew everything and thought the world revolved around him.”

“At least he had decent clothes.” She laughed and changed the subject. “Back to the diamonds. When Becca asked me earlier what we plan to do with them, I realized we haven’t had time to talk about it together. Now that we have a few minutes while they’re out…”

“Okay, what’s on your mind?”

“If we’re right, we’re missing fourteen stones. We could look for them downstairs before the gang returns. Knowing some are real, we assume they all are, but should a jeweler look at every one?”

“Yes, but is it safe for you to carry three million dollars’ worth of loot from the bank to the jeweler and back again? Do we need an armed guard or will I do?”

“I always feel safe with you, Jay.” She kissed the air in his direction. “But now it’s ‘loot’?”

“Well, what would you call a windfall of 286 top-quality diamonds?”

She ignored that. “With locked car doors and only the two of us knowing the plan and the value of our cargo, what could go wrong?”

He shrugged. “Cars get highjacked just for the vehicle, not what’s inside. Adam reminded us police consider people vulnerable most of the time. You’re your first line of defense. Stay alert to avoid bad choices leading to bad consequences.” He sighed. “But there’s the bigger problem.”

“What?” she asked.

“Your record for garage-sale consequences got spotty this last year, don’t you think?”

Her surprise showed she had no clue. “What do you mean?”

“Well, the serial killer before—and now this.”

“Okay…maybe you have a point,” she said slowly. “Let’s think this out logically. Why did somebody hide the gems? Are they legal or illegal? Was hiding them in the doll like putting them in a safe if you don’t own a safe?”

Jason looked serious. “Or if illegal, once they’re discovered missing, consider two more possibilities: the owner wants to walk away from them to avoid criminal connection or he needs them back for some illegal buy or payoff. Maybe drug involvement. Diamonds are international currency, same as cash, Jen.”

“That’s right. Didn’t that Holocaust Museum tour say during WWII when Germans made Jews leave home with one bundle and the clothes on their backs, they sewed diamonds or gold into their clothes instead of taking worthless paper money.”

“Diamonds are small, virtually indestructible, easy to transport and hide, and valuable everywhere. But what has that to do with this, Jen?”

“McLean has a large foreign population with colleges, embassies, commerce, military and government. Cultural exchange is another draw when foreign sports teams or musicians or dancers visit this area. Maybe this is someone’s nest egg to start a new life after defecting from a dangerous homeland. So even if smuggled in illegally, these diamonds might serve a positive purpose. Wouldn’t returning them to that owner seem fair?”

Jason stared at her, a pained expression clouding his face. She knew that look.

“Jay, what is it?”

“Jen, Jen. Once again your garage-sale craziness puts us in potential danger.  I…the whole family…we’ve barely recovered from the Ruger Yates nightmare. If these hidden diamonds are illegal, wouldn’t the person who innocently finds them face vengeance from the angry owner who needs them back?” He looked into his wife’s eyes. “Wouldn’t that person be you, Jen?”

“But…”

“Worse, maybe they want their illegal diamonds back but not the witness who knows they exist.”

“You’re scaring me, Jay.”

“They’d have to eliminate that witness.” He sighed, catching the fear in Jennifer’s eyes. “I’m sorry, Honey, but maybe I need to scare you to protect you, to protect our family. You look for good in people, but the existence of prisons proves not everyone’s a good person. We read about crime daily from the media, so criminals walk among us. Even if we found the owner, which seems improbable, with your explanation, returning the diamonds is a good deed. With my explanation, your reward could be death. If I’m right, are you willing to risk your life and the family’s safety for these diamonds?”

She slumped in her chair, unhappily following his logic.

“Look, Jen. I don’t know why packages of diamonds fell out of this doll or whether a good person or a bad person hid them there. I don’t know if they’re legal or illegal, whether the person who put them there wants to avoid knowledge of them or wants them back no matter what it takes. I don’t know whether the person who put them there is alive or dead or if these diamonds are a blessing or a curse. Guess what, you don’t know either.”

“You’re saying we’re novices playing marbles with the big boys.”

“I’m saying our first responsibility is protecting our family—the opposite of ginning up danger.”

“I hear you, Jay, but we can’t make the diamonds go away. This can’t ‘unhappen.’ We’re two sensible people who need to figure out what to do next.”

“We’re two sensible people with absolutely no experience here.”

“Should we consult Adam? Wouldn’t a police detective know about stolen property? Maybe someone reported lost diamonds. If so, we’d find the owner right away.”

“Consulting Adam’s a good idea. What about also phoning Greg Bromley? He’s an attorney who’s now part of our extended family.”

“Great. We’ll learn more about the legal side of finders-keepers.”

“Didn’t you forget something?” Jason’s voice sounded bitter.

Jennifer looked up. “What?”

“Losers, weepers…”

“Oh, Jay….”

He knew he’d upset her. While he believed every word he said, seeing his usually exuberant wife so forlorn—and knowing his words caused it—caught at his heart. He put his arms around her. “I love you, my precious Jen.” He kissed her before looking deep into her eyes. “That’s why I don’t want to lose you. If you’re in danger, I want to…I need to protect you. We’re involved in something we don’t understand, maybe good news or maybe bad news. The good outcome is easy, but we…I need to prepare for the worst outcome.” He reached for her hand. “Would you agree we must be extra cautious until we know what’s going on? Cautious at home about locking up, setting the security alarm and knowing who’s outside before opening the door? Cautious when we’re out: making good choices and picking safe surroundings.” She nodded. “Okay then,” he deliberately changed the subject. “How about going on a diamond hunt down in the playroom?” Gently, he pulled her to her feet, put an arm around her and guided her down the basement stairs.

In shadowy places on the floor around the basement furniture and rugs they found three more glistening gems.

44

Saturday, 2:45 PM

Returning home rekindled Mahmud’s anger over his neighborhood’s earlier garage sales. As they drove into his garage he muttered, “At last, our community returns to normal.” He changed the subject. “Did you learn what you needed to know on our shopping mall trip today? Does their map help?”

“Yes, with layouts of stores, but it shows no offices, utilities or loading docks.”

Ahmed appeared preoccupied and as they pulled into the garage, he surprised his host saying, “I will make a walk around the neighborhood now for exercise.”

Caught off guard, Mahmud said, “Shall I go with you?”

“Thank you, no. I will see you next at the meal tonight. What time is dinner served?”

“Seven o’clock.”

“Good. Thank you.”

Mahmud sensed something amiss as Ahmed went to his room. A walk around the neighborhood? Where would he go? Who would he meet? Mahmud yearned to be at the center of events, not left out like a goat in the field. But he couldn’t insist on accompanying Ahmed and stalking him from a distance would make Mahmud look foolish.

With no satisfactory solution, Mahmud’s frustration blossomed into anger. He kicked at the railing as he stomped up the stairs toward his bedroom. Pausing in the doorway, he eavesdropped on his wife and Safia talking in the bathroom.

“When I was a little girl, my mother cut my hair in this very bathroom. I sat on the same vanity stool in front of the mirror where you are right now. I wore a plastic cape around my shoulders like this one you’re wearing. We’re even using this same comb and scissors because they were an expensive set that lasts a long time.”

“Why aren’t all scissors the same size and shape?

“They’re shaped for their job. These barber scissors are long and very thin with sharp points. Your school scissors are short and blunt to cut paper but not hurt a child. Our kitchen scissors are heavy and strong to cut vegetables or meat.”

“Why did your mother cut your hair in this room, Mommy?”

“We pretended we were in a beauty shop. She removed the scatter rugs just as we did so sweeping up clipped hair was easy. Now, we’re almost finished. How do you look?”

Safia smiled her pleasure and Zayneb gave her daughter a hug. But their pleasant moment evaporated when Mahmud stormed in shouting, “Out. Out, both of you. Now.”

Hurrying to comply, Zayneb dropped the comb and scissors atop the toilet tank and prodded her daughter toward the door.

“Shall I sweep up before…?” Zayneb asked.