Chapter Seven

“My colleague is being conservative,” said Laura Reynolds as she placed the last gemstone on the leather pad. The smartly-dressed brunette had arrived within twenty minutes of Claud making the call and had been introduced as a fellow jeweler, and co-owner of a local family-run business. The vintage tennis bracelet she wore as her sole jewelry was understated but costly. Business must be good. “I want to run some calculations but I think your total value might be closer to twelve million. Maybe more if there’s a good buyer for the ruby. The other stones are lovely and highly salable. The ruby, however, is a significantly large size, and a very attractive red color. Stones like it are rarely seen and would be competitive on any market.”

“Twelve. Million. Dollars,” said Garrett slowly, sounding as stunned as I felt. “I really thought you would both say they were paste. Here I am with them in my pocket and no security detail. Twelve million dollars.”

“It’s possible the ruby alone could double what we quoted you,” said Laura. “It is rather remarkable.”

“If they were paste, I’d still say you could get a good price for the costume jewelry market but these are the real deal,” said Claud. He reached for a sapphire, holding the deep blue gemstone up to the light. “I hope it’s understandable that I’m curious about their origins. You said it was a case? Where did you get them?”

“That’s right. They were found during our investigation in a case I’m working on,” said Garrett, his answer purposefully vague. I wondered if he would have been more forthcoming if the jewels were fakes, and if we weren’t in an unsecured room with a fortune on the table. “Is there any way to ascertain their provenance? Or their ownership?”

“To an extent,” said Laura. “I’ve really only taken a glance but if I spend a little more time, I would hope to pick up specifics in the gems’ features. That would give me an idea of where they came from. The diamonds are easier. I can see inscription numbers laser-etched on most of them. The numbers will be registered and we can identify the true owner and the jewels’ origins that way. I’m guessing you believe they’re stolen?”

“That’s my first deduction,” said Garrett. “I can’t think of any other legitimate reason for them to be on a person under the circumstances in which they were found.”

“I can,” chipped in Claud. “A commissioned jeweler or a jewel dealer would have a number of gems on hand. Plenty of people could transport such items entirely without notice, perhaps to another jeweler to set them.”

“What if they were set in jewelry already? Could all the gems possibly have come from the same piece?” asked Garrett.

Both Claud and Laura shook their heads. “It would be a gaudy piece,” said Claud. “Individually, the stones are excellent but there’re just too many to make one item look balanced and attractive. Let’s say it was a necklace. Due to the ruby’s size, it would have to be set in the middle and even then, it’s really too big. Then it would need to be framed by all the other gems and there aren’t the right number to make it symmetrical. Plus, where’s the gold it would need to be set in?”

“That’s easily melted down,” continued Laura. “But Claud is right, it wouldn’t be a nice-looking piece. Expensive, yes, but not beautiful. Although sometimes the former matters to the purchaser more than the latter. Multiple pieces, yes. One single piece? I lean towards no.”

“So the stones could have come from all kinds of jewelry? Rings? Earrings?” asked Garrett.

Laura cocked her head side-to-side, weighing the question. “I think the diamonds are certainly too big for stud earrings and a little too large for a tennis bracelet, but they could be for rings or necklaces. Drop earrings too, I suppose. The ruby could be used for a necklace or pendant or it could even be for a tiara. I would want a stone like this to speak for itself without any accompaniments. That would be superbly dramatic.” She plucked it from the mat and peered at it again through the microscope. Then she repeated the action with two of the diamonds before meeting our gaze again. “As it happens, I don’t see any kind of marks that indicate the jewels have been set into anything yet.”

“That’s interesting,” said Claud. “Perhaps the suspect in your case had only recently acquired them.”

“Where would you go to buy jewels like this? Cut but not set?” I asked.

“There are any number of jewel merchants all over the world. New York, Amsterdam, London. And more,” said Laura. “They might not have even come from the same dealer. The ruby does stand out due to its large size so maybe that dealer was more of a specialist but I couldn’t discount anyone. Plus, there could be independent traders with gems from less scrupulous sources.”

“Blood diamonds?” I asked.

“Ahh, you’ve heard of them,” said Laura, nodding. “Then you know what a terrible trade that is.”

“I only know as much as was in the Leonardo DiCaprio film of the same name,” I said. “I got pretty turned off sparkly things after watching that.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” said Garrett, glancing between us.

“Blood diamonds come from nations in conflict zones, or with extremely poor labor and human rights standards. The money from those stones can be used for terrorism, war, all kinds of bad things. We refuse to sell anything of that origin at my store,” explained Laura. “It’s illegal anyway. We only deal in ethically-mined stones now but like many jewelers who’ve been retailing for years, we’ve not been able to prove the source of everything we’ve sold in the past and there’s no way to be sure with vintage pieces. Since I can see numbers on some of the diamonds, you’ll get a better idea of where they originated when you trace them. I can record the numbers for you?”

“I’d appreciate it, thanks,” said Garrett. “Do you ever hear of jewel merchants getting robbed?”

“It’s not unheard of but they wouldn’t be easy to steal from. Almost all would have safes, guards, and high security,” said Claud. “Like us, they wouldn’t go out of their way to advertise either their security or their wares. Is there anything else we can help you with, Lieutenant?”

“No, you’ve been very helpful,” said Garrett, “Can I call you again if I need to?”

“Take my card and call anytime,” said Claud. “I’d like to know what you find out, if it’s no trouble? I don’t often get asked to consult on a police case.”

“Same. Would you mind if I did some research on the ruby?” asked Laura. “It’s such a beautiful stone. I’m really quite curious about it.”

“If you can be discreet, and promise to share your findings, then please go ahead,” agreed Garrett. He waited a few minutes for Laura to finish transcribing her list, which she handed to him with a smile. Then she had him watch carefully as she returned every stone to the pouch in which he’d brought them, adding that she would email a valuation to us both. “I’ll see myself out,” said Garrett as he tucked the pouch into its plastic baggie and then into his pocket, like he was carrying marbles instead of a fortune.

“I’ll show you out,” said Claud. “And might I suggest you find a very strong safe.”

“Thanks for helping on such short notice,” I said to Laura as we shook hands.

“I’m glad Claud called. It’s really a shame to hear he’s retiring and I’m sure he’ll love having consulted on your case as a last hurrah. It’s been an interesting afternoon. I hope I get to know more about the jewels! In my twenty-plus years as a jeweler, I’ve never seen anything quite like it. I have a feeling there’s an interesting story behind it all.” Laura smiled and I couldn’t help warming to her enthusiasm.

Although I privately agreed with her that something interesting was going on, I didn’t add and a sad story . Clearly, Garrett wanted to limit the information about the case and I wasn’t sure how Laura would feel about the jewels being found buried with a body under dubious circumstances. That would give most people the ick.

When Garrett and I stepped out of the shop onto the sidewalk, he blinked in the midday sunlight and his hand went into his pocket. “I feel nervous carrying this stuff,” he said. “I’m going to take Claud Bridge’s advice and return these to the evidence locker. That’s the strongest safe I know.”

“Are you sure? A lot of people have access to it.”

“I think keeping this as quiet as possible is in our best interests. The fewer people who know about the gems, the better. People won’t go looking for what they don’t know about. Plus, I’m going to double seal the box. However our guy died, someone took great pains to conceal the body. I wonder if they knew what he had on him.”

“We don’t even know if this is a crime yet. Although it probably definitely is,” I finished, my stream of consciousness bringing me around to the glaringly obvious: people didn’t randomly get buried in backyards with a pocketful of priceless jewels.

“I see no other plausible reason why a person would carry upwards of twelve million in cut jewels and be buried under dubious circumstances,” said Garrett in echo of my thoughts. He indicated I should walk with him to his car. When we reached it, he paused to lean against it. “What I don’t understand is why the jewels weren’t removed from the body prior to burial. That seems strange.”

“It seems like something I’d want to snatch,” I said. “Perhaps whoever buried him didn’t have time to search his pockets.”

“They had time to bury him in a residential neighborhood. Although that seems more like opportunity rather than design. It might have technically been a shallow grave but it was deep enough to lay undiscovered all this time. It might not have been discovered for even longer without the Dugans’ landscaping.”

“Then perhaps the gravedigger intended to return at a later date and retrieve the jewels? And for some reason, they couldn’t?”

Garrett rubbed his chin. “Also possible,” he said, nodding.

“What if they didn’t know he had the jewels on his person? Or maybe it’s not about them at all?”

“You think it could just be about getting rid of this guy?”

“It could be. I don’t think we should rule it out. Oof,” I squeaked as a group of young men jostled past. When I stepped back, one of Garrett’s hands was pressed against his pocket. The other was hovering over his gun.

“Get in,” he said, and pulled open his door. I hurried around the other side and got into the passenger seat before Garrett hit the lock button.

“When did you say the ME was examining the body?”

“Some time this week.”

“What are the odds that Roger died by natural causes?”

“Low. If that happened, a person would either call an ambulance or they’d disappear and leave him to be found by someone else. No. Someone made an effort to conceal the body. They didn’t want him found.”

“Perhaps they wanted him to appear alive so they could claim benefits in his name? Or something else?”

“Also possible. As soon as I’ve logged these jewels back into evidence, I’ll search our databases for anyone missing from the jewel trade. It’s a long shot but you never know. It might narrow the search from thousands of missing Caucasian male adults.” Garrett’s phone beeped and he glanced at it then tucked it back into his pocket. “Gotta go. One of my detectives is ready to make an arrest on another case. What’re your plans?”

“I’m going to visit Alice and see if she knows Carrie Dugan. I’d like some background info on my client. Pete Dugan works from home so he doesn’t have any colleagues to quiz,” I said, hopeful that our sister-in-law would have some useful information.

“Alice and Carrie know each other?” Garrett was surprised.

“Maybe. Carrie’s a doctor, Alice is a nurse. Even if they don’t know each other personally, they work at the same hospital so Alice might know some gossip.”

“The Dugans are in their thirties. If this guy was killed twenty years ago, that makes them teenagers when it happened.”

“Lily said even in their twenties, Carrie would have been wrapped up in medical boards.”

“True. Do you know how long they’ve been together?”

“You mean could they have been teens or young adults bonded through a murder in their youth? This isn’t a teen horror movie, Garrett.”

Garrett laughed. “Weirder shit has happened. Maybe one is lying to the other. I still don’t buy it though. I think they’re innocent. All the same, let me know what you find out.” Garrett’s phone buzzed again and he raised his eyebrows. “This is the parole officer overseeing our forger. He says they’re due a check-in at four today. We can drop in and he won’t alert him in advance. After that, we’ll need to wait another week.”

“I can make time this afternoon,” I said, knowing I would miss out if not.

“I’ll call later with an address.”

I hopped out, waving to Garrett as he promptly joined the traffic, and jogged back to my car.

Alice answered after only a few rings. “Are you at work today?” I asked.

“I just finished my shift. Why? Are you nearby?”

“Not far. I wanted to ask you a couple questions.”

“I have to run errands so let’s talk on the phone. Unless it can wait until later?”

“Now’s good,” I said, watching Laura Reynolds exit the jewelers and head down the street. “Do you know a Carrie Dugan? She works at the hospital.”

“Hmm. Yes, I think so. She’s a doctor. Is she pregnant? Blond?”

“That’s her.”

“What did she do?”

“Probably nothing. Did you know she bought the end house on my parents’ street?”

“The one with the body that just got dug up? Wow.”

“News travels fast.”

“Your mom called me this morning.”

“Please tell me she didn’t ask you to take its pulse.”

Alice laughed. “No, she didn’t. She just wanted to make sure we prepared the kids so they wouldn’t be scared. For the record, they won’t be scared. Rachel’s been watching surgery videos online and seems to have nerves of steel. I see a medical career in the future. So what do you want to know about Dr. Dugan?”

“I just wondered what your impressions were of her?”

“I don’t know her that well but she’s nice, polite, fairly popular with the staff and the patients too. She’s got a good bedside manner. They don’t teach that in medical school. I’m not sure what else I can tell you. There’s never been any complaints that I’ve heard of.”

“Do you know anything about her background? Did she grow up here?”

“I don’t think so. I got the feeling she might have spent some of her childhood overseas. Her husband grew up here though. I think they met on vacation one year.” A car door opened and shut and Alice continued, “That’s real bad luck to find a body in the yard. Your mom said Dr. Dugan’s husband dug it up and got quite the fright.”

“He did. So nothing stands out about Carrie Dugan?”

“Not that I can think of. She’s always seemed nice to me, and the times I recall her mentioning her husband, she’s always been complimentary. I think he came into the ER once. They seemed a nice pair but I can’t say I was observing them particularly. I’m sorry, I don’t feel like I’m giving you what you’re looking for.”

“No, you are. This is helpful, thank you.”

“I’ll see you at dinner?”

“Absolutely.”

“I wish it could be sooner but with the kids’ schedules and my shifts, we just can’t until the weekend.”

“I understand.”

“Don’t go solving the case without our help!”

That call done, and nothing untoward uncovered, I headed back to the office. Delgado was still there at his computer and apparently, I’d missed Solomon by minutes, which was disappointing, yet also useful since I wouldn’t be distracted by him.

As I walked through the door, Mom texted me suggesting lunch, which I was sure was simply a politer way of requesting information.

Settling behind my desk, I spent an hour perusing the Dugans’ lives and found nothing to suggest they were secret homicidal maniacs who’d started out in their teen years. If anything, they were fairly dull.

A starter home was purchased shortly after they got married six years ago with a gifted down payment from Carrie’s parents. The small Harbridge apartment was sold and they made a good chunk of money to put into the new house and renovations. They had rented a small apartment while the bulk of the work was undertaken over the past two months and had given up the lease only last week. I wondered how much they regretted that decision now that their backyard was a crime scene.

Carrie had been to medical school on the West Coast and a few public comments on her social media pages mentioned growing up in Europe before returning to the States in her mid-teens. Pete worked in marketing since graduation and set up his own agency last year. He had attended my old high school, then college locally.

No debts, drove older cars, their last few vacations had been a splurge honeymoon to the Caribbean and then they’d taken several short city and beach trips over the years. There was a charge to a storage unit taken out when they moved into the rental, which I figured had to be for their household goods before they could transfer them to their new home. Nothing extravagant. No wild hobbies. Pete played squash. Carrie liked horseback riding. No arrest records or poor credit markers. They seemed like two regular people.

So how had a body gotten onto their property?

Had they really been so unlucky to simply discover it?

I had to wonder if someone had decided to play a cruel trick on them but it seemed unlikely. Their social media was minimal and non-confrontational. Their relationships with friends and family weren’t showing any glaring red flags. Their finances showed no signs of stress.

No, the incident had to pre-date them.

They were just the unfortunate finders of a decades-old secret.

I had to give them peace of mind, just like they asked, but they also wanted answers. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any to give.

Before I headed out, I called Garrett.

“I don’t have anything for you,” he said, “but if you want my thoughts on whether the Dugans did it, I’m still leaning no. I ran a couple of checks and nothing.”

“Same here. Everything they’ve told me so far is verifiable. They didn’t own the property until three months ago and haven’t even lived in it during that time. It doesn’t look like Carrie moved to town until eight years ago, which rules her out as a youthful murderer.”

“The ME is saying the body was definitely there before that. I’m not wasting any more time on the Dugans’ histories. No hits on missing jewel merchants that fit the profile either. I’m looking at prior homeowners and hoping there weren’t any gaps in residencies.”

“Gaps mean anyone could have access,” I guessed.

“Bingo, and then the case goes from cold to icy.”

“Did you speak to the neighbors last night?”

“Some. Mostly for reassurance that they don’t have any need to worry. I’ll circle back around to them soon when I have a little more info.”

“Mom can probably fill us in on the details. I’m thinking of heading over there. She texted me and suggested lunch.”

“Now?” asked Garrett.

“Yes. It’s lunch time.” Right on cue, my stomach rumbled.

“I’ll join you.”

“Cool.”

“Hey, Maddox just called me before you. He was asking some weird questions.”

“Oh?” I frowned.

“Apparently, he heard about the jewels on our body. Did you tell him?”

“No, but he has plenty of contacts in MPD,” I reminded him. “He was a detective long enough.”

“Yeah, I guess. I’ve been trying to avoid news of the jewels getting out just yet until we figure out exactly where they came from and who might be looking for them. The last thing we need are fortune hunters turning up at the front desk trying to make a claim.”

“I don’t think Maddox will tell anyone. What was weird about his questions?”

“Nothing about the questions particularly. More about how he was asking them. Like he was really interested but didn’t want to appear that way. He was less interested when I said the body was a man and how long it had been there. Anyway he says he’s going to Germany soon so he’ll be out of my hair.”

“Germany?”

“I didn’t ask. I assumed it was work-related.”

“Good to know. Okay, see you at Mom and Dad’s soon?”

“See you there,” Garrett agreed and disconnected.