Author Anon

“Are you sure it’s safe here?” asks Shikes.

“There’s no one around except some homeless people,” says Buster. “They mind their own business.”

“Some of them do become informants,” says Shikes. “Make sure all the windows are closed.”

“It’s the best we can do around here,” says Carl. “We’re not exactly in the best neighborhood, you know.”

“They can’t see anything,” says Buster. “Especially, the exchange.”

“Fine,” says Shikes. “But I need to see the goods first.”

“I think you’ll be very happy,” says Carl, producing the gem.

“What’s that?” asks Shikes.

“Wait and see,” says Carl. He picks up a sledgehammer and shatters the gem.

“Is this some kind of joke?” asks Shikes.

Buster stares at Carl. “Where is it?”

Astonished, Carl stammers. “It-it-it’s gone! It can’t be! It was sealed in.”

“That girl!” cries Buster. “She must have taken it!”

“What are you talking about?” asks Shikes.

“She couldn’t have,” says Carl. “She didn’t know what it was.”

“Either she’s taken it or you’re holding out on us,” says Buster.

Shaken, Carl gulps. “If she’s got it, she’s going to pay for this.”

“Whatever this is about, you’d better get it sorted out,” says Shikes. “The deal’s off for now.”

“Wait,” says Buster. “Give us forty-eight hours.”

“I’ll be back in forty-eight hours.”

In the alley outside the window, Gavin leans casually against the building, trying to fade into the background.

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“You sure were right about Ashley,” says Nicholas. “She’s like a barracuda.”

“How did you get away?” asks Belle.

“I realized that if I told her I was meeting you, she’d follow. So I told her I was going to meet up with Gavin.”

Belle laughs. “Good work. She wouldn’t want to be chasing you in front of Gavin.”

“I thought you said I could get away easier if you called instead of Gavin.”

Belle smiles. “I did. If Gavin called and you went running, Ashley would want to know what was up. If I called and we talked a bit and you decided to see Gavin, she wouldn’t connect me with Gavin. Besides, if Gavin called you, would you have come for me?”

Nicholas gives her a sly look. “I’m beginning to think you planned this whole thing.”

Belle shrugs. “The important thing is to get to New York in time. He could be in trouble. The more help, the better.”

Arriving in Carl’s neighborhood, Nicholas parks several blocks away. “It’s best to walk the rest of the way.”

“We look pretty conspicuous,” says Belle.

“Pretend to be lost.”

After going a block, they hear a whistle and turn to the sound. A figure detaches itself from the shadows and approaches them.

“Thank God you’re here,” says Gavin. “Let’s go.”

“You stink,” says Belle.

“If you don’t like the way I smell, it’s your own damn fault for coming along. You should try sleeping outdoors on a winter’s night amongst the garbage of a rundown neighborhood. Then let the snow fall on you until you’re soaked from head to foot. Take me to a decent hotel room where I can have a hot bath.”

“Makes you appreciate everything you have, doesn’t it?” asks Belle. “I’ve tried it once. Not in the middle of winter, of course.”

The guys stare at her. “And your parents let you do it?” asks Nicholas.

“They didn’t know. You should try it some time, Nicholas. It would be good for a special interest story.”

Gavin shakes his head. “I’m too tired to try and figure her out.”

“This looks like a decent hotel,” says Nicholas. “Far enough out of downtown, too.”

“Wait here,” says Belle. “They might not let you in, in your condition.”

Gavin grudgingly agrees. “She’s so irritatingly reasonable at times.”

Nicholas laughs. “Well, you need your bath. Then we’ll have a long talk.”

Belle comes out and leads them in. “All right. Have your bath while I get your clothes cleaned.”

The guys look at each other. “Practical, too,” says Nicholas, repressing a chuckle.

“Believe me, you guys would be lost without a real woman,” says Belle.

——————————————————————————————–

“So, bring us up to date,” says Belle, as the three are eating lunch.

“While you two were enjoying yourselves, I followed Carl to New York. My phone was dead, so I couldn’t call you. This morning they met with a man called ‘Shikes’. Apparently, he was to pay them for the jewels, but when Carl broke open the gem, it was empty. So now, he’s after you.”

“So, there was no secret opening on the gem,” says Belle.

“As I understand it, there was a cache of jewels inside a box, and Carl hid it inside this pink glass that was molded completely around it.”

“Clever,” says Nicholas. “Did you find out what happens to the jewels or where it goes from there.”

“No.”

“How does the arms deal revolve around this?” asks Belle.

“I don’t know.”

“I thought you said they were connected,” says Belle.

“I don’t have all the answers.”

“Then how do you know there’s a connection?”

“Why are you badgering me?”

“Belle thinks you may be in cahoots with Carl and are just leading us into a trap,” volunteers Nicholas.

“Nicholas! Now I believe you may be in it, too.”

“Where did you get such a harebrained idea as that?” asks Gavin.

Belle shrugs. “Agents have been known to betray the cause.”

“You have a very vivid imagination,” says Gavin. “You must read a lot of detective and spy fiction.”

“You must admit that there are grounds for suspicion. Nicholas suspected you at first when you took him to New York. You seemed to know a lot about Carl and his movements, yet you weren’t even around when he was in Brighton. You make connections between stolen jewelry, drugs and arms, yet you can’t justify those connections. An agent is usually sent out with limited information. You knew I had the jewels before Carl even approached me.”

“Will you hang me for circumstantial evidence? All of those suspicions can be blown away with simple explanations. But you might not even believe them, so I won’t even go into that. If you suspected me, or at least, distrusted me, why did you give me the jewels? That wasn’t very smart.”

Belle smirks while her eyes sparkle. Gavin jumps up. “You didn’t! You still have the jewels!”

“You’re quick,” says Belle. “I’ll give you that.”

“The problem with you is that you don’t give me credit for anything.”

“All right,” says Nicholas. “Let’s calm down. If we’re going to work as a team, we need to cooperate. And as much as you two might not like it, it looks as though we have to be a team. We need a plan.”

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Filed under: All That Glitters