they'd started. "Nothing," both agreed.
"There has to be someplace we haven't touched, some combination," Joe said. He pounded the wall with his fist in frustration.
"That's a fairly astute assumption, boys," a voice behind them said.
"What — you — " Joe and Frank swung around as one. They had been too intent on the wall to realize they were being watched.
"What a nice surprise to find you here, Joe." The tall man, looking weary and dressed in very rumpled clothing, leaned casually on a green Chevy — one of the only cars in the garage.
His smile was casual, almost gentle.
But the 9mm Beretta in his hand was all business.
Chapter 15
"You boys are in good company," the tall man continued. "I couldn't find the combination to get inside, either. My real hope was that one of Cutter's men would come down and show it to me." , "What do you mean? You left us there in that police station," said Joe. "What did you tell them, anyway?"
"I asked them to stall you for as long as possible, thinking that if Cutter's men thought you'd reported them to the police, they'd give up on you—for then. I showed my credentials to the officer and explained the situation. It didn't work, though. By the time I got a ride from one of the officers back to my car and returned, I saw Cutter's thugs follow you out of town."
"If you're so all-seeing, Mr. Wise Guy, I guess you saw them tie me up and leave with Annie."
"I didn't know you weren't in their car. I just saw the car pull off the road and then return. I assumed you were in the car with Annie. I followed them back to the city, but unfortunately I lost them in traffic on the way back. By the time I got here, they'd done their disappearing act."
Joe started to lunge for the man, but Frank stopped him. "Settle down, Joe. We don't have time to fight with someone who might be on the same side we are. Why don't you put your gun away, whoever you are. Admit it—you haven't gotten any further than we have. At least we've been inside this place."
"True. And you did leave in one piece. Luck, maybe."
"Who are you?" Joe was willing to talk only if he knew who he was talking to. "You showed the police something convincing. Why don't you try your credentials out on us?"
The tall man slipped his gun into a shoulder holster inside his suit jacket. Then he held out his hand. "Brookshier. Selden Brookshier. CSO."
Frank shook hands, but Joe ignored the man's friendly gesture. "CSO?" Frank asked.
"Central Selling Organization—out of London. Diamonds. That last shipment was ours, and we frown on people killing our couriers and helping themselves to our property. This sight never arrived."
"Sight?" Frank questioned. "I thought we were looking for diamonds."
"A sight is a package of rough diamonds purchased by one of our clients, usually a dealer or a diamond cutter," Selden Brookshier explained. "The value of a parcel averages about a million dollars. This one happened to be worth three times that."
"Do the Bayport police know you're here?" Frank asked. "Are you working with them?" That must have been how Brookshier walked into Phil's room. He'd stopped at the police station and picked up a key.
"Yes, but as you've seen, I try to keep a very low profile. The fewer people who know who I - am, the better. We don't like any publicity about our shipments. The more people who know about them, the more likely we are to become targets for thieves. We suspect someone on the inside told Phil Sidler—who at the time worked for Cutter—of this delivery. A woman who worked for the dealer."
"Annie?" Frank said.
"Exactly. She handled the correspondence and plane tickets. She knew her employer had viewed the stones, sent the check for them to London, and was expecting them. She wouldn't know the exact delivery time, since we don't say, but all that took on her part was a little patience."
"You're guessing." Joe didn't want to hear that Annie was involved in the robbery. "Do you have any evidence that
"There has to be someplace we haven't touched, some combination," Joe said. He pounded the wall with his fist in frustration.
"That's a fairly astute assumption, boys," a voice behind them said.
"What — you — " Joe and Frank swung around as one. They had been too intent on the wall to realize they were being watched.
"What a nice surprise to find you here, Joe." The tall man, looking weary and dressed in very rumpled clothing, leaned casually on a green Chevy — one of the only cars in the garage.
His smile was casual, almost gentle.
But the 9mm Beretta in his hand was all business.
Chapter 15
"You boys are in good company," the tall man continued. "I couldn't find the combination to get inside, either. My real hope was that one of Cutter's men would come down and show it to me." , "What do you mean? You left us there in that police station," said Joe. "What did you tell them, anyway?"
"I asked them to stall you for as long as possible, thinking that if Cutter's men thought you'd reported them to the police, they'd give up on you—for then. I showed my credentials to the officer and explained the situation. It didn't work, though. By the time I got a ride from one of the officers back to my car and returned, I saw Cutter's thugs follow you out of town."
"If you're so all-seeing, Mr. Wise Guy, I guess you saw them tie me up and leave with Annie."
"I didn't know you weren't in their car. I just saw the car pull off the road and then return. I assumed you were in the car with Annie. I followed them back to the city, but unfortunately I lost them in traffic on the way back. By the time I got here, they'd done their disappearing act."
Joe started to lunge for the man, but Frank stopped him. "Settle down, Joe. We don't have time to fight with someone who might be on the same side we are. Why don't you put your gun away, whoever you are. Admit it—you haven't gotten any further than we have. At least we've been inside this place."
"True. And you did leave in one piece. Luck, maybe."
"Who are you?" Joe was willing to talk only if he knew who he was talking to. "You showed the police something convincing. Why don't you try your credentials out on us?"
The tall man slipped his gun into a shoulder holster inside his suit jacket. Then he held out his hand. "Brookshier. Selden Brookshier. CSO."
Frank shook hands, but Joe ignored the man's friendly gesture. "CSO?" Frank asked.
"Central Selling Organization—out of London. Diamonds. That last shipment was ours, and we frown on people killing our couriers and helping themselves to our property. This sight never arrived."
"Sight?" Frank questioned. "I thought we were looking for diamonds."
"A sight is a package of rough diamonds purchased by one of our clients, usually a dealer or a diamond cutter," Selden Brookshier explained. "The value of a parcel averages about a million dollars. This one happened to be worth three times that."
"Do the Bayport police know you're here?" Frank asked. "Are you working with them?" That must have been how Brookshier walked into Phil's room. He'd stopped at the police station and picked up a key.
"Yes, but as you've seen, I try to keep a very low profile. The fewer people who know who I - am, the better. We don't like any publicity about our shipments. The more people who know about them, the more likely we are to become targets for thieves. We suspect someone on the inside told Phil Sidler—who at the time worked for Cutter—of this delivery. A woman who worked for the dealer."
"Annie?" Frank said.
"Exactly. She handled the correspondence and plane tickets. She knew her employer had viewed the stones, sent the check for them to London, and was expecting them. She wouldn't know the exact delivery time, since we don't say, but all that took on her part was a little patience."
"You're guessing." Joe didn't want to hear that Annie was involved in the robbery. "Do you have any evidence that
Similar Books
