The twins sat in the family room, facing each other in the plush leather easy chairs that filled the sunny bay window. They were just about to sort through everything they had discovered when the phone rang. Godiva snatched it up and heard, “Hey there, Beautiful, it’s Dexter. I’m at the front gate. Can you buzz me in? I want to apologize for last night.”
She put her hand over the receiver and whispered to Goldie, “It’s Dexter. He wants to come in. I’m not sure I should give in so easily. What do you think?”
“Oh, go ahead. What have you got to lose?”
Godiva punched in the code and a few minutes later Guadalupe showed him into the family room. The housekeeper offered him coffee, but Godiva said in an icy tone, “Don’t bother, Lupe, Mr. Diamond won’t be staying long.”
Then, as Dexter walked toward her, she added, “Well, look who’s here bright and early. Thanks for taking off like a bat out of hell last night and sticking me with the check. I really appreciated that, you know.” Her voice dripped sarcasm. “Why I was so upset, I could barely finish my dessert. So, what do you want?”
Dexter looked around the sunlit family room as if seeking a place to hide. He quickly regained his suave attitude, and said, “I am so sorry to have left you like that, Godiva. You know, when dealing with international high rollers, closing a very profitable sale sometimes hinges on quick action. The client was about to board a jet to Europe and I had to catch him on the fly—so to speak. As it turns out, I’ll have to go to Vienna in a couple of days to bring him a few other items. Before I leave I want to make up for my thoughtlessness by doing something for you.”
“Go on, Mr. Big Shot, I’m all ears.”
“Well, I got to thinking about that spectacular necklace you were wearing last night and I wondered if you’ve had it appraised recently. Most of my clients have woefully low values on their insurance policies because prices have really shot up in the last few years.”
Godiva was caught off guard. He had hit one of her vulnerable spots—money— and it showed in her expression. “Hmm, I never thought about it. I guess it’s been at least ten years since I had any of my jewelry appraised. That necklace was valued at about sixty thousand dollars.”
“In today’s market, my dear, it might be worth as much as a hundred thousand.”
“Really? I have a few other odds and ends that have been sitting in the safe for several years. They must have gone up, too.”
Dexter flashed a professional smile, his teeth gleaming in the sunlight filtering through the window. “Look, I was just on my way over to my shop and I’d be happy to take your pieces there to have them reappraised. Let me at least do that for you. Maybe this little favor will put me back in your good graces.”
“What a good idea. That’s very thoughtful of you, Dex. I might forgive you after all.”
“Ah, that’s better. I was afraid you wouldn’t talk me. Why don’t you bring me the items you want to get appraised?”
Godiva got up to leave the room and turned to her sister, “I’ll be back in a few minutes, Goldie. Why don’t you keep Dexter company while I dig out a few items? Ring for Lupe and have her bring coffee and some of Martina’s cranberry swirl cake.”
She walked down the long hallway and turned into the spacious library that had become the office for her Ask G.O.D. column. Angel was tackling a blue plastic basketful of letters from heart-broken lovers, recalcitrant daughters, confused grandfathers, and certifiable nutcases. “Hey, Boss. How’s it going with Dexter? Are you still mad at him?”
“Actually, he came to apologize for being such a boor. He’s going to do me a favor and get some of my jewelry appraised. Why don’t you go to the kitchen and grab a cup of tea while I dig into my safe?”
Angel hustled away and Godiva locked the door. She walked over to the mahogany bookshelves lining the side wall, reached for a large bible on one of the upper shelves and the bookshelf swung open revealing a hidden room. She smiled and muttered to herself, “Poor old Max, it’s the only time you ever reached for a bible.”
The little room was filled with valuable paintings, jewel boxes and a fireproof file cabinet. She approached the cabinet, pulled out one drawer and removed the velvet-lined box that held the necklace she had worn the night before. As she turned it over in her hands, the diamonds sparkled in the overhead light. It had never occurred to her to have some of her jewelry reappraised, but Dexter was right. In case of loss she needed to have the current values.
She opened a few other drawers and selected another necklace, three bracelets, two pairs of earrings and a magnificent emerald and diamond ring. She gathered up all of the velvet jewel boxes, backed out of the safe room and returned the bookshelf to its original position.
While Goldie ordered coffee and cake to be brought to the family room, Dexter took out a cell phone and called his jewelry store. He left a message for the manager, Roxy Rhinestone, that he would be a little late and left the phone on the side table in case she called back.
Godiva returned with the jewelry boxes and sat next to him on the sofa. She opened a long box and revealed the diamond and sapphire necklace. “Okay, here’s the necklace from last night.” Then she opened the other boxes one-by-one to show him the contents.
Goldie sat across from them and when she saw the emerald ring, she let out a low whistle. “Woo, Sis, that one’s a real beauty!”
“Yes, Max gave it to me on our fifth anniversary to thank me for putting up with him.”
Dexter took Godiva’s hand in his and gave it a little squeeze. “Well, he was a very lucky man.” He flashed an engaging smile and said, “Now Dear, normally I would give a client a receipt for these things, but in this case, well, you know where to find me.”
Goldie looked at her sister’s collection of diamonds and gems laid out on the coffee table. She knitted her brow and said, “You know, Dexter, a receipt would be a very good idea. Just in case something unexpected happens.”
He glared at her, then looked at Godiva and said in a flat voice, “Well, do you actually need a receipt from me?”
She hesitated, thought about what she was giving him, then considered her sister’s practical advice. “Goldie’s right, Dex. What if you were in an accident on the way to your store? What if the shop was robbed while you had them there for appraisal? What proof would I have that I gave you these valuable pieces?”
Goldie tore a sheet from her yellow pad and handed it to Dexter. “It doesn’t have to be formal. Just write down a description of each of the pieces, date it and sign it.”
He grudgingly took his Mont Blanc pen from his pocket and wrote For Appraisal. Then he added the date, description of the jewelry, name and address of his store and signed his name at the bottom of the page. “There,” he said, “that should be sufficient. It’s getting late, I must be on my way.”
He took a last sip of coffee, gathered up the boxes, gave Godiva a peck on the cheek, and left.
***
When the coast was clear, Goldie said, “I can’t believe you were just going to give all of that jewelry to him without anything to show for it. What were you thinking?”
Godiva scoffed, “Oh, Goldie, you’re too suspicious. Dexter wouldn’t do anything underhanded. I know you don’t like him, but don’t let your imagination run away with you. Let’s get back to what we were doing.”
They spent the next hour reviewing the information they had gotten from their inquiries. Goldie said, “I think it’s smart not to share any of this with Agent Del Toro. After all, he isn’t telling us everything he knows, so why should we take the chance that he might clip our wings?”
“I wonder if Angel found anything on Ketchem’s background yet. He was so indignant when I asked if he was ever tempted to just run off with the items he recovered. I wonder if his outrage was genuine, or just a cover-up.”
Goldie put her notepad down and said, “Hey look, there’s two pieces of cake left. Let’s not let them go to waste.”