At three a.m., a rumpled Morris Moskowitz and his bedraggled daughter, Minnie, pulled their rolling cases behind them as they made their way to Customs at the Hong Kong International Airport. The counterfeit passports and the sample cases—with “Phony Baloney Jewelry Company” business cards attached—passed muster with the sleepy-eyed customs agent. As they walked toward the exit to get a taxi, they spotted a uniformed chauffeur holding a sign that read “Guests of Topaz Moon”.
“Look, Dad. Mother sent the limo to pick us up. Guess we won’t need a taxi after all.”
Dexter approached the driver. “I believe we are the passengers you’re waiting for.”
The chauffeur eyed the frumpy travelers with an air of doubt. “If you are Mr. Moskowitz, I welcome you to Hong Kong, Sir. And this, I presume, is your daughter?”
Dexter cradled his carry-on sample case as the driver reached for the handles of both rolling bags and started for the exit.
Outside, a stunningly beautiful Chinese woman of indeterminate age, stood beside the black limousine parked along the curb. She wore a well-tailored black silk pantsuit, her raven hair was pulled into a sleek chignon at the nape of her neck and brilliant carved jade earrings framed her flawless face. Topaz Moon shifted from one foot to the other as she scanned passengers exiting the terminal. When she saw the two scruffy-looking passengers following her chauffeur, her face broke into a luminous smile. She threw out her arms and drew each of them into a loving embrace.
“My darlings. It’s been far too long, but now we’re together again. Let me look at you.”
She walked around Dexter first. She reached for the horn-rim glasses. “Ahhh, Morrie, let’s take these dreadful spectacles off. That’s better.” She looked him up and down. “California must have agreed with you. I like the tan, but the moustache has to go.”
Dexter winked and peeled off the fake mustache. “Is that better?”
Much better, my dear, and when we get you into some decent clothes, you’ll still be the dashing fellow I loved so long ago.”
She turned her attention to Jade and appraised her daughter’s outfit. “And, Minnie, my beautiful daughter, you look a fright! This getup is really hilarious, so frumpy.” She fingered the curly brown wig. “I can’t wait to throw away these rags. I have a closet full of designer clothes that I bought in London and Paris just waiting for you.”
Dexter laughed. “Well, Topaz, my dear, you can thank these rag-tag costumes for getting us out of the States without a hitch.” He took her delicate hand, adorned with a blood red ruby ring, and gazed into her eyes. “You haven’t changed a bit, my precious love. The years have made you even more beautiful.”
The chauffeur opened the rear door of the limo, then put their bags in the trunk.
When they were all settled, Topaz said, “I’m curious. How did you get the King’s Curse past Customs?”
Jade smiled while patting the cheap-looking bauble pinned to her baggy sweater and said, “Here it is, Mother. Gorgeous, isn’t it?”
“How ingenious of you. Who would ever suspect that trashy looking thing is worth a fortune? I taught you well, my daughter. When we get back to the house you two can rest awhile and I will remove that paint and those awful rhinestones. We can deliver it to our buyer early this morning. “
They drove through the nearly deserted pre-dawn streets, then up a winding road to the very exclusive neighborhood of Victoria Peak. The chauffeur clicked open the gate and parked in front of Topaz Moon’s large white villa.
***
It didn’t take long for the weary travelers to clean up, change into more appropriate outfits, and relax with cups of Jasmine tea. It took Topaz only an hour to transform the ugly brooch back to its original glory. She now held it out for the two of them to see. “It’s really quite spectacular, my dears. I congratulate you on pulling off the heist of a lifetime. And now, we must get this cursed thing into the hands of our buyer.”
Reaching into the pocket of her black silk jacket, Topaz pulled out her cell phone and dialed. A moment later she spoke into the phone. “Ahhh, my dear Emir. I apologize if I woke you but I have good news. Royalty has landed. We will see you in approximately one hour and fifteen minutes at your hotel.”
She turned to Dexter and poured more tea. “Now, my dearest, I rejoice that we will finally be together after all these years.”
His eyes flashed, a long forgotten anger swept across his face and then softened to a wistful smile. “If only your father had allowed us to be together, particularly when you told him you were pregnant. But then, I guess I can’t blame him. He accused me of bringing disgrace to your family.”
“Yes, after you left, my family made up a story about the heroic death of my daughter’s father. It was necessary to save face, because no self-respecting Chinese billionaire wants his daughter to marry a notorious Jewish jewel thief.”
“Did you know your father threatened to turn me over to the police if I didn’t leave Hong Kong within forty-eight hours? It turns out building that a new identity in the States was easier than I thought. The only hard part was losing you, my beautiful Topaz.”
Topaz smiled at her old lover with deep affection. “Ahhh so. He was a hard man, my father. If he had any idea that I was your accomplice in crime, he would have cut me off without a cent. Now that he is gone I have inherited everything, including you, my love. The money we reap from the King’s Curse is a delightful bonus. We’ll never have to pull another job again, unless it’s just for fun.”
Jade looked at both her parents and puffed with pride. “You must have been a wonderful cat burglar, Mother. And Grandfather never suspected that you taught me all your tricks. Do you remember, Mother, that by the time I was ten, I was able to steal Auntie Peach Blossom’s jeweled hat pin? She never suspected.”
“Ahhh, it is so, my little Minnie. But putting it back was even trickier.”
“Just a minute,” Jade said. “Minnie was a name I shed when I left Hong Kong. After that, I only used it as an alias for that dreadful little shop in San Francisco’s Chinatown where I sold my low-end swag. I’ve become accustomed to the Chinese name that Grandfather gave me, so I think I’ll stick to Jade, okay?”
“So be it, my jewel. It was my mother’s name, you know.” Topaz turned to Dexter. “And you, Morris, do you like your American alias better? Interpol will be looking for Dexter Diamond and the Hong Kong police might still have Morris Moskowitz on their hit list. So perhaps we should invent a new name for you. I’ll have my most worthy associate draw up your new papers and passport. What name would you like?”
He scratched his head, then drummed his fingers on the table. “Hmmm...I think I’ve got it! I propose borrowing the name of a long dead magician, Harry Silver. Even though he was quite famous in the States, it’s a common enough name and dovetails nicely with my disappearing acts, don’t you think?”
***
The three conspirators carefully nestled the Black King’s Curse in an elaborate velvet case and Topaz called for the limo. The chauffeur made his way through the bustling early morning traffic and stopped in front of the entrance to the elegant Hullett House Hotel, one of the oldest buildings in the heart of Hong Kong.
“You two must stay here, it is best if I deal with the buyer directly,” said Topaz Moon. “I do not want the faces of my loved ones to be seen in connection with this transaction. One never knows. If this is a trap, I can always say that this brooch was in my father’s collection.”
Accompanied by her tall, muscular chauffeur acting as bodyguard, the elegant Chinese dowager approached the concierge. “Would you be so kind as to ring up to the Stanley Suite and tell Emir Salman that his visitor is here?”
Moments later they entered a living room with soft green walls, birdcages and a delicately hand-painted mural of bamboo and birds that was almost reminiscent of an English countryside.
Their client, a small Middle Eastern man with a rotund belly, a ready smile and a few strands of hair arranged across his bald pate, greeted the beautiful woman with a deep bow and the flourish of a salaam. He did not acknowledge the chauffeur who stood against the wall in the obvious pose of a servant. Sweeping the room with a pudgy hand, he said in heavily accented English, “Welcome, Madam. Do you like this decor? I’m told the birdcages reflect the old Hong Kong teahouse culture, and the birds represent twenty-six species native to Southern China and Hong Kong. I find it very relaxing. Now, may I see the treasure?”
Topaz sat on a sofa and opened her silk brocade handbag, delicately embroidered with red peonies. She removed the black velvet box with a flourish, and opened the cover in one dramatic motion.
The little man let out a gasp of delight. “At last I can return the crown jewel that once adorned my great grandfather’s turban to its rightful home. The photographs do not do it justice.”
Using a jewelers loupe he inspected every aspect of the brooch. “It is perfect.”
He walked over to an open laptop computer sitting on a desk. “Come, Madam, I will now transfer the money into your accounts as you directed. You may observe me so that you can be sure I have not withheld even one dinar.”
He tapped some keys and Topaz watched as an impressive amount of money made its way from one bank to another in cities all over the globe until finally arriving at the designated numbered Swiss bank account. The man flashed a toothy smile as he gently closed the laptop. “And that, Madam, concludes our business. May I show you and your manservant to the door?”
Topaz bowed and handed him the velvet box, he offered her another salaam and she left her client to admire his purchase.
Upon returning to the limo, Topaz slid into her seat and faced her partners in crime. “That went quite well. These kind of men always seem to be most pleased when acquiring forbidden fruit. I watched him transfer the money and we can now wash our hands of that caper. The servants will have tea and dim sum waiting for us and then you can relax and sleep off your jet lag.”
As they crawled through the busy Hong Kong streets on their way to Topaz’s villa, Jade leaned back against her seat and said to her father, “I am so glad that’s over. I was really getting nervous when your girlfriend’s assistant followed me. It could have gone wrong at so many points. I don’t want to sound soft, but I do hope they found the little snoop. I really don’t want murder on my conscience.”
“Girlfriend?” Topaz directed her question to Dexter. “What is this about a girlfriend? Now that my father has moved on to his next life, I thought we were finally going to get married and be a family.”
He put one arm around Topaz and one around Jade. “We are. It was a sticky situation. Despite all of our careful planning, the brooch got into the wrong hands and, um, certain measures had to be taken to get it back. I’ll give you the whole story later.”
“But the girlfriend? What is her name? Was it a serious attachment?”
“Not to worry, my love. Godiva was very rich—not as rich as you, of course—and she unknowingly provided me with several marketable baubles.”
“Was she beautiful?”
“Not nearly as beautiful as you, my jewel. In fact she was on the chubby side and quite ordinary looking.”
“So it was just another one of your schemes?”
“Yes. And it worked out quite well.”
***
The next morning, the reunited family sat on brightly upholstered wicker chairs in the conservatory, surrounded by sweet smelling flowers. As they sipped tea and ate a tasty breakfast, a servant brought the South China Morning Post on a silver tray. Topaz Moon opened the paper and stared in amazement at the front page headline: Bahraini Billionaire Dies in Fiery Plane Crash. Beneath it was a picture of the smiling client she had met the day before and a story describing how the private jet of Emir Salman had plunged into the Arabian Sea en route to his home in Bahrain after a short visit to Hong Kong. The cause was unknown. The pilot’s last communication indicated engine trouble and then nothing. All on board were killed.
Clearly shaken, Jade dropped her porcelain teacup and it shattered on the tiled floor. “Now I know the curse was real,” she cried. “Everyone who touched that brooch had bad luck. Thank God we got rid of it. Do you suppose the curse will follow us anyway?”