Christmas Male(66)

So far their trip down Amanda’s memory lane had yielded nothing concrete. They’d stopped briefly in the sculpture garden, but there’d been no flashes of remembrance. Little wonder, Fiona thought. Amanda’s mind wouldn’t have been on the art when she’d dashed in there with the Rubinov. Her fight or flight instinct must have blocked everything else out.

“Why can’t I remember?”

“You will when you’re ready,” Fiona said, feeling a bit helpless.

Amanda’s knuckles had gone white where they gripped the arms of the wheelchair, her body was rigid. Fiona’s heart went out to her, and she squatted down by the private’s side. “The Rubinov diamond has a rich history and legend behind it. Do you remember any of it?”

Amanda met her eyes. “No. What is the legend about?”

“The diamond brings lovers together.” As Fiona told the story, she found her glance straying more than once to D.C. At one point his eyes had met hers, and an image slipped into her mind—that night in the sculpture garden when for a moment, they’d both been touching the Rubinov. Was that when it had happened? Was that when she’d fallen in love with him? Or had it been even earlier, when she’d first seen him across the display case?

Fear rippled through her, but this time she didn’t shove it away. She was going to learn to deal with it. Just as she was going to learn to deal with loving D.C.

“Do you believe in the legend?” Amanda asked.

Just then, D.C. smiled at her and raised his cane to give her a mock salute. Fiona felt the feelings inside of her settle. “Yes. Yes, I do.” And she realized what she wanted to do about it.

As D.C. and the guard disappeared into the exhibition room, she rose. They were going to make sure the room was empty, and then one of them would step into the hall and signal Fiona and Amanda forward.

The elevator doors across from them slid open, and people poured out. A husky female voice said, “Under control. Just a few more minutes.”

She recognized the voice instantly, but Fiona’s attention was distracted by the fact that Amanda’s nails were suddenly digging into her arm. Leaning down, she saw something flicker over the young woman’s face. Fear?

“That’s her.” Amanda’s voice was barely audible. Fiona squatted down again.

“That’s one of the voices I heard.” She was breathing hard and the words poured out in a whispered rush. “I was in the café and they were seated behind me in a booth.” Amanda pressed her free hand against her stomach. “It’s coming back so fast…I…”

“Take your time,” Fiona said.

“Earlier, I’d seen Billy. He was wearing a Santa hat and a scarf like mine. Then I lost him in the crowd, and I ended up in the café. I got some tea.”

Fiona caught a glimpse of the two women now. They’d stopped outside the exhibition room. She had no trouble recognizing Charity Watkins and Regina Meyers. The voice Amanda had recognized belonged to one of them.

“She was talking about Billy and what a genius with electronics he was. He was the perfect choice to steal the Rubinov.” Amanda spoke quickly. “She said that he’d come by his talent naturally, that his grandfather could be proud of him.”

“Did you hear what the other woman said?”

“She kept her voice low. I only caught phrases—should have kept it in the family…mistake to involve outsiders. Something about Kathryn always wanting to keep her hands clean. The other woman said that there was nothing to worry about. Once they had the diamond, Billy would be eliminated. He would make the perfect fall guy when the theft was eventually discovered.”

Ahead of her, Fiona saw the two women enter the room and she frowned. They were early. She debated following them, but she didn’t want to interrupt what Amanda was remembering.



THE RUBINOV DIAMOND seemed to pulse with life as D.C. reached the display case. “It’s a damn shame that it’s going back into someone’s vault,” he murmured.

“I’ll second that,” Bobby said. “But perhaps it’s done its work for a while. I understand that the number of June weddings booked in Washington and the outlying areas has broken all past records. And who knows how many tourists it’s affected?”

Slipping his hand into his pocket, D.C. touched the small package his mother had given him earlier in the police station. He’d told her what he wanted, and she’d gotten it for him. As his fingers closed around it, he saw the diamond burn more fiercely. A mix of certainty and fear moved through him. The Rubinov had done its work, as far as he was concerned. But he still had to convince Fiona of that.