Suddenly a bit restless, D.C. circled the display case. It was a few minutes short of 5:00 p.m. Chance had gone over the timetable with him when he’d called to let them know he and Natalie were on the way to the hospital. Once the halls were cleared, D.C. was to step out and signal Fiona to bring Amanda in. After she’d had time with the diamond, he’d call in the security from the insurance company and they’d escort Charity Watkins and Regina Meyers into the exhibition room.
But would Amanda remember anything? And if she did, would it be enough?
D.C.’s phone rang. One glance told him it was Jase. “What have you got?”
“The jackpot, thanks to Franks identifying Kate McGowan. Her other alias is Kate Lewen.”
“The mother of Kathryn and Charity?”
“Correct. Kate McGowan was the name she used professionally as a jewelry designer. Lewen was her birth name. However, there’s no record of either of those names being used for the last ten years.”
“She used Kate McGowan with Arthur Franks,” D.C. said.
“I don’t doubt she did. But she used Dr. Regina Meyers when she went to work with Gregory Shalnokov. And she had a fully documented identity to go with the new name. I believe Kate may be as good at creating new identities as she is at creating copies of legendary jewelry. One of my men is working on that as we speak. One other thing you might find interesting. One of my men interviewed Kate’s sister. She claims that Kate Lewen had very little contact with her daughters until ten years ago. But from that time on, she became very involved in each and every decision they made.”
D.C. was pocketing his phone when Regina Meyers and Charity Watkins walked into the room. They were early, and he felt the premonition of danger almost as keenly as he’d felt it that night in the sculpture garden.
Meyers reached him first. “I’m Dr. Regina Meyers and I’m here to oversee the transfer of the Rubinov and return it to its owner.”
He had a split second to decide how to play it. Taking out his cell phone, he said, “You’re a bit early. I’ll just contact the security detail.”
She drew a gun out of her purse. “No need. They’re a bit incapacitated at the moment.” She jerked her head in the direction of the guard. “Tell him not to be a hero.”
“Don’t be a hero, Bobby,” D.C. said.
“Charity?” There was a note of impatience in Regina’s voice.
Out of the corner of his eye, D.C. saw the blonde director punch a button on an electronic device and the lights in and around the display case suddenly blinked out. Keeping his gaze steady on Regina, D.C. pressed one number into his phone as he returned it to his pocket.
“Is that how you jammed the security systems and the cameras the other day when you tried to steal it?” D.C. asked.
Regina shrugged. “Why mess with success? It worked. Charity, get the necklace.”
The blonde director started to play a small recorder and he heard the lock on the display case click. He had to stall them until Fiona picked up her cell. “Why are you taking this kind of risk? In half an hour, the diamond will be on its way back to your boss.”
Something akin to hatred flashed into Regina’s eyes. “I can’t allow that. Once he gets it back, I may never see it again. And it’s mine. I knew it the first time I held it in my hands.”
“When was that?” D.C. asked.
“Ten years ago. Shalnokov contacted me because he wanted a copy made. I thought I could steal it then, but he never left me alone with it. He knew how I felt about it, how attached I was, so he offered me a job. I thought that living in the same house with it might be enough. But it’s not. It only makes it worse. Knowing it’s there and not having it. Not being able to see it, to hold it.”
Her voice was growing more shrill as she spoke. “Once Shalnokov gets his hands on it again, he’ll bury it in that safe. And I’ll be trapped again.”
From the look in Regina’s eyes, Shalnokov wasn’t the only one obsessed with the diamond, D.C. noted. And there was a rapt expression on Charity’s face as she opened the display case. D.C. recalled the legend. It wasn’t just love that the diamond inspired. It was greed and obsession, also.
“It’s unfortunate that your first attempt to steal it was a failure,” D.C. said.
“It shouldn’t have failed,” Regina insisted. “It was ten years in the planning. I should have the diamond right now.”
“I certainly did my part,” Charity said. “I convinced Shalnokov to bring the necklace to the National Gallery. However, my sister’s skills fell short. She had to involve one of her students.”