Cut (30 page)

“I must first ask why you want this information.”

“It's not for me. It's for my sister.”

“For Melanie.”

“Yes.”

“She knew all about diamonds. She was always inquisitive about them.”

“You knew her?”

“I did, and I am most sorry for your loss.”

Melanie and Salvador…friends? Acquaintances? Did Luke know? The questions jammed inside her throat. Jessie touched her forehead and closed her eyes. “Look, Mr. Alvarez—”

“Call me Salvador.”

“I'll get right to the point: Melanie left me a note. She said to find Elizabeth. Up until this call I thought the name referred to a person. I haven't found anyone in her life by that name, and I'm trying to figure out if she meant a diamond.”

“There is such a diamond called the Elizabeth.”

Her face jerked up. “There is? Who owns it?”

“I do.”

She jumped up from the bed. Finally, a break. “Did Melanie leave anything for you, like a note, or other diamonds? Am I supposed to find you?”

“I must insist you tell me what this is about.”

“I'm looking for six pink diamonds.”

“You're not the only one.”

“What? What do you mean?”

“Your boyfriend, Mr. Harrison, approached me earlier today about the same topic. What has everyone in a frenzy over these diamonds?”

“I don't want to say.”

“That is the price of doing business with me. You tell me the importance of these diamonds and I will help you. Do we understand each other?”

“Yes.”

“You'll have to come to me. In return, I'll tell you all about the Elizabeth diamond and I will also show you the note she left me.”

“There's a note! Salvador, please, tell me how you came to own this diamond.”

“I bought her five years ago from Christies.”

She giggled with excitement. “What else can you tell me?”

“I prefer to talk in person. Can you meet me at my house?”

“I'll come now.”

She scribbled down the address and got moving with rockets for feet. Jessie hoofed it down to the first floor where she butted to the front of the cab line and got in the first car. The drive to Salvador's took no time. Jessie couldn't get the driver to go fast enough. She paid her fare and got out of the car at once.

The grand residence of Salvador Alvarez rested on Marina Boulevard. To any other person this wouldn't be ironic, but to Jessie, the dread sunk in further. The home overlooked a long stretch of grass leading to the same walking path she had used to throw the diamond into the ocean.

Go figure.

She approached the front door and knocked once. The sound of laughter reached her ears as the door opened. She strained to hear. The laugh sounded like…

The door opened. Brent stood on the other side. No smile on his face at the sight of her.

“Miss Cahill, lovely to see you again,” Salvador said.

“What's he doing here?” she said, and gazed coolly at Brent. She didn't have a right to be angry at him, but she was getting annoyed at his one-step ahead of her game.

“Mr. Harrison is here for the same reason as you. I called him up and asked him to return.” Salvador stepped to the side. “Come inside. May I offer you a drink?”

“No.”

“Very well.”

The outside of the house didn't match the inside. The historic face of his house with the large bay windows contrasted with the ultra-modern inside. Another fact bothered her too, although she couldn't say what. She just didn't like the place. It had the same feel as Luke's office. The main room consisted of a large space with leather couches, glass tables, and a white fur rug. A set of furniture trying to be invisible in a house made to show off elaborate pieces.

Brent and Salvador chatted at the bar. She dared not look in their direction. She made a fool of herself the last few days and today she would be different. The last thing she needed was for Brent to see her screw-up again. She wished he wasn't here so she could do this on her own.

“How exactly did you know my sister?” she asked Salvador as he walked over to her.

“Luke introduced us a year ago.”

The answer didn't bother her. The way he said “introduced” crawled under her skin. “Is there something you need to tell me about your relationship with her?”

An uncomfortable laugh escaped his mouth. “We were friends.”

“May I see this note she left you?”

“Let's not worry about the note. First, the two of you have some information for me.”

She finally looked over to Brent. Only he existed in her line of vision. Salvador faded into the background. “Didn't you tell him?”

“We waited for you,” Brent said. “There's something I want both of you to hear.”

“Let's not waste another minute,” Salvador said.

Brent nodded. “Last year I lived in Kimberley, and I worked directly for Jefferies Abbott, as you know. What you aren't aware of is that I dated his daughter, Victoria—his only child, keep in mind. She and I spent a lot of time together romantically and otherwise.”

“Did she also work at D & F?” Jessie said.

“No; Victoria moved on from one hobby to the next. An artist for several weeks. A writer for six months. A stint as a barista, you get the picture.”

“A free spirit.”

“With an offensive bank account.” Brent exchanged a glance with Salvador. “Did you ever meet her?”

“I did,” Salvador said.

“Then you know the Abbott tiara was passed down to her most recently.”

Salvador commented to Jessie, “The tiara is famous. It's been photographed for magazines, lent to museums, and worn by various members of royal families across the globe.”

“Victoria and her father had an awful relationship,” Brent said. “Her mother died during Victoria's teenage years and from there, whatever bond she'd shared with her father disintegrated. I met her long after they had their share of blow-ups. Neither could stand the other. Victoria lived a life she detested, yet she clung to it at the same time. She leaked secrets about D & F to the press or on her social media sites and in turn, Jefferies cut off her funds. She would return to his good graces and then stir up trouble.”

“Did she hate her father's company or something?” Jessie said.

“Privilege and wealth are funny that way. Like an addict to a drug. She didn't know what to do with her own life and she rebelled against her father's success and resented the idea of going into the family business. It wasn't the best argument, but Victoria felt trapped. She didn't see how lucky she was to grow up with all those opportunities. She took every little thing her father said to her about going into the family business with far more pressure than I think he ever intended. As a result, she tried to carve her own path and failed miserably. We dated for weeks at a time and I would end things. She came back and that went on for most of my time in Kimberley.”

“What happened next?” Salvador said.

“I made plans to return to San Francisco and come on full time with Luke and the jewelry store endeavor. I was ready to go and Victoria showed up on my doorstep. She told me she was pregnant. The timeframe fit so I didn't question her.”

“Did she want you to stay?” Jessie said.

“Quite the opposite. She asked to come with me to the U.S., as my wife.”

Did you love her?
Jessie's mind hungered to know. She couldn't bring herself to ask the question. The control she contained began to feel like thin ice. The entire conversation made her nervous. The truth…Brent's past…the future…all of those things crammed into her voice box and she waited for the pressure to go away.

“Victoria and I had a business arrangement,” Brent said. “Neither of us had any desire to commit ourselves indefinitely to each other. I didn't love her enough and she felt the same about me. Yes, we needed each other for the wrong reasons, but we didn't want each other for the right ones. In return for my helping her leave, she offered up the tiara.”

“She gave you the tiara? Just like that?” Jessie said.

“Yes and no.”

“She did though.”

“Sort of. Victoria showed up a few days before our secret wedding and arrived at my house with the diamonds—but without the tiara.”

Salvador's hand crashed down on the coffee table. “I can't believe she did such a thing. To destroy such an heirloom…” He shook his head, unable to finish his sentence.

“She gave her father one last good riddance. Victoria couldn't leave and go quietly. She paid someone to remove the diamonds. The gold shell of the tiara she left on her father's desk, with a hand-written note which provided her plan to marry me, leave the country, and of course she did this with colorful language.”

Salvador took a seat and breathed into his cupped hands.

“Despite not having the entire tiara, I sent the diamonds to Luke. The implications I understood all too well. She took the heart-and-soul out of the family heirloom. Nobody would respond well to such a move, especially Jefferies. She essentially put a target on my back.”

“You couldn't leave because of the baby,” Jessie said.

“I refused to go for that reason, yes. I wouldn't abandon my child. The choice I made was for nothing. Victoria's labor began a few hours after I'd shipped the diamonds back home. We didn't get married and she died after giving birth.”

Jessie sat motionless.

“Jefferies took control of the situation, including securing his grandson away from me. To this day I have not seen my son.”

“What about legal action?” Salvador said.

“I initiated the process.” Brent put his hands on his hips and blew out a long breath. “I planned to fight this to the end, until Jefferies offered me a trade. If I returned the diamonds he would hand over Gabe and stay out of our lives.”

A series of expletives flew off his tongue. Salvador punched the couch, startling Jessie. “I apologize,” he said, “it's just that I knew her. I know her father. This is hard to accept.”

“Doesn't Jefferies want Gabe in his life?” Jessie said.

“Jefferies never approved of me, which made me all the more appealing to Victoria. Gabe isn't a child he wants to accept. The billion-dollar industry he runs doesn't have to go to his bastard grandson. So no, he doesn't want Gabe in his life.”

The full weight of what she'd done settled on Jessie. She sank to the couch and stared blankly at the window. “I had no idea…” her voice choked.

“Jefferies understands money. Can't you pay him for the diamonds?” Salvador said.

“I wish it were that simple. It's not. Those diamonds hold the kind of significance that can't be bought. They are from his lineage, his family, most important, his beloved late wife. They are, in my opinion, more important to him than Victoria ever was to him. The same goes for his grandson.”

“Excuse me a moment,” Salvador said and left the room.

“I've ruined your life,” Jessie said, unable to meet his gaze.

The coldness in his eyes struck her heart like a sharp weapon.

Thankfully Salvador returned. In his hand he carried a velvet gray box. “Allow me to show you the Elizabeth diamond.”

Jessie no longer cared about this diamond—or any of them. Salvador opened the box and showed off a large pink diamond sparkling with the intoxicating spell of beauty. Eight point two carats. Emerald cut. She heard Salvador give the dimensions. She understood the terms because Brent had taught her.

Tears welled in her eyes. If she blinked, they'd shed. She wouldn't be able to stop them. Jessie didn't look at Brent. She couldn't stand the pain she'd caused him. By throwing away the green diamond, she'd robbed him of his chance to get back his son. She'd ruined everything. It was too much to be in the same room as him. She got up and ran from the house.

She needed to get far away from this place and these people. The reasons for making the visit to Salvador's house vanished, along with Jessie for the next few hours. She didn't care about the note or any of it.

She didn't have anywhere else to go, so Jessie picked a direction and started walking. The Palace of Fine Arts wasn't far, judging from the signs, and she decided to go there.

The columns and the rotunda looked pretty against the clear blue sky. The lake stretched out in front of her with gold leaves bordering the edge. She found a section of grass to sit on and to watch the lake. She was done with all of it: the diamonds, the clues, and Brent. Someone else would have to solve the case. She needed to be with her family and from this point forward, she wouldn't try to figure out the rest of the story.

The phone in her purse rang. She answered without checking the caller. “Hello,” she said.

“This is Detective Brennan, is this Jessie Cahill?” he said.

“Yes.”

“I'm calling because I've spoken with Monica Robinson at the hospital. She passed on the report you filed the other day. You encountered a man in front of the hospital. Someone who wanted to harm your sister. I'd like to find out what this man said to you.”

“Is he a person of interest?”

“He's someone we would like to know more about. Can you tell me when you met him?”

Finally, the truth she could share.
“Yesterday morning. He came up to me on the sidewalk in front of the hospital, out of nowhere really. He made it seem like I had something he wanted and he threatened Melanie if I didn't call him back in twenty-four hours.”

“Did he leave a phone number?”

The business card came to mind. She didn't dwell on the useless piece of cardboard. No number on the front or back. Just the name D & F. Irrelevant to the investigation and she said, “The odd part is, he didn't.”

“Did he tell you his name?”