30. Stuart #2
After completing his examination, Mr. Gentry says, “This is the authentic Gertrude diamond. No question.”
“Thank you, Mr. Gentry. That’s all we’ll be needing from you today.” He begins packing his equipment.
I turn to the guard, saying, “Please bring in the gentleman who provided the necklace in the blue box.”
The guard nods and moves to the door, motioning for someone to join us. As we’re waiting, Mr. Broadmoor stands, saying, “Excuse me, I’m going to the restroom.”
“I’m sorry. That will have to wait. Please retake your seat. No one is leaving the room right now, except for Mr. Gentry,” I say.
“How dare you talk to me like that?” Mr. Broadmoor quips.
I ignore him.
Mr. Gentry takes the opportunity to make a hasty exit just as three police officers escort a man in handcuffs into the room.
“When you were arrested, did you have the necklace in the blue box in your possession?” I ask.
He nods.
“How did you come to possess it?”
“I was one of the guards at the auction. I traded the one in the black box for the one in the blue box after the auction.”
“Why did you do that?”
“Two men hired me to make the exchange.”
“Which two men hired you?”
“Mr. Broadmoor and Mr. Barclay.”
“How do you know them?”
“I work for Mr. Broadmoor’s security team. He and Mr. Barclay are friends.”
“Thank you.”
While I asked my questions, police officers quietly positioned themselves behind Mr. Broadmoor and Mr. Barclay.
They remove them from their seats and quickly pull their arms behind their backs, snapping cuffs on them, saying, “You’re under arrest for the theft of the Gertrude diamond.
” The officers then proceed to read them their rights.
I say, “Officers, before you take them away, there’s one more witness you need to hear from.”
I turn to the closet and say, “You can come out now.”
The door opens slowly, and my guest walks out sans disguise, revealing that Mr. Rivers is really Brooke.
She’d hidden her long auburn hair underneath the baseball cap.
We couldn’t risk Mr. Broadmoor and Mr. Barclay learning that Brooke was safe until after they were in custody.
Had they known, we suspected they would have made a run for it.
Now it’s time for her to tell her story, so she joins me by my side, saying, “Thanks, Stuart.
Officers, I have some additional information you may find helpful.
At the masquerade ball, I overheard two men discussing the murder of Mr. Champion and their plans to swap out the Gertrude diamond necklace with a fake.
I recognized the voices. It was Mr. Broadmoor and, to my shock, my boss, Mr. Barclay.
“Apparently, they first arranged to steal a piece of jewelry at the Fundraiser luncheon. I suspect they targeted my pearl necklace because I was sitting the table with Lord Sandridge and Ms. Davidson. Then they stole Mr. Champion’s Rolex watch.
They didn’t intend to kill Mr. Champion, but with his medical condition, a hit on the head was fatal.
“Those two thefts ensured that Mr. Broadmoor’s security team would be hired for the masquerade ball. That would give them the chance to replace the Gertrude diamond with a fake. They planned to disappear before the buyer had a chance to have it appraised for insurance purposes.
“When they realized I overheard their conversation, they tracked me down, hit me on the head, and tied me up in a closet. Then two guards came in and carried my half-conscious body to the basement. They planned to come back later to kill me, so I couldn’t tell anyone what I’d heard.”
The officer in charge asks, “Do you know who hit Mr. Champion?”
“Yes. I overheard them mention that Mr. Barclay had promised an attorney a promotion to partner at the law firm if they stole the watch.”
She points to Justin, Ben, and Wendy, starting to say, “It was . . .”
Justin jumps up. “He made me do it. I didn’t want to. I didn’t mean to hurt anyone. He was going to fire me if I didn’t agree to help him.”
An officer quickly cuffs Justin and reads him his rights.
I say, “Officers, I suggest that you question Ben and Wendy as well. Those three seem to work together on everything, so you’ll want to ascertain their involvement, if any.”
“I agree,” the lead officer says, instructing additional officers who have entered the room to take Ben and Wendy in for questioning.
While I have no actual proof of their involvement, the three of them seem inseparable and definitely despicable. I’ll let the police sort out whether Ben and Wendy have any culpability along with Justin.
I turn to Brooke and nod with a smile. I keep my promises. Those three didn’t win, and in the end, they sank themselves, which gives me great satisfaction.
The officers haul away the perpetrators, also taking the two versions of the Gertrude diamond necklace: one real and one fake.
Aunt Jen, Brooke, Jason, Hannah, Art, José, and I remain behind. Brooke and Jason seem relieved. Aunt Jen looks horrified. The rest of the PR team is exchanging glances of confusion and shock. I’m exhausted. In other words, it’s the aftermath of a shit show.
“I’m in total shock,” says Aunt Jen.
Hannah, Art, and José nod in agreement.
“I’m so sorry we couldn’t clue you in ahead of time, but we didn’t want to put you in danger,” I say.
“I understand that part. But why did Mr. Broadmoor and Mr. Barclay do such horrid things in the first place? They are both wealthy, successful men,” Aunt Jen says, shaking her head.
“Apparently, Mr. Broadmoor squandered his wealth on bad investments. He talked Mr. Barclay into investing in some of the same deals. He’s nearing retirement and didn’t think he had time to recover the losses, so he went along with Mr. Broadmoor’s plan.
Neither one of them ever thought anyone would be physically hurt.
They didn’t count on Justin being so violent when he stole Mr. Champion’s watch,” I explain.
“His death was so senseless. I’m having trouble coming to terms with it,” Aunt Jen says.
Brooke agrees. “We all are. I’m also struggling with the fact that I’ve been working at a law firm with two murderers.
And I was a pawn in their game. They sent me to shadow Stuart so they would be free to carry out their thefts, thinking I’d be too na?ve to figure out their plan. It makes me sick to my stomach.”
“Oh, dear, this has been terrible for you. What will you do next?” Aunt Jen asks.
“I need to go downstairs and turn in my resignation. The thought of spending another minute at a firm that rewarded those two attorneys makes me shudder,” Brooke says.
“I applaud your bravery. You’re an intelligent, strong woman. I’m proud to have met you. Call me if you need a reference for a new job. I’ll be delighted to tell them what an impressive attorney you are,” Aunt Jen says.
“Thank you. That’s very kind. I think I’m going to need a little time to plot a new career path. I’m not sure what will be next for me.”
“Something tells me it will all work out well. You’ll see,” Aunt Jen says with a smile. Then she turns to me and nods in approval.
I use that as my cue to say, “Brooke, I’ll go with you to your firm. I’d rather you not make that stop alone.”
“Thanks. It will likely be a little awkward.”
I don’t say anything, but it could also be dangerous. Who knows if Mr. Barclay had any other partners in crime. I’m not going to take any chance of putting her life at risk again.