Diamonds are a girls best friend

 Amelia Devereaux stood in front of the Picasso studying it hard. The lines were perfect, the colours looked good, the whole thing looked genuine. But it wasn’t, it was a fake. Amelia knew this because the original was currently in a private collection in Paris. She should know, she had stolen it last summer and sold it on. She walked past a Cezanne and a Dali, both fakes, and pondered on whether there were any genuine paintings left on public display. All over the world people were putting art in galleries, and people like her were stealing it. What a world we live in, she thought to herself.

As she left the cubist room and made her way down the corridor, she passed a room on the left with a rope barrier was stretched across the entrance. ‘New Exhibit Coming Soon’ a sign announced. Amelia gazed into the room with a professional eye. A thought was forming in her head, just a tiny glimmer of something, she would let it grow, it felt promising.

‘Tony, I need this fixed. In three days, we have a huge exhibition. The press will be here, not to mention socialites and internet influencers, whatever those are, and it’s freezing. Get it sorted!’ Andrew Cavendish put down the phone and sat with his head in his hands. The biggest exhibition of his life and a broken boiler meant the whole gallery was like an ice box. The Heart of Africa was the worlds most perfect diamond. Weighing in at 136 carats, and completely flawless, it was currently on a worldwide tour being displayed in museums and art galleries everywhere. Andrew had spent months trying to make sure his gallery got in on the act and everyday something else seemed to go wrong. His mother had wanted him to be a doctor, he was starting to wish he had listened. The phone rang.

‘Yes?’ he said picking up the receiver, wondering what disaster was about to come now.

‘Mr Cavendish, I have a Terrence Dubois on the line for you.’ Janice, his PA, said.

Dubois? Where had he heard that name before? He was struggling to recall.

‘He said you met at a charity ball last month.’ Janice said, providing the answer as usual.

‘OK, put him through. Hello Mr Dubois?’

‘Mr Cavendish, Andrew, how are you my dear fellow? I do hope I’m not interrupting, but there’s something I wanted to ask you. A little bird tells me you might be hosting the Heart of Africa?’

‘Yes, we are. It’s a wonderful opportunity for us. Will you be coming along to the opening?’

‘Well, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about. The Heart of Africa has a very special place in my heart, you see it was the first pure cut diamond I ever saw, its what got me interested in gemstones. I was fortunate enough to train with the craftsman who cut the Heart of Africa. I would consider it a great honour if I could see it once more. Maybe a private viewing, before the grand opening?’

‘I don’t know about that. Security needs to be tight around the diamond as I’m sure you appreciate.’ Andrew said.

‘I do very much appreciate that, Andrew. But I was thinking, maybe if you could see your way to allowing me this one request, perhaps I could speak with some of my associates. They are always looking to donate to worthy causes, and an art gallery in Oxford would be a wonderful place for them to off load some of their vast wealth.’

Andrew’s heart skipped a beat. If he could secure funding from wealthy businessmen his own position amongst the board would receive a much-needed boost. Perhaps he could even begin to bring more prestige exhibits. And after all, the diamond would only be sitting in his strongroom, what difference would it make if one man looked at it briefly.  He was hardly going to be able to steal it from inside a steel vault.

Andrew spent the following morning running around trying to arrange things, making sure everything was in place for the diamond’s arrival. He made less effort when his mother visited. He even cleaned and dusted his office, as if a million-year-old piece of coal cared what his office looked like. At noon, precisely an armoured vehicle turned up complete with security guards, and a little man from Stockholm carrying what looked like a briefcase handcuffed to his wrist. The man was the curator of the museum where the Heart of Africa had spent the last month on display. When the diamond moved on, Andrew would have to perform the same task. Everything seemed to go well, the briefcase and the little Swedish man were taken to the strongroom where the diamond would stay until the grand unveiling two days later. Armed security guards stood at the entrance to the room as Andrew got his first glimpse of the diamond. It was breath-taking. As the light from the fluorescent tubes hit the tiny facets, the whole room lit up with colour. It was the most amazing thing Andrew had ever seen.

Later that day, as Andrew sat in his office, pleased with himself at having organised such an amazing exhibit for his little gallery, there was a knock on the door. A tall man with unruly blonde hair and piercing blue eyes stepped inside. He was dressed immaculately in an Italian suit, tailored to perfection.

‘Andrew, lovely to see you again.’ He said, offering his hand.

Andrew shook it, smiling. ‘Lovely to see you too, Terrence.’ He said thinking only of dollar signs and donations and how amazing his life could become.

‘I’m so grateful to you for allowing me this small boon.’ Terrence said.

‘Not at all, it’s the least I can do. And thank you for organising some donations to our humble little gallery.’ Not that anything had actually been donated yet, but these things took time, and Terrence had promised his investors would be in touch very soon.

‘Think nothing of it, my friend. Now perhaps we could get to business, I am eager to see the Heart once more.’

The gallery strongroom was in the basement of the building. A vast steel door with a state-of-the-art security system that was probably the reason the organisers of the diamond’s tour had picked his gallery. Andrew stood in front of the keypad, typed in his personal number, there was a bleep. He stared into the camera lens as it scanned his retina. Another bleep. Finally, he pressed his palm against a scanner on the wall. Another bleep, then a grinding noise came for the great door as the bolts and locks slid open. Andrew swung open the door and ushered his guest inside.

The walls were lined with drawers and little cupboards, each one hiding something precious. In the centre of the room stood a table that appeared to be bolted to the floor. Cameras scanned the room from all four corners. Terrance stood looking around, taking in every detail as Andrew withdrew a drawer from the wall and carried it across to the table. Inside was the briefcase that had arrived with the man from Stockholm the day before. As he opened it carefully revealing its contents Terrence held his breath.

‘I am so excited to see her again’ he whispered.

Andrew pulled on a pair of white gloves and lifted the diamond from its case holding it up to the light. Terrence’s face was a picture of joy. As soon as the light hit the stone they were bathed in a rainbow of colour, the diamond refracting the light and shining like a tiny star. Terrence gazed around the room at the reflected colours, as if he were searching for something specific. His face seemed to drop.

‘Please, Andrew, hold it a little higher for me?’ he asked. Andrew did so. ‘But this cannot be.’ he continued. ‘No, surely not.’ He walked to the wall and studied it carefully. Coming back to the table. His face ashen. ‘Andrew, I don’t know how to say this. This stone, she is not the Heart of Africa.’ Andrew stared at him, aware that his draw was slowly dropping.

‘Every diamond, however perfect, is unique. Even when cut using the same method, no two diamonds are the same. When Marco Santini worked the Heart of Africa, he left a tiny mark. A signature if you will. Invisible to the untrained eye, but to those who know what to look for, it is there. It can only be seen when the light is refracted through the stone, but this… the signature is not there. This is a fake, my friend.’

An hour later they were sat in Andrew’s office with Detective Inspector Gleeson of the Art and Antiques squad.

‘So let me get this straight,’ Gleeson said, ‘The diamond was verified when it left Stockholm, but by the time it arrived here, despite being handcuffed to a museum curator, it was switched for a fake. Is that what you are saying?’

‘That is the only explanation, Inspector.’ Andrew said.

‘And you are certain this is a fake, Mr Dubois?’ Gleeson said turning to Terrence.

‘Undoubtedly, Inspector. I would know the real Heart of Africa anywhere, but this sadly is not she.’

‘Inspector, the press must not get hold of this. It is vital we keep it to ourselves until we can be certain of what has happened.’ Andrew said, thinking of his reputation.

‘Of course, I understand, I’ll do my best. In the meantime, I will need to speak with my counterpart in Stockholm, and we will need to interview the courier, a Mr Karlsson?’

Andrew handed over a card with the contact details of the museum in Stockholm, which Gleeson slipped into his pocket, just as his phone rang.

‘Ma’am just had a tip off from a freight company. A crate in a bonded warehouse came open, you might like to see what was inside.’ DC Roberts sounded excited.

Later, Gleeson, Andrew and Terrence were stood in a warehouse at Luton airport staring at the contents of a crate. It seemed incredible but inside was a small briefcase, much like the briefcase the Heart of Africa arrived in. Gleeson could hardly believe her luck. One minute she’s about to embark on the biggest case since joining the Art and Antiques squad, the next minute it maybe solved. She held his breath as DC Roberts pried open the briefcase revealing its contents.

‘Oh my’ Terrance said carefully removing the stone and holding it up to the light. ‘Can it be true?’

‘So?’ Andrew asked, ‘is it the real Heart of Africa?’

Terrence gazed around the room studying the reflections on the walls. He stopped, stared for a moment, then his face broke into a broad smile.

‘My friends, we are in the presence of beauty. I give to you, the Heart of Africa.’ He took a bow.

‘Here, what’s this?’ he said, reaching into the crate and pulling something out. Gleeson took it from him and studied it. A small card, the size of a business card. On one side it was blank but the other held a small sketch of a bird.

‘Is that a Raven?’ Roberts asked looking over her shoulder.

Gleeson looked at the DC with a broad smile. ‘You know Roberts, I think we might have finally had some luck. Find out everything you can about this crate. I want to know where it came from where it’s going, and why it came to be open. In the meantime, I think this would be much safer with you Mr Cavendish.’ She said indicating the diamond. ‘I’ll need to have it checked for fingerprints, but I think you might have rubbed them all off.’ She scowled at Terrence who had been turning the stone over and over in his hands, gazing at it, lovingly.

Arriving back at the gallery, Andrew was immediately struck by the warmth of the place. ‘Thank God the heating’s fixed.’ He said as they sat in his office sharing a glass of sherry. ‘Looks like the opening will be a success after all. Now what should we do with this?’ he held up the fake diamond.

‘It’s a lovely piece of lead crystal’ Terrence said, holding the stone up to the light, ‘but I think the best thing might be to destroy it. The press would have a field day.’

There was a knock at the door, and someone dressed in overalls carrying a toolkit stuck their head inside.

‘Heating’s all fixed, Sir. I’ll be off now.’

‘Aha, just a moment, before you go, may I borrow your toolkit?’ Terrence said. He rummaged around inside the bag and brought out a small hammer. Placing the stone on the floor he struck it hard. It instantly shattered into a thousand tiny shards. ‘You see,’ he said, ‘Glass.’

Moments later the plumber stepped outside the rear door into the staff carpark. She reached inside the toolkit, took something out and dumped the rest into a skip. She pulled off her baseball cap and unzipped her overalls. Amelia Devereaux, aka the Raven, stepped into the world once more. Slipping behind the wheel of her BMW, she dropped the Heart of Africa into the glovebox and smiled to herself. One way to steal a diamond is to have everyone think it’s a fake, then switch it for a glass replica at the last minute. The payday for this little caper would be huge. Of course, there were expenses involved. Jimmy would be getting a large chunk, but then being Terrence Dubois wasn’t easy, and he was so believable. Still, Amelia should still clear a cool fifty million. Plenty of money to take a few months off and find out exactly who was out to get her. Time for a little vacation.