A Diamond Choker for Christmas Read online

  “Well, I've got nothing to hide,” Mr. Beasley said. “Anybody can go ahead and search me. Just watch out for my colostomy bag.”

  “Lord have mercy,” Toni murmured under her breath.

  Linda put her arms around Tiffany. “One minute that necklace was on my neck, and the next minute it was just gone.”

  Tiffany patted her back. “Try not to get too upset, Grandma. We'll figure this out.”

  “All I wanted to do was manifest success, and I think I've manifested disaster.”

  By this time, Luke had his man. He dragged Jim Tucker the handyman back through the door. The man looked both defiant and sheepish. “What the hell? I was heading home to get my supper.”

  Luke glanced at Toni. “You know this guy?”

  In the background Christmas music played. Henry Young, who’d come in behind Luke said, “Can somebody turn the music off?”

  Theresa, the caterer’s sister, found the music dock and switched off the music. It was suddenly amazingly silent in the room considering there must have been sixty people crammed in there. Toni answered Luke’s question. “Yes. I know this man. He's Jim Tucker. He's the resident caretaker. Why would you run away, Jim?”

  “I didn’t run anywhere. I told you, I was going home to get some supper.” She was good at reading people, and while his words sounded plausible, he shifted and wouldn’t meet her gaze.

  “My mother just had an expensive piece of jewelry stolen. You left from the kitchen door and in a big hurry. The main breaker is in the utility room behind the kitchen, but you know that. You’ve been in here a hundred times doing chores and fixing things. You could have knocked the power out and put it back on easily.”

  He raised his head and glared at her. “I didn’t steal nothin’. Go ahead and search me.”

  Luke could be intimidating when he wanted to, and he turned so he was right in Jim's face. “I think I prefer to interrogate you at the police station. We’ve got all our resources and records there. We can see what kind of background you have. If you've ever been arrested before. Any secrets you have, I'll know them within a couple of hours.”

  Jim Tucker's face grew dark red, and his gaze dropped to the ground. She knew Luke had only been fishing, but it looked like he’d caught something. Jim Tucker glared then dropped his gaze once more. “It was just a prank. Knocking out the power. Stupid prank.”

  Luke asked, “Who hired you?”

  “A guy in the bar. Gave me a hundred bucks to do it. It was a Christmas prank. He said it would be funny to see the best lit house in the park go dark right in the middle of her party.”

  Linda was vibrating with fury. “Jim Tucker. I have always trusted you. I let you wash my windows, inside as well as out, and this is the thanks I get? I've always given you a nice tip for Christmas and remembered your birthday.”

  The man kept his gaze stubbornly on the floor. “Like I said, I thought it was just a prank.”

  Luke continued in that same maddeningly calm voice. Toni knew his interrogating voice well, from when they first met, when she had been the suspect in a murder case. He could be very unnerving. “This guy who hired you, is he here today?”

  Jim Tucker shook his head.

  “Pick your head up and have a good look at everybody here. Let’s make absolutely sure. If I find you lied to me, there's going to be trouble.”

  Jim Tucker did as he was told and gazed around the room. Then he shook his head. “Guy's not here.”

  “Which bar was it?”

  He named a seedy bar a couple of miles down the road.

  “What did this person who hired you look like?”

  Jim shrugged. “It was pretty dark. I’d had a couple beers. He was maybe forty something. Big fella in a plaid shirt. Smelled like sweat.”

  “How tall?”

  Another shrug. “Shorter than me.”

  “Hair color? Eye color?”

  “Like I said, it was dark. I don’t know. Maybe dark hair.”

  Toni spoke. “Did the guy tell you what time to cut the power?”

  “Yeah. At five-thirty, exactly.”

  Because an open house that went from four until eight was going to be at its most crowded right in the middle hours.

  “I think I know who hired Jim.”

  She was suddenly and completely the center of attention as though a spotlight had been shone on her. She squeezed her mom's shoulder in support and stepped forward. “Esther? Do you happen to have a photograph of your son-in-law?”

  The woman's jaw dropped and her face turned red with fury. “My son-in-law? How dare you.”

  “You don’t want a picture of him,” Mr. Schwartz said. “He’s a hooligan. Everybody says so.”

  She turned, to Cindy, Esther’s daughter. “You’ve been sizing up this place since you got here like you were measuring for curtains. Do you have a picture of your husband that you could show Jim Tucker?”

  She spluttered like her mother and echoed, “How dare you?”

  Esther Kilpatrick, her arms quivering with rage, suddenly grabbed her purse and pushed the Christmas goodies off the serving table so a chafing dish and two trays tumbled to the floor. Shortbread cookies and Swedish meatballs went bouncing and jumbling. As they watched, Esther turned her capacious bag upside down and shook it. Out of her bag fell her wallet, breath mints, eyeglasses, three of Linda's glitter packs, a cell phone, a couple of bingo chips, and so much spare change that it sounded like she’d just won on a slot machine. She pointed dramatically to the pile. “There. Go through my things.” She threw her arms in the air with great drama. “Search me. You won't find a diamond and sapphire necklace.”

  “No. I know I won't,” Toni continued.

  She turned to Bert Green, the jeweler. “I'm guessing all your jewelry’s insured. Isn't it?”

  He nodded. “Of course it is. I've had two break-ins in my career. Be stupid not to have insurance.”

  “So, if this necklace disappears, you could just put in a claim.”

  It was his turn to glare at her with anger. “Are you suggesting I stole my own necklace? Why would I do that? Your mom's a nice lady. And I want her to succeed in her life and her business.”

  “So, if you think so highly of my mother, and you were already insured, why did you need to put a lien on her mobile home?”

  He pulled his hat off and put it on again. “If I make another claim, I won’t be able to afford the insurance premiums anymore.”

  “You weren’t going to lend my mother this necklace were you?”

  He shook his head. “Sorry, Linda. It was never personal.”

  Linda looked completely confused and smaller somehow without the necklace. She asked, “Did you steal the necklace so you could claim the insurance?” The betrayal in her eyes was heartrending.

  Bert stepped forward and put his hands out. “No. I would never do that.”

  Toni spoke up, “No, you didn't. You passed on the risk to one of your good friends in the success circle.”

  She turned to the lawyer who was standing beside the tree with his hands in his pockets. He nodded. “That's right,” he said. “We all believe in Linda.” He smiled at her as though he were a beloved uncle. “When Bert couldn't bring himself to lend her the necklace, I said I’d take on the risk.”

  “So, if the necklace doesn't turn up, you'll legally be entitled to this mobile home.”

  He made a sound of derision. “Young lady, I own an executive five-bedroom house. What would I want with a mobile home?” He glanced around at the assembled party guests, many of whom lived in similar mobile homes. “No offense intended.”

  “You don't want the home. Esther Kilpatrick does. She tried to get Linda out of here twice. First, she claimed Linda was contravening the bylaws by running a business out of her home. But that didn't fly.” She turned to the woman. “You want your daughter living next door to you. And you want your son-in-law close so you can keep an eye on him. But the problem is, Linda had no intention of moving. You had t
o find a way to force her out.”

  “This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. I am leaving.” The woman began angrily to shove her belongings back into her bag. When she turned to leave, she found that Luke was blocking her path. “I don't think so. Let's hear what Toni has to say.”

  “This is police brutality. I am going to be suing you.” She jabbed a blunt fingertip at him and continued, “Suing the police department and suing Pecan Heights Mobile Home Park.”

  Toni said, “You like suing people, don't you? You’ve been suing people for years. I knew I'd seen the lawyer before but I couldn't place him. He got out of your car at the hospital parking lot. Your car is very recognizable.” She turned to Luke, whose hobby was restoring old cars and trucks. “It’s a 1970 Plymouth Roadrunner.”

  “Nice,” he said.

  “I only caught a glimpse of Henry Castillo, getting out of your car, but I'd be willing to bet that if we did some digging, we’d find out that he's the lawyer who’s been taking on all your bogus lawsuits.”

  “I don’t know where you dreamed all this up,” Henry Castillo said. He drew himself up to his full height, which was impressive. “Why would I take part in an underhanded scheme to snatch a mobile home?”

  “Is this woman a client of yours?” Luke asked.

  He rocked back and forth on his heels as though he were getting ready to address a judge. “There is such a thing as attorney-client privilege. Whether this woman is a client of mine or not—and I have so many clients I cannot keep track of them all—is immaterial. It is inconceivable that a man of my stature in the community would belittle himself to steal a mobile home—and from a member of my own success circle.”

  There was silence, and then of all people, the next one to speak was Tiffany. She said, “I was at the hospital that day. For the children’s party. I saw you perform.” She turned to Toni. “I knew I’d seen him before, too, but he wore a costume and makeup. I didn’t make the connection until you said you’d seen him at the hospital. It was when you were picking me up after the party, right?”

  “That’s right.”

  Henry Castillo gazed down at Tiffany as though she were stupid, which made Toni’s blood start to boil. She was used to people thinking she wasn’t very bright, but nobody treated her daughter that way. He said, “I'm not a performer. If you’d been listening, you’d know I’m a lawyer.”

  “You're also an amateur magician.”

  Linda spoke for the first time. “That’s right, he is an amateur magician. Everyone in my success circle volunteers. It’s our way of giving back. Why would you lie about that, Henry?”

  “This is ridiculous,” he said.

  Tiffany spoke to Luke. “I was volunteering at the hospital. I do it to get extra credit for my college applications. I was helping at the holiday party for the sick kids and as part of the entertainment, he did a magic show.”

  Her tone changed, hardened. She spoke directly to Henry Castillo. “You were really good. So light-fingered. You kept making things disappear and reappear.” She glanced around. “The kids loved it.”

  He nodded. “Thank you for speaking up in my defense. As you can see, I'm a pillar of the community. Hardly a petty thief.”

  Toni glanced at Tiffany and winked. “I don't think she was speaking in your defense. I think she was pointing out that you have lots of practice making things disappear.”

  Chapter 6

  “Ms. Diamond, there's quite a difference between causing a paper flower to appear behind a young girl's ear or finding a coin mysteriously behind a young boy’s kneecap and spiriting away a valuable necklace.”

  She caught Luke watching her and could tell he was enjoying himself. They shared an intimate glance before she turned back to the lawyer, currently on trial for his reputation. “I think it’s exactly the same. It's all sleight-of-hand. A man who can do those kind of tricks could probably have the clasp undone and the necklace off my mother's neck in moments.”

  “Again, I must ask what you think my motive could be?”

  “Let me ask you a question, sir. Why are you in the success circle? If your business is doing so well, why do you need positive thinking? Why would you ever work for a client like Esther Kilpatrick? I'm guessing you’re not as successful as you try to appear. It’s expensive keeping up a five-bedroom executive home and a fancy lifestyle.

  “Maybe Esther Kilpatrick had something on you or maybe you just needed the money. But, if that necklace disappears, and you get my mother's mobile home, you'll sell it to Esther and her daughter. And, you’ll also end up with a nice necklace. Also worth a lot of money.”

  “You’re too stupid for words. Have you forgotten that I took on the risk of that necklace? I’m the one who has to pay Bert Green if it goes missing.”

  “I’m perfectly aware of that. You’ll give him what he paid. Which is the wholesale price.” She turned to the jeweler. “Am I right?”

  “You are.”

  “I'm guessing a guy like you has contacts, maybe a fence. I bet you’ll still come out ahead on the deal. Maybe you’ll have it broken up into the stones and made into a gift for your wife.”

  “That's ridiculous.”

  “Is it?”

  He held his arms out wide. “I hate to be dramatic, but go ahead and search me. If you think I stole that necklace, you go ahead and find it.”

  She said, “Oh, I know exactly where it is.”

  A murmur arose in the room. All eyes turned to her. She exchanged a glance with Luke and he nodded and stepped a little closer to the lawyer.

  She walked over to the fireplace. She said, “As every good magician knows, always hide things in plain sight.”

  Toni turned to the Latina Madonna who smiled down at her from the mantel. She reached around the neck and among the layers of sparkly jewels she picked up the sapphire and diamond necklace.

  “You were standing by the drink table when the lights went out. Exactly at the moment you’d paid Jim Tucker to cut the power. You were two steps behind my mother. All you had to do was slip behind her and remove the necklace. In the surprise of the power outage, everyone was startled. You had all the time you needed to slip it off and slip it over the Madonna’s head. By the time the lights came back on, you were on the other side of the room standing by the Christmas tree.”

  She tried to hand the necklace to her mother, but Linda put her hands up as though warding away an evil spirit. “No. I don't want it.”

  Relieved to the bottom of her shoes, Toni turned to Bert Green and passed him the necklace. “I'm giving this back to you. Please go and put it in a safe somewhere.”

  He accepted the jewelry but with an apologetic shrug pulled out a jeweler's loupe. “I hope you don’t mind, but with all the shenanigans, I need to make sure this is the right necklace.” He fitted the loupe to his eye. He took a moment to study the stones and then nodded, satisfied. “This is my necklace. Linda, I'm sorry it turned out this way. Please believe me I had nothing to do with stealing your necklace.” He smiled at her. “And it is yours. Believe in it. Your positive thinking will manifest your dreams.

  “Thanks, Bert.” But she didn’t look convinced.

  “Well,” Bert said. Then he didn't seem quite sure how to finish the sentence so he said, “Well,” again and then finally, “It's been a real interesting evening.” His gaze hardened as he turned to the lawyer and he said, “Henry, I don't suppose we'll be seeing you back at the Circle of Success.”

  William Young shook his head. “Absolutely not. Consider yourself fired, Henry.”

  Bert said, “I've got another lawyer in mind who I think would be a better fit with our group.” He walked over to Linda and to everyone's surprise pulled her in for a hug. “Linda, you are exactly the kind of person we want in our success circle. You’re positive, hard-working, and I know you're going to be a very successful woman. Don't let a little hiccup like this throw you off your stride.” He raised his head, nodded generally to everyone and headed out the
door, the diamond and sapphire necklace clutched tight in his hand.

  William, the wealthy investor, followed him. “Bert, I’ll grab a ride with you, if you don’t mind. I came with Henry.”

  With a wave and a quick, “Thanks,” he rushed out the door after his friend.

  Luke walked over to Linda. He said, “Linda, you throw a hell of a party. I think I'll take Henry Castillo, and your neighbor Esther, and Jim the handyman down to the station. We’ll get all the pieces of this crazy plot put together.”

  The lawyer blustered, “You can’t arrest me. You've got no proof.”

  Luke glanced at him in surprise. “Who said anything about arrest? I'm taking you down to the station for questioning. On suspicion of, well, I've got a few suspicions. We’ll talk about them when we get downtown.”

  Suddenly, Esther, whose complexion had been fluctuating between icy white and bright red, banged her fist against the wall so hard that the icicles outside waved and shimmered and Here Comes Santa Claus missed a beat. Her face was diffused with red as she turned to Henry Castillo and yelled, “You had to be so fancy. I told you I was going to get Charlie to bang her over the head and steal the necklace. You had to be Mr. Clever-Fingers and show off that you can slide a necklace off a lady’s neck without her even noticing. Last time I ever listen to you. You’re just like my ex-husband. You’re a loser.”

  Henry Castillo’s face grew gray, and his voice was icy as he said, “Shut up, Esther.”

  “Or what? They got nothing on me. All I want is to buy this house for my daughter and my son-in-law. There's no crime against that. You're the one that got all fancy playing your tricks, stealing jewelry in broad daylight. You're an idiot. And you're fired. I'll be finding myself a new lawyer. In fact, I’m going to find a lawyer to sue you.”

  “You think the detective here isn’t going to be interested in some of the stories I know about you? And your precious son-in-law?”

  “You gotta love the holiday spirit,” Luke said, sounding as cheerful as though he had just been handed a Christmas present, which, come to think of it, he had. He looked around. “How many witnesses heard that exchange and would be willing to go on record?”