Echo

the gold personally to the dealers and negotiate a price. If, as you say, you don’t want to handle the task yourself, you must hire a bonded agent to do the work for you. That can be quite expensive.” Blushing, Peter looked down at his paperwork. “Of course, it appears you wouldn’t have a problem with that. I beg your pardon.”
    “Now the diamonds are another matter. To get your best price, it would be wise to participate in an auction. You may or may not know, but diamonds are very much regulated and tightly controlled by the big diamond families out of South Africa and the cartels in South America. The provenance of a diamond is also critical.”
    Noting their puzzled looks, he hastened to explain. “Their history … their place of origination. As that seems to be a bit of a problem for you, I would like to suggest you invest more time in this part of your endeavor. I need to do a bit of research, but I am sure it would be much easier to dispose of some of the stones, if we could locate a craftsman that could cut them for you. A finished stone of a smaller size, even a few karats will not attract the kind of scrutiny you are looking to avoid. The stones will be much easier to protect than the gold, due to their smaller mass. Again, I see the need to hire someone trustworthy to expedite the process for you.”
    “As to your relocation, one must think like the wealthy. In order to blend in you must live in an affluent area; an area where wealth is the expected norm. To do otherwise will draw attention; unless you plan to not spend any of the proceeds from the sales.” The looks on Abby and Jose’s face clearly evidenced their intention to spend the money.
    “The issue of your security is easily solved. It is only a matter of hiring the best to do the job. Much depends on where you eventually settle. Again, a location that others of wealth have settled in will come with many security advantages. I know there are few of these enclaves left, but may I suggest a small city in the state of Florida? It is called Sarasota. A very lovely enclave of the rich … sensational amenities, world-class restaurants, a natural wildlife environment and full of luxury properties I would consider highly defensible. Getting you moved from here to there with the secrecy and security you have requested will be a bit more problematic. Many loose ends to control … but not impossible. Clearly, this is simply a matter of the amount of investment you are looking to allocate to the endeavor.”
    Peter Gavin concluded his summary by outlining his attorney fees and looking up at them, again with a shy smile that appeared to be his trademark.
    “Peter, we appreciate your obvious knowledge and quick grasp of what we need to do. We also appreciate the fact that you haven’t intruded on our privacy. Jose and I would like a few minutes to talk. May we use another office?”
    “No, no. Please. Use my office. Take all the time you need to confer.” Scrambling out from behind his desk, he hurried out to the hallway.
    “Well, Ab, what do you make of this guy? Do you like him? Do you think he’s the guy for us?” Jose looked at Abby, his eyebrows spiked, pensively rubbing his chin. Abby just looked quietly at Jose.
    “It’s a little overwhelming to hear Peter outline what we must do. But he made it sound like we can certainly accomplish it. With someone’s help, of course. That’s what scares me. I don’t want to be exposed to other people. My changes haven’t even begun, except for some occasional aches on my tailbone. I’m sure I’ll become even more hyper about exposure once my tail starts to grow.”
    “Do you like Peter’s idea about Sarasota? Sounds good to me. I know you’ll be happy wherever there’s wildlife. It’ll make Scotty happy too. And a sunny location will make Echo very happy.”
    “Yeah, that sounds fine to me. I think we’ll all do better in a warm climate.”
    “Good. Abby, I have an idea. Do you feel really comfortable with Peter? We might have him take a larger role in our plans than we first thought. Would that be okay with you?”
    “I suppose so, depending on what you have in mind. More important, I trust you and your intuition.” Abby slid her hand over to Jose, squeezing it for a boost of reassurance. Going to the hallway, Jose and Abby looked around for Peter Gavin. They found him in the reception room. Mr. Gavin appeared to be consoling his receptionist, his arm ineffectually patting