Rarities Unlimited 04 - The Color of Death

Kate studied the stones and Sam studied the people. There was no one who was wrong for the time or place. No one who spent too much time studying the security arrangements. No one who—
    “Seven Sins?” asked a man behind Sam. “Never heard of them.”
    “Not many people have,” another male voice answered. “The only one who ever saw them was the cutter. And McCloud, of course.”
    By slow, painful degrees, Sam turned until he could see both men from the corner of his eyes. They looked like everyone else in the room—American or European, dressed well yet casually, intent on making a profit. The one who knew about the Seven Sins was dark haired and had the kind of tan that suggested he lived in the south of Florida or spent his life on Arizona golf courses. The other man was bald, plump, and had shrewd eyes.
    “Arthur McCloud?” the bald man asked.
    “You’ve heard of him?”
    “Hell, yes. He outbid me for a piece of ruby rough I’d have given anything except too much money to own.”
    Teeth flashed in a rueful smile as the dark-haired man shook his head. “That’s McCloud. He outbid me for some fabulous blue sapphire rough, the kind people once cut into gems and then worshiped along with the idol.”
    “He has the last bid and the best collection of finished goods outside of the biggest museums,” the plump man said emphatically. “But last I heard he was buying emerald rough from sunken Spanish ships. Just a rumor, mind you. There aren’t any legal shipwreck explorations that I know of right now.”
    “I heard the same thing.” The dark-haired man shrugged. “I’m not into emeralds. But around Thanksgiving of last year, McCloud called me up and crowed about the Seven Sins he’d stolen out from under my nose. That rough I wanted had been turned into seven untreated ultra-fine blue sapphires of different weight and cut, with a perfect color match across the stones. Biggest one was just under one hundred carats.”
    The bald man’s jaw sagged. “Untreated? Ultra-fine color? My God. You’re sure?”
    “Yeah, I’m sure. I should have bid higher. I didn’t think a cutter could get that much from the rough. I figured six big stones, tops, and nothing over fifty carats.”
    “Who did the cutting?”
    “A woman, if you can believe it.”
    The bald man grinned. “I believe it. You ever see my wife’s work?”
    “No, but I sure wanted to see the Seven Sins.”
    “Bet you left drool marks all over them.”
    “Never got that close.”
    “What happened? You piss off McCloud?”
    The dark-haired man shook his head. “He called me a few weeks later and said that for insurance reasons, he’s not letting anyone look at any part of his collection for a while.”
    “Odd.”
    “Collectors are odd. That’s why we’re collectors.”
    Sam drifted over toward the door, Colton, and the guest list.
    “Dark-haired guy with the tan,” Sam said quietly.
    “The one standing next to the short bald man?”
    “Yeah. Who is it?”
    Colton looked like he wanted to refuse, but didn’t. He scanned the guest list and said, “Jeremy Baxter, no company affiliation. Room eight-eighteen.”
    “Thanks.” Sam turned away.
    “Wait,” Colton said. “What’d he do?”
    “I’ll get back to you as soon as I know.”
    Sam crossed the room to Kate. “How much longer you need here?”
    She looked up. “You heard them too.”
    “You’re so quick it’s scaring me. Yeah, I heard them.”
    “Wonder how many other people McCloud called.”
    “That’s just one of the things I’m going to ask him.”
    “While you’re at it,” Kate said, “ask CGSI who the other losing bidders on that batch of rough were. One of them might have been mad enough to kill.”
    Sam smiled slowly. “I like the way you think.”
    “Now I’m scared.”

Chapter 40
    Scottsdale
    Friday
    5:40 P.M .
    Kirby drove his rental car into the Royale employee parking lot a few moments after the courier did. He stayed back several car lengths, saw where the courier parked, and drove on by without so much as looking in the courier’s direction. The usual order of the day would be for the courier to go inside and check in with Sizemore Security Consulting while leaving the goods securely locked in the trunk of the car. Then, depending on the wishes of the consignee, the courier could sign over the package to Sizemore’s company and get an escort for the walk from the parking lot to Branson and Sons’ suite, or the courier would get an