Sometimes, the circles took on faces—nose, eyes, hair, neck. Sometimes, the ovals became feet or fingernails on a hand.
"No, you've never lied to me," I said. "Not as far as I know."
"Good. Listen, ma poulette , do you have the jewel?"
"It was you, on the phone! That message in Paris!"
"Yes. I am currently away, but I picked up my voice mail this afternoon. What is going on, Sylvie?"
At the door, Luca knocked again. "Sylvie, are you all right?"
I went to the door, opened it, pretending there was nothing wrong. I nodded, pressed my finger to my lips. Mouthed, "Paul."
He looked grim.
On the phone, Paul said, "Sylvie, are you there?"
"Yes, and I'm fine," I said.
"Do you have the jewel?"
"You know the answer to that question."
"You do not have it by accident, ma cherie ."
"No sh—" I stopped myself in time. He hated to hear me swear crudely. "Kidding."
"Please, Sylvie," he said. "Listen to me. You will meet a man named Luca Colceriu. Do not trust him."
"Already made his acquaintance," I said, and met Luca's gaze. There was something hot and black in his eyes, and a hair-thin line of white around his finely cut nostrils, betraying the strong emotion he was attempting to hide. "He's standing right here."
"Merde!" Paul said.
Luca scowled, shook his head, flung away his hands.
"He is very dangerous, Sylvie. Ruthless and ambitious." I raised an eyebrow and waited. If they'd wanted some silly little pawn to position and play, they should have chosen a different woman. Luca could be excused, but Paul could not.
Into the phone, I said quietly, "I can take care of myself, Paul."
"I have never doubted it."
"What do you want me to do?"
For a moment, silence roared between us. Quietly, he said, "Call me when you can."
"So you can warn me about another man I'm involved with?"
"Ah, sweet, you are still angry with me over Timothy."
My ex.
"No. Why would I be angry? You were right."
"And that is why you have not spoken to me in five years, because I was right?"
I ducked away from Luca's avidly listening ears. "No. I don't know. Maybe."
"Sylvie, venez à moi dans l'Arran, " he said in French. Come to me in Arran.
Arran. Not in this lifetime.
"I'm taking the jewel to the inspector," I said, and hung up.
Chapter 9
Carat is the 4th C. This is the size of the diamond. One carat is divided into 100 "points," so that a diamond of 75 points weighs .75 carats. Carat weight is the most obvious factor in determining the value of a diamond. But two diamonds of equal carat weights can have very unequal prices, depending on their quality, and diamonds of high quality can be found in all size ranges.
—www.costellos.com.au
T he line went dead. I held the phone a moment longer, feeling a thread reeling out from my ear, across the miles and the years to Paul, to my grandmother, who would be worrying now that he'd talked to her.
Against my breast, I felt the living jewel humming with power.
Luca said, "You must not believe what he says about me, Sylvie. He is very angry with me."
"I've known him a lot longer than I've known you."
"And he is like a father to you, no?"
Stung as always by this spin, I lifted a shoulder. "No." But I remembered again that I wanted to talk to my father. What time was it in Kuala Lampur? I punched the button for the World Clock option on my phone and looked at the little red dot traveling around the globe. "Where is Malaysia, exactly?" I asked.
"In Asia somewhere." Luca scowled. "I don't know."
The map didn't give me many choices. "Closer to Thailand or Singapore?" I frowned. "I think it's south of Thailand."
"That sounds correct, yes."
Only five thirty there. Too early. I clipped the phone closed.
"Paul is protective of you. He's also furious with me." Luca smiled, ruefully. "You know him—would he have anything good to say of my character at such a time?"
"No."
He spread his hands, as if to say, you see? I thought of the police, who would be expecting me in a few days, and what they
"No, you've never lied to me," I said. "Not as far as I know."
"Good. Listen, ma poulette , do you have the jewel?"
"It was you, on the phone! That message in Paris!"
"Yes. I am currently away, but I picked up my voice mail this afternoon. What is going on, Sylvie?"
At the door, Luca knocked again. "Sylvie, are you all right?"
I went to the door, opened it, pretending there was nothing wrong. I nodded, pressed my finger to my lips. Mouthed, "Paul."
He looked grim.
On the phone, Paul said, "Sylvie, are you there?"
"Yes, and I'm fine," I said.
"Do you have the jewel?"
"You know the answer to that question."
"You do not have it by accident, ma cherie ."
"No sh—" I stopped myself in time. He hated to hear me swear crudely. "Kidding."
"Please, Sylvie," he said. "Listen to me. You will meet a man named Luca Colceriu. Do not trust him."
"Already made his acquaintance," I said, and met Luca's gaze. There was something hot and black in his eyes, and a hair-thin line of white around his finely cut nostrils, betraying the strong emotion he was attempting to hide. "He's standing right here."
"Merde!" Paul said.
Luca scowled, shook his head, flung away his hands.
"He is very dangerous, Sylvie. Ruthless and ambitious." I raised an eyebrow and waited. If they'd wanted some silly little pawn to position and play, they should have chosen a different woman. Luca could be excused, but Paul could not.
Into the phone, I said quietly, "I can take care of myself, Paul."
"I have never doubted it."
"What do you want me to do?"
For a moment, silence roared between us. Quietly, he said, "Call me when you can."
"So you can warn me about another man I'm involved with?"
"Ah, sweet, you are still angry with me over Timothy."
My ex.
"No. Why would I be angry? You were right."
"And that is why you have not spoken to me in five years, because I was right?"
I ducked away from Luca's avidly listening ears. "No. I don't know. Maybe."
"Sylvie, venez à moi dans l'Arran, " he said in French. Come to me in Arran.
Arran. Not in this lifetime.
"I'm taking the jewel to the inspector," I said, and hung up.
Chapter 9
Carat is the 4th C. This is the size of the diamond. One carat is divided into 100 "points," so that a diamond of 75 points weighs .75 carats. Carat weight is the most obvious factor in determining the value of a diamond. But two diamonds of equal carat weights can have very unequal prices, depending on their quality, and diamonds of high quality can be found in all size ranges.
—www.costellos.com.au
T he line went dead. I held the phone a moment longer, feeling a thread reeling out from my ear, across the miles and the years to Paul, to my grandmother, who would be worrying now that he'd talked to her.
Against my breast, I felt the living jewel humming with power.
Luca said, "You must not believe what he says about me, Sylvie. He is very angry with me."
"I've known him a lot longer than I've known you."
"And he is like a father to you, no?"
Stung as always by this spin, I lifted a shoulder. "No." But I remembered again that I wanted to talk to my father. What time was it in Kuala Lampur? I punched the button for the World Clock option on my phone and looked at the little red dot traveling around the globe. "Where is Malaysia, exactly?" I asked.
"In Asia somewhere." Luca scowled. "I don't know."
The map didn't give me many choices. "Closer to Thailand or Singapore?" I frowned. "I think it's south of Thailand."
"That sounds correct, yes."
Only five thirty there. Too early. I clipped the phone closed.
"Paul is protective of you. He's also furious with me." Luca smiled, ruefully. "You know him—would he have anything good to say of my character at such a time?"
"No."
He spread his hands, as if to say, you see? I thought of the police, who would be expecting me in a few days, and what they
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