Read Online The Tangled Webb by D. P. Schroeder - Free Book Online
Authors: D. P. Schroeder
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plane.
Ten minutes later the jet barreled down the runway, its nose climbing into the air. Once the aircraft leveled off, the crew served food and beverages. The couple then settled into a pull-out sofa for the seven-hour trip. Kate began reading a mystery novel and James slept through most of the flight, exhausted and wanting to escape their troubles.
Just after one o’clock in the morning the Challenger touched down at the Charles de Gaulle Airport, fifteen minutes outside Paris, France. Having made the hotel reservation, Kate checked in when they arrived at the front desk of the Hotel du Quai Voltaire, a quaint establishment in the heart of historic Paris along the river Seine, across from the Louvre.
Now inside a suite on the hotel’s second level, they were struck by the beautiful setting; oversized windows framing a picturesque view of the river.
They woke early, had breakfast at a cozy café nearby, then James prepared disguises as Kate stuffed falsified passports into her shoulder bag. James didn’t want to leave a trail for Interpol to pick up when they traveled between France and Belgium. At the train station, they went through security and, since the tubes were made of lead, the x-ray machine was unable to detect the diamonds. All clear, they boarded the Eurostar, a high-speed train running between Paris and London.
Speeding along at 180 M.P.H., they reached Brussels in less than an hour. Outside the station they hailed a taxi and rode twenty minutes north to Antwerp, Belgium. Arriving in the Renaissance town, Kate started out for the churches and museums. James agreed to meet her later in the day, then he headed for the Diamond Quarter, an area within the city where thousands of gem cutters and polishers ply their trade. With more than three thousand brokers and merchants, the district sees more than $16 billion in polished diamonds pass through its exchanges each year.
The research James had done gave him a guide to the most aggressive buyers of loose diamonds. The type of stones they had demanded from Alec Specter would be easily saleable because of their size, cut and shape. The task was to unload all two hundred of the gems. He planned to sell them among a total of ten merchants. He would have to settle for steep discounts because of the substantial spread between the wholesale and retail price of diamonds. Not being a dealer himself, Specter had paid near retail when he acquired the gems.
It would prove to be a long day.
James entered the shop of the first proprietor and approached the merchant; an elderly man, graying hair, a long beard and quick, sharp eyes. His voice barely above a whisper, the old man invited James to join him at a table in the rear. As they sat down, James opened the draw string of a small velvet pouch, emptying the stones on a cloth spread across the table. The morning sunlight streaked through the windows, set the gems aglow.
The merchant’s eyes grew wide.
The gems sparkled as though alive with a magical energy. Having been cut brilliantly to perfection, each of the stones was absolutely flawless. James waited patiently as the merchant carefully scrutinized the merchandize.
Raising the final stone to a small magnification device near his eye, the merchant nodded his approval.
“A thing of beauty,” he commented.
Since there were no internal defects to distinguish the stones, he knew they were completely untraceable. James estimated the diamonds on the table had been purchased by Specter for about $2 million. He understood the calculus: the sum the merchant would pay would be a wholesale price, allowing for mark-up and profit. Technically, it was the merchant’s responsibility to determine the origin of the diamonds he was buying. However, given the tremendous volume of diamonds flowing through the district, merchants seldom paid attention to such details. Especially when confronted with the opportunity, and the temptation, to buy diamonds at a price assuring a hefty
Ten minutes later the jet barreled down the runway, its nose climbing into the air. Once the aircraft leveled off, the crew served food and beverages. The couple then settled into a pull-out sofa for the seven-hour trip. Kate began reading a mystery novel and James slept through most of the flight, exhausted and wanting to escape their troubles.
Just after one o’clock in the morning the Challenger touched down at the Charles de Gaulle Airport, fifteen minutes outside Paris, France. Having made the hotel reservation, Kate checked in when they arrived at the front desk of the Hotel du Quai Voltaire, a quaint establishment in the heart of historic Paris along the river Seine, across from the Louvre.
Now inside a suite on the hotel’s second level, they were struck by the beautiful setting; oversized windows framing a picturesque view of the river.
They woke early, had breakfast at a cozy café nearby, then James prepared disguises as Kate stuffed falsified passports into her shoulder bag. James didn’t want to leave a trail for Interpol to pick up when they traveled between France and Belgium. At the train station, they went through security and, since the tubes were made of lead, the x-ray machine was unable to detect the diamonds. All clear, they boarded the Eurostar, a high-speed train running between Paris and London.
Speeding along at 180 M.P.H., they reached Brussels in less than an hour. Outside the station they hailed a taxi and rode twenty minutes north to Antwerp, Belgium. Arriving in the Renaissance town, Kate started out for the churches and museums. James agreed to meet her later in the day, then he headed for the Diamond Quarter, an area within the city where thousands of gem cutters and polishers ply their trade. With more than three thousand brokers and merchants, the district sees more than $16 billion in polished diamonds pass through its exchanges each year.
The research James had done gave him a guide to the most aggressive buyers of loose diamonds. The type of stones they had demanded from Alec Specter would be easily saleable because of their size, cut and shape. The task was to unload all two hundred of the gems. He planned to sell them among a total of ten merchants. He would have to settle for steep discounts because of the substantial spread between the wholesale and retail price of diamonds. Not being a dealer himself, Specter had paid near retail when he acquired the gems.
It would prove to be a long day.
James entered the shop of the first proprietor and approached the merchant; an elderly man, graying hair, a long beard and quick, sharp eyes. His voice barely above a whisper, the old man invited James to join him at a table in the rear. As they sat down, James opened the draw string of a small velvet pouch, emptying the stones on a cloth spread across the table. The morning sunlight streaked through the windows, set the gems aglow.
The merchant’s eyes grew wide.
The gems sparkled as though alive with a magical energy. Having been cut brilliantly to perfection, each of the stones was absolutely flawless. James waited patiently as the merchant carefully scrutinized the merchandize.
Raising the final stone to a small magnification device near his eye, the merchant nodded his approval.
“A thing of beauty,” he commented.
Since there were no internal defects to distinguish the stones, he knew they were completely untraceable. James estimated the diamonds on the table had been purchased by Specter for about $2 million. He understood the calculus: the sum the merchant would pay would be a wholesale price, allowing for mark-up and profit. Technically, it was the merchant’s responsibility to determine the origin of the diamonds he was buying. However, given the tremendous volume of diamonds flowing through the district, merchants seldom paid attention to such details. Especially when confronted with the opportunity, and the temptation, to buy diamonds at a price assuring a hefty
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