“Uh-huh.” I squirmed, but Zach held on tight.
“He was just worried that you’d abscond with them in the meantime.”
“
Me?
Why would he think that?”
“Jason told him contractors are known for taking off with the loot they find in the walls. And after the other night at dinner, with you asking all those questions about Brice Lehner, he got especially nervous.”
“Tell Rory that there
are
no gems to be found. It was all a scam.”
“It
wasn’t
all a scam,” Zach said. “That’s the whole point. The two prospectors had to show Buchanan proof in order to get his backing.”
“But they were just inferior gems to convince Buchanan there was a fortune to be had in raw diamonds and rubies.”
“They must be worth something anyway; otherwise why would everyone be trying to track them down? Maybe Buchanan tried to save face by mixing in a bunch of his wife’s jewelry with the duds.”
“That’s what they’re after, then? This is what Kenneth was killed over?”
“I told you, I don’t know anything about that.” Zach shook his head. “I was just looking for a package in the house somewhere, some hiding place, that’s all.”
“And that day we met you in the house? Were you looking for them then?” I asked.
“Rory said there would be a couple of men over at the house that day, they would let me in, and I should help them to look for something in the walls. They were cleaning up the study, but I didn’t know what went down, I swear. I didn’t even know about it until the day after.”
“Zach, I’ve crawled under and around and through every part of that house by now. There
is
no treasure to be had.” But I was lying. I had figured out where the gems might be hidden.
“I guess that’s why Rory wanted me to follow you around. Just in case you knew something.”
He rose off me a little, just enough to flip me over and tie my hands behind my back with the very twine I had used on him. I kicked and squirmed as much as I could, but I was no match for Zach’s strength. Then he marched me over to the door corral, which was a huge wooden structure filled with hundreds of doors standing on end.
Doors had been stacked to block both exits. And now Zach was doing the same, stacking them, standing them on end, at the sole remaining opening. He was trapping me here. I felt helpless, idiotic. And more than a little panicked.
“Zach, this is crazy! Why are you working with these guys? I know someone who knows your mother.”
“My mother?” He seemed genuinely taken aback.
“Nancy, in personnel at the
Chronicle
. She knows your mom.”
“Huh. Anyway, I reiterate: I’m a good guy in all of this.”
“Which would explain why I’m tied up?”
“Trust me on this: You’re safer here. They have no idea where you are. In the meantime, if you just sit tight, I’m going to get all the investors together and figure out what the hell’s going on.”
“The house is all locked up,” I said, rather inanely. As though a couple of simple locks would keep them out if they really wanted in. They got in to clean up the scene of the murder easily enough.
“The last place any of the investors want to be right now is Matt’s house, believe me. They’re trying to distance themselves from all of this.”
“But—” I began, but he cut me off.
“Don’t try to move these doors by yourself,” he warned. “They’ll fall in on you. And don’t call the police. As I think you know by now, they have a contact in the police department. Just try to relax until morning. The guy working here will dig you out as soon as he gets here in the a.m.”
“Zach! Don’t leave me here!”
But he was gone with a clatter of a security door.
Blind rage gave me energy and a clarity of purpose.
First things first. It took me most of the night, but I finally got loose, managing to cut through the twine by rubbing against the rough edge of a loose hinge on a door. Then I stacked doors one on top of another, putting together a makeshift set of stairs. I hoisted myself up onto the wooden partition, over the top, crash-landing amidst mannequins and a rack of faux fur coats.
What now? If I called the police and reported Zach, I would be in for hours of questions and filling out forms. Plus, if Inspector Lehner had been an investor in the house, had placed a fraudulent lien against it, and then was hunting for the gems himself . . . who was to say he wasn’t the murderer? Or at least a conspirator? And if he was that ruthless, why would he stop at hurting
me
?
The security door was chained shut. I rifled through the papers and effluvia behind the cash register, just in case an extra key was lying around or hanging on a hook somewhere. Nothing. I had to get
out
of here.
If Nico hadn’t been in the hospital recently—by virtue of working for me, no less—I would have called him. I didn’t know Spike or any of Nico’s nephews well enough to ask them to rescue me in the early hours of the morning. I was by far the handiest of any of my friends; Luz and Stephen could both be referred to, at best, as “athletically challenged.” And Graham . . . well, that would just be too embarrassing on all fronts.
Finally I decided to take care of it myself. I found a heavy pair of bolt cutters in the tool area, and though it took another hour, I managed to cut through the chains on the metal security door, and then those on the parking lot gate.
By the time I was on the freeway, the first light of dawn had arrived, and my rage had morphed into angry determination. I went home and got myself a gun and bullets—Zach had taken the Glock, along with my cell phone. I stopped by our neighbor Tom’s house; he was up early for his shift at Pacific Gas and Electric. Dog went wild when he saw me, forgoing his usual laid-back demeanor for the joy of reunion.
“Are you all right?” Tom asked, clearly worried at my appearance. Though I’d used the bathroom at home, I hadn’t taken the time to clean up.
I knew where the diamonds might be
. Looking at the amethyst doorknobs had given me an idea. And just in case I was right, I wanted to retrieve them before the goons figured it out. Zach had told me no one would be poking around Matt’s house this morning. This was my opportunity.
“Oh, I’m just peachy. Thanks for the dogsitting.”
“Anytime. My daughter thought she’d died and gone to heaven. Loves dogs. I might just have to make a trip to the pound, pick up one of our own.”
I was just about to offer him Dog, but bit my tongue. Big brown eyes looked up at me in mute adoration. We had fed him, and named him, sort of. Dog was here to stay.
Chapter Twenty-four
L
ooking back on it later, I probably shouldn’t have been so eager to lay my hands on the gems that I went to the house alone, without arranging for backup. But I had my loyal canine by my side, a loaded Smith & Wesson in my satchel, and a near blind rage egging me on.
I entered the house. Awaited the ghosts. Nothing.
I went upstairs to the den. This was where I always smelled Walter Buchanan’s pipe, heard the rattle of his newspaper.
One of the carpenters had set up a circular saw in this room, just like the one that had taken Kenneth’s hand, and then his life. They hadn’t known about the other one here, clearly, and since I had told them to leave this room alone they figured they wouldn’t have to work around it. Still, talk about your déjà vu . . .
I sat for a moment, just taking in the room. The prospectors Nelson and Giametti had conned Walter Buchanan into a scam that led him to disgrace, as well as to a great loss of fortune. Walter had been left in this house, alone, to face his ruin.
Had Giametti come back for some reason? Was he lured by the promise of more money, or angered by the Norton notes he was given instead of real money? Had Buchanan killed the man, kept the jewels and the money he had paid him, and then, in a fit of shame and remorse, killed himself?
And now the two remained here, locked together forever, in this home?
Pipe smoke enveloped me suddenly. I still couldn’t see him, but I felt Walter Buchanan’s presence. Sad. Rueful. Penitent.
I approached the ugly fireplace surround that Gerald, Walter’s great-grandson, had made all by himself. The river rock reminded me of the smooth stones at Ralston Lake, where we had scattered Mom’s ashes. Shells and smaller pieces of gravel and strange translucent stones were stuck in the cement as well, willy-nilly.
I knelt before it, passed my hands over the rock.
Picking up a hammer and a screwdriver, I started to chip away at the mortar, just a little.
But what if I accidentally chipped the next Hope diamond? Could a person chip a diamond that easily?
The light fixture in the entry hall.
Murky, crystalline stones . . .
I had to use the twelve-foot ladder to reach. Usually, according to my own stringent workplace safety standards, I would never allow one of my people to climb a tall ladder without assistance nearby. But I wasn’t afraid of heights. And I couldn’t wait.
I reached the third rung from the top, the last one you’re supposed to stand on before risking losing your balance. I reached up to the fixture . . .
Dog barked.
The ladder rocked. I grabbed it in reflex.
I looked down to see Jason Wehr. And Robbie, a red motorcycle helmet still tucked under his beefy arm. Apparently the murderous investors club wasn’t meeting this morning, after all.
Dog barked some more.
“Brilliant, Mel. Just brilliant.” Jason smiled up at me. “I was hoping you’d figure it out. I racked my brain, swear to God. Didn’t want to think it was all some sort of wild-goose chase.”
Where was my
gun
? My mind flashed on my satchel, which I’d left in the den. Brilliant, indeed.
“What are you talking about?” I asked, all innocence. “You want this ugly light fixture?”
Uncertainty clouded his expression briefly, but then he smiled again. “Those are the gems, though, right? It finally dawned on me—I was so set on a bunch of glittery jewels that I didn’t realize how ugly raw gems could be.”
“You were working with Kenneth on this?” I asked, taking a deep breath and trying desperately to think. “Trying to find the gems?”
Wehr shook his head. “I wouldn’t say Kenneth was working with
anyone
. He was planning on absconding with the money for the house. You need a hand with that?”
“I think I need tools,” I said, my voice shaky.
“Shut up, stupid mutt,” Robbie growled at Dog.
“Don’t worry about it, Mel. Robbie here will get it. He’s good at that sort of thing.”
Robbie rattled the ladder again, and I grabbed it with one hand, the other holding on to the light’s ceiling mount. It hadn’t been properly installed. Even if it had been, the screws wouldn’t hold my weight; as it was, I could already see it pulling away from the ceiling.
“Oops.” Robbie laughed as I clutched tight.
“Don’t be mean, Robbie,” Jason chastised.
“You don’t need to do anything stupid,” I said.
“Oh, I won’t,” Jason said. “I’ll leave that up to my friend here.”
“Robbie,” I said, “think about this. Tam will be so disappointed.”
He shrugged his big ham shoulders. “Whatever.”
“I guess it’s time for another construction accident,” said Jason. “Sorry, Mel. This will ruin Turner Construction’s safety record, I’m sure. But I don’t see any way around it at this point. I do feel bad for your father, though. Maybe he’ll finally pull himself together, step back in.”
I looked down at the inlaid stone of the entryway floor. If I landed right, it wouldn’t kill me. But somehow I thought Robbie or Jason would take care of that part soon enough.
“Wait.
Wait
,” I said. “I can give you the map.”
“What map?”
“The gem field map.”
“I never wanted the stupid gem field map!” said Jason. “Kenneth kept mumbling about the damned map, but what I wanted was the diamonds. I never meant for him to die, you know. I even tried to stop the bleeding, but then you pulled up, and I guess we panicked.”
“How did you even know about the gems in the first place?”
“I read about them when I was researching the house, and then met up with a bunch of rock hounds, who told me the whole story.”
“The diamonds aren’t good quality, anyway,” I protested. “They’re all seconds, no good for jewelry making.”
“That was back then,” Jason said. “In today’s market they’d be worth a small fortune for use in high-tech industries. That, on top of the money from the house, was enough. But with Kenneth selling us out and then trying to take off with the money for the house, I would have been left with less than nothing.”
“What do you need so much money for, anyway, Jason? You’re an award-winning, sought-after architect, aren’t you?”
“I have to complete my project. My Eden. Do you have any idea how much it costs to get something like that off the ground? Kenneth told me he’d help me put investors together. He convinced me I’d make a tidy profit off flipping this monstrosity of a house. Then he tried to sell the house out from under us. Now I’ll at least get my money back, and those diamonds are a sure thing. Hey, yank one off for me, while you’re up there,” he said. “I want to see one up close.”
“One of these?” I said, toying with one of the blobby crystalline shapes. I was still playing for time.
He nodded.
I grabbed hold of the mounting plate, and yanked as hard as I could. The whole fixture came out of the ceiling, raining plaster upon the men below. Balancing as best I could, I held the lamp in my arms and pulled diamonds off, one after another, hurling them at my attackers.
Diamonds are just about the hardest rocks around. And I’ve got good aim.
Dog started going wild, barking and running around in circles.