“I’ll bet Belle gave them an earful about her encounter,” Goldie said. “I saw a message from her, but with everything going on, I figured I’d wait to call her back later today.”
Angel giggled and then continued. “Yep. When you talk to her, she’ll probably give you an Academy Award version starring Belle Pepper. From what I could gather, after the
Fishwrapper
picked up the news about the Dumkovskys and splashed it all over the whole front page this morning, these investigators saw it and one of them called here asking for Goldie. Frankly, the fellow had a very heavy accent, but I think I got that part right.”
“Well, that is an interesting call. So the bloodhounds are on the trail.”
Goldie added, “With priceless national treasures at stake, it makes sense. Did he say anything else?”
“He said when they contacted the LAPD they were told that no gems were found at the crime scene. He described the seven alexandrites to them and demanded that they return to Caesar’s house and do a more thorough search. Then he says, and I quote, ‘We go to Cal-ee-fornia, talk to old heroes and chef to get real story.’” Angel giggled at her Russian imitation.
“Anyway, Rudy gave them this number to contact you to reach Flossie and Sterling. They’re flying out tomorrow afternoon or the next day, whenever they can get tickets, and want to talk to all of you. I guess even Russian officials have to wait for a seat on Alaska Airlines.”
“So Angel, did it sound like maybe those bureaucrats think we have something to do with the missing gems?” Goldie laughed nervously as she eyeballed the little bulge in her sister’s pocket.
“No nothing like that. They probably think Caesar and your mom and uncle might know more than the police do. Here’s the kicker: the Russian government is offering a reward for the return of the Seven Stars—it’s five million rubles if all seven are recovered.”
Both sisters let out a low whistle at the same time. Godiva reached into her pocket and held up the tin. “Five million rubles, huh? Well, Angel, you never know, maybe we will be able to help them after all.” Then she said, “Wait a minute, Angel. How much is that in U.S. dollars?”
There was a silence. “Don’t know, but I’ll find out.”
THIRTY SEVEN
Goldie shook her head in amazement. “Wow, Sis. Who would have ever thought that a simple order of Russian antiques would wind up like this? I wonder if they’ll pay our reward in U.S. dollars.”
Godiva opened the tin and removed the leather pouch. It dangled from her hand, swinging back and forth on the thong like a pendulum. She reached into the little bag and one by one removed four alexandrites, just as big and sparkly as the one they fished out of Rosita’s samovar. The gems were a beautiful ruby red in the glow of Caesar’s fancy chandelier.
“I’ve got to admit, Sis, those are really impressive.” Goldie leaned over the stones and took a closer look. “Are the other two still in the bag? With the one at your house we’ll have all seven.”
“Sorry, that’s it. There aren’t any more. Which means?”
“Mimi’s aren’t here.” A tear welled in her eye and skittered down her cheek. She gulped. “I guess poor Mimi died without giving up her secret. They must still be hidden somewhere in her shop, but where?” Goldie sighed and rubbed her temples. “I thought we did a pretty thorough search, but I guess we just didn’t dig deep enough. I haven’t got a clue where she could have put them.”
Godiva placed the pouch with the alexandrites in the zippered pocket inside her purse. “You know what? We better get out of here before the police come back to search for these little troublemakers.”
She gathered up her paperwork and headed for the front door.
The sisters decided to stop at The Cheesecake Factory on Beverly Drive for a bite of lunch before returning home. Godiva clutched her lovely Feragamo bag close to her side.
With her mouth watering for a slice of the famous dessert, Goldie teased her sister by saying, “I guess you chose this restaurant because of their great salads. Are they still as good as they used to be?”
“Yep. They’re the best. I figured if we each have a salad we won’t feel so guilty when we order the cheesecake.”
“That’s you, always looking for the angles.” After finishing her salad, Goldie tapped a spot on the menu. “We should order two kinds and split them. Craig’s Crazy Carrot Cheesecake sounds interesting to me. What sounds good to you?”
Godiva fluffed her silver mane. “You mean you had to ask? The Godiva
®
Chocolate Cheesecake, of course.”
As they were wolfing down the rich desserts, Godiva’s cell phone vibrated. When she answered, Angel said, “Well, boss, I found out what five million rubles is worth. It’s, um…two hundred and fifty thousand. A few less zeros, but still not too shabby.”
“No, I guess not, but I do prefer those seven digit numbers.” She told Angel she would be home shortly and closed the phone.
“Well, it turns out the five million ruble reward is only worth about two hundred and fifty thousand dollars.”
Goldie’s eyes sparkled. “
Only
two hundred and fifty thousand? Well, that might not seem like much to you, Mrs. Rockefeller, but it does to me. We could do something really nice in Mimi’s memory and still have a little left over. Of course, that’s if we manage to find the two stones that Mimi hid. Angel did say the reward was for the return of all seven.”
Always interested in what was in it for her, Godiva raised an eyebrow. “Wonder if they’ll give us three and a half million for five of them?” She patted her purse.
When they returned to Godiva’s estate, Angel practically flew through the front door, her huge glasses bouncing up and down on her tiny nose. She was usually very much in charge of herself, so the twins knew that something must have happened.
She dragged them back into the study where she plunked down on a wing-backed chair. The sisters sat across from her on a leather sofa, eager to hear the news.
“I don’t know where to start,” she sighed.
Goldie reached over and patted her hand. “How about the beginning?”
The frazzled Angel took a deep breath. “Okay. I guess I’ll start with the news about Flossie and Sterling. A reporter called right after I rang you at the restaurant. She wants to interview them live on the evening news.”
Godiva put her arm around her sister as they sat on the sofa. “And do they want to interview us, too? I really could have used more notice.”
“Uh, no. They just want Flossie and Sterling.” She tapped her finger to her forehead. “The reporter, what’s her name, again? Oh yeah, Margery McGonicle. She said she’s doing a senior spotlight or something like that. You know, ‘don’t underestimate the elderly’ kind of thing. In fact, the crew is due here in—” she checked her Mickey Mouse watch, “—two and a half hours.”
“So where are the superheroes?”
“Chili tried to talk them into going to the doctor to have their bumps and bruises checked out, but they flatly refused.”
“Sounds typical,” said Godiva, “I’ll have that nice Dr. Finkel come over tonight and check them out. He won’t mind making a house call for me. He’s always trying to get me to contribute to his pet projects.”
Goldie got back to the question at hand. “So, where did they go?”
“Flossie talked Chili into driving her over to Mr. Beau on Fairfax for a rinse and set so she can look glamorous. You know your Mom, she always wants to look her best in public. And your Uncle Sterling took Waldo to the groomers for a bath and a red bow. They’ll be back way before the reporter comes.”
Godiva glared. “And we get treated like nobodies. My sister and I had a big hand in solving this, you know.”
“Oh, lighten up, Sis.” Goldie chuckled. “You get plenty of publicity, let them enjoy the limelight. Between this and the award banquet, they must be walking on cloud nine. Imagine that, the evening news!”
“So, Angel, what else? A little thing like a spur-of-the-minute TV interview wouldn’t have you in such a tizzy.”
“You’re right about that!” Pushing her glasses up on her nose, Angel said to Goldie, “Your mother-in-law called and, boy-oh-boy, she really lived up to her title as the best gossip in town.”
“Leave it to Belle. What is she up to?”
“Well, it’s not what she’s up to. It’s what’s going on in Juneau. As they say, ‘now the plot thickens’.”
“Get to the point, Angel.” Godiva was growing impatient.
“Okay, she said she forgot to tell you that Father Innocent’s replacement came the day after you left. Apparently this new priest, Father Inquisitive—very mousy looking according to Belle—is a studious young man. Dora told her he’s very detail oriented and determined to clean up the church’s bookkeeping.”
Goldie got up and started to pace the room. “So, with the new priest already there, I suppose that means I’m going to be on the hook for a replacement samovar for Father Innocent.” She looked distressed. “Maybe I can find something and ship it home by Fed Ex.”
Angel waved her hand. “Oh, that’s not it. Nobody said anything about the gift. Let me get to the big news. While he was checking the accounts, Father Inquisitive found some cryptic notations written by Father Augustine before he was killed. That’s when the new guy started digging.”
“Did he find anything?”
“Bingo! Belle said he discovered that Rimsky has been running a smuggling operation out of the Russian Orthodox Church for quite some time. It’s the hot topic around Juneau today.”
Godiva broke in. “Wow! A real smuggling operation? You mean it wasn’t just this one shipment?”
“Yes indeed, and on top of being a thief and a smuggler, looks like Rimsky’s probably the man who killed Father Augustine.”
“Did Father Innocent know about any of this?”
“Don’t know, but according to what they found out so far, it’s big. There has to be at least one more person in Juneau involved, but they don’t know who that is yet. Belle said she’d keep the Church women at bay until you get back, Goldie. She also mentioned that someone had to carry on your snooping while you’re gone, so she said to call her tonight and she’ll fill you in on everything she’s found out.”
“Well, Angel, I guess sometimes it pays to have a mother-in-law who sticks her nose into everyone’s business. One thing is for sure. She and Nellie will have plenty to talk about at the next Mad Hatter’s Convention.”
Godiva started to get up from the couch. “So, is that all of it?”
Angel sighed. “I wish. The phone has been ringing off the hook all day. The Russian officials will be here day after tomorrow in the late morning. I told them they could come right from the airport. I hope that’s okay.”
Godiva hesitated. “Sure. No problem.”
Except that we only have five stones.
Goldie winked, having read her sister’s thoughts loud and clear.
Angel was still ticking the items off on her fingers. “After that Rudy called. He said to tell you he’s picking Taku up at the jail this afternoon and wants to put him up in his apartment over the shop for a few days. Said he didn’t think you would mind. From what I could gather, Taku is pretty shaky and Rudy was worried about him.”
“No wonder he’s shaky. Look what he’s been through.”
“Anyway, he said to tell you they’re going to stop by Mimi’s shop first. It’s been locked up tight, but the police tape is finally down. Taku says he knows where the key is hidden and wants to pick up his backpack and a few things.” She looked at her Mickey Mouse watch again. “Listen, I’ve gotta go meet Nathan. I was really late yesterday. I hate to do that again.”
Godiva folded her arms across her chest. “And, what am I going to do about my columns? The next three have to be sent out before tomorrow afternoon, you know. I knew I shouldn’t have gone to Belle’s party.” She waggled her finger at Goldie. “Look what you got me into. You’re supposed to live in a quiet, backwater town, Sis. Not crime central. I hate to work at night, and now I’m going to have to.” She looked at her assistant expectantly.
“Gee, boss, I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to do all work you left for me, but don’t worry, I managed to get enough done for the next three columns. It’s on your desk. The pile in the middle has six letters that are sure things. Your readers are gonna love them. I put the maybes in the yellow basket and the definitely-nots in the green one. Honestly Godiva, you’re so slick you’ll probably have them knocked out in an hour.” Angel grabbed her purse and headed for the door. “Oh yeah, and Caesar called three times, says you didn’t answer your cell phone. Bye!”
Before Godiva made it to her desk to check the pile of sure thing letters, Angel was gone.
THIRTY EIGHT
Godiva finished reading the six letters while Goldie made notes on her yellow pad. Who could possibly be involved with Rimsky? Who was actually in Mimi’s shop the day they encountered the intruder? How did the Dumkovskys know Rimsky and where did Minsky and Pinsky fit in? She scratched her head; it was like a giant jigsaw puzzle.
Her concentration was interrupted by Godiva’s laughter. “Take a break from your pondering, Goldie. I’ve got to read you this last one.”
“Okay, I’ll never get to the bottom of this anyway. I could use a good laugh.”
Godiva cleared her throat and held the letter at arm’s length so she didn’t have to put on her reading glasses.
Dear G. O. D.,
My brother and I are in love with the same bi-guy. Recently we went to the movies with this friend and he sat between us. We both flirted with him and held his hand. I think he liked all the attention, but he said he couldn’t eat his popcorn. My brother thinks I scared him off and wants to try again with him. He asked me to cool it. We’ve always been so competitive, fighting over the same dolls, dresses, etc. that I hate to give an inch. Should I let my bro win this one or hold my ground? —Straight Sis
“Wow. Some triangle! Guess I’ve heard everything now.”
“Not by a long shot. You’d be surprised at what some of people write. At least there’s no dog involved. I thought I’d answer like this, what do you think?