Diamond Deceit (2 page)

Despite his warm words, Nancy noticed that Ted's eyes never made contact with hers. His handshake was too quick, almost mechanical. Maybe he was just nervous, she reasoned.

“How do you like your room at the inn?” Bess asked, keeping her arm linked with Ted's.

Nancy let George answer. Her own attention was distracted as the older woman came out of the jewelry shop and detoured around Nancy's group.

“Earth to Nancy,” Bess's voice broke into Nancy's thoughts a moment later.

“Oh—sorry, Bess,” Nancy said. “I got caught up thinking about something that just happened here.”

“Nancy was almost trampled by two men who ran out of that shop a couple of minutes ago. One of them was shouting threats at the other one,” George explained.

“You mean Len?” Ted asked worriedly. “A big
blond guy?” Nancy and George nodded. “I hope it's nothing serious. I'm going to see what happened here. Bess, can you cover for me at the restaurant?” He squeezed her hand.

Bess shook her head and smiled up at Ted. From the way they looked at each other, Nancy guessed that George was right. Ted probably
was
the reason Bess had extended her vacation.

“Len's a good friend of mine,” Ted explained to Nancy and George. “We've gotten to know each other pretty well coaching Little League baseball.” With that he entered the jewelry shop.

“I hope everything's okay,” George said to Bess. “But right now I just remembered I'm starving! It's a good thing Ted owns a restaurant.”

“Actually, it belongs to his parents. Ted just runs it for them,” Bess explained.

“He sure is cute. No wonder you decided to stay a little longer,” Nancy said, raising an eyebrow at her friend.

“Ted's nice,” Bess said, blushing slightly. “But he's not the only reason I decided to stay.”

“Bess, can we talk about this over some food?” George asked.

Bess laughed and linked her arm through George's. “Sure. Come on over to the restaurant, and I'll feed you.”

Bess led them across the street and through a doorway with a sign that read Café de Carmel.

Nancy paused just inside the door to check out
the place. The lower half of each wall was covered in black and white tile. Neon-filled tubes shaped like musical instruments were placed on the upper wall space. Chrome-edged tables and red vinyl chairs filled the room. A jukebox stood against one wall. Even though it was the middle of the afternoon, several tables were filled.

Bess pointed to a table near the jukebox. “You two sit down, and I'll get you something to eat,” she said. “I'm just going to bring you something light. We're having a big picnic dinner on the beach with Ted's parents later,” she added, disappearing through a red swinging door at the rear of the café.

“I guess this isn't the first time Bess has helped Ted out,” George said to Nancy as they sat down. “She seems to know her way around here.”

Just then the restaurant door opened, and Ted entered, followed by the tall blond guy from the jewelry shop. They came over and joined Nancy and George.

“This is Len Olson,” Ted said. “He and his fiancée, Marcia Cheung, rent the shop across the street. Len's a landscape architect, and Marcia's a jewelry designer. Bess told me you're a detective, Nancy, and I was wondering if you'd listen to what Len has to say.”

Bess came out of the kitchen with two bowls of steaming soup, which she set in front of Nancy and George. “I'll get you one, too, Len,” she offered.

“That's okay. Why don't you sit down while I tell your friend what happened to Marcia?” Len said.

Bess stared first at Ted and then at Len. Then she shook a reproving finger in their faces. “Oh, no, you don't! Nancy's here on vacation, not to solve any mysteries.”

“I don't mind,” Nancy said. “Really.”

Bess pulled up a chair from a neighboring table and placed it between Nancy and Ted. While she settled in, Len picked up a napkin from the table and started folding it into smaller and smaller squares. Nancy sensed his tension. He seemed ready to explode.

“Why don't you tell me who that man was you were yelling at, Len?” she prompted.

Crumpling the napkin, Len threw it down. “That was Cy Baxter,” he said angrily.

“Cy's another jewelry designer who has a shop here in Carmel,” Ted explained. “He's pretty well known.”

“Marcia worked for Cy until about six months ago, when we could finally afford to rent our own place,” Len added. “Marcia has a studio in the back of the shop where she designs and makes the jewelry she sells. I run my landscaping business out of the same office. All I really need are some filing cabinets and a phone. I keep my equipment on my truck. Anyway, Marcia just finished designing a new setting for some diamonds that belong to Joanna Burton.”

“Joanna Burton! The movie star?” Bess interrupted, her mouth falling open.

“Yup,” Len said. “I don't think she's made a movie for years, though. Anyway, Miss Burton lives here in Carmel,” he went on. “We thought that designing a necklace for a movie star would help Marcia build her reputation.” Len shook his head. “We never dreamed something like this would happen.”

“Something like what?” Nancy questioned.

“Did you notice an older woman in the shop?” Nancy and George both nodded. “She's a police detective. Joanna Burton filed a report claiming that the diamonds in her necklace had been replaced with fakes.”

“Oh, no!” George said, swallowing a spoonful of soup. “Did she accuse Marcia?”

Len shook his head. “No, she was just asking general questions. But while she was there Cy Baxter came in. He was the one who accused Marcia. He said that she probably switched the stones and kept the diamonds for herself.”

“How did he know that the diamonds had been switched?” Nancy wanted to know.

“Joanna Burton had given him the necklace to appraise. That was when he discovered that the diamonds in it were really cubic zirconia.” Seeing the confused looks on the girls' faces, he explained, “Cubic zirconia is a stone that resembles diamonds. It's often used in jewelry imitations.
To the untrained eye, c.z. looks like the real thing. I know I can't tell the difference.”

Len sat silently for a few moments, his face a deep red. He was obviously very upset by what had happened. Nancy decided to give him a chance to get himself under control, so she took a few spoonfuls of her soup. It was a delicious, light vegetable puree.

Without warning Len banged his fist on the tabletop, startling Nancy. “He had no right!” Len burst out angrily. “Who does Baxter think he is, walking in and making a statement like that? Marcia would never replace real stones with fakes and then try to keep the diamonds!”

Nancy felt uneasy. There was something scary about Len's explosive temper.

Len fell silent again for a minute before turning to Nancy. “Do you think you could try to find out what really happened to the diamonds?” he asked. “Marcia didn't do it, I swear.” Len banged his fist down again, causing the bowls of soup to clatter on the tabletop. “If this gets out, no one will let Marcia touch any jewelry. It could ruin her business!”

Len must have noticed how uncomfortable Nancy was with his anger because he slowly leaned back in his chair, rubbing his temples. “Look, I'm sorry. I guess I got a little carried away. Please help us,” he said in a softer voice.

Nancy wasn't sure she wanted to get involved
with this case. She was uneasy with Len's temper, and she
was
on vacation, but his story had definitely aroused her curiosity.

Finally she turned to Len and said, “I'll need to talk to Marcia.”

“Great,” Len told her. “Can she meet with you this evening after she closes the shop? Around eight?”

Bess said in an excited whisper, “Hey, maybe we should go talk to Joanna Burton, too. Do you know where she lives, Len?”

“She lives in one of the big houses along Seventeen-Mile Drive,” Ted answered for Len. “It's a coast road lined with golf courses and fancy homes. Lots of movie people live there. They even charge a toll to drive along the road to look.”

“Marcia has her phone number, if you want to make an appointment to see her,” Len added.

Nancy's mind raced ahead. “What about Cy Baxter?” she asked. “How far is it to his store? I'd like to find out a little more about his part in all this.”

“I'll go along and show you,” Bess said.

“Bess?” Ted looked at her critically. “You're leaving? Now?”

Bess was surprised by Ted's response. “We won't take long. We'll be back,” she assured him.

“But it's getting close to the time for our picnic,” Ted said. “Do you really think you should go?”

Nancy didn't understand Ted's reaction. Bess had invited her and George to Carmel. Surely he knew that Bess would be spending time with them. Why was he being so possessive?

Len didn't appear to notice the tension that had settled over the group. “Then you'll try to find out what happened?” he asked Nancy.

“I'm not making any promises, but it can't hurt to ask a few questions,” Nancy replied.

“Thanks,” Len said. He took Nancy's hand and shook it. “I really appreciate it.” He stood up and headed toward the door. “I'm going to tell Marcia right now.”

Nancy, Bess, and George also got up. “'Bye, Ted. See you in a little while,” George said.

Ted folded his arms and stared at Nancy and George as they walked past him. Nancy shivered. The cold anger in Ted's dark eyes chilled her.

W
HAT
'
S WITH
that guy?” George whispered to Nancy as soon as they got outside. Nancy could tell that George had also picked up on Ted's anger.

Nancy shrugged. “Isn't Bess coming?” she asked, noticing that their friend hadn't left with them.

George pointed into the restaurant. “It looks as if there's trouble in paradise. I don't think Ted wants Bess to go with us.”

Ted and Bess were standing right inside the café, talking. Bess's face was flushed, and she seemed to be close to tears. Ted was holding both of her arms and was speaking very seriously.

Ted glanced up and met Nancy's gaze. His expression immediately changed. After saying
something more to Bess, he smiled down at her and kissed her on the cheek. A moment later Bess had joined Nancy and George on the sidewalk.

“What was that all about?” George asked her cousin as soon as the door closed.

“He's just worried that I'll get into trouble with you guys,” Bess said, not very convincingly. “I never should have told him some of the things that had happened to us on cases with Nancy.”

Nancy hated to see her friend torn between Ted and them. “You don't have to come with us if you don't want to,” Nancy said to Bess. “Just point us in the right direction.”

“There's no way I'm going to miss this,” Bess said firmly. “I
want
to go. Besides, Ted needs to learn to let go a little. He's been spoiled having me all to himself,” she added, giggling.

“So what's the story with you two, anyway?” George asked. “Is this a major romance?” Nancy could tell that George hoped it wasn't.

Bess shrugged. “I don't know. Not too major, I guess. But Ted's really nice,” Bess added with a grin.

She led the way up the hill to the next corner, then turned left. While they walked Nancy went over all that Len had told them about the diamond necklace.

“Have you had a chance to get to know Marcia at all?” Nancy asked Bess.

“I only met her briefly when she and Len ate at
the restaurant,” Bess answered. “She seems nice.”

Nancy was anxious to meet the designer and form her own impressions. She couldn't know for sure that Marcia
hadn't
switched the diamonds until she investigated.

When the girls were halfway down the block, Bess stopped in front of a shop a little larger than Cheung Original Designs. A small sign over the door identified the store as Baxter's Fine Jewelry. “Here it is,” Bess announced, opening the door.

A bell chimed when Nancy, Bess, and George stepped into the shop. Nancy immediately spotted the short, balding man who had stormed out of Marcia's store earlier. He was standing behind the jewelry counter, scolding a woman in her forties who was apparently one of his employees. She was wearing a plain black dress, and her long, dark hair was streaked with gray.

“I've asked you over and over to use this when removing a stone from its setting, not this.” Baxter held up a small instrument to illustrate his point. “And never leave a customer out here in the showroom alone. Can't I leave you in the shop for even ten minutes without you screwing up?”

The woman made no attempt to defend herself. She simply stared at the floor as Baxter went on and on. Nancy was embarrassed to be there. She stared at a Seaside Security sticker in the
corner of the window, trying to pretend she wasn't there. If this was the way Cy Baxter treated his employees, she thought, Marcia must have been happy to branch out on her own.