Greater Than Rubies, a Novella inspired by the Jewel Trilogy (17 page)

“Maybe you moved them.” Tony started helping her, looking through the piles of clothes.

“No. I’ve been putting them here since you’ve been giving me gifts. I don’t have anywhere else to put them.”

“Maybe someone else removed them?”

Robin stepped back and put her hands on her hips. “No one knew they were there.” She put her hands on the sides of her head. “Tony … “

“It’s okay,
cara
. No reason to panic. We have a full three weeks before the wedding. That’s plenty of time to replace anything.” He put his hands on her shoulders and squeezed.

“That doesn’t change the fact that they were here and now they’re gone.”

Barry popped his head around the corner of the door. He started to speak but looked at Robin’s face. “Something wrong?”

“All my jewelry is missing.”

Barry looked behind him and stepped into the room, shutting the door to a crack behind him. His presence seemed to occupy a third of the room. “Where was it?”

“In this drawer,” Robin said, looking into it again as if the jewelry would somehow magically appear. “Always in this drawer.”

“Could someone else have packed it up?”

“No one knew it was here.”

“Okay. It’s just things,” Tony said. “Unimportant in the long run.”

“Things worth several thousand dollars, I imagine,” Barry said. “Diamonds, sapphires, rubies … things that would be tempting for someone to take.”

Robin narrowed her eyes. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that there have been a couple of people in and out of here that we don’t know for certain we can trust just yet.” Barry crossed his arms over his massive chest.

“A couple of people?” Tony asked.

Barry shrugged. “Sure. Craig, Derrick – I like them both and if they’re sincere, they’ll really do great things. But, what if they’re not so sincere? What if the temptation of such a huge payday was too much to resist?”

Tony shook his head. “I trust Derrick implicitly – that is to say, as much as I trust you, Barry.” He cocked his head. “And you and I both know how much I value and trust you.”

Robin nodded. “I agree. There’s no way Derrick would do that. I also think that if Craig – if my dad – were to take something like that, he wouldn’t have stuck around for the theft to be discovered. He’d already be gone. So, I trust it wasn’t him.” Her phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out and saw Sarah’s face on the screen. “Hey, Sarah.” she said as she answered it.

“Hey. I’m so sorry. I feel so stupid. I forgot to tell you that I packed your jewelry and passport up in my leather chest and locked it. The key is taped under the ice tray in the freezer. I just knew that boy Derrick was all over the apartment this morning and I just didn’t trust him not to take them.”

Robin felt her jaw clench. “I wish you would have told me before now,” she said. “I have been in a panic looking for them.”

“I’m so sorry. This test is really messing with my brain. There’s my train. I love you. See you soon!” Sarah disconnected the call.

Robin put the phone back in her pocket. “Sarah packed them in that trunk you guys just took down,” she said. “I knew no one would have taken them. At least, none of us would have.”

“So did I,” Tony agreed.

Barry gave a brief nod of his head. “I’m glad. Glad you found them.”

OBIN
tossed her chopsticks into the empty carton of noodles and leaned back against the cushion on the floor. Sarah looked at another California roll and Robin watched her debate before she finally picked it up and ate it. Maxine took a sip of her water and leaned against the wall.

“This apartment is fantastic,” Sarah said.

“It was a steal of a find,” Maxine agreed. “I am so excited about furnishing it and painting it. That wall over there,” she said, pointing to the main interior wall of the living room, “is going to be red brick. I have a friend, well, a guy I dated once. He’s a demolition guy for a construction company. I called him and he has a pile of bricks I can buy off of him from an old building on this street.”

Robin said, “What about the other apartment, the one that you put the air mattress in for me?”

“I’m going to knock out some walls that join the two apartments, then make that one into an art studio.” Maxine stood and started collecting empty boxes and cartons.

“This is like a dream for you, Maxi,” Sarah said. “Everything about it, from Newbury Street, to your plans for a brick wall, everything is just so totally you.”

Maxine grinned. “I know, right?”

She left the room with the empty containers and returned empty handed. Sarah stood and walked to a window, looking out at the pedestrian traffic. “Just think about how different things are now than just a year ago.” She wrapped her arms around herself and turned to face her sisters. “I just want to say out loud, how much I needed you in my life, even when I didn’t know it. I didn’t know how to take it, that day you showed up. I didn’t know how to relate to you when I started living with you. But the longer I am around you, the more I love and admire both of you.” She gestured with her hand. “Maxi, I absolutely cannot wait to see what you do with this place.”

“Thank you.” Maxine went to her and hugged her tight. “I love you, too. You completed our family. I missed you so much when we were apart.”

Robin pushed herself to her feet and joined her sisters at the window. “You two have been my life for so long that I don’t know how to shift that focus to a husband.”

Sarah reached out and tucked a strand of Robin’s hair behind her ear. “The first thing you need to do is to quit resisting it. God brought you and Tony together with a very obvious purpose. Let Him work. Quit worrying about the little things.”

“Like reporters who ambush me with questions they shouldn’t ask?” Robin felt her breath hitch with the memory.

“It doesn’t matter. Just cling to Tony, and you two will weather anything.” Maxine slipped an arm around Robin’s waist and Sarah’s waist.

F
Don Roberts felt contrite in any way, his contrition did not manifest in his outward appearance. He looked calm and collected as he waited in the reception area in front of Margaret’s desk, eager for a second chance to interview the future Mrs. Viscolli. He didn’t greet Robin as she walked through and entered Tony’s office, seemingly entirely focused on his legal pad and his phone. Robin found it a bit amusing that Margaret occasionally eyed him as if he were an unruly child whose parents had momentarily stepped away leaving him to create mischief.

Robin tapped on the door and entered in the same heartbeat and immediately felt more at ease when not only Tony greeted her, but Barry Anderson as well. Barry nodded his blond head and greeted her with a warm smile and a simple, “Robin.”

She had no idea if she would make it through the next hour, but she had endured coaching and prompting for three hours yesterday at the hands of Linda Cross. Linda had instructed her in a process by which if Robin detected any emotional response to a question, she had to first silently deal with her emotions then, secondly, restate or rephrase the question for the sake of clarity. Only when she fully understood the question being asked was she to take the most important step. The most important thing she had to do was silently ask herself, “Do you feel comfortable answering this question?” Only if she felt comfortable answering did she even need to do so because if she wasn’t comfortable answering a question, she could very easily refuse.

Robin had also learned the very valuable meaning behind the interrogative phrase, “Is this off the record?” They had practiced scenarios and Linda had coached her in many practical ways. To be fair, Robin felt considerably more prepared for this interview. However, none of that set her nervousness aside.

Tony took her hands in his own and guided Robin to his very own chair behind his very own desk. Robin took her seat and nervously fiddled with her ring as she placed her hands in her lap, until she remembered that she was simply playing a part and folded her hands neatly in her lap. She adjusted her posture, squaring her shoulders and breathing deep to relax her diaphragm. Tony gave her a confident wink. “Are you ready my darling?”

“I’m still very nervous.” Robin confessed.

Tony shook his head, “You’ll do fine. I know it.”

The phone buzzed and Margaret announced, “Linda is on 3, sir.”

Tony answered, “We’re ready. Put her on speaker.” There was a click and Tony asked, “Linda?”

Linda answered, “I’m ready.”

Tony smiled, “All right. Let’s pray.” He gently retrieved Robin’s hand before he closed his eyes and bowed his head. As he began to pray, Robin followed suit. “God in heaven, we petition You that all of our speech and actions during this interview glorify and bring honor to Your holy name. We pray in one voice that You remove any fear, any doubt, any anxiety and we also pray for Don Roberts that he will see and hear only Your mighty voice. Father, we have petitioned You and we are faithful that You hear this prayer and that You will use us to work for Your kingdom in a glorious and miraculous way because we love You so and we ask these things in Your holy name, in the name of the Holy Spirit, and in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.”

With his concluding word, Robin suddenly realized that all of her butterflies were gone. She opened her eyes and realized that Barry had moved to take Tony’s other hand. She had not heard him even move which, for a man of his size, could be disconcerting. They released hands and her fingers didn’t tremble. Robin literally could not have been more ready for this interview and she said as much. “I didn’t realize you were going to pray, Tony. I should have realized it. I’m ready, now.”

Tony announced to the speakerphone, “Linda? Go ahead and bring Don in when you come up.”

Before she disconnected, Linda acknowledged, “Yes, sir, Mr. V.”

The office door opened and Robin calmly observed Don Roberts precede Linda Cross as they entered the space. Her thick square glasses turned toward Robin and she gestured Don to the chair in front of the desk but Barry intercepted him.

“Mr. Roberts. My name is Barry Anderson. I am the corporate attorney for Viscolli Enterprises.” Don Roberts naively took Barry’s offered handshake, a tactical error the journalist would regret over the course of the next several minutes.