Other People's Baggage (16 page)

FOOL'S GOLD: FIVE

  

We'd finished eating and I was halfway through a pint of strong post-lunch beer when a familiar face appeared.

Daniella scanned the bar before spotting us and rushing up to me. She squeezed my hands, looking into my eyes with desperation. Smudges of eyeliner and mascara dotted her cheeks. She looked as if she might burst into a second round of tears any second.

“Is everything all right?” I asked, realizing it was a stupid thing to say as soon as it came out of my mouth.

“Where's Feisal?” Clayton asked. “How did you get here first?”

“Everything is wrong,” Daniella said. She wiped an errant tear off her cheek.

“The theft is awful,” I said. “But it doesn't sound like anyone got hurt. And surely Feisal has insurance.”

“That's the problem,” Daniella said. “I think he spent the last of his reserves insuring this promotion. He's nearly broke. His business suffered when the economy tanked. This was his last attempt to get the business back on track. The police are still questioning him, that's why he's not here yet. They think he stole his own chess set as
insurance fraud
.”

“Oh dear,” Clayton said. “The police can't really believe Feisal would steal his own chess set, would they?”

“That's what they seem to think,” Daniella said.

“Desperate times make people do desperate things,” I said.

“I've known him for years,” Daniella said. “He's involved in London's theater community. He acquires specialty set pieces for high budget shows.”

“I don't believe it either,” Clayton said. “Feisal would never do that. I wouldn't say the same of everyone he employs….” He let the unspoken accusation hang in the air.

“Izzy,” Daniella said, “would not have done this.”

“Well,
somebody
had to have done it,” Clayton snapped. “Unless you think it could have vanished into thin air?” His fists were clenched so tightly his knuckles were white. “Sorry,” he said a moment later. He looked up at the ceiling as he took two deep breaths. “So sorry. It's this situation. The gold…. I can't believe it's gone.”

“This is the worst timing for getting it back,” Daniella said. “The police have too much going on with so many people in town for the festival. There's an inexperienced officer assigned to the case. He wants to wrap things up quickly, and the insurance fraud angle is simple.”

Clayton groaned.

“Don't police often start with the assumption that it's an inside job?” I said. “That doesn't mean they'll continue to believe it if that's not where the evidence takes them. It doesn't sound so strange that that's where they'd begin.”

“That's not the weird part,” Daniella said. She turned to Clayton. “You weren't wrong when you said the chess set vanished into thin air.”

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“There were a dozen witnesses in the hallway,” Daniella said. “A German tour group in town for the festival. After the safe was blown opened, nobody came out of the room through the hotel room door. The police found the door hadn't been forced either. That means it was one of our keys that was used. It's both an inside job and an impossible job. There's no way the thief could have gotten out of that room. It's
impossible
.”

FOOL'S GOLD: SIX

  

“It can't be impossible,” I said.

“Obviously,” Clayton said with a scoff. “Izzy had to have gotten out somehow.”

“Don't,” Daniella said. Her voice was soft but firm. “Just because of his past—”

“I warned Feisal not to hire him,” Clayton cut in.

“What am I missing?” I asked.

Daniella and Clayton looked sharply at each other, ignoring me. They stared at each other for a few seconds before Daniella looked away. She tucked a lock of her messy hair behind her ear and stared at the floor.

“It doesn't matter what we think,” Clayton said. “The police will discover his culpability.”

“But he didn't do it!” Daniella cried. “And now they're looking into Feisal. I know he didn't do it either. From what they said to me when they questioned me, I could tell they were just about to arrest him.”

“The police aren't going to arrest an innocent man,” I said in a voice I hoped sounded much more confident than I felt.

“Feisal!” Clayton called out. “We're over here!”

From a distance, I would have guessed the charismatic Feisal, with his thick black hair and thin build, was a young man. As he joined us I realized he must have been in his fifties. His face was lined with worry, making him appear even older.

“Clayton,” Feisal said, shaking his hand heartily as he joined us at the bar. “I'm so sorry I couldn't make it to the picnic.”

“What's the matter with you?” Daniella said. “That's the least of your problems.”

“Proper respect is of the utmost importance at all times,” Feisal said. “That's what will see us through this. I'm Feisal Khattabi,” he added, turning to me.

“Jaya Jones.”

“Ah, yes, Daniella's friend,” he said, shaking my hand. “You are perhaps part Egyptian? Your beautiful features suggest—”

“I was actually wondering if you were part Indian. You remind me very much of a great uncle of mine—”

“Have you all gone crazy?” Daniella cut in, nearly shouting. “You're exchanging pleasantries while the chess set is missing, you're possibly going to be thrown in jail, and my play is supposed to open tomorrow!”

“Perhaps we should order Daniella some tea to calm her nerves,” Clayton suggested.

“Quite,” Feisal agreed.

“I. Don't. Need. Tea!” Daniella cried.

“Yes,” Clayton said. “I see your point. This bar is no place for proper tea. Now that you two are here, we can adjourn elsewhere.” He raised a finger in an understated motion to catch the attention of the bartender.

I knew about the reserved English, but Daniella had a point. Their forced calm was making my nerves tingle.

“Feisal,” I said. “From what Daniella said, I'm surprised to see you here so soon. It sounded like the police were focusing their attention on you.”

“They questioned me,” Feisal said, “but they had no evidence to hold me. They had a theory about insurance fraud, but they now see that cannot be the case.”

“What do you mean?” Daniella asked.

Feisal held his head high and cleared his throat. “After the fees to set up this show and to pay Izzy…” He broke off and looked past us at the row of spirits behind the bar. “I didn't have sufficient assets to adequately insure the set.”

“But you told me—” Daniella said.

“I didn't want you to worry, Daniella,” Feisal said. “I needed you to feel comfortable acting with the chess set on stage with you. A big part of the publicity needed to be that your play was a marvelous show. I couldn't have you nervous about the chess set.”

“Feisal,” Clayton said, his voice clipped. “You know better than that.”

Feisal pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his brow. “Quite,” he said. “The one time I neglect to get insurance…but never mind.” He tucked the handkerchief back into this pocket with a shaky hand. “I'm sure the police will catch the thief and recover the set. Yes, we must have faith in the police. The theft seems impossible…but it can't be
impossible
, can it?”

“What are the police doing now?” I asked.

“Unfortunately,” Feisal said, “I believe they're now focusing their attention on Izzy, because of his background.”

“But that's all in the past,” Daniella said.

“The police don't see it that way.”

“It wasn't his fault,” Daniella said. “It was a moment of weakness years ago. Everyone deserves a second chance.”

“I don't believe he's guilty either,” Feisal said. “I wouldn't have employed him as security if I felt different than you, Daniella. He's worked for me for years.”

“I know,” Daniella said. “You gave him a chance when nobody else would.”

Feisal's eyes were downcast. “I only hope I'll be here to have a job for him once this mess is over. My father never wanted me to stay in this country. He wanted me to learn what I could here, but return home. Home. Such a strange word. Even if I lose my business, Britain is my home. If I lose the money from the chess set, I can rebuild my business. But if I am presumed guilty of this thing I didn't do…”

“You don't mean you could be deported?” I said.

“I'm a permanent resident,” Feisal said. “But I don't know what would happen if I were to be found guilty of a crime.”

“Don't worry,” Clayton said. “We all know you didn't have anything to do with this. The police will see that. Shall we find that tea and leave police matters to the police?”

“I don't want to drink any tea!” Daniella said. Her distressed, bulging eyes reminded me of the rook chess piece who was biting his shield. The bartender gave her a sharp look.

“Feisal,” Clayton said. “Even if the ladies don't want tea, how about you and I have a cuppa?”

Daniella and I followed the two men out of the bar. Clayton and Feisal left the hotel, a sea of heads turning in their wake. Daniella wanted to stay at the hotel to wait for Astrid and Izzy, so we found a spot in the corner of the lobby with a good view of the front doors.

“What am I going to do?” Daniella asked.

“Clayton is probably right that the police will get to the bottom of this,” I said.

“You don't understand, Jaya. The police will be biased in this case. I wish I had Clayton's faith in them, but I don't.”

“With what you told us about the crime,” I said, “I might have an idea.”

“You do?” She wiped a tear from her cheek.

“I know someone who might be able to help. He thinks…
differently
than the police.”

“Differently?”

“He creates seemingly impossible situations for a living.”

“Please, Jaya. Anything that could help, please do it.”

I pulled my phone from my bag and sent a text message to Sanjay.

Sanjay pulled apart the impossible acts of other magicians all the time, and this theft reminded me of such an illusion. If Sanjay could figure out how the impossible was done, he could help prove it wasn't one of the people involved in the play who'd stolen the set. It looked like Daniella was close to a nervous breakdown about Izzy being persecuted. I couldn't enjoy a relaxing vacation when my friend was convinced an innocent man would go to jail.

Beyond Daniella's worries, an image of Feisal's frightened eyes stuck in my mind. I hated to think about him losing his business and being forced to leave the place he thought of as home.

I'm named Jaya Anand Jones after my great-great uncle Anand, the first of the Indian side of my family to come to the United States in the early 1900s. I'd heard countless heroic stories about him from my mom when I was a kid. Like Anand, Feisal had created a life for himself in a new country, and had been willing to take a chance on someone he believed in.

Daniella bit her lip. “Do you really think your friend will be able to help?” she asked.

“I'm not sure, but it's worth a try.” A text message flashed on my screen. “He texted me back that he'll come over to the hotel as soon as he can.”

“What do you think is taking Izzy and Astrid so long at the police station?” she asked.

“Astrid is right here,” a female voice said.

“Oh, Astrid,” Daniella said, giving her a hug and clinging to her for several seconds. “What's going on?”

Astrid gave a graceful shrug. I wouldn't have been surprised if she worked as a model in addition to being an actress.

“Izzy should be along shortly,” Astrid said.

“They're not holding him?” Daniella asked.

“He couldn't have done it,” Astrid said.

“Thank God the police came to their senses about this being an inside job,” Daniella said.

“I didn't say that,” Astrid said. “Come, let's go outside. I need a cigarette.”

“How can they have cleared the four of us but still say it's an inside job?” Daniella asked as we left the lobby.

The sidewalk outside was even more crowded than the hotel, full of street performers and people in town for the festival, but it felt like a different world outside in the fresh air.

“Who said they cleared us?” Astrid said. “They told you the same thing, that we were to remain available? Yes, that means we are all still under suspicion. All of us except for Izzy.”

“Can someone please tell me what on earth this Izzy did?” I asked.

Astrid tilted her head back to blow out a puff of smoke. “Of course Daniella wouldn't tell you,” she said. “She's sweet on big old Izzy.”

“Just because I think he deserves a second chance,” Daniella said, “doesn't mean I have a thing for him.” She blushed as she spoke the words.

“He used to be a policeman,” Astrid said. “He was caught taking bribes.”

“
One
bribe,” Daniella snapped. “A weak moment, when his wife was dying of cancer and needed extra care.”

Astrid rolled her eyes. “A lot of people agree with her,” she said to me. “He hasn't had a problem finding private security gigs. Feisal loves him, and not just because he's such a big guy that he can either scare away or beat up anyone out to steal Feisal's antiques. Oh, and that big size of his?” she turned back to Daniella. “That's why he's off the hook.”

“They found how the thief got out?” she asked.

“That's what they implied,” Astrid said. “Didn't they ask you about how tall you were, Daniella?”

“They did,” Daniella said, “but I didn't think anything of it.”

“Well, I asked. They were trying to figure out which of us could have gotten out through the window. Izzy is the only one of us who is obviously too big to have gotten out that way.”

“But the suite was five floors up.”

Astrid shrugged. “There has to have been some way out. It's not as if it was magic.”