Winston's Diamonds

Chapter 1: The King of Diamonds

Ellington Mansion. Tuesday, October 7, 2008.

"You've kept your news a secret long enough," Neal told Sara, placing the tray of Manhattans on the table. "I want you to know that my expectations are high since you insisted on waiting till we'd assembled in the game room."

Sara had returned to the mansion after spending the afternoon with a client. Luckily June and Mozzie were at home or she might have forced him to wait for them.

"Please don't tell us Janet needs to be here," June said. "She won't get home for hours."

Sara made a show of pondering the idea before shaking her head. "As an auxiliary member of the Red Diamonds, her presence isn't essential. I'll fill her in later."

Mozzie's eyes lit up at the mention of their crew. "Diamond Lil reached out to you!" he guessed, referring to their nickname for their so far unknown quarry.

Sara winced. "If that had happened, we'd break out the Dom Perignon. This isn't that exciting but it will undoubtedly inspire our master treasure hunter." She paused to raise her glass to Mozzie. "Harry Winston, Inc. reached out to Win-Win. They want us to upgrade the security at their flagship store on Fifth Avenue. Ellen and I met with them this afternoon. Assuming they accept our proposal, the measures will also eventually be implemented at their other locations."

Neal was especially excited for Ellen. This would be a plum assignment for the software and surveillance systems expert. Harry Winston was probably her most prestigious client since she joined the firm two years ago.

Sara turned to Mozzie. "The manager gave us a tour of the store. They have an impressive vault in the basement." She arched her eyebrows. "Who knows what gems lie within?"

"For them to admire and us to pilfer, if only fictitiously?" he replied, the breadth of his smile indicating their mastermind was already sorting through possibilities.

"Perhaps we could weave a tale around the founder, Harry Winston," June suggested. "Byron and I visited with him at his store on numerous occasions. Harry was known as the King of Diamonds. He was the broker of many of the most famous gemstones."

"I'd researched him in the early stages of our con," Mozzie said. "At various times in his life, Harry owned the Hope Diamond, the Portuguese Diamond, and several other famous gems. He was particularly known for his colored diamonds. Some of the most famous ones he either donated or traded to the Smithsonian. I doubt there are any famous diamonds currently in the vault ..."

"But that won't stop us from dreaming one up," Neal pointed out.

"Exactly. Perhaps a previously unknown twin to the Graff Pink."

The Graff Pink was one of the largest and most expensive diamonds in the world. Winston had sold it to an anonymous private collector in the 1950s. Had he retained a twin for a rainy day? Or perhaps the Red Diamonds would find information in the vault leading them to discover the identity of the collector and steal the gem.

The flow of ideas reminded Neal of the Arkham Files Round Table sessions that June used to host in her dining room. These days she was an eager and welcome participant in Red Diamonds plotting. June was an avid reader and many of her ideas were sparked by incidents in detective mysteries.

Neal was rather fond of the idea that occurred to him out of left field. "Doesn't the name Winston provoke speculation?" he asked the group.

"As in Harry Winston?" June asked, her brow furrowing.

A smile broke out on Sara's face. "And Martin Winston, the co-founder of Winston-Winslow."

"It's an odd coincidence that may have potential," Neal suggested.