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While he spoke, Milo texted again. The door opened and a young, female uniform came in.
“Sir?”
“Officer Salazar, this is Clifford Avakian, a VIP guest. Could you please give him the grand tour while I talk to his grandfather.”
“The grand tour?”
“Not the one we give to bad kids in order to scare them. He’s an excellent citizen and has been extremely helpful.”
Clifford followed the exchange with jumpy eyes.
Officer J. Salazar smiled at him and said, “Let’s go, Mr. Avakian. Would you like something to drink, first?”
“Um, sure.”
“Coke okay?”
“Uh-huh.” Surreptitiously examining Salazar’s chest.
She pointed to the door, let Clifford open it, and followed him out.
Harold Saroyan said, “He really is a good boy. So what can I help you with?”
Milo and I pulled up chairs opposite him. “What I’m going to tell you is part of an ongoing investigation. I know you’ll be discreet.”
“I am Mr. Discreet, Lieutenant. In my business, indiscretion will finish you.”
“I can see that. Okay. The necklace was found at a murder scene, along with several other pieces of diamond jewelry owned by the female victim.”
“The female victim,” said Saroyan. “There was a male victim, too?”
“Yes, sir. Yesterday, the woman’s husband called and asked for return of all the jewelry. He specified the necklace. Said he’d paid a hundred thousand dollars for it.”
“How long ago?”
“Half a year.”
“Ridiculous,” said Saroyan. “Not that recently, for something of that quality.” He shook his head. “The color, the depth, the richness. It is on a par with that six-carat stone I sold to the famous person. Much smaller, of course, and value goes up exponentially with size. But still, no way he got it for less than two, two fifty.”
“Which leads me to my next point. When we assumed the stone was fake, we figured the woman had deceived her husband by having him pay a hundred thousand for what was really an amethyst and pocketing most of the money.”
Saroyan said, “An amethyst that size and color? Feh. I give it to you for free. No way anyone sold a diamond like that for a hundred, not going to happen…” His mouth screwed up tight. “Maybe if it was stolen goods. Something palmed off by a crook or a crooked pawnbroker.”
Milo said, “Making matters more interesting, today we heard from relatives of the male victim that a hundred thousand dollars had vanished from his account.”
“The lover,” said Saroyan. A smile spread slowly. “Ah, I see. She got them to split it. Okay, two hundred, a bargain but within possibility, that I can see.” He fingered the orange tie. “You think she did it to make them more likely to pay?”
“That’s what comes to mind.”
“Or,” I said, “to convince each of them they’d bought it for her. That way, she could wear it when she was with both of them.”
Milo and Saroyan stared at me.
Saroyan said, “You think in an interesting way, Alex. So we are talking a very crafty woman. But not crafty enough? The husband found out, decided to avenge himself? Then why leave the diamond at the scene?”
“The husband didn’t shoot her, sir. Sorry, I can’t say more.”
“Okay, a hit man,” said Saroyan. “But still, why leave it?”
