The Sapphire Affair (Jewel #1)(22)
The man in question parked outside a tall, stark white bank.
Jake grabbed a nearby spot and was about to venture into the same bank, when Eli popped back out. Whoa. That was fast. Eli couldn’t have been in the bank long enough to do anything but grab a few bucks at the ATM. No chance he’d dropped off any hefty sums of cash or checked on goods in a safe deposit box.
Jake ducked out of the way of the revolving door, then walked purposefully to the gurgling fountain with an angel statue outside the bank. He fished for some coins in his pocket and tossed them in, making a wish that this job would pay off.
Eli crossed the street, then headed up a set of steps to a chichi restaurant called Tristan’s with a terrace one story up from the road. Eli rapped on the door, and a tall man answered it, letting him in. Jake couldn’t get a good look at the guy; he only saw a head full of salt-and-pepper hair. Once Eli was inside, Jake walked up the steps.
The restaurant was quiet and the sign said OPEN FOR BRUNCH AT TEN.
He glanced at his watch. That was one hour from now. What was Eli doing here so early? He must be meeting with someone who worked there, and Jake would add Tristan’s to the list of places to check out. For now, this extra hour gave him time to get some other work done. After he left, he weaved through the late-morning crowds in the financial district, until he turned on a side street that boasted smaller banks, perhaps for smaller deposits. He cruised by a few offices, until he reached Wayboard Street with small storefronts bearing signs like DUTY-FREE, WHOLESALE, and UNCUT.
The last one sounded vaguely like a porno flick. He shuddered at the thought, and then shoved it out of his brain.
Rolling the dice, because that was all he could do, he tried the first diamond shop.
Given Eli’s laser focus on that rock on his fiancée’s throat, as well as Marie’s comment about gems, Jake wanted to take the temperature of the diamond business.
Posing as a curious customer, he spoke briefly with the proprietor, but the man was deluged with new customers and quickly told him he didn’t have and hadn’t seen any diamonds with a bluish tint.
Undeterred, he tried another shop. A pear-shaped man with a metal nose ring—such an odd accessory for a guy peddling jewels—tried to pitch him on walking out the door right this very second with a 20 percent discount on a fair-trade diamond set in a white gold band that was a size six but could be reset for the woman of Jake’s dreams.
No such woman fit the bill.
At the next shop, Jake used the weather as a warm-up, with a simple remark about the sunshine.
“They say not every day in the Caymans is wonderful,” the woman replied. “For instance, we only get sunshine and perfect temperatures three hundred and sixty-four days of the year.”
“That three hundred and sixty-fifth day is a rough one, isn’t it,” Jake replied with a smile as he perused the jewels. “I trust business is as fantastic as the weather?”
He was met with a blank stare. Then a curt “yes.”
She bent down to straighten out some displays, making it clear to Jake she wasn’t the type to gab about who was moving what in carats these days.
“Thanks for your time,” he said on the way out, peering down the block, hunting for more. He was flying blind on this recon mission. There were no guarantees he’d glean anything useful from this trip, but he had to keep trying. Porny name or not, he headed into Uncut at the end of the block. The glass cases by the wall were lined with so many necklaces, they nearly blinded him.
A dark-haired man with a thick beard and an eager grin strode up to him. “Greetings and welcome to Uncut, where we specialize in the best duty-free diamonds on the island,” the man said, sounding like a TV commercial. “Are you looking for something for that special someone?”
“Potentially.”
The man placed his hands together, as if in prayer. “Ah, excellent. So this is for a lovely woman in your life you want to make your wife?”
Jake laughed and shook his head, ready to nix that notion. He wouldn’t even go there in a cover-up. He leaned on another answer—one that could be true. “I don’t see that happening anywhere in the near future. Or even the far future. But my little sister is graduating college soon, so I thought I might get her a little something. What’s a good graduation gift?”
The bearded man walked behind the counter, unlocked a glass case, and gestured to several diamonds that could be set into a bracelet or earrings. “Surely, a lovely pair of simple diamond earrings would be a wonderful gift for your sister as she embarks on her first job after college. They say classy and elegant, and what employer wouldn’t want that?”
Jake rested his elbows against the counter, taking in the sea of sparkling gems that shimmered like brilliant reflections. “So many to choose from. What do other customers get?”
The man reached into the case for a handful of small diamonds, and he sprinkled the gems on a swath of black velvet. “These are very popular. And the price is incredibly reasonable.”
Jake nodded, as if considering his purchase. He screwed up the corner of his lips. “Business is good these days?” he asked casually as he studied one of the gems. “I keep hearing all about diamonds in the Caymans.”
The man nodded vigorously and gestured to the door. More customers were starting to stream in. “Business has never been better. Sometimes it’s so good I can’t even handle it. I am a lucky man to work here. The only thing that would make me luckier would be if I can beat my brother at darts someday.”