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  He got into a cab and directed it to the Raynott offices. This meeting with Ms. Wellin was important. He needed to handle it properly on all accounts. One slip up and it could ruin his chances of getting the information he needed. He acknowledged to himself that she might not have the information, but he needed to try.

  He had to find Eva. There was a lot at stake. It had taken months of planning for the two of them to carry out the heist. Their plan had been executed flawlessly as all their previous heists had been. They were in the final stage of the job when something went wrong. After the heist the diamonds had quickly been deposited in five safe deposit boxes. The boxes were located in five different banks spread across several states -- New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania to avoid suspicion. They patiently allowed their precious goods to sit in the banks for some time until news of the heist had died down. Then it was planned that Eva would go alone to retrieve the diamonds from the safe deposit boxes. They thought she would attract less suspicion. There had been national news coverage of the theft. They knew banks would be on high alert.

  Eva left that night with the five safe deposit box keys attached to the business card of the bank it corresponded to. On the back of the card was a copy of the signature they had used to open the box. Opening the boxes at different banks, in different names with the necessary documentation to do so had required a great deal of planning. Max and Eva were good at the details. Nothing should have gone wrong. But it did go wrong. Eva never returned from her trip to retrieve the diamonds. Max had no leads on her whereabouts.

  Max had mixed emotions about his wife's disappearance. He loved his wife; they had been together for ten years. He had no indication that she did not love him as well. So as any husband would be, he was concerned that something bad had happened to her. Because of the nature of her disappearance, he could not file a missing person report. Furthermore, the timing of her disappearance caused Max to question whether or not she had double-crossed him and simply took off with the diamonds. Perhaps she had partnered with someone else to betray him. Did she double-cross him? Did something sinister happen to her? Max had been racking his brain for answers that had not come.

  In an attempt to find out what happened to Eva, he did contact the police to see if the Corvette had been found. It was a risky thing to do, but necessary. He learned that Eva's Corvette had been left abandoned on the side of the road. A repossession company then returned it to the dealership. Unbeknown to him, Eva, for some unknown reason -- certainly not lack of money -- had failed to make the payments on the car. Max then set about trying to locate the new owner of the car, which led him to Catherine.

  He knew it was a long shot that the new owner would shed any light on what had happened to Eva. But he had no other leads to her whereabouts. The stakes were high. He had to pursue everything and anything that might shed some light on what happened to Eva and the diamonds.

  During the taxi ride to the Raynott offices, he formulated the approach he would take. He anticipated that given her position as VP of a large marketing company, Catherine would probably be intelligent and astute. But he was confident he could get out of her whatever information she had. Max had experience in using his charm and intellect to get what he wanted.

  He entered the Raynott offices and headed for the reception area of Catherine's office.

  "I'm Mr. Harrodson here for an 11:00 AM with Ms. Wellin," he announced to Jill. There was no need to announce himself. Jill remembered him quite well. How could she forget him? She was looking forward to him coming in again.

  "Yes, she is expecting you. You may go right in."

  Jill was no less impressed by Mr. Harrodson this time. He had an aura about him that was most unusual, almost mesmerizing. Jill hoped that Catherine would share the nature of his visit. She was more than a little curious.

  Catherine rose to greet him and shake his hand. They exchanged greetings and then the conversation began.

  "Thank you so much for taking the time to meet with me, Ms. Wellin. Please understand I would not presume upon your time if it were not a matter of utmost importance. You see, it is important that I get as much information as I can about the Corvette that your husband bought. My wife was the previous owner, albeit for just a brief time. My wife left in the car a few months ago to carry out an errand. She never returned, and I never heard from her again. I since learned that her Corvette had been found on the roadside. A repossession company working for the dealership returned it to them. Apparently, my wife for some reason, for which there is no explanation, had not made the payments on it. So, Ms. Wellin, I am hoping that there may be a clue in the Corvette that may help me locate my wife. I thought perhaps I might see the car."

  Catherine's stomach started churning; her palms began to sweat, and chills ran down her spine as she listened to his words. Was this possible that his wife had disappeared as Doug had? And they had both been owners of the Corvette? What was the connection with the car? The only difference was that Doug was dead. Mr. Harrodson's wife was still missing. Catherine became uncomfortable. She wished she had never agreed to meet him. She had just started to put the horror of what had happened to Doug behind her. She did not want to start thinking about it again. But, yet, she did feel compassion for him. Catherine always felt compassion for others. Especially in this case. She knew what it was like to have a mate that had gone missing. She remembered those weeks of wondering what had happened to Doug.

  Catherine's mind kept trying to process how she should respond to this stranger sitting across from her. What happened to Doug was public knowledge. She reasoned there would be no harm in disclosing the details of his death.

  "I'm sorry to hear of your wife's disappearance, Mr. Harrodson. The truth of the matter is that I can understand how you feel. Doug had disappeared for some time before his death. It was a difficult period for me. I'm afraid I don't know much about the Corvette. Doug owned it for a just a short time. I never even rode in the car. It was not long after he purchased it that he disappeared. And then I received a call that he had been in an accident with it. The car went over an embankment and was completely engulfed in fire; Doug was killed. The police were able to locate only fragments of the Corvette and none of my husband's remains. So, you see, Mr. Harrodson, there is no possibility of you looking at the car, and I'm afraid I know nothing about the car that I could share with you. I was not even with Doug when he purchased it."

  After Catherine got the words out, she realized she had made a huge mistake. She should not have mentioned that Doug had disappeared for a while before his accident. There were only a handful of people who were aware of this. Even her workmates did not know this detail. She should have simply told him of the accident and that the car had been destroyed. But it was too late; she had said it. She could not take the words back. She supposed the mention of his wife's disappearance had caused her to speak of Doug's disappearance.

  Mr. Harrodson sat across from Catherine stunned by what she had said. This was not what he had hoped to hear. Catherine had told him her husband had died. But he was shocked to learn that he died in the Corvette and that it had been destroyed in the fire. Both links to his wife and what had transpired that day were now dead ends. The chances of his locating his wife and the diamonds were getting slim. Someone definitely retrieved the diamonds, as the safe deposit boxes had been emptied. Had it been Eva? Had it been Eva and an accomplice? Why hadn't she returned with the diamonds? Did she double-cross him, or did someone steal the diamonds from her, possibly hurting her or worse?

  He was not quite sure what else to say. He was still trying to digest what Catherine had just revealed. Could Doug have been an accomplice in a double-cross? Had Eva and Doug been involved with each other? Max concluded he needed to find out more about Doug and Catherine's relationship. Perhaps then he would be able to determine if it appeared that Doug and Eva might have been in a relationship. There was no direct way to elicit this information. He could not ask Catherine, a perfect stranger, if
she thought her husband might have been involved with his wife. But this was relevant information. Even though Doug was dead, information about him and his actions before his death could lead to knowledge of the whereabouts of Eva and the diamonds. He needed to locate her. He needed to get the diamonds back.

  He thought he might have a better chance to learn more about Catherine and Doug and their relationship if Catherine would meet with him again in a less formal setting. Normally, this would not have been an easy task to get someone to accept an invitation from a complete stranger. But Mr. Harrodson was not short in either charm or persuasiveness. He was also perceptive. He capitalized on what he perceived to be Cathrine's compassionate nature. So he attempted to build on the common ground they shared.

  "It must have been difficult to get the police call about you husband's death," he finally said. "I know how it is to lay awake wondering what has happened to the person you love. That was why I wanted to try to see if I could learn anything about Eva's disappearance by talking with the individual who had purchased her car." He then glanced at his watch. "Well, I see that I have taken enough of your time. You are probably heading out to lunch. May I take you to lunch in exchange for your kindness in meeting with me?"

  Catherine had now relaxed in the presence of this charming stranger that sat across from her. Rather than a stranger she now saw him as a victim as she had been. She did feel compassion for him. She got the sense that he loved his wife and desperately wanted to find her. She wished that she could help him. As was her nature, Catherine always wanted to help those in need. As a child, it had been the stray dog or cat. As an adult, her compassion responded to whomever seemed to be in need. It was this great sense of compassion that had initially attracted her to Doug. She had felt sorry for the hard life he had suffered as a child. Now, this same compassion was causing her to respond to this person she had just met.

  Mr. Harrodson's perception of this compassionate side of Catherine and his attempt to tap into it paid off. Catherine agreed to have lunch with him. The pair exited her office.

  "I will be having lunch with Mr. Harrodson, Jill. I should be back in about an hour."

  Jill's eyes widened. What had they discussed? Why were they going to lunch? Her curiosity was aroused. Catherine was a private person and rarely went to lunch with anyone. It was definitely out of character for her. It was particularly odd that she would accept an invitation from this person that she had just met.

  But then how often does one get invited out to lunch by someone who looks like they stepped out of a James Bond movie?

  Chapter Ten

  MEXICAN RIVIERA

  Doug got up from the chair in the hair salon. He took one last look at himself in the mirror. He was happy. He looked good as a blond. Maybe not quite as good as with his dark hair, he thought. The dark hair accentuated his blue eyes. Perhaps I should get color-change contact lenses. He looked a little closer in the mirror. No, this will do just fine. The hair change plus my mustache should do the trick. No one will recognize me.

  Doug left the salon and got into his long-term rental car. Getting into the car reminded him of the good reason he had for changing his appearance. He was sick and tired of driving around in this piece of junk. He missed the thrill of driving his Corvette and the attention it drew. What lady is going to look at me in this heap? he thought. Now that he had altered his appearance, he felt comfortable using his new Castlebury IDs to go back to the US and buy another Corvette. He had intended to wait at least six months before doing so. he thought the more time that had passed since the event at "X," the less likely anyone would notice him. But he had convinced himself that it was okay for him to go sooner. He planned to buy the car in Arizona. Everyone that knew him lived on the East Coast. He was willing to take the chance. The Corvette was important to him and the lifestyle he wanted to project here in the Riviera. Besides, Doug had no patience to wait for anything.

  He drove back to the villa. He was proud of the way his new entrance marker looked. The local stone masons had done a good job crafting the entrance marker that now identified Doug's home as The Villa Castlebury. The Villa Castlebury was now a reality. His new life was beginning to take shape. Doug had a busy day ahead of him. Today was the day the agency was sending over housekeepers for him to interview. He decided that he would use his library room to do the interviewing. The library room in his villa was so important to him. It had been one of the things he coveted most in the Castlebury house where his mother had cleaned when he was a child. It was his turn now to sit behind the desk and feel important. Yes, he would use the library. Doug didn't know too much about hiring a housekeeper or how to conduct the interview process. But he figured he would wing it. He would go with his gut who was a right fit. He had been told that many of the housekeepers in Puerto Vallarta worked at the house about eight hours and also would prepare meals. That sounded perfect to Doug. Doug did not cook, and it was getting old going out for meals. The house was already out of order because Doug was not the neatest person. The sooner he could get some domestic help the better.

  The first person the agency sent was an older woman who did not speak English well. Since Doug did not speak any Spanish at all, the interview process did not go as smoothly as planned. He called the agency and asked for someone who could speak better English. Doug made a mental note after the interview that he should think about taking some Spanish classes.

  As soon as Doug opened the door to Isabella, the second person the agency sent, he knew she was the one he would hire. She was young, in her twenties, and spoke perfect English. She had worked for another American family for two years until they returned to the States. Her references were good, and she was attractive. She agreed to work as many hours as Doug needed her and would prepare his lunch and dinner. That worked because Doug didn't need breakfast prepared. He always went to Starbucks for his coffee and pastry each morning. Isabella agreed to start the next day.

  One by one Doug was checking off the things he needed to do to establish his new life. So far he did not miss much about his old life. He certainly did not miss his job. He rarely thought of Catherine. About the only time, he thought of her was after he had one of his nightmares where she stepped out of the police car and yelled, "ARREST HIM!" At times, he thought about his friends Will and Emma. He had to admit that he did miss them. But friends can be replaced, he thought. It was the price he had to pay for what he had gained. No one could ever know what he found in the secret compartment of his Vette. He couldn't risk the rightful owner tracking him down. Doug would periodically go into the safe and make sure the diamonds were all there. He was happy he had been able to find a contact to buy a part of his 'find'. He had transferred the cash from the sale into a new bank account. There was plenty there in the bank to keep him living a good life for an indefinite amount of time. And when he needed more, he would liquidate more. He already had a buyer in place. Doug was pretty much set for life.

  Doug also had a plan in place to meet new people and make new friends. He had joined the country club where he hoped to brush up on his golf. He also planned to dine and socialize there in an attempt to meet people. He had played some golf in college, but he would have plenty of time now to hone his skills. As soon as he made enough new acquaintances, he wanted to start entertaining at the villa.

  Now that the housekeeper situation had been taken care of, Doug decided to focus on planning his trip back to the States to buy his Corvette. He went out to the pool and sat down with his iPad and began making flight reservations. He then mapped out a route to drive the Vette back. He was getting excited just thinking about driving back. The drive back to Mexico would be exciting. National Highway 15 was described as an 'adventure' to drive on. Doug loved adventure. He could already see himself cruising down the highway in his Vette through cactus-studded mountains and valleys, the lush green farmlands, the forests, and the tropical coastal plain that he had read about.

  After about an hour or two of planning, he dec
ided he needed a change of scenery. So he decided to head over to the dive shop where he had signed up for his scuba lessons. He wanted to buy some gear and postpone his classes until he got back from the States. He hated to delay the lessons. But right now the Corvette was more important to him.

  Doug spent about two hours at the scuba shop, picking out scuba gear. He quickly learned there was a lot of gear one needed to dive. He made sure he had the best of everything -- mask, fins, snorkel, regulator, BCD, diving suit, tank, pressure gauge, diving watch, compass, knife and dive light, computer, booties, and depth gauge. Even Doug was surprised at the cost of all the equipment. But, hey, money was no object to Doug. The clerk at the shop seemed surprised that Doug had purchased all this high-end equipment before his first lesson. But then, he didn't know Doug.

  As he was about to leave the shop, Doug noticed a rack of T-shirts. Sure enough, there were some that said, Diving is Better in the Mexican Riviera. They came in three colors. Doug bought all three. He could hardly wait to get home and put one on. He would definitely pack them for his trip to buy the Corvette.

  Chapter Eleven

  THE LADY DROXELL

  Alex had just woke up on The Lady Droxell. He attempted to shake off the unpleasant dream he had about The Osprey Cove Lodge being sold to someone who would demolish it. He wished the lake water was warm enough to swim, but it was not. In the warmer months, Alex enjoyed diving into the lake first thing in the morning. Usually, that morning swim would wash away any tension or anxieties he might be feeling. But this morning, though the air was still a pleasant temperature, the water had turned too cold. Instead of his swim, he made himself a pot of coffee and sat in one of the deck chairs and just observed the beauty of the calm waters of the lake. Alex found sitting by the lake soothing. He loved listening to the beautiful morning sounds and seeing the occasional Osprey or Great Blue Heron. He always went over to the lodge for breakfast when he was on The Lady Droxell. He would do so this morning. But first, he needed to come to grips with the thought that Mr. Badeau had passed away and that the lodge was for sale. He knew it was possible that his dream could become reality. The Osprey Cove Lodge could be changed completely or become nonexistent after it was sold. Its future would be in the hands of the new owner. This was an unsettling thought to Alex as he sat staring at the lake that he had come to love.