Page 18 of Gem Warfare

I shook my head. “No, definitely not. He’s not someone I was friendly with. I’d recognize him if that were the case. I can’t put my finger on it except that he seems familiar.” I thought about it for a moment. “Maybe it’s the patch on the jacket. It looks like it might be a high school’s emblem.”

“It’s not local. I would recognize it.”

“Same. Those jackets were popular back when I was in high school. All the boys had them. The patches were sewn on.”

“Is that a regional fashion choice or was it a thing? I don’t remember having one.”

“You were long out of high school by the time I was a student,” I reminded him. “I think it was a generational thing, not regional. Sorry. I know that doesn’t help narrow it down.”

“It gives me a time period to look at. This kid would be in his mid-thirties now. That makes the older guy, let’s see—” Garrett paused in thought while I took the opportunity to count on my fingers “—Sixties or seventies now at a guess, maybe a little either way. I’m going to run both their faces through missing persons, but missing adult white males aren’t exactly a rare thing so I’ll be surprised if I get anything beyond whittling the numbers down to a few thousand.”

“Maybe you’ll strike it lucky with DNA or the skeleton has a titanium plate or something like that with a serial number.”

“Maybe,” agreed Garrett.

I studied the photo again. “I still think there’s something familiar about the younger one. Could he have played on a sports team perhaps? Like, his school team came to play our school in a tournament? He’s cute.” But even as I said it, it didn’t feel right. I turned the baggie over, hoping something might be written on the back of the photo but there was nothing, not even a printer’s mark. “What else did you find?”

“I think I’ve told you enough,” he said, scooping the baggie from my hand and depositing it in his pocket, “given that you’re a mere bystander.”

“Lieutenant!” A woman hopped out of the ME’s van and jogged across to us. She held overalls in her hand, along with booties. Two men followed her, carrying lights and more equipment. “Where do you want us?” she asked.

“Follow me,” said Garrett, starting to step away.

“Call when you have some information,” I said.

“Unlikely,” snorted Garrett. He stopped and turned back to me, leaning in. “You’re not on the case, remember? Don’t you have something better to do than hang around here? Maybe something to do with multiple thefts.” He sucked in his cheeks and held his lips firm but I knew from his amusement he’d heard about my calamities earlier. Terrific.

“I solved my most recent case and the thieves were caught red-handed. Not quite as exciting as Maddox’s jewel heists unfortunately.”

Garrett stilled. “Say again.”

“Jewel heists. He didn’t say who or what, just that he’s looking into it.”

“Well, that’s interesting.”

“Isn’t it?”

“No, I meant… that’sinteresting.”

“Yeah, you said.” Then I caught the hint of something else, something Garrett hadn’t told me. “Why?” I asked, my eyes narrowing.

“Because when I extracted the wallet from the deceased’s jacket pocket, I also found this,” said Garrett. He pulled another plastic packet from his pocket containing what looked like a scrunched cotton handkerchief. He opened his palm and shook the bag.

Several jewels, shiny in the moonlight, tumbled out.

Chapter Five

“Are they real?” I asked as I gazed at the array of cut diamonds, sapphires, emeralds and a very large ruby, that now lay clustered in Garrett’s open palm. The stones were mesmerizing, their beauty not at all diminished despite being buried in the dirt for so long.

“If not, they’re excellent fakes.”

“So, they could be paste? It’s hard to tell the difference. I’m not sure I could.”

“Me neither. At least, not without knowing what I’m looking for, but an expert can easily determine their authenticity and there’s a world of difference in price.”

“If they’re fake, they could be bought online or at any craft store. But if they’re not…” I reached for one but Garrett moved his palm, leaving my fingers pinching the air.

“If they’re not, I can’t begin to imagine how much these are worth.” Garrett wrapped the jewels in the cloth and slipped the package into a plastic baggie that he tucked back into his pocket. “I’ll need to get them appraised.”