good deal presented itself. “You know something about this diamond?”
The FBI agent was silent for a moment. “Yes. I suspect that’s why Nexus is really after the lockbox. Schultz got his hands on a legendary diamond called the Great Mogul Diamond. It went missing years ago, and came from the Kollur Mine in India. Two-hundred-and-eighty carats of flawless diamond.”
“It’s always diamonds,” Darcy muttered.
Burke shared a private smile with his fiancée, and Liam knew there was a story there, somewhere.
“My theory is that Schultz came into possession of the Great Mogul,” Burke said. “And he had it cut up.”
Liam sat back. “And now Nexus wants the diamonds.”
Burke nodded. “They’d be priceless. Collectors would go crazy.”
“Okay, but this doesn’t help us find the lockbox,” Liam said.
“Helen mentioned in her diary that she knew where Shultz put the lockbox,” Darcy said.
Aspen gasped. “Where?”
“We don’t know,” Burke said. “Helen apparently deciphered Schultz’s deathbed words, but didn’t share the exact location. Helen’s relatives, specifically her grandson, reported that her diary and some of her belongings were stolen recently.”
“Nexus,” Liam said.
“Dammit,” Aspen muttered. “Another dead end.”
Burke’s lips quirked. “Not entirely. Her grandson is still alive. He’d be happy to meet you. He still lives in the Bronx.”
“Oh, God,” Aspen breathed.
“He knows everything that was in that diary,” Burke added.
“Thank you,” Liam said. “Your help has been invaluable.”
“Good luck,” Darcy said.
Behind her, Declan Ward gave them a curt nod.
They ended the call and Aspen grabbed her coat.
“Let’s get that fancy car of yours and head to the Bronx. I’ll call the grandson on the way.”
Liam gripped her arm. “This might not pan out.”
“For Jake’s sake, let’s hope it does.”
Aspen
I followed Liam up to the slightly ramshackle brownstone. He knocked on the door.
This wasn’t the best part of the Bronx, but I could see that it was slowly rejuvenating.
The door opened. An older man with gray hair, wide, dark eyes, and neat clothes answered.
“Ah, Mr. Kensington,” Simon Clark said. “Come in, come in.”
We walked in and I gasped. The place was a shrine to all things Prohibition Era. There were old bottles, framed photos, a fedora hat resting under glass.
“And you must be Aspen,” Simon said.
I nodded. Then I noticed a framed picture of Dutch Shultz on the wall.
“My grandfather. By all accounts, a ruthless man.”
Dutch didn’t look like a scary, bootlegging gangster in his picture. He looked…normal.
“There is a well-known account of Dutch and his gang kidnapping a bootlegging competitor, Joe Rock. Dutch had him beaten, hung by a meat hook, then a bandage infected with gonorrhea rubbed on his face.”
I winced.
Liam stared at the photo. “You don’t worry…that you’ve inherited some of that?”
My heart clenched.
“Nature is only one piece of us, Mr. Kensington. Nurture plays a huge part too.” Simon smiled. “And at the end of the day, we all make our own choices. We should be judged by our own actions.” Simon looked at the photo of Dutch. “And no one is black and white. There’s so much gray in all of us. As well as lots of other colors. Dutch tortured people, broke the law, but he also loved my grandmother, in his own way.”
“Agent Burke told you that we’re looking for the treasure?” Liam said.
“Yes, and so is a group of criminals. I suspect they were the ones who broke in here and stole my grandmother’s diary.” An unhappy look crossed the man’s face.
“We’ll try to get it back to you, if we can,” Liam said.
“Thank you.” Simon waved at the table. “Sit, I’ll bring some tea.”
He disappeared into a dated kitchen, then returned with tea and biscuits.
Simon sank into a chair. “I remember everything that was written in her diary.”
“You know where the treasure is?” I asked.
He shook his head.
I frowned. “Nexus has been searching in a warehouse in the Bronx. There must be something to link the treasure with that warehouse.”
“My grandmother interpreted Dutch’s deathbed ramblings. She believed he was speaking in code. A code the two of them used as young lovers. Unsurprisingly, her parents didn’t approve of their romance.”
Liam leaned back.
Simon looked thoughtful. “Dutch mentioned soap duckets. People assumed he meant buckets. It was a code he and Helen used for the warehouse they would sneak to and meet. One Dutch later purchased.”
“Oh, my God,” I breathed.
“There’s an old picture of it there.” Simon pointed to a shelf.
I rose and studied the faded black and white image. It was Liam’s warehouse in the Bronx.
My pulse raced and I met Liam’s gaze. We had confirmation the treasure was in the