Page 92 of Dick

TWENTY-EIGHT

Dick

JESS and I sat on my back deck enjoying the sun and eating lunch. Seton was on his way over, and I was anxious to learn what he had found out regarding the people I assumed were business associates, but was afraid had all turned snitch.

After hearing his car in the drive, I sent him a text message.

Come around through the yard. Leopard hates men.

I chuckled a laugh at the thought of the leopard warming up to Jess and not allowing me within twenty feet of it.

“What?” Jess asked.

“Your cat,” I said.

“She loves me.”

I shook my head. “Hates me.”

Seton came around the corner of the house. “Lunch in the sun?”

Jess raised her half-eaten sandwich. “Hungry?”

“Just ate, thank you.”

Anxious, I turned toward him. “So, what’d you learn.”

“A considerable amount, actually. Some of which I know, some I’ve assumed.”

“Tell me what you know.”

He removed a folded sheet of paper from his jacket. “Well, Drake Allen Shuck was detained, questioned, and scared shitless to the point that he turned confidential informant on a state level. Bartholomew Bright, no middle initial or name, was charged with possession of stolen diamonds, and he turned confidential informant for the federal government. Bartholomew, in an effort to minimize his exposure to prison time, set up William James Patterson, aka Fat Willie, up on a reverse sting.”

“Holy crap, I knew that fat fuck was a cop,” Jess said excitedly.

Seton nodded. “Well, he is.”

“I can’t believe this shit; my entire support system has gone snitch. So, who busted me in the head and took the diamond?” I asked.

“Well, based on what I know, this is what seems to have happened,” Seton said. “Your jeweler is on the up and up from what I can see. It seems somehow, by happenstance or because he simply followed you, Duc took your diamond at the jeweler’s. He then met with Drake regarding the stone, which was made a matter of record in Drake’s case. Drake then set Duc up on a sale to the feds, which was their hope and intention the entire time. They were after him, and didn’t want to get him on the purchase, but the sale of the stone. The courts prefer to prosecute sales over purchases. A bargain purchase is often lost in court due to either entrapment or the deal simply being so good it lures the otherwise law-abiding citizen to break the law. Sales, on the other hand are a slam dunk.”

“So Duc smacked me, took the stone, and then what?” I asked.

“Duc Nguyen sold it to the federal agents. This I know. So, it stands to reason he is the one who smacked you. At any rate, the feds went to your jeweler, and said if anyone came around asking about buying said stone – or anything of the kind – to give them a call. They not only went to your jeweler; they went to all jewelers who deal with diamonds on a large scale.”

“Interesting.”

“So, why bust Jess? A law-abiding woman?”

“Well, here’s the thing with the feds. They couldn’t give a shit who they bust or how. All they want is a statistic. And, feds don’t play by any rules, so when they went to the jewelers. They had the man with the mustache – Special Agent Whitmire – act as a man who had a stone for sale. They didn’t make it known that they were federal agents. It’s not uncommon. They’re a shitty bunch to deal with.”

“So she was just a fall guy? Or fall girl in this instance?”

He folded the paper and put it back in his pocket. “That is correct.”

“Those fuckers.”

“Another tidbit for you. The Ferrari’s VIN was checked when it was parked, probably while you were in the bar, and it came up as stolen. They opted to wait and see if it was going to be used in the heist. When you pulled in front of the bar, they were certain you were the actual buyer. They had hopes of busting you, but they didn’t know who you were, as the car is not registered to you. When you slipped away, you became somewhat of a ghost. They questioned the previous owner of the car, and he said nothing. Seems he was scared.”