Day 13

To bring you up to date, it was after 9 p.m. last night when Edith and I returned home after a disappointing visit with  the museum’s directors. (He was a registered gemologist and had agreed to inspect the Nelson Jewel’s that hadn’t been stolen and were still at the museum.)

 Lee was already dressed for bed and watching TV with his mother as the fireplace glowed with warmth and comfort.

“Well?” he hopped up and met us before I’d even  I had even removed my snow boots.

“Fakes, all of them,” Edith sighed as she flung the velvet bag with the Nelson ‘gemstones’ from the bank on the entryway hutch.

“But these,” I pulled out a small envelope and poured the two earrings and bracelet into my hand, “are real.”

“Would you both like some cocoa?” Mrs. Crane greeted Edith and I warmly. “I was just about to make Lee another one.”

“Thank you, Mrs. C.” Edith said  while shaking off some snowflakes from her hair. “I’ll give you a hand. You better put those in a safe place Harry. They could be the only assets we’ll have left if your fears about O’ Malley are right.”

“They worth much? Lee said while furrowing his brows, “they don’t look all that impressive.”

“Only a couple thousand dollars.”

“Only?” Lee snorted.

“If the gemstones in the Nelson Jewel’s weren’t replaced with fakes as we were all let to believe by my great grandmother, the thieves may have gotten away with about a half a million dollars in today’s market. If they knew the supposed ‘imitation’ gems weren’t imitations, there might not be a correlation with wanting the hair in the settings to prove any kind of relationship at all.”

Just then Mrs. C. and Edith came in with 2  steaming mugs of cocoa, each, and sat down with us

“How come I don’t get whipped cream on top, like Lee’s?” I frowned as Edith gave me mine.

“I thought you liked mini marshmallows,” she said as she sipped hers.

“I do, but...” I looked longingly at the head of whipped cream topped with chocolate shavings.

“Here,” Lee offered me his.

“No, no,” I said with a degree of guilt. “ I was just being grumpy...mine’s fine. Really it is.”

Lee raised his eyebrow.

Changing the subject I said,  “Miss Bates and the director gave us the name of an antiquities expert who might be able to clean and open the cameo on the Nelson Ring. We’ll be going there tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow, I almost forgot!” Lee rose and ran to the ‘den’ that he and Lee had turned into their ‘command center’.

“What’s that about?” I asked Mrs. Crane.

“He and the boys were busy working on something today and...”

“Here,” Lee returned, puffing, and handed me a lapel pin .

“Save the Whales?” I asked, confused .

“It’s for Operation Eavesdrop. I’ve asked the crew to help  Notice anything special about it?”

“Well aside from the glowing whale, no.”

“It’s a bug. We called in a few favors from ONI. Joe's at the Oyster House, by the way. He's gone to check some of the upstairs offices out. Remember, in the olden days they had a few Doctor's and law offices.  And he decided to have dinner there too. Not sure when he'll get back tonight. Anyway, we figured since we didn’t pick up anything of importance from the bugs we placed at the police station, it might be better to bug O’ Malley personally. Get him to wear the bug, and we can hear what he says away from work.”

“And just how are you going to get him to wear this? I  hate to say it, Lee, but it’s damn ugly. And it’s not exactly something a police officer would wear.”

“No,” Lee grinned, “but even O’ Malley won’t be able to resist Stu Riley’s boyish charm and his ‘Save the Whales’ campaign. Trust me, with all the media attention, he won’t dare refuse to pin it on."

“What media attention?”

“Long story. Well, I’m going to bed. We’ll go over the details tomorrow...”

“You’re avoiding the question, Lee.”

“Gee, Harry, you know I love to see that scientific mind of yours in action.”

“Lee!”

“Let’s just say the news station received an anonymous tip that Miguel Crane will be assisting some of Seaview’s crew who have a permit by the way,  to distribute flyers and buttons on the steps of the police station among other venues. The reporters, um, kind of like Miguel...”

“Don’t you think they have more important news to cover?”

“Ah senor. Miguel, he is recovering from a gunshot, no? He’s still, how you say, newsworthy?” Lee grinned.

“I’ll be there too,” Mrs. Crane said.

“Well, it’s certainly going to be an interesting day tomorrow.”

And so ‘tomorrow’ is now today and  my nerves are on edge and the ham and eggs that Mrs. C. made for breakfast hasn’t helped. Lee can’t help but to attract trouble, even when he’s Miguel.

He and his team have already left for the station with Mrs. Crane. Joe and Sharkey will stay here  to monitor anything from the bug which Riley will personally pin on O’ Malley if all goes well.

If all goes well. What a phrase. Since the Nelson Jewels were stolen and Lee and I flew out here, nothing’s gone well! And we’re  going to have to get back to NIMR and Seaview soon.

Time waits for no man and I’d better get a move on or we’ll be late for our apt. with the jeweler. I wish I could see ‘agent’ Riley in action. Oh well, I’ll just have to wait for the news.