Inspector van Duren turned to Daniel Cooper and grinned. “Is this red-handed enough for you? Let’s wrap it up.”
It’s over at last, Cooper thought.
They hurried down to the street. The two uniformed men were facing the wall, hands raised, surrounded by a circle of armed detectives. Daniel Cooper and Inspector van Duren pushed their way through.
Van Duren said, “You can turn around now. You’re under arrest.”
The two men, ashen-faced, turned to face the group. Daniel Cooper and Inspector van Duren stared at them in shock. They were total strangers.
“Who—who are you?” Inspector van Duren demanded.
“We—we’re the guards for the security company,” one of them stammered. “Don’t shoot. Please don’t shoot.”
Inspector van Duren turned to Cooper. “Their plan went wrong.” His voice held a note of hysteria. “They called it off.”
There was a green bile in the pit of Daniel Cooper’s stomach, and it slowly began to rise up into his chest and throat, so that when he could finally speak, his voice was choked. “No. Nothing went wrong.”
“What are you talking about?”
“They were never after the gold. This whole setup was a decoy.”
“That’s impossible! I mean, the truck, the barge, the uniforms—we have photographs…”
“Don’t you understand? They knew it. They knew we were on to them all the time!”
Inspector van Duren’s face went white. “Oh my God! Zijn ze?—where are they?”
On Paulus Potter Straat in Coster, Tracy and Jeff were approaching the Nederlands Diamond-Cutting Factory. Jeff wore a beard and mustache, and had altered the shape of his cheeks and nose with foam sponges. He was dressed in a sport outfit and carried a rucksack. Tracy wore a black wig, a maternity dress and padding, heavy makeup, and dark sunglasses. She carried a large briefcase and a round package wrapped in brown paper. The two of them entered the reception room and joined a busload of tourists listening to a guide. “…and now, if you will follow me, ladies and gentlemen, you will see our diamond cutters at work and have an opportunity to purchase some of our fine diamonds.”
With the guide leading the way, the crowd entered the doors that led inside the factory. Tracy moved along with them, while Jeff lingered behind. When the others had gone, Jeff turned and hurried down a flight of stairs that led to a basement. He opened his rucksack and took out a pair of oil-stained coveralls and a small box of tools. He donned the coveralls, walked over to the fuse box, and looked at his watch.
Upstairs, Tracy stayed with the group as it moved from room to room while the guide showed them the various processes that went into making polished gems out of raw diamonds. From time to time Tracy glanced at her watch. The tour was five minutes behind schedule. She wished the guide would move faster.
At last, as the tour ended, they reached the display room. The guide walked over to the roped-off pedestal.
“In this glass case,” he announced proudly, “is the Lucullan liamond, one of the most valuable diamonds in the world. It was once purchased by a famous stage actor for his movie-star wife. It is valued at ten million dollars and is protected by the most modern—”
The lights went out. Instantly, an alarm sounded and steel shutters slammed down in front of the windows and doors, sealing all the exits. Some of the tourists began to scream.
“Please!” the guide shouted above the noise. “There is no need for concern. It is a simple electrical failure. In a moment the emergency generator will—” The lights came on again.
“You see?” the guide reassured them. “There is nothing to worry about.”
A German tourist in lederhosen pointed to the steel shutters. “What are those?”
“A safety precaution,” the guide explained. He took out an odd-shaped key, inserted it in a slot in the wall, and turned it. The steel shutters over the doors and windows retracted. The telephone on the desk rang, and the guide picked it up.
“Hendrik, here. Thank you, Captain. No, everything is fine. It was a false alarm. Probably an electrical short. I will have it checked out at once. Yes, sir.” He replaced the receiver and turned to the group. “My apologies, ladies and gentlemen. With something as valuable as this stone, one can’t be too careful. Now, for those of you who would like to purchase some of our very fine diamonds—”