For God’s sake, Dennis, it isn’t necessary to put cuffs on her. She’s not going to run away…
When are you going to stop being such a boy scout? When you’ve been with the Bureau as long as I have…
The Bureau? They were probably both fugitives from the law. Well, she was going to get those jewels back. She had gone through too much to be outwitted by two con artists. She had to get to the airport in time.
She leaned forward in her seat and said to the driver, “Could you go faster, please!”
They were standing in the boarding line at the departure gate, and she did not recognize them immediately. The younger man, who had called himself Thomas Bowers, no longer wore glasses, his eyes had changed from blue to gray, and his mustache was gone. The other man, Dennis Trevor, who had had thick black hair, was now totally bald. But still, there was no mistaking them. They had not had time to change their clothes. They were almost at the boarding gate when Tracy reached them.
“You forgot something,” Tracy said.
They turned to look at her, startled. The younger man frowned. “What are you doing here? A car from the Bureau was supposed to have been at the station to pick you up.” His southern accent was gone.
“Then why don’t we go back and find it?” Tracy suggested.
“Can’t. We’re on another case,” Trevor explained. “We have to catch this plane.”
“Give me back the jewelry, first,” Tracy demanded.
“I’m afraid we can’t do that,” Thomas Bowers told her. “It’s evidence. We’ll send you a receipt for it.”
“No. I don’t want a receipt. I want the jewelry.”
“Sorry,” said Trevor. “We can’t let it out of our possession.”
They had reached the gate. Trevor handed his boarding pass to the attendant. Tracy looked around, desperate, and saw an airport policeman standing nearby. She called out, “Officer! Officer!”
The two men looked at each other, startled.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Trevor hissed. “Do you want to get us all arrested?”
The policeman was moving toward them. “Yes, miss? Any problem?”
“Oh, no problem,” Tracy said gaily. “These two wonderful gentlemen found some valuable jewelry I lost, and they’re returning it to me. I was afraid I was going to have to go to the FBI about it.”
The two men exchanged a frantic look.
“They suggested that perhaps you wouldn’t mind escorting me to a taxi.”
“Certainly. Be happy to.”
Tracy turned toward the men. “It’s safe to give the jewels to me now. This nice officer will take care of me.”
“No, really,” Tom Bowers objected. “It would be much better if we—”
“Oh, no, I insist,” Tracy urged. “I know how important it is for you to catch your plane.”
The two men looked at the policeman, and then at each other, helpless. There was nothing they could do. Reluctantly, Tom Bowers pulled the chamois bag from his pocket.
“That’s it!” Tracy said. She took the bag from his hand, opened it, and looked inside. “Thank goodness. It’s all here.”
Tom Bowers made one last-ditch try. “Why don’t we keep it safe for you until—”
“That won’t be necessary,” Tracy said cheerfully. She opened her purse, put the jewelry inside, and took out two $5.00 bills. She handed one to each of the men. “Here’s a little token of my appreciation for what you’ve done.”
The other passengers had all departed through the gate. The airline attendant said, “That was the last call. You’ll have to board now, gentlemen.”
“Thank you again,” Tracy beamed as she walked away with the policeman at her side. “It’s so rare to find an honest person these days.”
Thomas Bowers—né Jeff Stevens—sat at the plane window looking out as the aircraft took off. He raised his handkerchief to his eyes, and his shoulders heaved up and down.
Dennis Trevor—a.k.a. Brandon Higgins—seated next to him, looked at him in surprise. “Hey,” he said, “it’s only money. It’s nothing to cry about.”
Jeff Stevens turned to him with tears streaming down his face, and Higgins, to his astonishment, saw that Jeff was convulsed with laughter.