Page 39 of Max's Mission

“My name’s Karl, by the way.” He offered them a kind smile.

“It’s nice to meet you, Karl. I’m Margot.” She laid the jewelry on the counter. “This is Max.”

“Nice to meet you too.” His expression sobered, then turned curious as he took in the jewelry. “These are lovely. Where did you get them?”

“They’re mine. Family heirlooms.”

Karl picked up the diamond pendant. “Are you looking to sell?”

“No.” Margot glanced up at Max.

He could see by the slight wrinkle to her forehead she was unsure what to tell the man.

Max went with a partial truth. “There’s some speculation that the stones aren’t real. We’re just checking.”

“Ah. Understandable. I see that all the time. This, I’m pretty sure is real. The clarity is stunning.” He picked up the loupe and held it to his eye, then raised the diamond to look at it.

“Yes, this is definitely real. And quite good quality.” He set the piece on the cloth, then reached for the emerald necklace.

A soft grunt left the man’s throat.

“It’s fake, isn’t it?” Margot glanced at Max.

His mouth flattened. This was what he’d been afraid of. If one piece was fake, how many more were?

“I’m afraid so, yes. It’s a good quality fake, though.” Karl looked up. “I’m sorry.”

“Not your fault.” Max leaned on a hand. “What about the ring?”

Setting the necklace down, he picked up the ring. A moment later, he hummed. “That’s interesting.” He straightened. “The diamonds are real, but the sapphire isn’t.”

“Why would the sapphire get replaced, but not the diamonds? There’s what, a carat or two in diamonds there?”

The jeweler nodded. “And I’m not sure. Some families will only replace stones as needed. It’s possible they only sold the stones they needed to.”

Max tucked his tongue into his cheek, thinking about all the jewelry they’d left in the safe deposit box. He glanced at Margot. “I picked these because something about them didn’t look right.The pendant tells me I didn’t know what I was talking about. We need to get the rest assessed.”

Lips flattening, she nodded.

“Sir.” Max turned to Karl. “If we brought you more items in a few hours and came back with a federal agent, would you look through them for us?”

Karl’s eyes widened. “A federal agent?”

“It’s complicated, but yes. We’d really appreciate your help.”

The man’s gaze traveled between them, then flicked down to the jewelry. He sighed. “All right.”

A surge of victory at this small win had Max smiling. He extended a hand. “Thank you.”

Karl shook it. “You’re welcome. How many pieces of jewelry are we talking?”

“About twenty items total,” Margot said. “But many have multiple stones, like the ring.”

Karl nodded. “Okay. Do you have documentation on the jewels? So I can compare the quality?”

“On some, yes. I’ll make sure to bring that.” She picked up the items and put them in her purse.

“Thank you. I’ll see you in a few hours, then.”

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