Smaragdus

After the fundraiser, things at the museum were set in motion far quicker than either Therese or Dannie had anticipated. They were more than happy to see it happen, Carol having taken over the preparations with such fortitude, the staff had to do its best to keep up with her. After the first week, Therese had to admit she was more or less in awe of Carol’s unquenchable energy and keen eye for detail. The way she poured her opinions over the plans for the exhibition, how she wanted to acquaint herself with every single facet of the famous necklace and earrings, was nothing short of breathtaking.

“So these are just a part of the parure Napoleon I gifted Marie-Louise,” she explained to Therese. “Originally the crown jewels included also a tiara and a comb, which were sold and dismantled later on.” While talking, Carol had inadvertently gotten very close to Therese, which she only became aware of when her left arm bumped into Therese’s bent elbow. “I’m sorry,” she said, smiling bashfully. “I seem to lose all sense of my surroundings, when I get carried away.”

Amused, Therese didn’t seem a least bit troubled. “It’s okay, I like seeing you all worked up.” Noticing Carol’s apparent bafflement over her surprising remark, a wide smile spread over Therese’s face. “Relax,” she said, “it’s all good. I can look after myself.” With that, she leaned over the papers, her arms resting leisurely on top of them. Her slack posture, complete with her firm behind sticking out like a streamlined fastback, was enough to throw Carol totally for a loop.

Pilates or something, Carol mused, her eyes darting nervously anywhere but where they longed to settle. That is a one tight ass. Her hand flew up to her eyes as if she found it necessary to manually squeeze them shut for a while. Focus, Carol, focus.

“Umm… yes,” she picked up from where she had left off, “as you can see in the photo, the necklace consists of ten alternating oval and lozenge-shaped emeralds surrounded by diamonds.” Therese was still enjoying her carefree poise, she observed. “They are separated by palmettes, each one enclosing a small, round emerald.” To share a space this intimate with a colleague was something Carol had never experienced before. “And here you can see how the pear-shaped emeralds, also framed by diamonds, hang from each large emerald.” Their heads were almost touching as they went over the exquisite details. “The center one, which is 13.75 metric carats, is eight-sided…”

Carol lost her train of thought. The pressing proximity was almost suffocating to her. Carol could sense the warmth of Therese’s body, the flesh-and-blood reality of her standing too close to her. She couldn’t figure out how they had ended up that way, what had prompted them to act as if the walls were closing in, squeezing them together like helpless captives in some third rate adventure movie.

Carol needed to take a step back and to breathe freely, to put an end to what she knew to be foolish and, even more than that, totally unprofessional, but she couldn’t get her legs to move fast enough. She couldn’t get them to move at all. Therese, on the other hand, seemed more capable of action although she took her time before widening the nonexistent gap between them. “It’s superb,” she said, getting slowly up and stretching her back. “And the earrings compliment its grandiosity perfectly.” Seemingly unperturbed by what had happened, she yawned and reached for the water bottle on the side table. “God, it’s been a long day,” she said after a pleasurable swig. “I think we did good today.”

Gradually reclaiming her lost faculties, Carol felt dumbfounded and positively silly having lost her concentration over a strange happenstance. “We did. Thanks.” Her words came out so quietly and subdued, they jolted Therese who had thought nothing could get to her anymore. She felt bad having subjected Carol to her subtle antics for she had indeed done so. She had been reading Carol ever since their first meeting, making mental notes on her body language. So far her instincts had seemed accurate, and this last test only served to prove her point. Therese had learned from the best how to use her sex appeal to her own advantage, and how to make it seem innocent and incidental at best. I could pick you up right now, and make you do things you’ve never even dreamed about.

Still, something about her boss seemed fragile, almost gossamer to her now, and she regretted having taken advantage of it so calculatingly. The desire she had recognized in Carol had vanished only to be replaced with shame, Therese noticed, and it depressed her more than she was willing to admit.

Madame would have welcomed the news of her stepping up her game – kissing her, wanting her right there over the documents Dannie was eagerly waiting for. Had Therese decided to have her way with her, Carol wouldn’t have known an emerald necklace from a string of pearls, and Therese could have done whatever she pleased with those precious papers she kept so stubbornly to herself. Therese saw it happening in her mind’s eye; how easy it would be, how excruciatingly blissful she could make it for her, and, as a result, how very cruel.

She would have liked to call it common decency that stopped her at the last minute, but it wasn’t that simple. No, not simple at all. All those other times in situations like this she had made her move without another thought, but now she hesitated, she was terrified. Therese wanted to kiss her, and it made no sense to her. When the wish to do so became almost too much to be contained, she started doubting her sanity and better judgment. This job, it’s getting to me, that’s all, she told herself. Don’t lose your head. After this one you will be free.

“How much do you reckon these are worth?” Carol asked when they were packing up to leave. “Or can anyone put a price tag on them in the first place?”    

Carol’s question surprised Therese, and for a moment she wasn’t sure if it was proper for her to even talk about it. “In a way, they are priceless,” Therese admitted. “The amazing historic value in itself renders all estimates modest at best.”

Carol nodded, but her curiosity was still far from satisfied. “Humor me, please, just for the argument’s sake…” she said pensively, “what would be the going price?” Stacking the documents together, she waited for Therese to give her a well-founded answer.

“Well…” Therese started hesitantly, “maybe four, five million dollars? I believe The Louvre paid close to four million euros for them at the time.” The topic was unnerving to her, and it was beginning to show.

“Five million dollars, huh?” Carol repeated, her hands on her hips. “That’s a nice chunk of change, don’t you think?”  

Knotting her brow, Therese felt slightly nauseous. “It is a lot of money,” she acquiesced to say. “But it’s not about their monetary value, now is it?” she needed to underline.

“Of course not,” Carol laughed in her carefree fashion. “But it’s sure nice to know the size of the treasure that’s being trusted for our safekeeping.” She grabbed the folders on the table and started towards the door. “I’ll lock these up, and we’ll continue this in the morning.” Smiling at Therese, Carol stepped out and disappeared into the corridor.

Bye. For the longest time, Therese remained standing right where Carol had left her. She needed to get her hands on the documents now. Dannie would go berserk, if she were to return without all the specifics he so badly needed. Therese turned out the light and sat waiting in the dark for everyone else to leave.

Once it had become obvious the documents weren’t easily accessible to her, Therese had asked Dannie to invite Richard for a hot midday tryst. The surprise evident on Dannie’s face had withered away only after Therese had told him to undress Richard outside the bedroom – that way she could sneak in unnoticed and borrow Richard’s all access museum keycard to make a copy of it while the boys were at it. 

Everything had worked according to her plan, and now she had the means of getting into Carol’s office. The beauty of it all was that were anyone to later see who had visited her boss’ room after hours, the surveillance system would indicate the entry belonging to none other than Richard Semco. Another reason to leave him in the dark for now, she had explained to Dannie.

An hour passed by, then another. Therese knew it always took an extended time for Carol to leave. For some reason, she was reluctant to go home. Whatever was waiting for Carol there held obviously no interest to her, Therese had concluded. Quietly she opened the wooden cabinet by the door and pulled out a sports bag she had hidden in the bottom. She got rid of her work clothes and slid into a black cat suit that not only covered her entire body but provided a tight fitting hood for her head as well. A ski mask hid her facial features completely: even though she knew the locations of the security cameras, she didn’t want to risk being caught in any of them as her real self.

It was pitch black when Therese finally dared to step out of her room. She listened carefully, ready to retreat at any time. The silence was eerie, and she welcomed it. The staff had abandoned her side of the building, which made her feel safe in the dark. Her rubber-soled sneakers light as feathers, Therese approached Carol’s office slowly but surely. She was in no hurry – she never was when something needed to be done with utmost care. All this time Therese had her flashlight ready, but she didn’t need it, for she knew exactly how many paces separated her room from Carol’s.

Therese glanced at her wristwatch before using Richard’s RFID card. She had timed her entrance to coincide with the security guard’s coffee break to maximize the possibility of him not noticing someone gaining entrance inside the building he thought to be empty. She waved the card over the electronic lock, and the signal light turned green with a shrill beep. Therese froze momentarily to listen once more before pushing the door open with her gloved hand. Inside, she removed the mask from her face.

Carol’s office bathed in weak light that emanated from distant street lamps and nearby lit buildings. The room looked like Carol, Therese thought, clean and organized with a few choice objects scattered here and there to give it character. A picture of a young girl – Rindy, the frame stated in ornamented letters – of about six years old adorned the desk, accompanied by another, a wedding photo of a laughing young woman with a dashing man next to her. The woman resembled the child, and soon Therese realized they were one and the same. Rindy looks like Carol, Therese thought. Like Carol but happy. Next to the portraits she saw a small statuette, a crystal angel holding a tiny, pale pink heart in its hands. It looked so out of place there, it made her smile. Therese thought about the rhinestones she had accumulated over the past decade.

Keeping away from the window, she moved around the room, drinking in the details she hadn’t dared to really look at while being there invited. There were papers on Carol’s desk but she wasn’t interested in them. What she had come to look for were definitely not in plain sight. Where would she keep them? Therese asked herself, sitting down at Carol’s chair. In a locked drawer? She picked the lock on one of them and found nothing but bank statements belonging to Carol and Hargess Aird. He must be the husband. There was no photo of ‘Hargess’ anywhere, occurred to her suddenly.

The second drawer was a veritable treasure chest of – tampons, paper clips, a small mirror, a tube of lipstick and some lose change. Therese pulled the top off the tube and raised the stick on her lips. Luscious crimson colored her mouth, as she paid attention to her reflection in the mirror. She applied it heavily, one coat after another until her lips looked garish and slightly disturbing. The memory of what had taken place in her office earlier came back vividly, and it was enough to make her hyperventilate. For fuck’s sake, calm down! Therese ordered herself. She returned the lipstick in the drawer and closed it abruptly as if she were discarding an audacious part of her brain that didn’t know how to quit on its own.

Catching her breath, Therese let her sight wander over the walls looking for clues or, rather, inconsistencies that would give away a secret hideaway. A lithograph, an exhibition poster, a coat rack, a bookcase stacked with museum catalogues and research literature, an empty glass vase in front of a large postcard-size reproduction of The Vitruvian Man… wait! Something didn’t add up. Therese aimed her flashlight at the space behind the postcard, its sharp halo revealing an almost imperceptible, vertical crack in the wall. There you are, she smiled at her discovery. An embedded safe behind the bookcase.

Examining it briefly, Therese was relieved to find it a basic model with La Gard 3750 digital electronic lock. Now she would only have to guess the right combination. Luckily most people are predictable, she mused, going over all the conversations she and Carol had had so far. Does she have a cat?No, I don’t think so. She paused for a moment. Her birthdate? Therese pressed 14051969. Not that predictable.

She tried ‘Hargess’, replacing each letter with its numeric counterpart: 4183388. No dice. Darn. Then it hit her. The girl on the photos – what was her name again? Rindy. Holding her breath, she pressed 85620… and the steel door swung gently open. God, Carol, I just adore you. The sense of gratification washing over Therese knew no limits.    

She removed the folder from the safe and spread the documents over Carol’s desk. Having adjusted the table lamp to focus its light strictly on the papers alone, Therese scanned the pages with the handheld device she had brought along. When she was finally done, she made sure the papers were back in the original order and neatly stacked inside the folder.

When Therese was about to put the folder back into the safe, another pile of securely stored papers caught her attention. Hesitating, she pulled them out and sat down again. What Therese saw surprised her since it wasn’t at all what she had expected: the immaculate, perfectly groomed Carol Aird was on the verge of a personal bankruptcy. Her incapacitated husband’s care draining every last penny of her income, she was going bust in a frightening speed. The Airds were mortgaged up to their necks, but it was Carol’s beautiful neck Therese was mainly worried about. So she isn’t just some society lady killing time with a job as a mere hobby, she mused finally closing the door of the safe.

A wistful look on her face, Therese gazed at the room, at all of its charming facets, which spelled Carol to her. Making sure everything was exactly the same way as she had found them, she walked over to the door. Her hand already on the handle, she stopped and turned around. She couldn’t go without it even though she knew it was wrong. And, moreover, she couldn’t go without leaving something behind.

Smiling, Therese picked up the inexpensive crystal angel from the desk and put it in her pocket. In its place she left a vintage emerald and diamond ring she wore in a long chain around her neck, a piece of art deco jewelry Karen had given her on her graduation day. I don’t care for it myself anymore but it might be of worth to you.