Controlled (Gretel Koch Jewel Thief Book 2) Read online

  “Really, you want me to drive off?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then go home whilst leaving you here?”

  “Yes, go back to your modest home where all your modest cars are stored.”

  Marty frowned at her and then his face broke into a smile. He looked down at his watch and clicked a few buttons. “See you in thirty, Ginger.”

  Gretel frowned, adjusted her red wig with one hand and opened the car door with the other before she headed into the night.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  This time, thanks to her disguise, she walked in the front entrance of Monica’s apartment building—and straight through the foyer and into the elevator. The uniform and red hair changed her appearance completely. And with her jeans under the pants, she looked a good four sizes larger than she actually was. Still, she kept her head down so the identifiable features of her face weren’t visible.

  She already knew there was no CCTV footage in any of the corridors and when she got off the elevator on Monica’s floor, she had a quick look for cameras. It was a habit.

  None.

  As she approached Monica’s door, she took a quick look left and right, before she took out her lock picking tools. Kent had checked Monica’s old security system. It hadn’t even been turned on. After all, she probably had nothing left to steal. She certainly wouldn’t be expecting someone to break in and leave something.

  With a jiggle of her tools, Gretel was in. She closed the door behind her. The blinds were half open, allowing the lights outside to help her see. She couldn’t chance turning on a light.

  She pulled the earrings out of her pocket. “Now, Monica, where would you put a pair of earrings if you didn't put them into a safe? In a drawer perhaps. Maybe a bottom drawer.”

  Quickly, she moved to the bedroom and hovered over the nightstand.

  With her gloved hand, she pushed the box containing the earrings at the back, and then slowly closed the drawer.

  It was then that she heard muffled voices.

  There was someone in the corridor. She moved to the bedroom door to listen, then the front door swung open, causing a shaft of light from the hallway to flood the room with light. She tiptoe-ran back and looked for a place to hide.

  The only place was under the bed. She dove under it.

  “Do you really want this place dusted for practice?”

  “Of course I do.”

  “Monica said she didn't want that done.”

  “I managed to talk her into it. She thinks she knows who broke in and said that person wouldn’t be stupid enough to leave prints. The woman Monica thinks broke in wouldn’t leave prints, but she didn’t do it. I know Monica’s wrong. The trouble is, Monica thinks she’ll look silly if she’s wrong and it was just some common thief.”

  “If you say so.”

  “I do.”

  She recognized the voice.

  Jack Fletcher.

  He believed in her. She was flattered.

  “You talking about Gretel Koch? She’s the talk of the bureau at the moment. There’s talk—”

  “There should be less talk.”

  “You were the one who recommended she come in as a consultant, weren’t you?”

  “I was.”

  She held her breath.

  “I can see why people are nervous,” the man said.

  Jack replied, “Just do what you came here to do. I trust Koch completely. She wouldn’t risk coming here. She’s a changed woman, and she’s got too much to lose.”

  “You might be the only one who trusts her.”

  “Others will, in time. She’s already proved immensely helpful. I just want to keep her from having fingers pointed.”

  “Okay. I’ll do my job.”

  “Thank you. That’s all I’m asking.”

  Now Gretel felt like a fool. Jack believed in her, but what if they found her in Monica’s apartment right now? She wouldn’t only be ruining her reputation, she’d ruin Jack’s credibility.

  What would she say?

  How could she talk her way out of this one?

  The front door was the only way out and from the sounds of their voices they were in front of the safe in Monica’s closet.

  She would not have one reasonable excuse for being there. Not an excuse they would believe anyway.

  Gretel opened her eyes and saw them coming into the bedroom. She saw Jack’s shiny black leather shoes and the more casual shoes of the other man.

  “You want me to dust in here too?”

  “Yes. Anywhere the thief might’ve gone.”

  All Gretel could do was stay still and hope that no one looked under the bed.

  Jack walked into the other room leaving the fingerprinting officer in the bedroom. Jack was now talking on the phone but she couldn’t hear what was said.

  Then the officer dropped a brush and it skipped across the wooden floorboards.

  Gretel’s heart was beating so hard she could feel it through her whole body. She was furious with herself for coming back. Marty was right, for once and she should’ve listened to him. Her sister was kidnapped, probably being starved, abused and beaten. Her energy should’ve gone into that, not being nice to someone who hated her.

  What if Jack learned who she really was? He seemed to be the only person who believed in her and she couldn’t bear to disappoint him.

  He leaned down to pick up his brush. “Hey, Jack, come and look at this.”

  She kept completely still.

  Had he seen her?

  “What is it?” Jack asked as he walked into the room.

  “Something strange.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  “What is it?” Jack asked.

  “Looks like some kind of lock picking tool.”

  Gretel was upset with herself. She’d shoved those tools into her pants. The pockets were shallow and one of them had fallen out. At least she hadn’t been spotted, yet. All they had to do was look under the bed, but still, they hadn’t expected anyone to be there. She was so grateful that she’d flipped the lock on the door after she had come in. If the door had been left unlocked, they would’ve searched the whole place.

  “That’s how he got in, then. It wasn’t the ax that broke down the door,” Jack said.

  “An ax?”

  Jack continued, “When Monica’s apartment was broken into, the door handle was chopped completely off. We found an ax nearby. According to the building’s manager the ax was kept under glass with the fire alarm button. We didn’t know if it was an opportunist breaking in after the alarm had been raised. Now, thanks to you, we know someone hit Monica’s apartment deliberately.”

  “I’ll dust it for prints.”

  “Yes, and then I’ll take it in as evidence. Strange how it was missed the first time around. Where exactly did you find it?”

  “Right here in the crack between this closet and the floorboards.” The officer bent down and Gretel could see his shoulders.

  “They must’ve looked in this closet first before they found the safe in the other closet out there.”

  “Could be.”

  “Good job.”

  “Someone’s got it in for her. I’ll finish up in here and then do the rest of the apartment. You don’t have to stay.”

  “How long will you be?”

  “An hour at least.”

  “I can wait.”

  Gretel remembered Marty was only going to stay half an hour. He wouldn’t be there when she was through.

  The dust under the bed was tickling Gretel’s nose. She held it, so she wouldn’t sneeze and breathed through her mouth. After a few minutes, the officer left the bedroom and closed the door behind him.

  Now Gretel couldn’t hear a thing. This wasn’t good either.

  How was she supposed to know when they were gone?

  She looked at her watch. He’d said an hour so she’d give it an hour and then get out from under the bed.

  A long, slow hour passed.

  A thou
ght crossed her mind.

  Should she take the earrings back with her?

  After all, she’d gone through a lot of trouble over those earrings.

  Didn’t she deserve to have them?

  Then an image of Monica lying in hospital danced before her face. And the fact that she could’ve been the direct cause of her injuries, made her feel awful.

  Leave the diamonds.

  Gretel slid out from under the bed and headed to the door.

  With her ear hard against the door, she listened carefully and couldn’t hear a thing.

  Slowly, she opened the door and peeped out.

  No one was there.

  They must’ve gone.

  Just as she was halfway to the door and figuring out how she’d get home, movement caught her eye.

  She turned and saw the officer had just stood up. He was in the kitchen.

  “Where did you come from?”

  He thought she was a security guard, but she couldn’t risk him recognizing her. She turned and made a dash for the door.

  “FREEZE!” He reached for his gun.

  Gretel flung the door open and ran out into the hallway.

  The officer was hot on her heels.

  No sign of Jack Fletcher.

  Gretel grabbed the door of the fire escape and ran down the stairs. The man wasn’t going to give up.

  “Stop, or I’ll shoot.”

  Gretel couldn’t stop. She kept running. Normally she knew she could outrun almost anyone, but with two pairs of pants on, she wasn’t as fast as usual.

  When she got to the bottom of the building, she opened the door to see Marty. She ran past him. Now she had a chance.

  He raced to the fire door and leaned against it so whoever was chasing her couldn’t get out.

  After running two blocks, she turned around. She found a dark place in an alley and stripped off her security clothes, and the wig. With the bundle under her arm, she walked to where Marty had parked the car.

  To her surprise, he was sitting in the car waiting for her.

  She opened the door and got in. “How did you do that?”

  He stared at her. “Gretel, I said half an hour.”

  “I know, but—”

  “You were much longer than that.”

  “I know that. I was trapped under a bed while that officer who chased me was dusting for fingerprints. Jack Fletcher was there too.”

  He shook a finger at her. “I told you not to go back.”

  “You were right.”

  “Always am.”

  “Can we get out of here please?” The car roared when he turned the key. “How did you get back here so fast?” she asked.

  “I think the officer thought you’d locked the door on him. He must’ve gone to the foyer to get out and continue chasing you.”

  He still hadn’t answered about how he’d gotten back to the car so fast, but she knew he wouldn’t give a straight answer. “If it weren’t for you I might’ve been caught—again.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  Gretel smiled. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome again. Did the officer see you?”

  “Not very well.”

  Marty sighed. “That’s what I was afraid of.”

  “He’ll be looking for someone with red hair and thanks to these baggy clothes, someone who’s a larger size.”

  “You take too many risks, Gretel.”

  “No risk, no reward.”

  “Yeah, and how’s that working out for you so far?”

  “It worked for a long time.”

  “Luck runs out. Logical and careful planning doesn’t.”

  Gretel looked at the dark road ahead.

  Marty was right.

  Her luck seemed to be running out fast. She just needed it to hold on until Hazel was safe.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Back in Jack’s office the next morning, no mention was made about Monica or Monica’s apartment.

  Jack was keeping her totally out of the loop.

  Did that mean he didn’t trust her?

  “This robbery is going to be much easier now that the auction house is involved in the hoax. We can have everything how we want it,” Gretel said.

  “Yes, but it must be seen to be real to outsiders, and in particular the people who have your sister.”

  “Of course, but all they really need to know is that I’ve got the diamond, then we have to trade the diamond for Hazel.” When he hesitated, she asked, “Right?”

  “We’ll do our best to take them all into custody.”

  “What?” Gretel screeched. “That’ll be too dangerous.”

  “The safety of your sister is our top priority. We won’t be doing one thing to risk her life. Trust me.”

  “I do trust you.”

  “So you should. Now about what you said about the robbery. It has to look and feel as legitimate as possible for this to work. If we turn the alarms off, you walk in and take it, it’s simply not going to fly. They won’t be convinced.”

  “I know, but. They have to …”

  “We have to come up with a plan.”

  She didn’t know why it had to be that hard if she wasn’t stealing it for real. “Something like this would normally take months to plan. I can’t just pull ideas out of my … ear.”

  “We don’t have months and neither has your sister. We’ve got to come up with a plan now. It’s been days, Gretel, and you’ve come up with nothing. It’s like you’re not putting everything into it.”

  She pouted, and walked over and sat down on the couch in the corner. “I can’t think on an empty stomach.”

  He picked up the file that contained the plans and handed them to her. “Study these, I’ll get us some food. What would you—”

  “A bagel with cream cheese please. Oh, and the bagel needs to be well toasted.”

  “Is that all? One bagel won’t fill you up, will it?”

  “Yes. And another coffee. Thanks.”

  He left her alone and she opened the file. She had to come up with something.

  She looked over the plans once again and read about the security measures that were in place.

  Twenty minutes later, Jack was back.

  Gretel looked up at him. “Okay. Listen up. I hit the place at night. The diamond is only on display to registered bidders not the general public. I doubt I’m going to get an invitation.” She gave a girlish giggle. “At night, we’ve been told it goes into the vault. I wait for the security guard to leave. I get into a window on the other side of the building where the security’s lax. I come down through the roof in the same room as the diamonds. I noticed a vent just outside the double doors here.” She tapped on the plan of the room. “I’ll need to be provided with the combination to the vault and a key for the box it’s in.”

  “That’s doable and that way, you’ll bypass the double doors with the magnetic field. What about the heat and motion detectors?”

  “The day before, which is already tomorrow, I—or someone else—will have to spray them with hairspray. That should be enough to hold them off until I do a more permanent fix on the actual day.”

  “Will that work?”

  “Sure.”

  “We can have that spraying bit done already. No real need for you to go there to do it yourself.”

  “Great. On the day, I’ll cover it with an aluminum plate fitted with double-sided tape, just to be sure. There’s only one of them. I can either cover the camera or we can install dummy footage.”

  “Have you written this down somewhere?”

  “No, not yet.”

  He put the food and coffee down on his desk. “Tell me again from the start.”

  She told him, step by step, how she was going to do it. When he’d finished typing, she said, “When are they going to switch the Purple Promise for the fake?”

  “I’m not sure exactly when. That hasn’t been decided.”

  Gretel knew they wouldn’t show the fake one to the buy
ers. They’d have to have the real one on display for those appointments. Her fingers wrapped around a coffee cup. “Is this mine?”

  “Yes.” He looked up. “I’m going to email this to them, ask them for the things you’ve suggested.”

  “Good. Sounds like we’re finally getting somewhere. How good a fake is the fake diamond? It’s not just some piece of glass or plastic, is it?”

  “It’s a believable fake. It cost a small fortune to create.”

  “Cost a lot … that’s a good sign.” While Gretel was sipping on her coffee, she looked through the glass walls of Jack’s office and saw the officer from the other night. He walked down the hallway, stopped at Jack’s door and knocked.

  “Ah, come in Graham. Gretel this is Officer Conners.”

  Gretel nodded. “Pleased to meet you.”

  He smiled. “Likewise.”

  There was no sign that he recognized her, unless he was a good actor. He turned his attention back to Jack. “No prints that weren’t Monica’s.”

  Jack looked uncomfortable. “Thanks.”

  “And that other thing is now in evidence.”

  “Good job. Is that all?”

  “That’s it.” He looked at Gretel again.

  Now, Gretel realized Jack had gotten him to come in and take a look at her to see if she was the one he’d seen and chased last night.

  “I’ll be in touch,” Jack said. The officer nodded and left his office.

  “What was all that about?” Gretel asked.

  “I had him dust Monica’s apartment for prints.”

  “Wasn’t that already done?”

  “Not properly.”

  “Oh. Is everything in place for the trade when we get Hazel back?” Gretel hoped she’d done the right thing by involving the FBI, but if she hadn’t she might never have been able to get at the diamond.

  “We’ve got a plan in place. It’ll be a delicate operation. Hostage situations usually are.”

  “But it’s not really a hostage situation, it’s a trade-off.”

  “Same deal. You just concentrate on getting that diamond and leave the rest to me.”

  “Okay. I’ll trust you.”

  “As I’m trusting you.”

  She managed a smile.