Always a Thief - Kay Hooper [69]
“Yes.”
Morgan put her elbows on her knees and covered her face with both hands.
Quinn cleared his throat. “Needless to say, the others don't know about that part. Not even Jared.”
“Oh, needless to say,”she mumbled through her fingers. She dropped her hands and stared at him. “Because if they did know, they'd kill you.”
“That was why I didn't tell them.”
“Jesus, Alex.”
“Morgana, it'll work. It's already working. It's well known that state-of-the-art electronic security systems are favorites of mine. My specialty, as it were. Nightshade might be able to get inside the museum—but not inside the exhibit. Not without me and the knowledge and skills I can provide. I've spent quite a bit of time and considerable effort convincing him of that fact.”
Morgan tried to keep her mind on the logistics of the situation and off her anxiety. “Okay. But why couldn't Quinn go after the collection alone? I mean, why would Quinn need Nightshade?”
“Several reasons,” he answered willingly enough. “As you pointed out yourself, the States are . . . unfamiliar ground to Quinn. Even a thief who apparently acts alone has to have contacts: inside sources or informants with reliable information, trustworthy people to provide supplies and equipment, some quick and safe means of transportation once the job is done. All my contacts are in Europe—and I'd have a hell of a time transporting the collection back there. But I came here anyway because, as you say, the Bannister collection is irresistible.
“So . . . when I stumble across another thief while casing the museum, I make it a point to follow him until I know who he is. He's naturally upset that I was able to find him, but I make it clear I don't particularly care who he is and that I have no intention of either exposing him or horning in on his territory. No, I'm going to go back to Europe—but I want very badly to take one piece of the Bannister collection with me.”
“The Bolling?” she guessed.
Quinn smiled slightly. “Are you kidding? That bloody thing's got a curse on it. Every time it's been stolen in its long and colorful history, it's brought disaster to the thief.”
Startled, she said, “I didn't know that was the curse.”
“Oh, yes, and it's well documented. The diamond came into the hands of the Bannisters somewhere around 1500—legitimately. A gentleman named Edward Bannister found the uncut and unpolished stone lying in a streambed in India. Just lying right out in the open.”
“Talk about luck,” Morgan said, perfectly aware that Quinn was deliberately trying to distract her. What she wasn't certain of was whether she was going to let him get away with it.
“Yeah. Anyway, he had the stone polished—not faceted—and gave it as a betrothal present to his bride. The first attempt to steal it actually occurred during their honeymoon, and the would-be thief broke his neck trying to escape out a window. Rumor has it that Edward stood over the body wearing nothing but a sheet grabbed in haste from the connubial bed and promptly declared to all present that the diamond was obviously fated to belong to his family and would henceforth be considered an amulet. Then he christened the stone the Bolling diamond.”
“Why Bolling?”
Quinn smiled. “Well, Edward couldn't call it the Bannister diamond, because he already had one with that moniker. So he had to think of something else. And it seems he possessed a somewhat ironic sense of humor. The thief who broke his neck trying to steal the stone went by the name of Thomas Bolling.”
“And the stone he couldn't steal would forever wear his name. That is ironic. And it's a strange kind of fame.”
“Thomas Bolling would probably be pleased; from all accounts, he was both stupid and somewhat depraved and likely would have passed through history unknown if not for his encounter with that pretty yellow diamond.”
Morgan eyed Quinn. “Are you sure you aren't making this up? It spins very readily off your silver tongue.”
“I swear. Ask Max.”
“Mmm.